This album is not by any means a concept album, but the central theme of Death is recurrent in one form or another. From the necessity to live life to its full in “Wildest Dreams” or the urge to make things right in “Rainmaker”, to the thoughts of someone who know his time is up in “No More Lies”. The band also proposes a detour into the minds of those who had a close encounter with Death, like this strange surreal meeting with the undead in “Dance Of Death”, or the remisniscence of centuries-old death in “Montsegur”, or, closer again, the head-on crash with the absolute horrors of war in “Paschendale”. There are of course a few off-topic songs, like “New Frontier”, that deals with the manipulations of life, or songs pointing out the sorry state of the world today - a subject dear to Steve Harris - like in “Face In The Sand” and “Age Of Innocence”. There is even what seems to be a criticism of the “Internet Generation” in “Gates Of Tomorrow”, with the allusion to the World Wide Web and the worry that it may represent our only future.
Only “Journeyman” stands out as an uncharacteristic Iron Maiden song. This is the first time that the band records a fully acoustic song, and they did a great job of it. Some will comment that it is an attempt to reach a broader audience, like Metallica did with “Nothing Else Matters”, but I beg to disagree here. “Journeyman” is an acoustic piece like only Iron Maiden could create, and they certainly remained true to themselves. On the other hand, if it can introduce other people - who would otherwise dismiss them - to Maiden's music and act as a gateway to the fantastic sound of this band, I certainly cannot complain. After all, more fans means more great albums to come.
All in all, it can be said that Dance Of Death is a pretty excellent Iron Maiden album, albeit uneven in the quality of the songs it contains, and that it has its place in Maiden's career alongside with some of the albums of the Golden Era. Many older fans will complain that there is nothing really new and ground-breaking here, but the band cannot release a Piece Of Mind or a Powerslave every time they put an album out on the market. With Dance Of Death, they have done a brilliant Metal album that will still please some of the older generations, while introducing the newer fans to the world of Iron Maiden's great music in an even better way than Brave New World had already done.
8 September 2003
Singles: 
Tracklist
1. Wildest Dreams 03:522. Rainmaker 03:49
3. No More Lies 07:22
4. Montsegur 05:50
5. Dance of Death 08:37
6. Gates of Tomorrow 05:12
7. New Frontier 05:04
8. Paschendale 08:28
9. Face in the Sand 06:31
10. Age of Innocence 06:11
11. Journeyman 07:07
Total time 01:08:03
Lineup:
Bruce Dickinson - vocals
Dave Murray - guitar
Adrian Smith - guitar
Janick Gers - guitar
Steve Harris - bass/keyboards
Nicko McBrain - drums
Track 7, "New Frontier", is the only song thus far co-written by drummer Nicko McBrain to appear on an album
MANAGED BY ROD SMALLWOOD,ANDY TAYLOR AND MERCK MERCURIADIS
FOR SANCTUARY ARTIST MANAGEMENT LTD.
RECORDED AT SARM STUDIOS (WEST), LONDON
PRODUCED BY KEVIN SHIRLEY
CO-PRODUCED BY STEVE HARRIS
RECORDED, ENGINEERED AND MIXED BY KEVIN "CAVEMAN" SHIRLEY
ENGINEERED BY DREW GRIFFITHS AND ASSISTED BY BRAD SPENCE, AKA "THE BREW"
MASTERED BY TJM YOUNG AT METROPOLIS MASTERING, LONDON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON FOWLER
BOOKED BY JOHN JACKSON AT K2 AND RICK ROSKIN AT CAA
SPECIAL THANKS TO: VAL JANES, DAVE PATTENDEN, KATHERINE PARKES, WILL ASHURST, ANDREA ALEXANDER, BOB WARD, JOHNNIE (SILVER FOX) ALLAN, BRIAN LOCKE, PETE DE VROOME, MARK HOWE, DAVID THORNE, JACKIE DA COSTA, SARAH PHILP, MATT BREWER, ANGELA O'OONNOR, TINA CHANG, ROB SHORE, ALANA SCHWARTZ, JENNY LAY, ERIC BRINER, CORY BRENNAN, DREW MURRAY, BOB CAHILL, JAISON JOHN, KATY KRASSNER, |OHN KALODNER: JOHN KALODNER
TOM LIPSKY AND ALL AT SANCTUARY. BARRY DRINKWATER, STEVE MILES, VICKY KOSTURA, MARIA CONROY AND ALL AT BRAVADO. LYNDSEY YOUNG,
VICKY SELLICKS AND JO MARTIN @ PLATINUM TRAVEL STEVE AND SUE LAZARUS AT THE IRON MAIDEN F.C JANE MILLER, JAN MUSK AND UNA DOYLE AT K2. BOB
CHIAPPARD1, RUSS GERROIR AND EVERYONE AT CONCRETE MARKETING CHIP RUGGIERI AND EVERYONE AT CHIPSTER PR BILL LIEBOWITZ AND EVERYONE
AT LIEBOWITZ, ROBERTS AND R1THOLZ ROB LIGHT, ALL1 MCGREGOR AND EVERYONE AT CAA
MARTIN BRENNAN, MICHAEL KENNEY, STEVE "GONZO" SMITH, PETER "RUSTY" CLARK, ANDY CORNS, SEAN BRADY, ANDY BALL, LUCI CROSSMAN, MARK BERRYMAN, PAUL STRATFORD, ASHLEY GROOM, IAN "SQUID" WALSH, WALLY GROVE AND VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO SIR RICHARD "DICK" BELL ESQ
IRON MAIDEN: SEND THANKS TO: THORSTEN BRAUN, THOMAS NEUTZ, ALAN MARCH, RYAN SMITH AND RICHARD STOCKTON @ SHURE CORP. USA / GERMANY AMIE CROMPTON, ALEX PEREZ. BILLLY S1EGLE @ FENDER INSTRUMENTS. HENRY JUSZKJEWICZ, PAT FOLEY, JULIETE AVERY, JIMMY ARCHEY, LOU VITO AND ANDRE BRODZKI @ GIBSON INC DAVE AND PIP RIDGEWAY @ NEC EARTH. ALAN AND CHRISSIE CHESTER @ HANGMAN DRAPES. ALAN DURANT, LAN HYNES, RICHARD CHEESMAN @ ROCK-IT-CARGO. EV / SHUTTLE SOUND UK. TOM (MGM) MATES GUITAR WORKSHOP, LONDON. PETE @ P.CORNISH ELECTRONICS UK. JIM MARSHALL, VICTORIA MARSHALL, JOEL RICHARDSON @ MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION UK. IASON HOW @ ROTO SOUND STRINGS. MARK PRESLING, DAVID AND IVOR ARBITER @ ARBITER UK. PAUL BUNDOCK, ALAN SKALLY MITCH COLBY AND TED BURGER @ KORG UK AND USA. DEREK BROOKS, CURT MANGAN AND ERNIE BALL @ STRINGS AND PICKS USA. PETE @ STRINGS AND THINGS UK. EVAN SKOPP AND KELLIE @ SEYMORE DUNCAN. PAUL MUNIZ @ DIGITECH. SONIC IN EAR USA. ERIC PAISTE, RICH MANSICARO, JORG KHOLMORGAN, DANNY ZIMMERMANN AND TOOMAS PAISTE (R.I.P.) @ PAISTE CYMBALS. KAREN WHITLAM, GEORGE FREDRICKS, PAUL COULD @ PREMIER PERCUSSION. MATT CONNORS, GARY MANN, GAVIN CARIGAN, JEROME MARKUS AND BAZZ WARD @ REMO. L.P. PERCUSSION AND RHYTHM TECH. MARK, CATHERINE AND DAVID HAMMOND. KARL STURMER AND DERRICK ROUND @ HARDCASE-AMBER PLASTLCS.IL
JOHN MIDGLEY, SHIRLEY BEYER @ BEYER DYNAMIC. GARRISON (DA MAN! AND JOHN GOODE @ DW DRUMS USA. DNC LTD. MR MIYAKE, DARREN POWERS, JOE TESTA AND ALL AT YAMAHA. JEZ AYSCOUGH @ SOUND TECHNOLOGY MATT C @ JHE/THE ATTIC, WAYNE CHARVELLE AND RICHARD BANKS @ WAYNE GUITARS, TED KORNBLUM AND MATT PICKER @ ST LOUIS MUSIC, DONN1E WADE @ JACKSON GUITARS. MASKS BY MONICA ROXBURGH, GOBLIN ART
