May 29, 2000 - Brave New World

Six days after my last release and a little over two years since "Virtual XI", Iron Maiden released their twelfth album "Brave New World" on May 29, 2000. Singer Blaze Bayley was fired from the band (thank God) and he is replaced by the return of longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson! Not only that, but longtime guitarist Adrian Smith (who left the band in 1990) has also returned to the fold! That makes Iron Maiden now a six-piece with 3 guitarists! The return of Smith is pretty cool, but the return of Dickinson is a huge improvement over Bayley. Let's listen to the new Iron Maiden!

The album kicks off with it's big hit single "The Wicker Man" and it's driven by a pretty typical Maiden-sounding lead guitar riff. Steve Harris plays some nice bass in the background and it's so refreshing to hear Dickinson once again! He doesn't have quite the same vigor as he used to, but he still sings in a nice high voice and is still way better than Bayley. Words don't do proper justice when I say it's a pretty standard verse and chorus for Iron Maiden. While it is a correct statement (and one that's true for pretty much the whole album), a "standard" Maiden riff still has lots of catchy and solid guitar. The guitar solo is short but pretty sweet, and now that there are 3 guitarists, I have no idea who is playing what parts, but it was a good solo by whoever it was! They end the song with a bit of a dull "whoa-oh-oh" part, but I can see why this was chosen as the lead single. Up next is "Ghost Of The Navigator" and it has a slow opening that nicely ramps up until they reach a faster main riff with some cool guitars. Dickinson sings a solid verse to match the mood and the chorus follows the same formula: it starts off slow but ramps nicely into a fast finish. After another long round we hear a pretty cool guitar solo, then they slowly and solidly tie things back to the main riff and finish off with a final chorus. This one was solid for sure, but nothing more. Track 3 is the title track "Brave New World" and it starts quiet with some light guitar and Dickinson singing softly to match. Harris plays some synths in the background and after over a minute of this they start to pick things up with some louder guitar. The chorus has a super catchy guitar riff, but Dickinson just repeats the name of the song in a pretty boring chorus part. Things sound slow but epic and after another long go through we reach an extended guitar solo where Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers all get a turn in the spotlight! Of course this triple solo is pretty sweet  and they follow it up with a classic melodic riff that also sounds solid. They end things predictably but solidly and this could've been a single as well! The next song is "Blood Brothers" and Harris leads an abnormal but cool intro with some nice bass and keyboards! It's not very Maiden sounding, but I like it and it sets the stage for an interesting main riff as Dickinson sings a solid verse. The guitars are in the background and it's Harris who continues to lead the way in the chorus as well. Eventually we hear a smooth and pretty cool guitar solo, but then it's back to Harris playing some solid keyboards that sound like a bit like a strings section that definitely give an epic vibe to things. This is an atypical Maiden song that wasn't a headbanger, but it was really well done. Track 5 is "The Mercenary" and they return to a classic Maiden style with a nice fast-paced main riff with some solid guitars and Dickinson singing an epic verse overtop. The chorus is a little repetitive but decent and after another round it's solo time as we hear two different solos that are both cool in their own way. That's followed by a nice harmonized guitar part before they close things out with a final chorus, and aside from the duller chorus this was a solid song. Up next is the nine-plus minute "Dream Of Mirrors" and Maiden show off some progressiveness with a cool heavy intro before nicely shifting into a quiet, epic main riff. Harris's bass sounds good and the guitar starts off light but picks up as they slowly move along. They segue smoothly into a catchy chorus and everything sounds very epic and well executed. After over five minutes the pace picks up to a cool new faster riff and this somehow leads perfectly into a double-time version of the chorus! After that it's solo time but it's a fairly tame solo by Maiden's standards. They smoothly return to the quiet verse riff to finish things up and while none of the parts of this song were jaw-dropping, it was still a well written progressive song. Track 7 is "The Fallen Angel" and it's got a nice upbeat and catchy main riff that is not lacking in the heaviness and things sound pretty sweet! Dickinson sings a solid verse to match and the chorus sounds pretty good as well with some pretty sweet guitars. We are treated to another triple guitar solo and while each one is pretty awesome, the third one is especially wicked! I think I have a new favourite off this album, lots of cool stuff on this one! The next track is another over nine minute song called "The Nomad" and it's driven by a catchy main guitar riff with one of the other guitarists complementing it nicely with some cool lead guitar. Dickinson sings an epic verse to match and this flows right into a similar chorus. After the next epic chorus we're treated to a long triple guitar solo and as you'd expect all three guitarists but their own unique spin on a pretty cool guitar solo. After another chorus things slow down and they move into a new riff with Harris playing some light synths and it's okay, but nothing too amazing. It's also way too long with not enough happening, not their best section. The finish is light and predictable as well and this was definitely not a great use of nine minutes, maybe 3 or 4 would've been just fine. Track 9 is the other single off the album "Out Of The Silent Planet" and it's got some cool guitar from the get-go before they settle into a quiet chorus riff with some light guitars. Finally things get loud and more typical in the verse with some cool bass and guitars and Dickinson sounding good overtop. The next chorus is much louder and better than the first and things are in full force now. After another round one guitarist sets the stage nicely with a cool riff and another guitarist comes in with an epic solo that matches the mood perfectly. They jam out the chorus a little long at the end, but it's still a pretty good tune. The album wraps up with "The Thin Line Between Love And Hate" and it's got a pretty epic main riff with some epic drums by Nicko McBrain, some nice bass by Harris, and of course some cool guitars (by someone/everyone). The riff rolls right into a catchy chorus and everything sounds pretty solid. They jam this out for over four minutes and then the mood shifts to a quiet and epic new riff with one guitarist playing some nice lead stuff. This cool lead stuff alternates with bits of soloing in a cool part, but the quiet backing riff is pretty bland and that's what takes us to the end of the album. We hear McBrain say "I fucking missed it" after missing the last cymbal crash and the rest of the guys all laugh and that's how the album ends!

That is the end of "Brave New World" and I thought it was a solid album and a nice return to form for Iron Maiden. Having Bruce Dickinson back in the fold is such a boost and the music is (for the most part) all very solid. I think it's easily better than the two Bayley albums and I think it like more than "No Prayer For The Dying" as well. It's really close with "Fear Of The Dark", but I don't think this new album quite surpasses it, so ninth place will have to do. It's still a big improvement and I look forward to more of the six-piece lineup!