151. Iron Maiden / Brave New World. 2000. 4.5/5.

If the 1980’s had been the decade of the never ending rise and rise of Iron Maiden the band, from relative obscurity to the peak of the heavy metal world, then the decade of the 1990’s had brought about challenges that were found to be far more difficult to navigate. The band had had to move on band members in the past for various reasons, but Adrian Smith’s decision to quit the band in 1990 had been a massive shock to not only the playing side but the composition side of the group. The recruitment of Jannick Gers did manage to board up that hoe in the ship, but when Bruce Dickinson also decided in 1992 that he was going to leave it felt as though several more leaks had exploded all at once. Blaze Bayley was brought in as his replacement, a perfectly capable singer and songwriter who could manage the job when it came to the studio, but found being able to replace Dickinson in the live setting singing the songs he had made his own a far more difficult assignment. On top of this, as has been discussed many times on this podcast, the complete change in music throughout the decade, from grunge to alternative to industrial and nu-metal, meant that bands whose style had been the epitome of the 80’s decade suddenly found they were out of touch with what was occurring throughout the 1990’s. Maiden’s fan base collapsed, their ticket selling for live shows shrunk, and the lukewarm reception for their two albums helmed by Bayley left a number of questions to be asked.
Elsewhere out there in the music world, Iron Maiden’s two high profile members who quit the band had had their own journeys along this rocky bypass. Dickinson had moved on into the realms of his own solo career, releasing his second solo album “Balls to Picasso” with the band the Tribe of Gypsys, helmed by guitarist, composer and producer Roy Z. Dickinson then pulled together another group of musicians for his third album “Skunkworks”, one where for the third album in succession he changed around the sound of the songs. Despite his desire to show he was not a one trick pony, sales of albums and concerts trended in the same direction as Iron Maiden had. For Adrian Smith, the story was along a similar path. Having been burned by his solo projects “Silver and Gold” album which proved to be a step too far for fans, he contemplated quitting the music business altogether, before appearing with Maiden at Donington in 1992 during their encore, an event he admitted flicked a switch back on for himself. He then moved around the music scene, making one off appearances such as on former Helloween lead singer Michael Kiske’s solo album “Instant Clarity”, as well as forming the band Psycho Motel which produced two albums, neither of which were a raging success. At this point of the story, it looked like it could be curtains for all of the protagonists involved in our little story. And then, after many years, the threads began being picked up again, and to become closer to being intertwined once again.
Roy Z returns as an integral part of the story, calling a thoroughly disenchanted Dickinson with some song ideas, which thankfully he feels have some merit. They get together, and Bruce decides to have another crack. He even invites former bandmate Adrian Smith to come back and maybe contribute to a song or two, and once Adrian sees what is going on, he stays on permanently. The result, the album “Accident of Birth”, is indeed a winner, a reboot, a rebirth. The same lineup then collaborates again to produce “The Chemical Wedding”, and suddenly Bruce and Adrian are a big thing once again, and rising fast. Over in the Maiden camp, they may or may not have been observing this. One thing is for sure, manager Rod Smallwood, who has both Maiden and Dickinson on his books, HAS been watching, and even though he knows both parties are not particularly willing to discuss their situation, he knows that if both sides are to prosper in the long term, they need each other. Both sides could SURVIVE without the other, but there didn’t look to be the prospect for both sides to approach anything like they had been before. After much cajoling from Smallwood, Steve Harris accepts that the current situation for his band isn’t working out, and like the summits between American and Russian leaders of the past (though this of course was far more important than any of those), through a series of brokered discussions, Bayley is given his redundancy papers, and both Bruce and Adrian rejoin Iron Maiden. The announcement was made in January 1999 with the band retaining three guitarists and the promise to return the band to its rightful place in the pantheon of heavy metal music. And that first brash step, with the perfectly coined album title, was to become “Brave New World”.

What better way was there to introduce the reformed and expanded version of Iron Maiden, than to have the returning prodigal son Adrian Smith not only co-composing the opening track but playing the opening riff of the album, and on the video for the single release also being front and centre as he played it. It had been a long wait since 1988 and something fans had never expected to hear again. And it was worth the wait. The entrance of Bruce Dickinson on vocals created the long winding path from 1990 to 2000, the return of the two important cogs of the Maiden machine, almost seamlessly back into the fray. “The Wicker Man” highlights the best Iron Maiden album opening tracks, hitting the right tempos throughout, the Harris bass thundering along, the guitars in triplet here rather than in tandem, and Bruce’s vocals crying out and demanding your attention, along with the long held tradition of being based on a book or film. As the opening track and opening single from the album, this was the perfect way to reintroduce the reconfigured band to the world, and surely no one could have been disappointed with the result.
The first four tracks of the album are outstanding, blending and segueing into each other in a perfectly formatted epic transition, that gives you no time for retrospect and rest. It is an obvious thing to say that the band would have hoped to put together an imposing collection of songs for the reformation, to showcase the band in two ways – firstly, that they could still do what they had produced together for that amazing run of albums during the 1980’s, and secondly, that this was a new era and not just a short term thing, and that they were going to showcase what that blueprint was going to be going forward.
The opening songs do that. “The Wicker Man”, with its opening riff so reminiscent of Judas Priest’s “Running Wild”, is the fast-paced catchy song, full of everything that makes Maiden great, co-written by the returning sons and the band leader. Harris has his name credited to all of the songs on this album, perhaps making it obvious that while the old boys have returned he is still holding firm with his hold over the band’s creative direction. It is followed by “Ghost of the Navigator”, with the opening guitar drawing visions of the calm ocean and the rise into the opening heavy riff of the storm brewing. Perfectly portrayed from the outset. The band has made a habit of long opening and closing musical passages on the previous two albums, and while they do continue here, they have been reigned in and tightened such that they make more sense, are more enjoyable and not overblown. That would not last forever. “Ghost of the Navigator” is a terrific follow up to the opener, not as wildly flamboyant and fast, but in the Maiden tradition tells its story backed by the wonderful instrumentation. The swell continues through the song, riding the waves throughout. This segues almost unnoticed into the title track, with another quiet beginning drawing itself into the eventually crash into the opening riff and drums. There is an amazing mixture of tempos on this album, but especially on this song. It speeds up and slows back down in and out of the chorus especially, and although it is miniscule it is noticeable, and it makes the song even more energetic as a result. The slow down for the chorus tempts and drags you into bouncing along while singing it, something that became a staple for audiences at live shows. The opening three songs show a great combination of three different collaborators joining the combination of Harris and Dickinson to produce three excellent songs to mark the return of the two who were at the most polar opposite. Another understated bass intro draws us into “Blood Brothers”, the final of the four tracks that open this album with such quality. In composition it is similar, almost a brother, of “The Clansman” from the previous album. It runs along similar lines if not similar themes. While “The Clansman” is quite anthemic in its story and music, “Blood Brothers” draws itself into an anthemic like quality musically, but lyrically perhaps more on an emotional level. It has always been a powerful song, but has probably grown in stature over the years with its live performance and it has become a crowd favourite. The solos in particular are quite magnificent on this song, mirroring the emotional output of the song, into Bruce’s final stanza that raises the bar even more. An outstanding song.
“The Mercenary” opens without the ceremony of the previous three songs, straight into the riff from the outset and is a straight forward metal song, differing in style from what has come before it. This is one of three songs that were in either early writing sessions for the follow up to “Virtual XI” while Blaze was still involved or had been left over from those sessions. It does sound like it could fit in that era, but the nice mix of solos through the song and the impact of Bruce’s vocals here give this a lift. Following this is “Dream of Mirrors”, another track that came from those Blaze sessions, and rumours still swirl that Blaze had even contributed some lyrics to the song for which an agreement was reached for their use. Next time you listen to the song, think about if it was Blaze on vocals. You can totally hear it, how this song even feels designed for his vocals, the deeper range that Blaze had definitely fits within the boundaries of this track, as well as the slower tempo that was prevalent in his era, and the “woah – woah oh oh oh” through the middle of the song, it is very Blaze Bayley. I would like to have heard him sing this, I really think it would have been a great song on the theoretical third Blaze Maiden album. Here of course, Bruce is supreme, and the song is not bogged down in a way that it may have been had it been recorded for “The X Factor” or “Virtual XI”. It is bright and breezy here where it would likely have been slightly maudlin and drudgery there. “The Fallen Angel” follows the path of “The Mercenary”, a straight forward structure from start to finish. Verse, bridge, chorus, repeat, solos, repeat. Maiden have always done these songs well, and mixed within the format of the album, with the epic songs and the longer more elaborately designed tracks, these ones come in, play their part in moving the album along, and then leave with a job well done. Once again, this is bright and breezy, great vocals and solo slots.
“The Nomad” is the final of the Blaze era compositions to arrive here, and this one probably shows its roots a bit more prominently. At a tick over 9 minutes in length, it is a wide sprawling song, with Bruce extending himself when reaching the chorus along the way. It rises and falls in platitudes with a long softer and more introspective instrumental interlude through the middle of the track. It is unlike anything that has come before it on the album, and while may fans out there enjoy its moody swings there are just as many who are left a little listless by it. However, when it comes to the great underrated songs from the catalogue of Iron Maiden, surely “Out of the Silent Planet” ranks very highly. Retreating back to the quiet start and finish like the terrific songs at the start of the album, this bursts out with a blaze of energy with Bruce’s vocals crashing out of the speakers, demanding and cajoling in the same instant, drawing you into the song from the outset and pulling you along for the ride. Yes, the title of the song is over-repeated ad nauseum over the back half of the song and it is easy to get the feeling that it outstays its welcome, but it still is a shining light on the album.
The closing song, “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate” is one that tries to tick a lot of boxes when it comes to the way Maiden has closed albums in the past, but it does also leave some questions. At over 8 minutes it hits the kind of epic length that the band enjoys for their closer. As a track that has its swell of quiet moments at the bookends of the song with the furious rise of power in the middle... well, not quite so much. The swell here is less furious than has been the case in the past. This composition between Murray and Harris again has a feeling of coming from the Blaze years, the song sounds like it would fit more comfortably within that era than the new era being transitioned into. Like “The Nomad” this song doesn’t quite connect to the rest of the album. Fans seem to be split as to their ‘love or hate’ - pun intended but also for a reason – of this song. Some swear by its brilliance, others find it a less than satisfying way to complete what has been a tremendous return for the iconic 80’s band.

The announcement of the coming together of Iron Maiden with their two former members was a massive deal in 1999. This was pre-internet days for me so I relied on my information from friends who were wired up and the odd copy of Kerrang! or Metal Hammer that I could afford to buy. There was the hope that maybe, just maybe, the Ed Hunter tour would make its way to Australia, but of course that just wasn’t going to happen. So, like all of the other fans in the world we waited for news of the release of a new album. When “The Wicker Man” dropped three weeks before the release of the album, it is fair to say that all mayhem broke loose. Then came the album itself, and all other music fell out of my listening list for a couple of months.
I still remember buying this on the Saturday morning after its release, taking it back to the unit under my sister’s house where we were living at the time, and playing this for the first time, cranking in that concrete cavern so loud that fixtures shook. Later that afternoon I was invited over to a friend’s house close by for afternoon drinks, where I took the CD with me so that we could listen to it together, which we did a couple of times. After that, my heavy metal music dealer, who had been in attendance, suggested we go back to his house for more music and more alcohol, and “Brave New World” journeyed with us, with several more playing's. A 1pm start concluded at 3am (with me getting home somehow, I certainly don’t remember how) and the new Iron Maiden album already well and truly emblazoned in my brain. I remember listening hard for what the changes from the band might be. The main question was, where are the great three-way harmonies, or the real use of that third guitar in practice? We had fantasised about what we could expect from the band now that they had three guitarists, and how they could incorporate that into the music. We thought that this was always something that was going to be a massive thing for the band, three-way harmonies followed by three awesome individual solos in every song. Well, no, that wasn’t on the table this time. It would be better utilised on the next album, but for “Brave New World” we didn’t quite get that. The quiet achiever on the album though is Nicko McBrain. While I am not a huge fan of his snare sound on “Brave New World”, his drumming here is quite superb. There’s no simply 2/4 or 4/4 on this album, he has his typical rolls and fills chiming in throughout, along with his terrific use of cymbals, crashes and hi hats. AND he has finally come to terms that a double kick pedal is NOT selling out, and he utilises it beautifully throughout this album. It is subtly used, not looking to power his way at double time through the middle of songs, but instituted at what turns out to be the exact right moment. It enhances the feel of the tracks here, once again leaving Nicko as a star without ever being brought to the front of the stage.
A couple of things came to me over the following months listening to the album, and some others from other bands around this time. The first is that once the adoring eyes and ears had had their fill and came back to a different plane, I found what I would call some surface scratches, the smallest of flaws that I either didn’t notice in those first months of gorging on the album or chose not to notice. They were only personal preferences, some things that didn’t work for me the same way the majority of the album did. What I could never understand however was the criticism this album received in some quarters on its release. Sure, I am a fan of the band, and they can do little wrong in my eyes, but some of the reviews the album got in magazines and online websites at the time just seemed like there was something else behind it. It felt likesome media outlets were looking for the band to fail, and so they hammered everything about the album. I mean... what did they want? Another “Powerslave” or “The Number of the Beast” or “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”?! The over the top criticism was more about bashing the band than reviewing the album. I’m sur the band themselves laughed as they toured the world non-stop for the next two years on the back of this to sellout crowds. The second is that this album almost feels like a natural progression from where the band’s sound had been heading from “Somewhere in Time” to “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”. Though 12 years had passed between these two releases, much had occurred in between. The decision to change their direction for “No Prayer for the Dying” had cost them Adrian, and Bruce’s diving enthusiasm led to him leaving not long after. This was the first album Adrian and Bruce had played on for Iron Maiden since “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, and it is certainly no coincidence that you can therefore draw a straight line to link them.
I have had this album out on my turntable in the Metal Cavern for a good three weeks now, and it has also been a constant companion in the car and at work during that time. And my word it has been awesome to listen to this album so often once again. 20 times, and I’m certainly not tired of it yet. This is a special album, one that signalled another great era of one of my favourite all time bands, but which also brings back so many amazing memories of the time it was released, the changing aspect that our lives were taking at that time, and of the friendships that I had then and still have today. This was a unifying period for the band but it signalled the same for many in my life at that time as well, the unifying of so many things.
I think there are five absolutely outstanding songs on this album, three that are top shelf, and a couple that don’t quite make that grade. But as with all great albums, any slight dip in brilliance or supposed quality becomes insignificant once the needle hits the vinyl or the play button is pressed on the CD player. The album as a whole is as terrific as it was on the day of its release 25 years ago, coming together as a whole and as an experience worth living, or re-living.