Britain's biggest heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, release their FOURTEENTH album - A Matter of Life and Death - on 28th August.
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Bruce Dickinson - vocals
Dave Murray - guitar
Adrian Smith - guitar
Janick Gers - guitar
Steve Harris - bass
Nicko McBrain - drums
A Matter of Life and Death is an Iron Maiden album due to be released on 28 August 2006. It will be the band's fourteenth studio album and third studio album co-produced by Kevin Shirley. The band started to write the songs near the end of 2005 after their hugely successful appearances in the USA and Europe. After Christmas, the songs were done and they started rehearsing at Sarm West Studios in London. The album will not be a concept album [2].
This 71+ minute album is most likely the most progressive approach they have taken since the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. It is set to be not only the longest Iron Maiden album (exceeding 1995's The X Factor by approximately one minute), but its average song length (7:11.2 per track) will make it the longest Iron Maiden album by song average. It will exceed Brave New World's average song length of 6:41.7, and Somewhere in Time's 6:20.6. It will also be one of the longest heavy metal albums with global release, and its extreme average song length will exceed even Metallica's most recent studio album, St. Anger, widely viewed as excessive in length.
According to the official Iron Maiden website, the album will be available as a normal cd and as a limited edition version which contains a bonus DVD. The DVD contains nearly an hour of documentary footage plus videos and photos all shot whilst the band were making the album. The documentary "The Making of A Matter of Life and Death", directed by Matthew Amos (also director of The Early Days and Death on the Road DVD documentaries), features candid video footage shot largely by Kevin Shirley himself during the recording of the album giving a real behind the scenes look at life in the studio . The bonus DVD also features the full 7:21 minute video promo for "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", and a special intimate filming of the band recording "Different World" in the studio. The album will also be available as a limited edition double picture disc vinyl in gatefold sleeve, and as a digital download. [3]
The first single to be released from the album is "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". It was released on 14 August 2006. The video for the single can be streamed from the official Iron Maiden website.
On 10 August 2006, "Different World" was put on the official website for everyone to hear [4]. The following day "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" was also put on the official site for public streaming [5].
The second track on the album, "These Colours Don't Run" is about being a soldier in the war zone. According to lead singer Bruce Dickinson in an interview with Kerrang! magazine; "the song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars. They call it 'peacekeeping', but these people put themselves in harm's way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why they're doing it, they're just doing their job"
"Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" is about the atomic bomb as Dickinson said in an interview with Kerrang!; "The scientist that saw the first bomb go off said it was brighter than a thousand suns. The idea that human beings could bring about their own total destruction totally changed the way people thought". It also is said to be one of Iron Maiden's heaviest tracks to date.
This will be Iron Maiden's fifth studio album that is not named after a specific song on the album. Other similar albums are Piece of Mind, "Somewhere in Time" (In the album there is a song called "Caught Somewhere in Time ) The X Factor and Virtual XI. This will be their third studio album where bassist and founder Steve Harris has been credited in writing all of the songs.
Track Listing of the album
1. Different Worlds 4.17
2. These Colours Don’t Run 6.52
3. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns 8.44
4. The Pilgrim 5.07
5. The Longest Day 7.48
6. Out Of the Shadows 5.36
7. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg 7.21
8. For The Greater Good of God 9.24
9. Lord Of Light 7.23
10. The Legacy 9
wikipedia.org
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The single The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg is released on 14th August.
When asked by competition winner "Little Trooper" of the Iron Maiden Bulletin Board as to who exactly the character is, guitarist Janick Gers and drummer Nicko McBrain jokingly said: "We are not the two people to ask. You need to talk to Steve…". The other band members are also keeping this information away from the public. Much speculation and theories have been made but no information has been confirmed. The only (as of July 2006) "official" website is [1], which claims Breeg was a painter who disappeared in 1978. The creator of the site, identifying himself (or herself) as "A. Breeg" makes mention of "a pop band named Iron Maiden" using Benjamin Breeg's name in the title of the song, but is unable to ascertain whether this is coincidental or not. The authenticity of the website is unconfirmed, but it should be noted that the British domain was registered just a few days before the release of the tracklist of the new album[2]. The lyrics of the song seems to be much like the dark and ghastly dreams of B. Breeg, as mentioned on the website. On 28 July 2006, an entry on the site mentions the translated words of an email received from Romania, containing only nine letters: HERE LIES A MAN OF WHOM LITTLE IS KNOWN. The site's author writes, "My first thought was that these were the kind of words that normally adorn gravestones and, knowing that my cousin's first job was the inscribing of headstones, I wonder if the words are his." The cover image for the Iron Maiden single for the song shows a man standing beside a tombstone on which are inscribed the words from the email. On 11 August 2006, a new entry has been made on the site, with a a photo of a painting purportedly by 'B. Breeg'. It contains an image looking suspiciously like the face of Eddie, Iron Maiden's mascot. This painting features in the video for the single for a brief moment, at about 5:14 into the track, and also on the insert of the CD single. On 14 August, the day of the single's release, another entry was made; it talks of the Romanian from whom A. Breeg bought the aforementioned painting from, who apparently has information about Benjamin, maybe even a journal. It ends with:
"He says I will learn the answer to this riddle when we meet. I hope so. As I hope to discover the truth, at last, about Benjamin Breeg.
A. BREEG."
The CD single comes with a B-side of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" from the BBC Radio 1 Legends Session. Due to the overall length of the two songs, the single may not necessarily be eligible for chart inclusion, though manager Rod Smallwood has said on the official website that this will not stop the single being released, even if it is non-chart eligible. The single will also be released on 10" clear vinyl single, which will include BBC Sessions versions of "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills" on the B-side.[3]
On 17 July 2006, a music video for the song was put up on the band's official website for public viewing. The video was first released only for paid fan club members but it instantly leaked within minutes and was viewed by many fans who posted the link on various Iron Maiden discussion forums. Its "modern edgy with a bit of classic Deep Purple" feel was highly praised by a lot of newer and long time fans and showed how well the production will shine on their forthcoming album. The video displays them currently performing in the studio along with classic photos and clips of the band over their lengthy career.
wikipedia.org
--------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Dickinson - vocals
Dave Murray - guitar
Adrian Smith - guitar
Janick Gers - guitar
Steve Harris - bass
Nicko McBrain - drums
A Matter of Life and Death is an Iron Maiden album due to be released on 28 August 2006. It will be the band's fourteenth studio album and third studio album co-produced by Kevin Shirley. The band started to write the songs near the end of 2005 after their hugely successful appearances in the USA and Europe. After Christmas, the songs were done and they started rehearsing at Sarm West Studios in London. The album will not be a concept album [2].
This 71+ minute album is most likely the most progressive approach they have taken since the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. It is set to be not only the longest Iron Maiden album (exceeding 1995's The X Factor by approximately one minute), but its average song length (7:11.2 per track) will make it the longest Iron Maiden album by song average. It will exceed Brave New World's average song length of 6:41.7, and Somewhere in Time's 6:20.6. It will also be one of the longest heavy metal albums with global release, and its extreme average song length will exceed even Metallica's most recent studio album, St. Anger, widely viewed as excessive in length.
According to the official Iron Maiden website, the album will be available as a normal cd and as a limited edition version which contains a bonus DVD. The DVD contains nearly an hour of documentary footage plus videos and photos all shot whilst the band were making the album. The documentary "The Making of A Matter of Life and Death", directed by Matthew Amos (also director of The Early Days and Death on the Road DVD documentaries), features candid video footage shot largely by Kevin Shirley himself during the recording of the album giving a real behind the scenes look at life in the studio . The bonus DVD also features the full 7:21 minute video promo for "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", and a special intimate filming of the band recording "Different World" in the studio. The album will also be available as a limited edition double picture disc vinyl in gatefold sleeve, and as a digital download. [3]
The first single to be released from the album is "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". It was released on 14 August 2006. The video for the single can be streamed from the official Iron Maiden website.
On 10 August 2006, "Different World" was put on the official website for everyone to hear [4]. The following day "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" was also put on the official site for public streaming [5].
The second track on the album, "These Colours Don't Run" is about being a soldier in the war zone. According to lead singer Bruce Dickinson in an interview with Kerrang! magazine; "the song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars. They call it 'peacekeeping', but these people put themselves in harm's way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why they're doing it, they're just doing their job"
"Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" is about the atomic bomb as Dickinson said in an interview with Kerrang!; "The scientist that saw the first bomb go off said it was brighter than a thousand suns. The idea that human beings could bring about their own total destruction totally changed the way people thought". It also is said to be one of Iron Maiden's heaviest tracks to date.
This will be Iron Maiden's fifth studio album that is not named after a specific song on the album. Other similar albums are Piece of Mind, "Somewhere in Time" (In the album there is a song called "Caught Somewhere in Time ) The X Factor and Virtual XI. This will be their third studio album where bassist and founder Steve Harris has been credited in writing all of the songs.
Track Listing of the album
1. Different Worlds 4.17
2. These Colours Don’t Run 6.52
3. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns 8.44
4. The Pilgrim 5.07
5. The Longest Day 7.48
6. Out Of the Shadows 5.36
7. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg 7.21
8. For The Greater Good of God 9.24
9. Lord Of Light 7.23
10. The Legacy 9
wikipedia.org
***************************************************************
The single The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg is released on 14th August.
When asked by competition winner "Little Trooper" of the Iron Maiden Bulletin Board as to who exactly the character is, guitarist Janick Gers and drummer Nicko McBrain jokingly said: "We are not the two people to ask. You need to talk to Steve…". The other band members are also keeping this information away from the public. Much speculation and theories have been made but no information has been confirmed. The only (as of July 2006) "official" website is [1], which claims Breeg was a painter who disappeared in 1978. The creator of the site, identifying himself (or herself) as "A. Breeg" makes mention of "a pop band named Iron Maiden" using Benjamin Breeg's name in the title of the song, but is unable to ascertain whether this is coincidental or not. The authenticity of the website is unconfirmed, but it should be noted that the British domain was registered just a few days before the release of the tracklist of the new album[2]. The lyrics of the song seems to be much like the dark and ghastly dreams of B. Breeg, as mentioned on the website. On 28 July 2006, an entry on the site mentions the translated words of an email received from Romania, containing only nine letters: HERE LIES A MAN OF WHOM LITTLE IS KNOWN. The site's author writes, "My first thought was that these were the kind of words that normally adorn gravestones and, knowing that my cousin's first job was the inscribing of headstones, I wonder if the words are his." The cover image for the Iron Maiden single for the song shows a man standing beside a tombstone on which are inscribed the words from the email. On 11 August 2006, a new entry has been made on the site, with a a photo of a painting purportedly by 'B. Breeg'. It contains an image looking suspiciously like the face of Eddie, Iron Maiden's mascot. This painting features in the video for the single for a brief moment, at about 5:14 into the track, and also on the insert of the CD single. On 14 August, the day of the single's release, another entry was made; it talks of the Romanian from whom A. Breeg bought the aforementioned painting from, who apparently has information about Benjamin, maybe even a journal. It ends with:
"He says I will learn the answer to this riddle when we meet. I hope so. As I hope to discover the truth, at last, about Benjamin Breeg.
A. BREEG."
The CD single comes with a B-side of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" from the BBC Radio 1 Legends Session. Due to the overall length of the two songs, the single may not necessarily be eligible for chart inclusion, though manager Rod Smallwood has said on the official website that this will not stop the single being released, even if it is non-chart eligible. The single will also be released on 10" clear vinyl single, which will include BBC Sessions versions of "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills" on the B-side.[3]
On 17 July 2006, a music video for the song was put up on the band's official website for public viewing. The video was first released only for paid fan club members but it instantly leaked within minutes and was viewed by many fans who posted the link on various Iron Maiden discussion forums. Its "modern edgy with a bit of classic Deep Purple" feel was highly praised by a lot of newer and long time fans and showed how well the production will shine on their forthcoming album. The video displays them currently performing in the studio along with classic photos and clips of the band over their lengthy career.
wikipedia.org
