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A Matter of Life and Death (album)

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A Matter of Life and Death is an Iron Maiden album to be released on the 28th of August worldwide, 29th August in Canada, and 5th September 2006 in the U.S. 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 [1].

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. [2]

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 [3]. The following day "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" was also put on the official site for public streaming [4].

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 fourth studio album that is not named after a specific song on the album. Other similar albums are Piece of Mind, 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, the previous two being Killers and Brave New World.

Track listing

  1. "Different World" (Adrian Smith, Steve Harris) – 4:17
  2. "These Colours Don't Run" (Smith, Harris, Bruce Dickinson) – 6:52
  3. "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson) – 8:44
  4. "The Pilgrim" (Janick Gers, Harris) – 5:07
  5. "The Longest Day" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson) – 7:48
  6. "Out of the Shadows" (Dickinson, Harris) – 5:36
  7. "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" (Dave Murray, Harris) – 7:21
  8. "For the Greater Good of God" (Harris) – 9:24
  9. "Lord of Light" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson) – 7:23
  10. "The Legacy" (Gers, Harris) – 9:20

Credits

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