Iron Maiden is a band that needs no introduction by now. Nonetheless, I’m going to give you a bit of context on how I got into them. I first discovered Iron Maiden through their “Can I Play with Madness” video on MuchMusic (Canada’s equivalent of MTV) at the tender age of 13 in the spring of 1988. I bought the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album on tape with my allowance and from that point on, I was hooked. For the record, my favourite Maiden album is 1986’s Somewhere in Time. I’ve seen them three times in concert, twice with Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals and once with Blaze Bayley on vocals (an underrated singer in my opinion).
Senjutsu, which loosely translated means “tactics and strategy”, is Maiden’s 17th studio album, following 2015’s Book of Souls, which was also a double-album. I wasn’t a big fan of the latter, and to me, Senjutsu brings back a reinvigorated version of the band I grew up idolizing. It continues the evolution of a band that has nothing left to prove, but delivers the goods aplenty, giving us less arena anthems but more progressive-leaning songs, which to this aging rock fan, is right up my alley. I won’t go into too much detail about critiquing each song, instead I’ll give more of the feeling I get from each track. I must point out that this is only one of two albums I bought on CD this year (the other being KISS’s excellent Off the Soundboard live album earlier this summer). Digital MP3 albums have been the way to go for me for quite some time (I don’t do Spotify; I prefer to own my music rather than stream it). Nor do I own a record player and I pretty much stopped buying CDs around 2015. I only purchase CDs when it’s a band I adore and/or for special album releases. Senjutsu more than qualifies in that respect.
The album was released on Friday, September 3rd, and I received it on my doorstep on Saturday, September 4th at 4:30 PM. Since it clocks in at close to an hour and 22 minutes long, I’ve only had time to listen to it twice, but I think it’s enough to give you my impressions of it. I listened to it once on the speakers of my sound system, and once more with headphones to fully appreciate all the musical nuances the album has to offer. Something must be said about the very cool packaging the album comes in. There are various versions of it, all pretty awesome, whether you pick it up on CD, vinyl or get the ultra-deluxe set. I must admit that I miss artist Derek Riggs’ gorgeous album covers from the ‘80s though; he brought Eddie to life like no one else can.
The first cut of Disc 1, the title track, opens things quite heavily, with pounding drums and all, and is an amazing song. It’s followed up by what was the second single off the album, “Stratego”, a track that features the band’s trademark galloping guitars and bass sound. It’s one of the very best songs on the album. Next up is the first single, “The Writing on the Wall”, with its blues-tinged guitars; a song I’ve grown to love over multiple listens. Number 4 is more of a prog-sounding song titled “Lost in a Lost World”, and happens to be one of the highlights of the album in my opinion. Track 5 is “Days of Future Past”, the shortest song on the album, with a 4:04 running time, and it’s another gem of a song. Disc 1 closes with “The Time Machine”, one of my favourites, with a great riff, reminiscent of something off of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Disc 2 begins with “Darkest Hour”, a slower, darker song that is nothing short of fantastic. Then we delve into the last three tracks, a trilogy of Steve Harris-penned epic songs. I’m a big fan of long, epic-length songs a la “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, and to me this set of songs is phenomenal. They all feature lengthy instrumental parts with terrific guitar solos and pounding basslines. The first of those three being “Death of the Celts”, reminiscent of “The Clansman”. It’s followed by the centerpiece and longest cut of the album, running at 12:39, the standout of the three, per this listener’s ears: “The Parchment”. Things come to an end on a bit of a gloomy note with “Hell on Earth”, which I find to be a perfect closer for this masterful album.
Iron Maiden have been at it for 45 years and show no sign of slowing down. This entry in their catalogue is certainly mellower than a lot of their albums, but it suits them perfectly. Dickinson’s voice is in fine form and so is the rest of the sextet. I believe this is their best album since 2000’s Brave New World. It shows why this band is still relevant today and its output is just as diverse and strong as back when they were in their prime. A thread of melancholy runs throughout the album, making it fit rather well in these melancholic times we live in. I give it my highest possible recommendation, whether you’re a Maiden fan or not. It’s easily one of the best albums of 2021.
Iron Maiden’s Official Senjutsu page: https://666.ironmaiden.com/collections/senjutsu
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