Iron Maiden announce new album
British metal heroes IRON MAIDEN have announced details of their eagerly-awaited sixteenth studio album.
Entitled The Book Of Souls, the album is set for release on September 4th and is the follow-up to 2010’s The Final Frontier. Clocking in at 92 minutes long, it’s also set to be the band’s longest ever record, and their first ever double studio album.
Recorded in Paris with long-time producer Kevin ‘Caveman’ Shirley in late 2014, the album’s finishing touches were added earlier this year, but its release was delayed in order to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear from a tumour, enough time to recover to join in with preparations for its release.
The Book Of Souls also features IRON MAIDEN’s most diverse songwriting credits ever – bassist Steve Harris is credited on seven tracks, whilst Bruce Dickinson receives his first solo writing credits since 1984’s Powerslave for the tracks If Eternity Should Fail and Empire Of The Clouds. The second of these is also the band’s longest ever song, an almighty 18 minutes in length.
Regarding the new album, Steve comments,
“We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I’m very proud of The Book Of Souls, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!”
Bruce continues,
“We’re really excited about The Book Of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillame Tell Studios in Paris, where we’d done the Brave New World album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double its going to be!”
Tour dates for the album have yet to be confirmed, but a statement on the band’s website states that the band “…promise to be out on the road again early next year, giving time for Bruce to make a full physical recovery to be ready for the rigours of Maiden live performances.”
The Book Of Souls tracklist:
Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28
2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01
3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37
4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33
5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52
6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27
Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13
8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32
9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59
10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28
11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01
The Book Of Souls will be released September 4th via Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.A.).