The fomalities right away: SENJUTSU contains 10 songs, the shortest is exactly 5 minutes long, the longest scratches the 13-minute mark. The more than 80-minute-long album is opened by the title song, which ponderously takes us on a journey, during which the band shows that they can still do many things better than the often younger competition. First and foremost, Dickenson's vocals, which are doubled in places, still shine in terms of quality and expression. Many of the songs often present themselves restrained, sometimes progressive, but this does not affect the density of content. Slightly confusing sound the occasionally used keyboards, which give the songs a minimal soundtrack character. It takes many listens to begin to understand the 17th album in its entirety, let alone perceive all the typical features of Maiden, which are definitely audible. The last 3 songs alone, which are all beyond 10 minutes long, are so multi-layered that I could write a separate review about each one. Conclusion: my fear of getting a mediocre album that works exclusively with quotes from the last three albums has not been confirmed. Still: It takes work to get into SENJUTSU, but then it is a real listening pleasure, which is not to be expected from many bands in 2021. Respect!