01. IF ETERNITY SHOULD FAIL (8:28)
In a disk the opener always has an important role, so high was the curiosity about this piece. Certainly the nearly nine minutes declared did think of something radically different from the three direct opener that we found in the first post-reunion album, namely "The Wickerman", "Wildest Dreams" and "Different World". The impression is, however, after listening to find us halfway: the shot is not certain what the songs mentioned above, but the end result is not the least verbose or tedious as could be expected. Nothing like endless drum on "Satellite 55", the intro of the last album, and nothing arpeggios to the bitter end, but a good heavy metal anthem with a chorus very nice and a very physical capital goods and present. The model to inspire us was roughly that of a "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns", but this song is less verbose and is generally usable despite nine minutes. What really struck it is narrated in the closing, in the background of curious echo effects. The piece is short, pleasant, but does not give us information or reassurance on the rest of the album ...
02. SPEED OF LIGHT (5:01)
The piece that we would have expected at the start we find here, in second position. Limited duration, speed opener, due to the experience and solidity guitars definitely Iron Maiden. What about the other? Well, definitely it is a good song, catchy and with a strong live to enrich a ladder that the introduction of the pieces from "The Final Frontier" had weighed perhaps a bit 'too. Honestly, however, we do not feel of a miracle for a track very similar to others on other disks maybe even more beautiful. The verses here in fact is not convincing as a "The Wickerman" and in general the roll is less than what we would have expected. Our only listening to this song qualifies as a song with two sides: one side is happy fans that have dried up the verbosity of the last two albums, maybe the other will be considered a track and a tad insincere pandering.
03. THE GREAT UNKNOWN (6:37)
If the first track of "Book of Souls" spoke of a plan to experiment still alive in Iron Maiden, already with the second song we instead witnessed an attempt to revive something that is along more canons. All in all, "The Great Unknown" does not abandon this philosophy, but does so in a perhaps more convincing than the previous track. Consisting of Smith and Harris, this song is in fact traditionally Iron Maiden, of course in the training post reunion. The track is not very long and can remember more or less the structure of a "No More Lies", with a low initial arpeggio to open the curtain on a rocky mid tempo riff quite decided, which then evolves into a more open basis that It supports a chorus rhythms higher. The song goes through an interesting instrumental part, recalls the chorus a few times and then closes with the arpeggio. A classic song, but definitely well composed.
04. THE RED AND THE BLACK (13:33)
Sorry to say, but "The Red And The Black", the second longest piece of the lot, is that after this first hearing left us with more questions than smiles. Sorry it is the only piece signed only by Harris, and we regret it, place the album at this level, is likely to bring up "The Book Of Souls" as poorer than it actually is. After an interesting piece, a more wobbly and one episode definitely canon, we would expect a bomb to "Dance Of Death", but this meatloaf thirteen minutes does not seem to be able to become, even with other plays. Opened by an intro with bass beat and guitars very dark, the song evolves later on a riff unexpected but interesting. The singing is dynamic, quality, but after intervening of 'ooooh oooooh' that we would put in mid-song. The piece then continues to change, bouncing on solutions that on their own are also very good, but that, given assiem, and give us some effect 'collage' a little 'uncomfortable. We can only hope that the music will grow with time, given that the lack of a more definite we made it here a little 'difficult to digest.
05. WHEN THE RIVER RUNS DEEP (5:52)
After "The Red And The Black" welcome with joy this piece more standard ... but with a few surprises. The song sticks with a riff but then change it immediately, proposing a more pace a bit 'different. The shooting remains good and the bpm are in line with the older albums of Iron Maiden, even if the structure here is more progressive and strung. The relatively short duration, however, allows the song to not get lost and become a hodgepodge of different riffs, so as to maintain its own identity that, on balance, we like. The piece does not leave us special signs, if not a sense of satisfaction for a song that definitely works. But we can not not tell you really like as a solo tone and execution in the middle of "Aces High". Good times indeed ...
06. THE BOOK OF SOULS (10:27)
No longer know what to expect, we head to the end of the first disc unexpectedly encountering a beautiful gemstone, a song certainly interesting in several respects. It is in fact an intro vaguely 'Wild West' to open up the song; choice that immediately catches the attention. What is happening? Despite sound so unusual for Iron Maiden, the memory of a certain "To Tame A Land" comes to mind, mostly to the structure and the inspiration epic than anything else, and we realize that the fortune of this song It will be governed not so much impact on the atmosphere or sull'orecchiabilità as painted by the instruments. The song shows a slow growing, inserting elements and enriching the sound to the midpoint, where an acceleration rather sensitive guide the song to the long instrumental section and soloist. The ride that follows involves us completely, and so the song does not lose the listener's attention he attracted by the unusual atmosphere. Again to close the arpeggio western song, but in my ears still ringing compact all other sections that have crossed in the past ten minutes. A song that, in our opinion, gives an important signal: you can bring together the pen complicated Harris and a long playing time with an interesting development and captivating. Bravi.
07. DEATH OR GLORY (5:13)
Disc two opens with one of the songs more fired and direct, in the best tradition of the old album by Iron Maiden. The battery of Nicko bad beats, the bass is swirling guitars and the vibe created by conquest from the first minute, with the result to win our favor almost immediately. The attack is finally only the front, with no failure and no change of pace or tone, and this linearity allows Bruce to express themselves on the highest level, with a performance worthy of his note uvula gold. Apart from a small section a little 'dispersive in pre-only, we promote all of this passage. No doubt we would have proposed as opener of the CD 1.
08. SHADOWS OF THE VALLEY (7:32)
The ultimate good of the CD 1 and the exciting beginning of this second album we are in a good mood, so we like this ride after all classic that can remember the beautiful "The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breege". Riff pleasant, with guitars in the front line, and growing voice in classical rhythm ride in the middle period: the classic Iron will also not particularly new, but the piece we appreciate the same. The chorus is nice, as well as interesting and well executed remain both the section before the solos that the solo part, and therefore are not objectively only one weak point in the entire hotel. On balance, it is the piece that we liked most of the album, and the only one we had a chance to listen to two times (at our request).
09. TEARS OF A CLOWN (4:59)
On balance, given the title, we had made a different idea ... But the song is not a sad and mournful ballad strappalacrima, but rather a raw anthem with a heavy riff rather asymmetrical and a sinuous bass line which we really appreciated. The vocal lines, despite the sharpness of the instrumental part, remain open and catchy, with particular attention to the usual beautiful chorus. A song definitely unexpected and that is certainly thorough, but that gave us the impression of being the one farthest to the classic Iron-sound. If this trial had good results or not we reserve the right to tell you when we heard the other times ...
10. THE MAN OF SORROWS (6:28)
Despite the title almost snatched the lead of Dickinson "Accident Of Birth", the song is not signed by the singer in its entirety. Murray and Harris are the authors of this almost-ballad, but curiously reminds us just how sound the Dickinson solo. By the way, the song evolves quickly, however, after coming off two minutes from those clichés established on the last album "Coming Home" and adding a little 'pepper, until it turns into a heavy song in effect. A bit 'of transformation, then, in a song again maybe not stellar, but certainly pleasant and certainly not boring or drowned in dozens of changes of sounds. The hearing level of the disk is improved significantly on this second part: sagging in fact there are none yet.
11. EMPIRE OF THE CLOUDS (18:01)
Let's face it: those of you who do not hatching in secret thought, once bought the disc, just start listening to this song? If there are few raised hands you're naughty, because those eighteen minutes marked beside the title can not be overlooked. Eighteen minutes. That are? Dream Theater? No, Iron Maiden, fortunately, but the Iron in a new light and bold, which we will attempt to explain in these lines. The song in fact open since the early minutes in a somewhat 'atypical. There is the low start, there's the guitar arpeggio, but there are also piano and a synth very important. The song is also a growing, but a slow crescendo that follows the various stages of the plot that tells of this empire built above the clouds. A first instrumental section comes to us from the head and neck when we would not have expected and sends back the song on tracks familiar to Iron last period, until, on a nice riff, the song does not seem incartarsi and collapse on itself . From the ashes of the first part then comes a second section more heroic epic, prog flavor in very real, but that does not forget its roots heavy. This song, so out of standard, to survive changes often and offers us a wide plethora of sounds and solutions; solutions that, unlike "The Red And The Black", are well constructed and mix. The piece then becomes more and more explosive, with vocals gradually more urgent and daring, until the story ends and the music returns to the beginning. The minutes have passed, but the final feeling is that of a journey, not of boredom or stunning as was the case with many (too many?) Tracks from "The Final Frontier". With amazement, we are to approve in toto this risky experiment: in this case the class and skill with pentagram won the boredom factor, giving us an episode that we did not expect and which projects the Iron Maiden to dimensions that were not actually never trod
SoL is miles and miles ahead in quality, even with the muddy drums.