Although this is far from the first Iron Maiden record to drop loads of progressive musicianship, this is the first one that basically makes that the priority. I was skeptical, as was everyone and I downplayed it every chance I had - now the band's back to slap me in the face for my sins. The album is of course laden with interweaving guitar solos from the trio of Smith, Murray, and Gers and the dominant bass from Harris. It was an exercise in futility - after all, this is Maiden, the most consistent and highly regarded band in all of metal. This album is no exception and in fact I think this is a step in the absolute wrong direction. Often, when bands reunite with 'classic' members and/or they declare a return to their roots, the music they put together in celebration of this is often quite derivative, and therefore usually bland. Imagine 1995's The X Factor, only infinitely better. This isn't Dream Theater or Opeth, this is Iron Maiden - what they do, they do with conviction. As of 2006 I cannot say I had any expectations whatsoever from this rusted old tank.

I have been playing this album now every few months since it came out about two years ago and I must conclude this is the worst Maiden album since the reunion with Smith and Dickinson. This is the greatest Iron Maiden album ever. These guys must be out of their minds!Yes you read my title correctly.

"A Matter Of Life And Death" is one of the most exhilarating albums of Maiden's legacy and is bound to become another classic album in their discography.Maiden meticulously triumph once again with another magnum opus of majesty and might for the greater good of All That Is.

Best viewed without Internet Explorer, in 1280 x 960 resolution or higher. AsPredatorToPrey, July 5th, 2007 A Matter of Life and Death can be considered Iron Maiden's most ambitious album to date. A Matter of Life and Death, Iron Maiden studio album number 14 and the third with the current lineup of Dickinson, Smith, Murray, Gers, Harris and McBrain, is a winner in every sense. They’ve done it in the only way they could have and that is by doing it differently.I always get nervous before hearing a new album from a band I like. Encyclopaedia Metallum . One of the most dependable and solid metal bands ever, one of the epochal bands that just about everyone can name a song or two they like from.

The same pattern has already been established at the time of the last two albums' releases, and it's as predictable as clockwork.

A Matter of Life and Death is definitely no exception, and is probably the best of the post-Blaze albums.Good lord, nothing here I would give less than four stars! This one has had me pumped for awhile now. About a year later, I had another listen, just to do this review and nothing has improved.When I first saw the track list for the latest Maiden album and noticed the length of most of the songs, I could hardly believe my eyes.

Is it bad? As for such a record being a nearly complete departure from their '80s classic sound, and being even better than almost all of the classic '80s material, Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life and Death may be a first. Will it be something original? Well, after hearing Iron Maiden's new album, I can finally exhale.

I waited with high hopes, thinking, “Yes, finally, some new Maiden”. This is apparent not only in the mammoth length of most of the songs, but in the musical tone of the album. Presently, Mankind may dwell in a different world; but, from our noble birth - out of the shadows - unto our death, when we embrace the lord of light - faith endures and the eternal spirit within us all thrives, so that the pilgrim may flower and flourish.Iron Maiden’s newest release, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, continues in the vein of progressive material that began with Seventh Son, evolved in Brave New World and Dance of Death, and finally culminates in their newest album.

With an incandescent fervor, brighter than a thousand suns, the legacy lives on. A Matter of Life and Death, Iron Maiden studio album number 14 and the third with the current lineup of Dickinson, Smith, Murray, Gers, Harris and McBrain, is a winner in every sense. They had thrilled me from 1980-1988, flirted with me for a few years beyond that, had me filing for divorce for the latter half of the 90s, had a quick encounter of makeup metal at the turn of the century, and then hung me out to dry once more. Whereas on previous efforts Maiden had a small collection of grand epics, on this album they completely dominate the overall flow of things.Following up a masterpiece like Dance of Death was always going to be difficult even for a band like Maiden but as always they’ve had a right go at it. Staying true to what they’ve always been about, Iron Maiden has succeeded once again in standing out amongst a stiff set of competitors and has created a magnum opus that carries many of the elements of their glory days.

And then the goddamn album was released. It’s also worth mentioning the brutal yet majestic “Brighter Than A Thousand Suns” that varies from extremely heavy riffs to almost psychedelic sounds and back again. But there is some eventual payoff here, and it's probably one of the better songs overall on the album, like a Maiden prog-rock opus once more over 9 minutes. I took one listen and refused to listen to it again.

And if you are a metal head and you haven’t listened to A Matter of Life and Death then maybe you should – right now. I don't know for the Benjamin Breeg's enigmatic identity but I do clearly hear The Reincarnation of Iron Maiden, over the planetary zenith, once again breaking their own status quo into the most serious, atmospheric LP to date since the record just wipes out most 90's material, making them instantly prepared and reinitiated for the 21st century, Iron Maiden. This is not your father's Iron Maiden. Because this is one of the best albums of the year, even if it doesn’t sound like the Iron Maiden many of use grew up listening to.2006 has proven to be a truly amazing year for metal, seeing the consistently solid releases of many metal acts in its various sub-genres. The late, great Ronnie James Dio called it "a democracy with a dictator."