Everybody has been antsy to hear what the new Iron Maiden album, The Book of Souls, will sound like, especially since it’s their first album recorded after singer Bruce Dickinson’s throat operation. Well here it is, boys and girls, the first song from Iron Maiden’s upcoming album, ‘Speed of Light’!
To make things even better, the band have also released the song’s official music video!
Let’s start with the song itself: the production is reminiscent of that their previous release, The Final Frontier, only gruffer and rawer, similar to that of A Matter of Life and Death. Musically speaking, it follows the melodic but hard-hitting tradition that Maiden laid out decades ago, with infectious riffs and groove-tastic drum fills aplenty.
It’s also pretty dark, despite its upbeat tempo, and it sounds like they decided to experiment with melodies and chord progressions, albeit cautiously so.
For those worried about Bruce’s voice taking a knocking due to cancer, worry no more! Though he sounds a little huskier, the blood-curling shriek he unleashes is the first indicator that he’s not slowing down any time soon.
One thing I would have liked to have heard is more of bassist Steve Harris delivering those crazy, energetic bass lines he’s played on previous records. Still, it’s too soon to tell, which leaves us waiting until its release date of September the 4th.
Now on to the music video: there was something in the song that invoked 1986’s Somewhere in Time but it was tough to put a finger on it. Watching the music video revealed that connection as it was chock-full of science fiction references, as well as references made to their previous works (including the legendary ‘Powerslave’). If fans were looking for another reason to love Iron Maiden, then the numerous video game references (Contra and Mortal Kombat, to name a few) would be it.
Written by: Alex Ghali
Edited by: Amira Alkholy
