Iron Maiden Unleash ‘Senjutsu,’ Their Best Album in Decades

When bands reach a certain age, it becomes tempting, if not downright obligatory, to rest on their laurels and become nostalgia acts. Sure, they might release new music every few years. But for the most part, the new music exists as but a pale shadow of their former glory, giving them the excuse to hit the road once more and cater to fans still hungry for the hits of decades past.

But while it isn’t particularly rare anymore for a band to have a staying power edging ever closer to the five decade mark, it’s getting rarer for a band with that longevity to remain relevant outside the touring circuit. New albums from old bands rarely meet the high bars set years ago, willing as we are to forgive them. Rarer, still, is the album that kicks as much ass as Iron Maiden’s latest, Senjutsu.

Far from resting on the success of their past, Iron Maiden has released their best album since Brave New World. Senjutsu is a towering work of heavy metal intensity that’s as good as anything the band has ever done before. Face melting, mind bending, and ear shredding, their latest is a testament not only to their storied history but also their continuing talent and relevance in the metal world.

Little time is wasted in proving themselves. The album’s opening title track is an immediate reminder that Iron Maiden, despite members staring in the face of 70 years old, is still not a band to trifle with. Ranking among the band’s best tracks, “Senjutsu” is an ear grabbing assault and powerful opening salvo for the band. Driven by the tribalistic pounding of Nicko McBain on drums, Maiden play like a band with something to prove.

And prove it they do. Layered with powerful riffs, complex composition, and Steve Harris’s legendary bass lines, the album opener is a gauntlet throwing masterpiece that sets the tone for the album to come. And there’s no misleading here. Hard as “Senjustsu” the rest of this two-disc collection largely lives up to promises made by track one.

The album’s weakest links come in the form of its already released singles, “Stratego” and “The Writing on the Wall,” featured on the Stratego EP from earlier this summer. While the tracks might be comparatively weak against the rest of the album, they’re by no means bad. As a band, Iron Maiden has always been adept at allowing different fans to enjoy different styles, each with their own twist on the band’s general formula. These two tracks veer more into the hard rock milieu but still offer the band’s layered songwriting and playing.

With over 80 minutes across two discs, Senjutsu certainly offers a little something for all their fans. Fans of Iron Maiden’s epic, prog-metal tracks will be more than pleased with band’s offerings; many of Senjutsu’s tracks approach, and in many cases exceed, the 10-minute mark, including the three songs that close out the album, “Death of the Celts,” “The Parchment,” and “Hell on Earth.” All three are masterclasses in how to write and sustain epic tracks without falling into the trap of being repetitive and boring.

“The Parchment,” especially, is proof positive that Harris and the boys have lost very little over the years. The 12-and-a-half-minute penultimate track is everything that’s ever been great about Iron Maiden—epic tracks, killer riffs, ripping solos, complex rhythms and composition—in a single track. It, alongside the title track, proves that the band is more than capable of extending the shadow of their legacy deep into the 21^st century.

Meanwhile, fans of anthemic Iron Maiden can look forward to “Days of Future Past,” a track that feels ready made for 40,000 screaming fans. One can almost see Bruce Dickinson handing the mic to the audience to sing along with the chorus in a set sandwiched between “Run to the Hills” and “Be Quick or Be Dead.”

Throughout it all, Iron Maiden never forgets what makes them one of the best and most enduring acts in heavy metal. Senjutsu is an album that respects the lineage and history of the band without rehashing previous works. The result is one of the best albums of the band’s entire career, one that stands tall next to Fear of the Dark and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It’s a stunning accomplishment for any band, let alone a band on their 17^th album in nearly 50 years.

Then again, Iron Maiden have never been the kind of band willing to coast on their past glory. No, they’re a band for whom glory is an ongoing pursuit. And boy, have they found it.