The Final Frontier (Mission Edition) |  | Artist: Iron Maiden
Label: Sony Legacy
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $12.99
as of 9/7/2010 02:36 CDT details
You Save: $3.99 (23%)
New (18) Used (6) from $11.25
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 105
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.1 x 0.5
UPC: 886977185625
EAN: 0886977185625
ASIN: B003JTHETY
Release Date: August 17, 2010 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Satellite 15....The Final Frontier | | • | El Dorado | | • | Mother Of Mercy | | • | Coming Home | | • | The Alchemist | | • | Isle Of Avalon | | • | Starblind | | • | The Talisman | | • | The Man Who Would Be King | | • | When The Wild Wind Blows |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier
The new studio album from the legendary metal band!
To celebrate Iron Maiden's 15th studio release, their first in 4 years, fans can look forward to a deluxe version of The Final Frontier CD with exclusive bonus content in a special package.
Also available will be a double LP picture disc for vinyl fans!
Album Description
Deluxe edition with exclusive bonus content in a special package. 2010 album from the Heavy Metal legends. 30 years on from their eponymous debut album in April 1980, The Final Frontier is Maiden's 15th studio album and is plainly one of the strongest and most wildly inventive things they have ever produced; a 76-minute tour-de-force of soaring melodies, thunderous heaviness and astonishing compositional bravery it looks certain to be regarded as a new landmark in the band's career
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 65
 It's a grower...went from "meh" to "OH MY GOD" in about 5 listens! August 18, 2010
Schenker is God (Los Angeles, CA United States)
32 out of 37 found this review helpful
I will be the first to admit that I did NOT like this album very much the first time I heard it. The songs are long, very progressive, and not as straight-up "metal" as classic Maiden. But let me tell you that this album grew on me with each listen, and now, after about 5 or 6 listens...it is AMAZING! There are just so many great melodies all over this album, and the guitar solos are the best in a long time.
Stylistically, I would say this album does sound like a natural progression of all the "reunion" era albums (Brave New World and later), but also with hints of Somewhere In Time/Seventh Son era Maiden, and even a bit of Chemical Wedding/Tyranny of Souls era Bruce Dickinson solo material (especially Satellite 15 and Coming Home). One of my favorite things about The Final Frontier is that it brings back some of the '80s era clean guitar tone that is instantly recognizable from songs like Alexander the Great, and Infinite Dreams, that we really haven't heard much of since then. Also, Maiden has really relegated the harmony lead guitars to the background since The X-Factor, but with this album they are back a bit more prominently.
You have to go into this album with an open mind. Maiden is no longer just a metal band. They are a progressive metal band. The days of Powerslave are long gone. The songs are longer, more complicated, and less instantly catchy. But if you are willing to accept all of that, and put in your time to listen to this album several times carefully (preferably at full blast), there is MUCH to love here!
Finally, I have to get this off my chest. Maiden is now more than ever a thinking man's band. They are and have always been a mix of British rock, metal, and prog. They do not fit neatly into the narrow niche that "metal" has become over the years. Yes, they are still heavy a lot of the time, but they are also doing rock and folk influenced parts, drawing on influences like The Who, Wishbone Ash, and UFO. I bet a lot of the people slagging this album have never listened to those bands. I think a lot of the backlash against their recent stuff is from narrow minded metal heads who just want everything to be heavy and fast, and can't appreciate slower, lighter, more thoughtful material. If you like to hang out in a wife beater, you probably will not like this album. If you think it's cool to pound a bunch of cheap canned beer and then crush the cans on your forehead, look elsewhere. But if you actually appreciate GREAT MUSIC, whether it is heavy or not, then Maiden is still one of the greatest bands in the world and you will probably love this album!
Maiden's Mission August 17, 2010
MRT
31 out of 38 found this review helpful
a track-by-track review.
1. "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" (Smith, Harris)
Contrary to what you might have been led to believe by the official video, this song is actually 8:40 minutes long, half of it being a very, very, very unusual intro for Iron Maiden -- 4:40 minutes of an eerie piece of futuristic, space-like, void-feeling material, slow-paced but at the same time emanating disturbing melodies before those known hard-rock chords can soar. From then on it's the same thing you hear on the band's official video.
2. "El Dorado" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Not much to say. GOOD SONG BUT I'm just very glad that it's probably the worst song on the album.
3. "Mother of Mercy" (Smith, Harris)
Rather slow-paced, not a rapid, furious & heavy-rhythm'ed as I had thought it would be before listening to it. It's a tune I actually wouldn't picture Iron Maiden coming up with. It's very Maiden in its simplicity, but at the same time the melody itself is not usual in terms of what we've witnessed in the past 15 years. Which is, I must say, something that pervades the entire album, this tendency to venture into the unexplored.
4. "Coming Home" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Wow, a balad. But this sounds very much like a Bruce Dickinson ballad, rather than an Iron Maiden one. Think "Tyranny of Souls" (the album), though (not "Accident of Birth"). Very catchy chorus, and a very nice melody throughout. I'm thinking the band will be playing this one live.
5. "The Alchemist" (Gers, Harris, Dickinson)
Truly, this has nothing to do with Bruce's homonymous song. Not quite unlike what's Maiden's done since 2000, however. This one's more forward than the previous tracks (Satellite 15 excepted), with a nice chorus too, mainly because of the guitar trio coming up with those harmonic combinations that completely fill out the background. There's also some modulation thrown in, which you don't see a lot in Maiden. I personally enjoy the guitar melody on the bridge and chorus for this song. Solo exclusively by Janick, followed by the 3 guitars. Falls back to the chorus and the song ends (very similar to the "Coming Home" approach).
6. "Isle of Avalon" (Smith, Harris)
If it weren't for the bass right in the beginning, you wouldn't guess this is a Maiden tune, even though it is somehow in synch with what the band's been doing since Kevin Shirley took up the production seat with the boys. Mysterious-like melody, but fast-paced intro, which holds on for a good 2 and a half minutes before it finally picks up at around 2:50, with an interesting vigor. It falls again to a certain mystery-ridden melody right after, before a short Dave Murray solo kicks in at around 3:40, followed by some solid rhythm-base session, and then by Adrian playing a little with what seem to be synthetizers (you may hear some Somewhere in Time-like material at this point, even though the song itself is far from that). You gotta think in terms of epic-like material, in the same line as Alexander the Great, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Sign of the Cross. It's 9 minutes long, and it's one of those songs where you'll pay closer attention to the lyrics while some interesting tune plays in the background (and not the other way around). The chorus is very nice, however, and brings the melody forward.
7. "Starblind" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
I thought it would be another slow song, but then some distortion guitars kick in, gladly. The main part of the song (not the bridge or chorus) is a very solid crescendo, whih sounds very amazing to me, and they build just the right amount of expectation. Bridge's very good too, and you know you got something good on your hands. It's hard to correctly describe this song. It's not fast, but it's not exactly slow-paced either. It's a very interesting tune, really, with a few unexpected twist and turns, and sometimes some of its distortion guitar levels sound as though they had nothing but a Fender-like sound to it, as if they had only had said Fender amp to provide heaviness (this goes mainly for Adrian or Janick). Adrian seems to have used synthetizers for his soloes, however -- with some mean reverb on them. Bruce does very well here, singing a solid tune with variations, going from low to high-pitched notes in the same sentence. There's some modulation present here, too. All in all it's a good song, and you may feel hooked even though it's almost 8-minutes long.
8. "The Talisman" (Gers, Harris)
Beautiful beginning. The production and general feel very closely resemble what you hear in "The Legacy" (A Matter if Life and Death's last track). This actually perdures for 2:20 minutes until some power rhythm guitars kick in with more solid, heavy riffs making the bed where Bruce seems to comfortably lie in. Very forward tune, which I thought somewhat lacking at times, because it's a long album, and some of the tunes (like "Mother of Mercy" and "Coming Home" being put together, one after the other) sort of gives you the feeling that things are somewhat slow for a while. Also, much like "Dance of Death" and "A Matter of Life and Death", this album is filled with little, slow acoustic intros that tend to make you feel like there isn't much punch or drive to it. "The Talisman" can show a lot of raw power, however, which is always a good thing when it comes to Maiden. Nice vocal melodies at around 5 minutes into the song, with great soloes right after. They remind me some of the material on "Fear is the Key", probably because of the vibrato unit/tremolo bar being used. Good song.
9. "The Man Who Would Be King" (Dave Murray, Harris)
Again slow intro. But nice follow-up, with solid bass chords underlying the guitar melody -- which, to be honest, remind me a lot of "Out of the Silent Planet". The drums come in, in a crescendo, and then we got some heavy, forward-sounding riffs and Bruce's vocal lines (which now remind me somewhat of "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate"). All in all this is a tune of its own, truly. As you reach 4 minutes, you will be listening to some really (really!) different material. I'm betting you could never guess this to be Iron Maiden. Very unlike what's been done in 30 years of history. You'll understand what I mean when you listen to this. At around 6 minutes, when Bruce sings again, his vocal lines remind me of Dance of Death's "Wildest Dreams". This song's 8-and-a-half minutes long, and it does feel long (unlike other, longer Iron Maiden tunes, I must say).
10. "When the Wild Wind Blows"
Last -- and longest -- song on the album. As usual, a slow-paced intro, but gladly, off the top of my head, it doesn't remind me of any other Maiden song. It's as if it wants to, but it doesn't. Beautiful tune, really, and great change of pace at around 3:40. Adrian comes in with a solo at 4:46, followed by Dave, and both melodies are tremendously beautiful. This is possibly the song with most potential on the whole album, and I'm very pleased to say that even though it's 11:01 minutes long, ranking as the 3rd longest Iron Maiden song
Digest it over a few spins, then judge August 17, 2010
Monkdude (Hampton, Virginia)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
First off, you need to listen to this CD at least a few times before making a judgement, and don't expect any quick radio friendly hits. Like the last three albums, most of the songs are long and progressive. I happen to like the fact that they have changed with time, adding more complex epics. They aren't getting rid of the old classics people. In fact, I saw them live last month for the first time and most of the crowd knew the newer tunes as much as the concert staples. And yes, of course they rocked. Probably the best live show I've seen, including the stage spectacle that is KISS, who I've seen three times.
It's hard to single out an individual song, since they are all good in many different ways. Interestingly enough, the first single released, El Dorado, is my least favorite song on the entire album. I do have to admit that the intro, Satellite 15, is very weird, especially by Iron Maiden standards. Most of the songs start off slow and build to a melodic chorus. The title track and The Alchemist are the most straight forward "Iron Maiden" sounding songs. They are both super catchy and should be on the radio, while When The Wild Wind Blows closes things out beautifully. Overall, the musicianship is always fantastic from the trio of guitars, drums, bass, and Bruce Dickinson still has a great voice for his age. He sang just as clear when I saw them in concert, not to mention his off the charts energy. The dude was doing jumping high kicks off the speaker amps!
If you only like the Maiden sound before Brave New World, you're not going to like this, but for those of us who don't mind the longer musical journeys of recent releases, you won't be able to get enough of The Final Frontier. The album title had me scared this was going to be the end, but fear not, they'll be back.
Starts pretty good, ends absolutely great. (Mission Edition is not worth it) August 19, 2010
Khalid Stetkevych (Bloomington, IN)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Anyone who writes a review with only a couple listens should rethink their rushed opinions. After listening through most of the album on youtube, buying the album, and then listening through it about 12 times over on a road trip, I have found that this album is phenomenal. The end half of the album has stabilized it as one of my very favorite Maiden albums (right behind Powerslave and Somewhere in Time)
Steve Harris seemed to have addressed some complaints with the album. I liked AMOLAD, but it was longwinded and repetitive. I cannot listen through it all the way through AMOLAD without feeling like an eternity has passed. This new album feels like it goes by in a flash; my girlfriend noted that it felt like her song (The Man Who Would Be King) came on every twenty minutes on our road trip when I didn't even skip a track. The next point is that only a couple tracks have the super repetitive chorus', Final Frontier and Mother of Mercy.
It is important to know that the album starts out relatively slow, and somewhat predictable; Final Frontier, El Dorado, Mother of Mercy, and Coming Home are more or less standard run-of-the-mill modern Maiden tracks that hold a hint of Bruce solo material. The album really kicks off with The Alchemist, a faster-paced throwback to Piece of Mind and Powerslave era, which preludes the epics of the album.
The beginning of this album will fall in with the Iron Maiden curve. These are songs that may have all seemed to be spectacular tracks if Iron Maiden did not already have such a high average of great tracks. This album will truly be known for the second half of the album, the epics.
Isle of Avalon is a SSOASS esque epics that sets an ethereal and surreal atmosphere that builds towards a very original and trippy solo section.
Starblind is a little bit more rocking, with some sabbath like riffs, and more great and original soloing.
Talisman is contextually like the sequel to Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but sounds more like a mixture of the songs Dance of Death and The Legacy. Most epic vocals on the album, it gives me shutters every time. "The Talisman is in My Hand" (duh- duh duh- dadadadah)
The Man Who Would Be King. Pretty rocking with another very original solo section that truly utilizes Murray's hammer-ons and offs.
When The Wild Wind Blows. a huge, but kinda softish epic with more awesome solos and some whammy-bar wailings.
Oh, and Mission Edition is not worth it at all.
It's new Maiden, but it's definately Maiden and...it is amazing! August 18, 2010
Kenneth R. Bush
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I thoroughly refute and reject the reviews I have read that claim Maiden has run out of ideas, are out of energy, are just old, or other similar nonsense that people have stated.
It is one thing to not like the tendency of recent Maiden to open the majority of their songs with a slow intro. Likewise, the over-all slower feel of many of the new songs won't be everyone's cup of tea. The length of their songs too can be grating to some that prefer fast, in your face, straight forward metal. Those types of comments are fair enough, but to disparage this complex album to the point of saying the band no longer cares is just incredible in my opinion.
This album has a bit of everything Maiden. Yes, many of the trends found in all the reunion albums are continued in The Final Frontier, and yet The Alchemist is a great old-school type Maiden song that would not be out of place (nor one of the weakest tracks) on any of the old "Big Three" Dickenson albums. El Dorado reminds me a lot of Sea of Madness on Somewhere in Time. Many of the tracks have a Seventh Son feel about them. The Talisman could very well be one of Maiden's best ever. The Man Who Would Be King completely blows me away with every unexpected turn. I could go on and on...in fact there are only two songs on the record that I don't absolutely love, and I won't even bother mentioning which two because they aren't bad and could easily be someone else's favorites.
I think some of the apprehension people have with this work is that when songs tend to be long and with a progressive bent, it's sometimes hard to know just what the band is building up to. After a few earnest listens, the listener knows where it's all headed, and can revel in the climatic moments. It's all a bit more complicated than one or two listens can reveal, and truthfully takes a bit of work from the listener to truly pay full dividends. The way the album is mixed, listening to some of the songs is much like listening to classical music, in that if you concentrate hard on one particular artist, there is a lot going on that is dreamily slipping just past your focus. I personally like this "soundscape" feel to the mix, but again it isn't necessarily easy listening.
So is all this work on the listener's part (not to mention the bands) worth it? Yes, yes, and yes! I love this album. I want you to buy this album and give it a fair try. I can't wait to put this cd in and listen to it after work, again and again...and again.
UP THE IRONS!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 65
|
|
|
![Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live [Blu-ray]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B003TN920Y.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
