Earlier this spring, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson was given a clean bill of health following cancer treatments, and with that scary incident behind him, his band have now announced a new album. Iron Maiden's The Book of Souls will arrive on September 4 through Parlophone Records/Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG.
The band recorded the collection in Paris at Guillaume Tell Studios late last year with longtime producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley. The band polished it off earlier in 2015, but delayed the release until Dickinson was healthy enough to participate in the launch.
This is billed as the veteran metal band's first studio double album, as the 11 tracks have a running time of 92 minutes. This is split across two CDs or three vinyl LPs. A press release notes that "there's a broader split on the songwriting compared to previous Maiden records."
Some of the material was written while in the studio, and a couple of the songs are extremely long: "The Red and the Black" is 13 and a half minutes, while closer "Empire of the Clouds" is 18 minutes. All but one of the tracks passes the five-minute mark.
Dickinson said in a statement, "We're really excited about The Book of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillaume Tell Studios in Paris, where we'd done the Brave New World album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we'd finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double its going to be!"
That's the album cover above and the tracklist below. No live dates have been confirmed just yet, but expect Iron Maiden to tour early next year.
The Book of Souls:
CD1:
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Speed of Light
3. The Great Unknown
4. The Red and the Black
5. When the River Runs Deep
6. The Book of Souls
CD 2:
7. Death or Glory
8. Shadows of the Valley
9. Tears of a Clown
10. The Man of Sorrows
11. Empire of the Clouds
The band recorded the collection in Paris at Guillaume Tell Studios late last year with longtime producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley. The band polished it off earlier in 2015, but delayed the release until Dickinson was healthy enough to participate in the launch.
This is billed as the veteran metal band's first studio double album, as the 11 tracks have a running time of 92 minutes. This is split across two CDs or three vinyl LPs. A press release notes that "there's a broader split on the songwriting compared to previous Maiden records."
Some of the material was written while in the studio, and a couple of the songs are extremely long: "The Red and the Black" is 13 and a half minutes, while closer "Empire of the Clouds" is 18 minutes. All but one of the tracks passes the five-minute mark.
Dickinson said in a statement, "We're really excited about The Book of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillaume Tell Studios in Paris, where we'd done the Brave New World album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we'd finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double its going to be!"
That's the album cover above and the tracklist below. No live dates have been confirmed just yet, but expect Iron Maiden to tour early next year.
The Book of Souls:
CD1:
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Speed of Light
3. The Great Unknown
4. The Red and the Black
5. When the River Runs Deep
6. The Book of Souls
CD 2:
7. Death or Glory
8. Shadows of the Valley
9. Tears of a Clown
10. The Man of Sorrows
11. Empire of the Clouds
