Pick of the month:
GRAND MAGUS - "Iron Will"
Ask Bruce Dickinson how his solo albums compare with MAIDEN's recent material and he'll probably respond in some simple, polite way, steering away the comparison. Perhaps he'd give us the impression that he's pleased with his solo work, and it "keeps him busy" in between MAIDEN tours. Well, politeness is unbecoming for a seasoned metal ruffian like Bruce. The truth is, his last few albums are soaring, guitar-blazing, wind-in-the-hair metal albums, glowing with everything cool about classic MAIDEN while leaving behind all the tired "preserved moose" vibes of their recent catalogue. "Tyranny of Souls" is the latest exceptional addition to this body of work.
It's been 7 years since the brilliant "A Chemical Wedding" disc, and despite the absence of guitarist Adrian Smith, it's all here. Roy Z's hook-laden guitar harmonies jump, dance, and march alongside familiar panzer-tank riffs. At times, it appears that Dickinson has given Z's flowing, melodic tendencies free reign, for the acoustic solos in "Navigate the Seas of the Sun" and the gentle piano outro in "Kill Devil Hill" directly approach the vibes of Z's TRIBE OF GYPSIES project. But in classic DICKINSON form, each time the imagination is captured by such deft melodic trappings, menacing riffs soon rain down and redirect all attention to unadulterated headbanging delight. Behold the accessible-yet-punishing supremacy of "Power of the Sun" and "Abduction", modern classics topped with generous dollops of Dickinson's operatic vocal craft and "fly to live, live to fly" lyrical inclinations. The stormtrooper shuffle of "River of No Return" rattles the skull with the same luscious throb as past marvels like "The Ghost of Cain".
With all the wounded, staggering, "please shoot me now" kind of reunions and classic bands simply covering themselves, albums like this are such a blessing. "Tyranny of Souls" is like a grand re-opening of your favorite watering hole. Everything is exactly the way you remembered it, but now all the drinks have those little umbrellas in them, and every night is ladies night. If the last couple of albums floated your proverbial boat, "Tyranny of Souls" will keep you drifting along happily amid scenes of 15th century hell.
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