"Death On The Road Highlights Strengths" Says The Gauntlet
Iron Maiden has released a great deal of fantastic studio albums over the years, but the definitive appeal with this group is all about the experience of their riveting, theatrical live performances. One may always rely on a nice package from these blokes, every aspect of any Maiden production, be it a concert, audio and down to the packaging on the disc is always top-notch. More importantly, these records are made for the fans. The type of ironheads that would get every Maiden album they can lay their hands on and the fact that the group issues a new official product every couple of years is a much better proposition than hearing the latest tour via a bootleg or otherwise sub-par quality format. “Death On The Road” stands as if nothing else, a near perfect representation of the Iron Madien live experience in the present day. Another positive aspect is the fact that fans have a chance to hear the band performing newer material, which stands right up to the band’s classics when presented in this setting. Those that caught the band on this year’s Ozzfest tour only heard material from the band’s early albums.Bruce Dickinson is a well-wizened frontman, delivering his passionate vocalizations with a particularly theatrical flair as the group’s triple axe attack busts out those signature melodies that so many groups have emulated, especially in recent years. This is all held up by the mighty thunder of bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain, both of whom boom through the mix with a sufficient degree of resilience and an aura that renders the metal veterans as illuminant.
Highlights? There’s sixteen of them here, with newer cuts like “No More Lies” and “Dance Of Death” being as equally persuasive from the point of view of the Maiden devotee as are familiar friends like “Can I Play With Madness”, “Iron Maiden” (which is particularly well done here) and of course the band’s calling card, “The Number Of The Beast.”
An excellent mix brings the entire instrumentation front and center, while giving Dickinson room to belt it out overtop the entire foray with a commanding charisma. Ultimately, if you’re a Maiden fan that couldn’t be there to witness the band’s 2003/2004 Dance Of Death tour, there’s no way that you will be disappointed with this one. Not to be caught with egg on their faces in this instance, Maiden are truly luminous on “Death On The Road.” Up The Irons, indeed!
Review by: Erin Fox