Iron Maiden announce first ever double album 'The Book of Souls'
It's released this September
Rock titans Iron Maiden have announced full details of their sixteenth studio album ‘The Book of Souls’.
Released through Parlophone Records on 4th September, the record consists of 11-tracks that clock in at a whopping 92 minutes and because of it’s monolithic size it’s Iron Maiden’s first ever double album!
‘The Book of Souls’** **was recorded in Paris with their long-term producer Kevin ‘Caveman’ Shirley in late 2014. Originally scheduled for an earlier release, the album was delayed so that vocalist Bruce Dickinson could recuperate following his successful treatment for a tumour.
As always Eddie The Head graces the Mark Wilkinson designed front cover, this time with some rather fetching tribal paint on his face. It’s also the first album in 20 years to feature the original version of the Iron Maiden logo.
A joining together of forces, songwriting duties have been split on the record, more so than on any previous Maiden offering.
Steve Harris contributes to seven of the tracks; 6 of them with Maiden’s guitarists and one sole composition.
This is also the first time since 1984’s Powerslave that a Maiden album also features two tracks written solely by Bruce Dickinson, one of which is the longest song Maiden has ever recorded! The album also features two Dickinson/Smith collaborations.
Steve comments: “We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I’m very proud of The Book Of Souls, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!”
Bruce added: “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 Guillame 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!”
The full tracklisting for The Book Of Souls is:
Disc 1 1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28 2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01 3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37 4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33 5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52 6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27
Disc 2 7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13 8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32 9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59 10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28 11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01
Formats: 2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition 2CD standard edition Triple heavyweight black vinyl High res audio (24-bit Mastered for ITunes and non-Mastered for iTunes) Standard res audio (16 bit/ 44.1 kHz)