Iron Maiden's goulish presence lights Bridgestone Arena ablaze

Dave Murray, Steve Harris, and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden unleash a torrent of heavy metal at Bridgestone Arena.

There are no shortage of bands who try to turn their live show into a visual spectacle, but some know how to do it better than others. Realizing that pretty imagery can only go so far, British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden employ a laser like focus upon every aspect of their show, from the stage setup and pyro straight down to the setlist and onstage acrobatics. They pay homage to the rich history of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene from which they sprung, idolizing the street smart back alleyway British punk clad in black leather.  This is a stunning live event the likes of which only Maiden could pull off, designed to dazzle your senses on every level.

The theme for the Maiden England tour, which hit Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Thursday night, is based on their 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, a synth laden futuristic fantasy concept album touching on themes of evil, magic, and superstition. The back half of the stage was filled with platforms designed to look like icy glaciers, resembling the ones seen on the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album cover. The scene was complete with a ghoulish Eddie zombie peering down from the back wall.

Frontman Bruce Dickinson burst onto the glaciers clad in his long, flowing coattails for set opener "Moonchild," looking like the tour guide for a historic British battleground. The entire band put on a acrobatic and high energy performance, never lacking a sense of great showmanship. Guitarist Janick Gers kept throwing his leg up on the balustrade beside him while playing, while Dickinson dashed around atop the glaciers and twirled his mic stand into the air with a great sense of precision. He addressed the crowd early on, who was clearly hungry for their Maiden. The band hit Municipal Auditorium a handful of times on their 1980s tours, but their last Nashville area date took place at Starwood Amphitheater in 1991. He also stoked their anticipation for events to come later in the night. "Hopefully the building can survive," he kidded. "Nevermind. Could use a new roof anyway."

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson tells it like it is.

Maiden gave fans plenty of reasons to bring the rafters down with the sheer power of their musicianship alone. The setlist was packed with plenty of short punchy jabs designed to get your body rocking. Turbo charged protest anthem "2 Minutes to Midnight" burst loud and clear from the amplifiers, while the slick and synth laden rocker "Can I Play with Madness" tells the story of a young man's encounter with a devious prophet. They delved deeper into their back catalog for "The Prisoner," a defiant and triumphant tune that was preceded by a clip from the television series of the same name.

However, the band's most impressive performances came on the longer numbers. Guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Gers showed off their stunning ability to syncopate their timing and actions around one another when they launched into the complex, gyrating rhythms of old school standard "Phantom of the Opera," while the closing coda of "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" featured dueling guitar harmony godly enough to make Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana snap their guitar strings in envy. Dickinson's vocals were powerful, booming, and almost always on point. Some of the high notes in "The Trooper" seemed to escape him, and some general wear was evident in his voice as the night wore on, but otherwise he was nothing short of stellar. His most impressive moment came when he let loose a low, ringing, haunting howl on heartfelt ballad "Fear of the Dark."

There was no lack of great visual moments either. Whether it was giant ghoulish sphinxes, demonic beasts in the background, or crazed zombie air pilots, there was always something to delight the eyes and ears. It was Dickinson himself, however, who delivered the most iconic moments of the night, triumphantly waving the U.K. flag during "The Trooper," and donning an aviator's helmet during the soaring power metal anthem "Aces High."

Bay Area thrash metal heroes Megadeth warmed the seat for Maiden, and put on a ravaging performance of their own. Dave Mustaine and crew brought plenty of headbanging and ripping solos, interspersed with video clips of Wayne's World characters referencing the band. They tore through a brisk nine song setlist in less than an hour, pausing only for Mustaine to briefly address the crowd before the final song, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due." Always a politically charged songwriter, he took time to espouse his opposition to U.S. involvement in the Syrian situation. It was hard to hear what he said after that because some guy the row down from us started loudly bellowing about how Obama sucks penis. He also reached out to the home crowd by mentioning that he had briefly lived in Nashville.

The real show stealer, however, was guitarist Chris Broderick. He incinerated the airspace with jaw dropping solos on "Symphony of Destruction" and most notably on "Tornado of Souls," an ardent fan favorite just based on its guitar solo alone. The short set made it hard to feel like fans were getting the full Megadeth experience, but they made the best of the time they had. 

Chris Broderick and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth shred the night away.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related posts:

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier review
Megadeth - Th1rt3en review

"The Final Frontier" is latest epic from Iron Maiden

Genre: Metal
Sony Legacy
Running Time: 76:39

Iron Maiden have been on a lot of wacky adventures over the years.

They've flown with the Icarus, discovered secret performances of satanic rituals, and hid out in the Rue Morgue. They've even read Dune by Frank Herbert.

Over the last 30 years, Maiden has been one of metal's most consistent bands. Since the release of their 1980 eponymous debut, the band has never gone more than four years without releasing an album.

So with the recent release of their 15th studio album, The Final Frontier, are they ready to continue their march forward, or have the years finally caught up with them? Maiden has released a decent album, but one that may struggle to stand the test of time.

The Giant Elephant in the Room: The Length

The two albums prior to The Final Frontier showcased two vastly different sides of Maiden. 2003's Dance of Death was very melodic, so much so that it almost sounded like a pop metal record at times.

The followup, 2006's A Matter of Life and Death, took the opposite approach by stringing out long epics. The Final Frontier fits more closely in the vein of the latter record than the former. The songs are long, drawn out, and usually don't really seem to go anywhere.

The #1 issue with The Final Frontier is not the length of the songs. It's more in the lack of melody, the lack of creativity and a general lack of direction in this album. It's a sobering thought, but it appears Steve Harris and Co. may be running low on musical ideas.

The guitar work, whcih was once one of Maiden's strengths, really dosn't impress on this album. Not even the guitar solos really do much for me.

And it's clear at this point that Bruce Dickinson's voice is no longer what it once was. The wear started to become noticeable on A Matter of Life and Death, but on the latest album it's hard to deny that something is up with Bruce's voice.

The fact that the songs are so long just further hamstrings the album's appeal. Out of the last five songs on the album, only "Starblind" is under eight minutes. Three of those songs clock in over a whopping nine minutes, with the closer "Where the Wild Wind Blows" nearly cracking the 11 minute mark.

You don't have to try to write Beowulf on every song, guys.

Maiden's Sense of Melody

There are three good songs on this album - "El Dorado," "Where the Wild Wind Blows," and the title track. Then there's one decent track - "The Alchemist."  The rest of the songs aren't bad, they just aren't particularly memorable.

When the formula works, it's because the band has its sense of melody working. For examples, see the chorus of "El Dorado" or the guitar lead in the beginning of "When the Wild Wind Blows." There definitely are flashes of brilliance.

Lyrical Brilliance

Oh, and speaking of positives, did I mention the lyrics? No matter what anybody says about this album, you can't knock the lyrics. "The Man Who Would Be King" tells the story of man on the run, wanted for murder. When you read the lyric sheet you can pitcure him making his way across desolate barrens, searching for salvation.

"The Alchemist" tells the tale of a once powerful mage who met an untimely end. And the closer, "When the Wild Wind Blows," is an emotional story about a family and society preparing to face nuclear warfare. If there's a standout track on the album it's this. No other song on the album pairs Maiden's storytelling talents with a compelling musical soundscape like this track does.

I thought the way the story ends was pretty lame, however. I won't spoil it, but it's just so lame and such a copout that it actually degrades the quality of the track as a whole. M. Night Shyamalan would be shaking his head in disgust if he were to read this one.

Maiden Reaches into their Bag of Tricks

On the opener, "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier," the band pulls off a little trickery. The album opens with a sporadic, twisting bassline and then ominous guitar strains break in over top of that. You'll wonder if you popped in the wrong CD.

Surely you think once Bruce's vocals kick in it will restore a sense of normalcy - but no! Dickinson's whispy and fleeting vocals tell the tale of a man trapped on a satellite being sucked toward the sun. It sounds like some kind of bizarre, alternate reality version of Maiden.

Just before the five minute mark the band changes gears and returns to the Maiden sound we all know and love. But the first part of the song does such an effective job of creating a sense of foreboding that it could literally put a lump in your stomach. Sadly, it's one of the few times on the entire album the band does somethhing interesting musically.

Where Maiden Stands with this Album

Iron Maiden possesses a great musical legacy, having come out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement in the early 1980s. They're without question the only band from that era to still remain even remotely relevant today (the only other possible contender being maybe Saxon.)

But since their critically acclaimed comback album Brave New World in 2000, it's been a mixed bag. They need something fresh, a new sense of direction. When Maiden hangs it up for good, it will be a sad day for metal, but hopefully they can pull out something better before then. If not, their final years may end up being remembered as Wasted Years.

Tracks to check out:

Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
El Dorado
When the Wild Wind Blows

Lyric to use as your Facebook status:

"I was the keeper of the books
I had the knowledge of the scrolls
But now through ignorance and fear
I cast a shadow through the years"
 - The Alchemist

Score: 77/100