The Book of Souls [CD]

A ton of great jams on this 2 disc album! Best song: the Red and the Black!

If you are a Maiden fan, chances are you'll pick this up regardless of what anybody says (and you should!). This cd is a monster. Two disks. All super long songs (several over the 10 Minute mark, one being their longest song to date -- 18 minutes!) For me, I love the super progressive direction Maiden has taken lately. I love music like that. There's always a ton to soak in and it never gets old. Its more "mature sounding". Upon my first listen of "Book of Souls", I found myself loving the material (make sure you follow along with the lyrics! Always helps with monstrous songs).. but after my first listen, it was draining. I had to put it down. And Im only able to listen to it once per day. I knew instantly it was going to be one of those cds that takes time to "soak in" completely. (a grower). It wasn't a bad cd by any means, I freaking loved it! But it wasn't one of those cds that I instantly had to hit repeat and listen to it 50 more times right there on the spot. For me, these kinda cds take time for me to grow attached to and absolutely love and listen to over and over. And thats just simply me. There is A TON of stuff there to absorb. But by anyways, by all means---- GO OUT AND GET IT!!!

Wow, I was surprised how good this album is. I have recently bought some of the classic 80's Iron Maiden albums and I decided to try this new album. I had never listened to an Iron Maiden album from any period other than the 80's. This album sounds great and has a lot of excellent hard rock songs. "Empire of the Clouds" is phenomenal (and 18 minutes long, if you like long rock songs). "If Eternity Should Fail" and "Death or Glory" are both very strong rockers, but since most of the songs on the double-CD album are well over 6 minutes, it's no surprise it got little airplay. "Tears of the Clown", which is the shortest song, and did get released as a single, is weaker than other tracks that were simply too long. Bruce Dickinson's voice is a little worn in places, but the music sounds great and inventive. It's definitely more complex than most of their 80's songs. Very enjoyable.

I was happy to have this CD on hand to keep me company on a long drive. I think this is a good CD, not their best, but a good album never less. I'm not sure if the album tops their last Studio effort, but I am still listening and I find that their albums grow on me over time. A few things that I have heard: This to me is a album that leaves some of the blemishes on the album. I'm not one that supports perfection, but I do hear some things from time to time which draws my ear to them. I won't get into what and which songs these are, but I think it was left raw, possibly due to Bruce's cancer, but not everything I hear is from Bruce. This does not detract from the strength of the album in my opinion. This is just an observation. They are still a gifted band and this album rocks!

this is the best CD yet by these legendary hard rockers, wow, so many great songs, one about Robin Williams, another on the beginning of man and his evil, the best is the closing turn, Empire of the Clouds, an 18 minute true masterpiece, spectacular in every way, BOOK OF SOULS is their best , guitars, harmonies, lyrics, Nicko McBrain, all works, works and WORKS n rocks!! EYE cannot wait to see what songs they pick for upcoming tour

I've been a Maiden fan forever and have enjoyed hearing them evolve throughout the years while maintaining that music writing formula that sets them apart from every other band and makes them recognizabe. This album is no different, you get fresh new music with the classic Maiden feel. One thing though is that this album has taken me several listens to get into but I find myself liking it more and more every day! Not sure if it will end up being as classic as some of their other recent albums but only time will tell.

As Bruce Dickinson said on the Brave New World tour, "We're a f*cking prog rock band now!" Well, OK, it's not exactly Hemispheres, but it is pretty epic. And like most of Maiden's other material since the return of Bruce and Adrian Smith, it retains that basic Maiden-ness as the songs get longer and more sophisticated. Time will tell where this album ends up in the Maiden pantheon, but after a few listens, it's holding up nicely.

Iron Maiden's finest record in years. There is a lot of references to a mix between Somewhere in Time, Number of the Beast, and Powerslave. For me this blows away their last two records, and you will definitely get your money's worth as this record is well over an hour long and some songs range from 8 minutes to 16 minutes. Bottom line is you will not be disappointed, even if you are a beginner in the heavy metal scene.