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Brave New World (Iron Maiden album)

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Brave New World is the twelfth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 30 May 2000. It marked the return of longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson (who left in 1993) and guitarist Adrian Smith (who left in 1990), as well as the band's first studio recording with their current three guitar line-up, as Janick Gers remained with the band.

The album art and title song are references to the novel of the same name, written by Aldous Huxley. The upper half of the album art was done by Derek Riggs, with the bottom half by digital artist Steve Stone.

The songs "The Wicker Man" and "Out of the Silent Planet" were both released as singles. "The Wicker Man"'s promotional radio release featured extra vocals in the chorus, not present in any other versions of the song.

The Brave New World Tour was the tour in support of the album, during which the show at Rock in Rio was recorded and later released as a live album.

Brave New World peaked at the seventh spot of the United Kingdom charts, and has since been certified Gold.[2] In the United States, it debuted at 39th of the Billboard 200,[3] and sold over 307,000 copies.[4]

Songs and composition

Most of the songs were written before The Ed Hunter Tour and were later recorded at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris. It was the first album the band would record with producer Kevin Shirley, and the first that they would record live in the studio.[5]

"The Nomad", "Dream of Mirrors", and "The Mercenary" were originally written for Virtual XI, according to an interview with Adrian Smith. There was also a fourth, but Adrian couldn't say which it was, explaining that Steve Harris couldn't remember. Apparently, former singer Blaze Bayley also provided lyrics for "Dream of Mirrors", but wasn't credited.[6]

"Brave New World" was the only song from the album to reappear for the Dance of Death World Tour, the next tour in support of a studio release. No songs from the album were played during the A Matter of Life and Death Tour, but for 2010 leg of The Final Frontier World Tour, whose setlist consisted of mostly recent material, "The Wicker Man", "Ghost of the Navigator", the title track, and "Blood Brothers" reappeared.

The song "Blood Brothers", written by Steve Harris for his late father, was dedicated to Ronnie James Dio throughout the 2010 leg of The Final Frontier World Tour, following his death on 16 May. On the 2011 leg of the tour starting in Australia, "Blood Brothers" would then be dedicated to the victims and friends and family of the band members and audience who have been affected by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake on 22 February.

Critical Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [7]
Kerrang![8]
Sputnikmusic[9]
Metal Underground[10]

Reviews for the album were generally positive. Critics were especially warm towards the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith to the band compared to the previous two releases which featured Blaze Bayley on vocals.[9] Kerrang! described it as "truly towering. Majestic. Bombastic. Titanic. So gloriously in-yer-face you can almost feel its hot breath up your nostrils."[8] Sputnikmusic described it as "one of the band's top albums along side the likes of Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Piece of Mind" and "definitely the easiest album to get into since the band's glory days."[9] Metal Undergound exclaimed that Brave New World is "the best album since 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," "a significant turning point" which "set a precedent for... the next upcoming two albums that are equally as outstanding."[10]

Allmusic were more critical of the album, describing it as "no Number of the Beast," although going on to say that "as comeback albums go, its excellence was undeniable."[7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Wicker Man"Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Steve Harris4:35
2."Ghost of the Navigator"Dickinson, Janick Gers, Harris6:50
3."Brave New World"Dickinson, Dave Murray, Harris6:18
4."Blood Brothers"Harris7:14
5."The Mercenary"Gers, Harris4:42
6."Dream of Mirrors"Gers, Harris9:21
7."The Fallen Angel"Smith, Harris4:00
8."The Nomad"Murray, Harris9:06
9."Out of the Silent Planet"Dickinson, Gers, Harris6:25
10."The Thin Line Between Love & Hate"Murray, Harris8:26
Total length:66:57

Personnel

Additional Personnel

  • Jeff Bova - orchestration on "Blood Brothers" & "The Nomad"

Production

  • Producers: Steve Harris, Kevin "Caveman" Shirley
  • Engineers: Denis Caribaux, Kevin "Caveman" Shirley
  • Mixing: Kevin "Caveman" Shirley
  • Mastering: George Marino
  • A&R: James Diener, John Kalodner
  • Assistants: Nicholas Meyer, Rory Romano

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
2000 Billboard 200 39[3]
2000 UK Albums Chart 7[11]
2000 Billboard Top Internet Albums 13

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2000 "The Wicker Man" Canadian Singles Chart 4
2000 "The Wicker Man" Mainstream Rock Tracks[3] 19
2000 "The Wicker Man" UK Singles Chart 9
2000 "Out of the Silent Planet" UK Singles Chart 20

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
Brazil Gold[12] 50,000+
Canada Gold[13] 50,000+
Germany Gold [14] 150,000+
Poland Gold[15] 35,000+
Sweden Gold[16] 20,000+
United Kingdom Gold[2] 100,000+

References

  1. ^ "Iron Maiden Official Website - Brave New World". Ironmaiden.com. 2000-05-29. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  2. ^ a b "BPI". BPI. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  3. ^ a b c "Artist Chart History - Iron Maiden". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  4. ^ "Iron Men". Billboard. 120 (20): 51. 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  5. ^ "Maiden's Back, With Familiar Voice". Billboard. 112 (17): 12. 2000-04-22. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  6. ^ Blabbermouth.net "IRON MAIDEN Guitarist Admits Band Used Leftover Ideas - Sep. 13, 2004". Blabbermouth.net. 13 September 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. Brave New World at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  8. ^ a b "Kerrang! Brave New World review". Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  9. ^ a b c "SputnikMusic Brave New World review". Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  10. ^ a b "Metal Underground Brave New World review". Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  11. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  12. ^ "ABPD". ABPD. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  13. ^ CRIA Gold & Platinum certifications for October 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  14. ^ Template:Cite gold platin
  15. ^ ZPAV gold certification list. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  16. ^ "Swedish Album Chart". Sverigetopplistan.se. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
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