Iron Maiden β The Final Frontier
- intothewellsabyss
- Aug 13, 2023
- 6 min read
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
August 13, 2010 β Iron Maiden released their fifteenth studio album, The Final Frontier via EMI Records in Germany, Austria and Finland. (Listen: Apple Music or Spotify)
It was released on August 17 in North America, August 18 in Japan, and August 16 worldwide.
Background:
At 76 minutes and 34 seconds, it is the band's second-longest studio album to date, a duration surpassed only by 2015's The Book of Souls.
Melvyn Grant, a long-time contributor to the band's artwork, created the cover art.
It is the band's final album to be released through EMI Records, marking the end of their 30-year relationship. It is also the last album to use the band's alternate logo.
The album received favorable reviews from critics and peaked at No. 1 in 28 countries. This included the United Kingdom, where it became the band's fourth release to top the UK Albums Chart following 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and 1992's Fear of the Dark. On top of this, The Final Frontier also charted at No. 4 in the United States, marking their highest placement on the Billboard 200, in addition to gaining the band their first Grammy Award in the Best Metal Performance category for the song El Dorado, released as a free download on June 8,
2010.
EMI released the album in most of the world, while in the United States it was released jointly by Universal Music Enterprises and Sony Music Entertainment β the successor to the Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records joint venture that had previously controlled the Iron Maiden catalog in North America.
On April 22, 2009, during a Rock Radio interview promoting Iron Maiden: Flight 666, drummer Nicko McBrain mentioned that Iron Maiden had booked studio time for early 2010.
On June 8, the album artwork, release date, and track listing were revealed, along with the free download of the track El Dorado. The album was released as a regular CD, an iTunes LP, a digital download, a vinyl picture disc, and a limited collector's Mission Edition, containing interviews and a game entitled Mission II: Rescue & Revenge.
The North American leg of their tour in support of the album started in Dallas, Texas on June 9, 2010, with a European tour beginning in Dublin on July 30. As these dates preceded the record's release, El Dorado was the only new song played in 2010. The full album tour commenced in Moscow on February 11, 2011, and would see the band visit South East Asia, Australia, South America and Florida, as well as returning to Europe. The tour led to the release of a live album and video, entitled En Vivo!, which was released in March 2012.
Prior to its release, bassist and band founder Steve Harris was quoted as saying that he imagined the band would release a total of fifteen studio albums.
The title, which also shares its name with its supporting tour and opening track, fuelled further rumours that The Final Frontier would be Iron Maiden's last, however the band members admitted they hoped to make further releases and continue touring in the future. Harris in particular has stated that "ππ πππππβπ ππππ πππ π π πππ π ππππ ππ ππ, ππππ π ππ’ πππ? πΈπ π ππππ ππ πππ ππ π π πππβπ ππππ πππππππ πππππ, πππ πππ πππ πππ ππππ πππ", while vocalist Bruce Dickinson admits that the title was largely mischief. In June 2010, Dickinson stated that he thought up the album's title 15 months previously:
"πΈ ππππ πππππππ βππ ππππππ ππππ πππ πππ‘π πππππ πππ π΅ππππ π΅πππππππ!' πππππππ ππ ππππ ππ ππ ... πΈπ πππππ ππ, πππ ππ πππππ πππ ππ! πΈπ πππππ π π πππ ππ ππππ ππ πππππ πππ ππ π΄ππππ πππ ππππππ ππππ ππππ, πππ π π πππππβπ ππππ ππππ πππ π π ππππ. πΈπ πππ π πππππππ πππππππ ππ ππ."
On November 2, 2009, Janick Gers confirmed to BBC News that the band already had new material written and would head to Paris, France, to start composing and rehearsing the bulk of the new album. According to Dickinson, "π π πππ ππππππππ’ πππ πππππ ππππππ ππ πππππππππππ π πβππ ππππ πππ, π ππππ ππ πππ£ππππ πππππππ ππβπ πππ πππππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππππ ππππππ ππ πππ ππ ππππ." After taking time off for Christmas, recording commenced in January at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas, with Kevin Shirley producing. This was the first time the band returned to the Bahamas since they last recorded at Compass Point in the 1980s, to which Dickinson remarked:
βπππ ππππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππ πππ ππ π ππ ππ‘πππππ’ ππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ π·πΏπΎπΉ, πππππππ πππ πππππππ! π΄πππ πππ π ππ πππ ππππππ πππππππ ππ πππ ππππππ... ππππ ππππππ... πππππ’πππππ... πΈπ π ππ ππππππ’ πππππ ππππππ’. π±ππ π π ππππ ππππ’ πππππ‘ππ ππ ππππ π ππππππππ πππ π πππ-πππππππ πππππππππππ πππ πΈ πππππ ππππ ππππ π ππ πππ ππππ’πππ πππ πππ ππππππππππ ππ πππ πππππ.β
After a month in Nassau, the production was moved to Malibu, California, where the songs were mixed and additional vocals were recorded.
On April 6, Shirley told Blabbermouth.net that he had completed mixing the album, and commented on the final stages of its production on May 6;
"π±ππππ π³ππππππππ ππππ ππ πππ π πππ πππ’π πππ ππππ πππ πππ πππππ ππππππ πππ’πππ πππ ππ πππ ππππ πππππππ ππ πππ πππππ πππ πππππ π·πππππ ππππ’ππ ππππππ ππ ππππππ πππ ππππππ π πππ ππ. π°πππππ πππππ [πππππππ] πππππππ ππ ππππ ππππ ππ ππππ ππ ππππ πππππ, πππ ππππ ππ πππ’ ππππ, πππ πππππ’πππ πππ πππ ππππ πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ, πππ π π πππ πππππ."
The album is the fourth for which Steve Harris receives writing credits for every track, following Killers (1981), Brave New World (2000), and A Matter of Life and Death (2006), although the final track, When the Wild Wind Blows, is the only song which he wrote on his own. Adrian Smith explains that, in recent years, Harris has become "ππππ ππππ π ππππππ ππ’ππππ πππ ππππππππ πππ πππππππππ" other members' tracks and only "ππππππ ππ πππ ππ ππ π πππππ" of his own.
As mentioned previously, El Dorado was released as a free digital download on the band's official website on June 8 and went on to win in the Best Metal Performance category at the 2011 Grammy Awards. According to Smith, the song's lyrics, penned by Dickinson, are based on the economic recession which began in 2007 and comment on "ππππππβπ ππ‘ππππππππππ ππ π ππππππ ππππ" and how "πππ πππ [π ππ] ππππππ πππ ππππ πππππ ππππ" as a result of lending.
The album's first and only music video, containing the latter half of Satellite 15... The Final Frontier (Watch video), was filmed in Rendlesham Forest, south-east England, and released on July 13. Although the album has no official singles, both El Dorado and the second part of Satellite 15... The Final Frontier (along with its music video) were issued as radio promos before the album's release. Coming Home was also released as a radio single on October 27, featuring an alternative "πππππ ππππ" version of the song.
In a July 1, 2010 interview with Billboard, guitarist Dave Murray commented that the album mixes "ππππππππ-πππππ, πππππππ ππππ πππππ π πππ ππππ πππππππ π πππ ππππ πππππ ππππππ ππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππππππ πππ ππππ πππππππ‘", referring particularly to When the Wild Wind Blows, the band's fifth longest song after Empire of the Clouds, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Red and the Black and Sign of the Cross: Interviewed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 14, guitarist Janick Gers discussed the album's overall sound:
"ππβππ ππππππ ππ ππ ππ‘ππππππ... πππ πππ ππππ π π ππππππππ [π΄π π³πππππ] πππβπ ππππππππππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ πππ πππππβπππππβπ ππ ππππ’ πππππππππ πππππ πππ π ππ’π ππ ππππ’πππ ππ πππ πππππ. ππ ππ πππππππ ππππ πππππππππ πππππππππ πππ ππππ π’ππ ππ πππππππππ ππππππ. πππππβπ π πππ ππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππ ππ ππππ πππππ. π°ππ ππππ ππππ’ ππππππ πππππ."
Speaking to Classic Rock Magazine in June 2010, Bruce Dickinson stated that "ππππ πππ ππ ππππππππ’ πππ ππππππππ πππππππππ ππππ πππ πππππ. ππππβπ πππππ, πππππ πππππ ππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππ, ππ πππππ ππ ππππππππ πππππ πππ. ππ πππππ ππππ ππ πππππ ππ’ ππ πππ, πππ π πβππ πππππππππ’ πππ."
Although El Dorado would be the only new song featured in the 2010 leg of The Final Frontier World Tour, Satellite 15... The Final Frontier, The Talisman, Coming Home and When The Wild Wind Blows were added to the setlist in 2011. El Dorado, Coming Home and When the Wild Wind Blows were later featured on the "Best Of" album From Fear to Eternity.
Notice: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β E.N. Wells
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