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bueno bob
07-09-2006, 10:44 PM
IRON MAIDEN Bassist Decides Against Mastering New Album - July 9, 2006

Producer Kevin Shirley (IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER) has posted the following message on his official web site:

Spoke to 'Arry [IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris] on Friday, who has decided against mastering the IRON MAIDEN album, and I'm quite pleased about that, although I did like the mastering job we did in [New York City]. It means that you will get to hear the new album exactly as it sounded in the studio, no added EQ, compression, analog widening, etc., and I must say, I am pretty happy with the end result. I think some tracks could use a smidge more top end, and others a bump of bottom — but I know 'Arry well enough now to know how wary of outsiders he is, and I fully expected he may have done that, so I made sure I was happy with the results when I printed the mixes in the studio. So, that'll fire you guys on the BB's right up, no doubt! :)

"He's off taking a break before all hell breaks loose and the Beast is back on the road, and I, for one, plan to see the shows when they hit the States in the fall. Just a word of advice, make sure you've listened to the album a number of times before you come to a show — it'll make the concert experience unforgetable!"

"A Matter of Life and Death" is scheduled for release in early September via EMI. The album's first single, "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", will precede the album on August 14.

"A Matter of Life and Death" was recorded at Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who also worked on the last two MAIDEN albums, 2000's "Brave New World" and 2003's "Dance of Death".

The complete track listing for both the single and the album is as follows:

Limited-Edition Two-Track CD:

01. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
02. Hallowed be thy Name (Radio 1 "Legends" Session)

Limited-Edition 7" Picture Disc (To Include "Crossed Gun Logo" Sticker):

01. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
02. Run to the Hills (Radio 1 "Legends" Session)
03. The Trooper (Radio 1 "Legends" Session)

"A Matter of Life and Death" track listing:

01. Different Worlds (Smith/Harris) (4:17)
02. These Colours Don't Run (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (6:52)
03. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (8:44)
04. The Pilgrim (Gers/Harris) (5:07)
05. The Longest Day (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (7:48)
06. Out Of the Shadows (Dickinson/Harris) (5:36)
07. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg (Murray/Harris) (7:21)
08. For The Greater Good of God (Harris) (9:24)
09. Lord Of Light (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (7:23)
10. The Legacy (Gers/Harris) (9:20)

Hellraiser!
07-09-2006, 10:53 PM
Can´t wait to hear this album....

bueno bob
07-09-2006, 11:06 PM
Maiden, to my ears, has always sounded better raw...hopefully this will harken back to the classic sound and vibe a bit, but of course I don't want it to sound like shit or be another Dance of Death...

I'm actually getting pretty excited about it...I just hope it's faster and heavier, not as...ehh..."progressively minded" as the last few albums have been...

Hardrock69
07-10-2006, 12:56 AM
Wait a minute.....did you guys pay attention to what he said???

"...and I, for one, plan to see the shows when they hit the States in the fall."


What shows in the States? There has not been any news of a Maiden Tour Stateside in the fall!

Only the UK and Europe with Trivium opening!!

Did he let a cat out of the bag?

If there are shows in the US this fall I fucking want to know!!!

There are a handful of Japanese dates in late October:


* Wednesday 25th - Tokyo Budokan
* Friday 27th - Hamamatsu Act City
* Saturday 28th - Tokyo Kokusai Forum
* Monday 30th - Osaka Jo Hall
* Tuesday 31st - Nagoya Shimin Hall


So if they play the States "in the fall" it would have to be September or early October

bueno bob
07-10-2006, 02:39 AM
Yeah, I caught it...I just assumed in the wake of Ozzfest (and blowing Sabbath off the stage every night thereof), they'd naturally want to capitalize on it...

Touring the U.S. makes good sense for them right now...

binnie
07-10-2006, 02:43 AM
Sounds like this album will be raw!

But looking at the song lengths in the other thread, it's still gonna be "progressive" like the last couple.

I actually liked the production on DOD, some of those songs sounded really heavy.

Mr Badguy
07-10-2006, 06:40 AM
If I`m not mistaken, "Dance of Death" wasn`t mastered either.

I remember reading an interview with Kevin Shirley where he said that he had given Steve Harris a rough copy of the "DOD" album to listen to in his car and he liked it so much that he wanted it released like that.

That is what he means by "expecting he may have done that", because he`s done it before.

binnie
07-10-2006, 06:54 AM
Originally posted by bueno bob


Touring the U.S. makes good sense for them right now...

Maiden will tour the U.S after that record comes out, no question..

Hardrock69
07-10-2006, 09:04 AM
Yeah but normally you would think they would announce dates a minimum of 6 months in advance, like they have for the dates in Japan & Europe.

Hellraiser!
07-10-2006, 09:58 AM
Originally posted by bueno bob
Maiden, to my ears, has always sounded better raw...hopefully this will harken back to the classic sound and vibe a bit, but of course I don't want it to sound like shit or be another Dance of Death...

I'm actually getting pretty excited about it...I just hope it's faster and heavier, not as...ehh..."progressively minded" as the last few albums have been...


According to some reviews that I read, I think this album will be more progressive than anything they´ve done!!

Mr. Vengeance
07-10-2006, 11:04 AM
Maiden only announced playing in Toronto last summer a couple of months before the gig.

As for Steve Harris....the less he has to do with production the better. He gets too involved with trying to be overly creative and butchers the thing. And for GOD'S SAKE, if they put out another live concert dvd after this tour (pretty much guaranteed these days) don't let Harris edit the thing! Someone needs to tell Steve that we don't need 200 edits per minute. Just let us see what's going on!

Vinnie Velvet
07-10-2006, 12:11 PM
Sounds good.

I'm getting excited about this album now.

And a tour in the States? Yeah!

No doubt, its because of the response they got at Ozzfest last summer.

WACF
07-10-2006, 01:31 PM
Originally posted by Mr. Vengeance

As for Steve Harris....the less he has to do with production the better. He gets too involved with trying to be overly creative and butchers the thing. And for GOD'S SAKE, if they put out another live concert dvd after this tour (pretty much guaranteed these days) don't let Harris edit the thing! Someone needs to tell Steve that we don't need 200 edits per minute. Just let us see what's going on!

Bang on!

bastardog
07-10-2006, 01:50 PM
I'm expecting something heavy...

WACF
07-10-2006, 02:04 PM
I hope we are not setting ourselves up for one hell of a disapointment!

bastardog
07-10-2006, 02:12 PM
Any of you heard Bruce Dickinson's new solitary album Tyranny of Souls?
I found it heavier than anything he ever sing previously.
So based on that I'm expecting Iron Maiden to sound heavier than before.
Hey!....Adrian Smith is back so they have 2 really good guitarrist(Murray and Smith)....and a clown(Gers). Smith (in my oppinion) made a lot of collaboration on the sound of the best Iron Albums and also to revive Bruce Dickinson as a solo singer.

Hellraiser!
07-10-2006, 02:20 PM
Originally posted by bastardog
Any of you heard Bruce Dickinson's new solitary album Tyranny of Souls?
I found it heavier than anything he ever sing previously.


Great album!!! Abduction, Soul Intruder and the title track are really heavy tracks!!!

WACF
07-10-2006, 03:26 PM
Originally posted by Hellraiser!
Great album!!!....really heavy tracks!!!


Yes it is...I do not think he could of pulled off 'Soul Intruder' the way he did with Maiden's sound.

bastardog
07-10-2006, 04:45 PM
Iron Maiden are going to sound as heavy as Tyranny of Souls but with Iron style.......(mark this post)

Tiki-Tom
07-11-2006, 04:31 AM
Bruce's solo stuff beats the shit out of the last few maiden disks.He should just stay a solo artist and Maiden should just quit.The fire is just not there anymore.Bruce just sounds bored on most of maidens newer stuff.He is into it on his own,you can tell in his voice .steve's mastering is only one of maidens problems.Maiden is steve's ship and i don't think he knows where to go with it anymore...Hope the next one is good but i don't count on it.

binnie
07-11-2006, 04:44 AM
Originally posted by Tiki-Tom
Bruce's solo stuff beats the shit out of the last few maiden disks.He should just stay a solo artist and Maiden should just quit.The fire is just not there anymore.Bruce just sounds bored on most of maidens newer stuff.He is into it on his own,you can tell in his voice .steve's mastering is only one of maidens problems.Maiden is steve's ship and i don't think he knows where to go with it anymore...Hope the next one is good but i don't count on it.

I actually think that the last two records from Maiden have been their best since "Seventh Son....".

But, Bruce's solo records ar always strong. I think a lot of that is because he works with the producer Roy Z, who strips the songs down and gets to the raw.

I think Maiden would benefit from a different producer....

Tiki-Tom
07-11-2006, 05:33 AM
Good point. I bet your right.I'm sure that would help but just like with Roy z and Bruce. The producer is only part of the finished product.

Roy and Bruce are both on top of their game.Kevin could be doing a better job for sure but you can't fault him only. Maiden have been much more creative in the past and that would still shine thru whatever he(Kevin) does. the newer stuff is ok but in no way comes close to the old maiden.

Casemeister
07-12-2006, 05:27 AM
Hopefully this album won't sound as horribly compressed as most releases are these days. Something with some serious dynamic range would be awesome. Most metal isn't mastered that way, but for Maiden I think it would help make the music even more dramatic.

WACF
07-12-2006, 10:41 AM
Yes...Rush's R30 cd was horribly compressed too...there is no reason for it.

Don Corleone
07-12-2006, 03:57 PM
Originally posted by bueno bob

02. These Colours Don't Run (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (6:52)


Now where have I heard Bruce say those words before?

bastardog
07-12-2006, 04:01 PM
Originally posted by Don Corleone
Now where have I heard Bruce say those words before?
I wasn't when the Cunt (sharon ozbourneshit) shot Iron with eggs?

Casemeister
07-16-2006, 09:59 AM
Originally posted by WACF
Yes...Rush's R30 cd was horribly compressed too...there is no reason for it.

Exactly. "Ear fatigue" sets in pretty fast when music is heavily compressed. What's the point of an album if it sounds too bad for anybody to listen to the whole thing?!

Hardrock69
07-17-2006, 09:12 AM
My sister found R30 in a used cd store and bought it for me.

I listened to cd 1, and I also was disgusted with the insane compression. It crushed the life out of the music.

:mad:

binnie
07-17-2006, 10:35 AM
I've always been curious, what does mastering actually involve?


I thought it was getting all the volumes of each song the same, am I right or wrong there?