The Album Reader Reviews:

	Title: Brave New World Artist: Iron Maiden Label: Columbia Release Date: 5/30/00	There are currently 14 Reader Reviews of this album. Average Rating: 4.15 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Submitted by deadhammer (10/24/02):
The master of heavy metal is back. No more words can describe my passion about this album. Three guitars, greattttt. Awesome.

Submitted by lindsey (2/25/01):
I didn't like this album, compared to the last couple albums. There were some really sick fucking tracks, but there were more bad tracks than good ones. Iron Maiden still fucking rocks!!!!!

Submitted by LLELAS EL SERVICIO BILLY on 9/26/00:
Boring, boring, boring. I'm not saying that it isn't a good album, or that Iron Maiden sucks, or that their legacy isn't the biggest. Let's face it, the album is like driving a Ferrari f150 at 10mph.
It's just amazing that with 3 guitars, Bruce Dickinson, and all the fucking reunion, they couldn't make a crusher album. Why god, why???? Why are the songs so slow??? Why doesn't Harris move his hands like before??? Why is "The Wickerman" so WEAK??
Ok, I know. Brave New World is better than 10,000 albums out there, but we are not talking about a normal album!!!! Shit!!!! It's the reunion, man!!!!!!!! But what a crappy reunion. I just got bored by the 2nd time I listened to it. I'm sorry...............
Up the Irons!!!
Irons???? Ha ha.I guess they are so old now that they have iron lacking in the bones.

Submitted by Set Abominae on 8/2/00:
The new Iron Maiden cd is ok but chould gotten better. My reveiw of Iron Maiden's new cd:

The Wicker Man= Boring (but love the radio version)
Ghost Of The Navigator= good
Brave New World= Boring
Blood Brothers= Good
The Mercenary= good
Dream Of Mirrors= good
The Fallen Angel= good
The Nomad= good
Out Of The Silent Planet= Boring
The Thin Line Between Love And Hate= boring

Submitted by Oren Corem on 7/16/00:
Of their last 4 albums, Fear of the the Dark was, no doubt, the better. Of their last 6, Seventh Son was. See? This band (which is one of my top 3) doesn't progress metal-wise. This album is a Rock-PopMetal continuation to Virtual XI, even though Bruce came back in. They put those pissing off 4 lined ch: "Your time will come" x4, "We're blood brothers"... etc. Really bad. Even lyriclly, no real progress -> "Ghost of the Navigator" is a bad "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner," "Dream of Mirrors" lyriclly repeats "Deja Vu," "The Mercenary" is a bad "The Assassin." "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is just one big shame, as "Out of the Silent Planet." (BTW, every song must contain the word "THE" ???) The gods failed us. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
With regrets

Submitted by Jason P Sorens on 7/4/00:
I don't have too much to add, as this album has been analyzed to death. Basically, what we have here is reminiscent of, say, Somewhere in Time with better production and more memorable refrains. There are no death-from-the-skies manic dual guitar harmonies that made Piece of Mind and Powerslave so great, but there are a lot of interesting tidbits buried within the sound. The album often sounds reflective, even a bit melancholic, and makes use of synthesized strings and so forth, which is what makes for my comparison to Somewhere in Time. But each song on this album has something to offer, which I don't think can be said for SiT. The Arab eclecticism of "Nomad," the orchestration of "Blood Brothers," the infectious harmonies of "Wicker Man"... I could go on. While not exactly daring, this album is extremely well written, and anyone who was a fan of Iron Maiden's earlier stuff should check this out.

Submitted by Alan Christensen on 7/1/00:
After two disappointing releases with Blaze Bayley, The X Factor and Virtual XI, Iron Maiden brought back vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith from the band's early days. Adrian was involved with Bruce's solo band and apeared on Accident Of Birth, Chemical Wedding and Scream For Me Brazil. So how does this release hold up when compared to the last two Maiden studio albums? The first thing I noticed is that the repetitive lyrics were gone which was the major problem on the last two Maiden albums. I never hated Blaze's voice, but the lyrics did seem to drag on and on making the band's last two releases drab. Brave New World starts out strong with "The Wicker Man" and "Ghost Of The Navigator", but by the time "Brave New World" and "Blood Brothers" start the new Progressive feel of Iron Maiden which first appeared on The X Factor is present. They are not terrible songs but I wish Maiden could shed the progressive element and get back to writing more powerful tunes. The next track "The Mercenary" helps redeem the band again with its quick and catchy feel while "Dream Of Mirrors" has lyrics hauntingly reminiscent of "Infinite Dreams". "The Fallen Angel" is my favorite song on Brave New World with the best guitar Power Chords, the heaviest drums and Bruce's heaviest vocals. On that song Bruce goes all out with his air raid vocals while holding back some of the more melodic vocals which can be found throughout the rest of Brave New World. "Out Of The Silent Planet" sounds like something from the band's Somewhere In Time release, however the band could not help resorting back to the progressive feel on the closing track "The Thin Line Between Love And Hate". Even though some of the album is a bit more melodic than I hoped for and is nothing like the punishing 1998 solo album by Bruce The Chemical Wedding, at least Iron Maiden is doing what they believe in, making Heavy Metal. The band will never have another The Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind or Powerslave, but anyone who still holds a curiosity about Iron Maiden in their heart should check out Brave New World. It's not the bands best, but it's also not a disappointing release.

Submitted by Fernando Matias on 6/24/00:
Jesus Fucking Christ, what can I say about this... this is so goddamn good that I still am KO. What an absolute blinder BRAVE NEW WORLD is. Like a locomotive out of control, crushing everything on its way. Bruce and Adrian are back and they are putting IRON MAIDEN back where it belongs... in the throne of the only real kings of heavy metal. Metallica?... baaah, sold out suckers. You should retire. Maiden kicks your ass anytime of the day. This is really, really good. From "The Wicker Man" until the end, we have 10 excellent, instant classics that will remain forever in my heart. THIS is the very meaning of the expression "HEAVY METAL". Just listen to "The Nomad" with its oriental sound, and an absolutely delightful atmospheric-symphonic section. "Fallen Angel", a metal hymn just like Maiden used to do back in the eighties, and above all the perfect masterpiece that is "Ghost of the Navigator". But there are no fillers in BNW, all the songs are classic Maiden and will delight you for many centuries to come. Perfect, brilliant, a work of art. BUY IT NOW. LEAVE EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING AND JUST BUY IT. A final word for Janick Gers, that many people consider one too much in the Maiden current line-up: GREAT JOB,MATE. The great songs you wrote prove that you belong where you are. You have earned my absolute respect. Keep up the excellent work.
UP THE IRONS!
"We“re blood brothers"

Submitted by Rui almeida on 6/22/00:
Is this the album all Maiden fans were expecting?
No it is not. But...
Is it a good album?
No it is not.
It“s a very good, a damn good album.
It's got harmony, melody, power and above all, it is made by musicians. Yes, they have music in their heads. They are not an MTV product, like this new "METAL..." from the states. Who will remember Slipknot, Coal Chamber or Korn tomorrow? But Maiden fans are still here, because Maiden makes great songs, and they are music to my ears, not only sound. Try to listen to "Blood Brothers," or "Brave New World," or "The Nomad," and you will see the diference between those who like music and those who just like noise.
Not the best one, but the best since '88. Up the irons, glad H and Bruce are back. And at last Gers makes some songs which are really Maiden-ish.
A true hardcore fan from Portugal, who would like to see them play "Wasted Years" live.

Submitted by Gonēalo Fino on 6/19/00:
Well, after all the long wait and all the hysteria, here we have it, the new Maiden piece. BNW shows us a brand new formation (and not a comeback!) with the long awaited 3 guitar attack and the return of the one and only Maiden voice.
What can we say that's 100% sure? Well, firstly, the simple fact of Bruce's voice being in the album makes it a whole lot better! What a difference from Blaze! We got to admit that! He's the best vocalist Maiden ever had, and certainly one of the best in the world! No discussion here I guess. Secondly, it's their best since SSOASS. Although NPFTD, FOTD, TXF and TVXI are actually good albums they aren't good enough for Maiden standards. With BNW these standards are reached again (at least at 90%...) Yes, they are capable of even better, but what we have here is a truly superb piece of work. Piece of art I should say! BNW is full of acute technicism, of real musicianship, of true emotions and of extreme melodic sense without losing a certain heaviness that's required. I'm sure the next album will blow us away. By then they'll be used to having Bruce again and specially, they'll take more profit of the 3 guitars. Nevertheless, as I said before, BNW rules! At first it's not quite what one would expect, but after two or three listenings, one cannot stop listening to it over and over again, and always discovering new points of interest. As for the songs, BNW starts with 3 in a row that blows anyone away. "The Wicker Man" burns through the speakers in a true Maiden fashion. "Ghost Of The Navigator" and "Brave New World" are superb! Real classics for the future. The last one brings us the twin (now triple) guitar attack as we haven't heard in ages. "The Mercenary" and "The Fallen Angel" are classics as well. If their production was more raw we could easily put 'em in any 80's album. "Out Of The Silent Planet" is heavy as it should be and it sounds great! "Blood Brothers" and "Dream Of Mirrors" are good examples of the great musicians we have before us, although I think the first part of "Dream..." could be shortened. "The Nomad" sounds weird at first but it grows on you to the point of wanting to listen to it! Finally, "The Thin Line Between Love And Hate" is an interesting song but quite unusual for Iron Maiden. It's a bit Prog-Rock at times, but still sounds cool! All in all they did manage to surprise me!! We have here a great album, and a classic on it's own! Bottom line: Up the irons 'cause Eddie's back!

Submitted by Colin W on 6/12/00:
The release of Brave New World is the most exciting event since Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith rejoined Iron Maiden. Bruce said that he would only join the band if they write good music, and he had no intention of making this just a reunion album. With that in mind I had high expectations of a Maiden album that would be of the quality that pretty much ended with Seventh Son. I was not disappointed, they made a real killer album this time around. There is nothing to ridicule about Brave New World. The production was real weak on Virtual but that is not the case with this new album, the production is excellent. This is one of the few new releases from a band that has been around for some time that I could recommend to a new listener. Is Brave New World the best Maiden album? I believe the answer would be that there can be no best Maiden album because of the many great ones they have made over the years, but Brave New World definitely needs to be put on the list of great Maiden albums.

Submitted by brad the impaler on 6/9/00:
Iron Maiden is without a doubt the most important heavy metal band of the last twenty years. Don't believe me? Listen to In Flames, Cradle of Filth, and even Master of Puppets-era Metallica and you'll see Eddie's bloody fingerprints smeared across the face of these and many more bands. Finally, Adrian and Bruce have returned to the fold and restored the band to its former glory. "The Ghost of the Navigator," "The Wicker Man," "Out of the Silent Planet," and the title track are not only great songs on this album, but they stand up to the classics in the Maiden catalogue. It's hard to argue with the band's decision to include Janick Gers on the album- the guitar work is flawless. And words cannot describe the sheer metal ecstasy Bruce's vocals inspire. Basically, this album has everything a Maiden fan could want- long epics, short headbangers, and beautiful guitar harmonies. By far the best album I've heard this year.

Submitted by azagoth on 6/7/00:
This is the best Maiden album since Seventh Son. If u dont own it, I will personally come over to your house and kick your's and your dog's ass. It is an instant classic. There are no fillers here (except for maybe "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate," which for some reason sounds like a poor man's rip off of "Judgement of Heaven.") The only negative thing I have to say is that again, like the last 4 Maiden albums, I dont like the production. The drums sound weak but at least the guitars don't sound in the distance like the last album. Bruce's voice is as good as ever and there is more fast, mosh parts. I'm gonna listen to this album till my ears bleed.
Now if only Burr, Stratton, and Di'Anno rejoin Maiden for the next album.....

Submitted by Stephane Simard on 6/7/00:
By the time you read this you have probably heard the opinion of everybody and his mother regarding this album. I'm a die-hard fan, so my opinion is probably biased. Who cares.
Brave New World destroys everything released in 2000 so far. It also destroys everything that Iron Maiden has released in the whole 90's decade. It destroys the stuff they did in the eighties from a pure production standpoint. It also destroys all the fake cRAP metal popular right now. Don't believe me, fine, buy the frigging album, enjoy and shut your mouth. :)
All tracks are good, and if you only heard "Wicker Man" and think that it rocks, well actually it's one of the weakest track, no kidding.
I'll mention anyway that the glorious harmonies are back big time, Bruce's vocals are amazing as always (you've been folowing Bruce's recent solo career prior to the reunion didn't you?), all the choruses are anthemic and catchy, and the albums features several long classic Maiden style epics. Intricate Steve Harris-penned arrangements thoughout the songs abound. THIS IS MUSIC.
Oh yeah and did I mention the Kevin Shirley production is great, the best it's ever been. Martin Birch who? :)

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