The story of Iron Maiden’s rise, fall and rise again is a fascinating one. Emerging on the back of the NWOBHM (ask your dad), they plotted a five album/tour course that established them as one of the biggest bands in the world, metal or otherwise. Then, well, it all went a bit wrong. The records deteriorated in quality, Bruce Dickinson left and Maiden ended up adrift, a situation that the majority of bands find nigh on impossible to recover from. The past few years have seen something of a creative rebirth however, with the return of their prodigal lead vocalist and 2003’s impressive Dance Of Death, culminating in this, their 14th studio record, and one that easily matches up to their best work. The template is still the same as it ever was, but Maiden appear as energised as ever. Their great strength was always that they knew how to pen a good melody and no matter how complex the songs or the concepts, these are still fine tunes. The biggest development however, comes in the subject matter. No longer dealing in the realms of unsophisticated fantasy and horror, the album’s twin themes of war and religion suggest that all four songwriters are far from immune to what’s going on around them. With the likes of My Chemical Romance singing the Maiden’s praises, the stage has been set for a full scale rejuvenation. A Matter Of Life And Death is the album to put the question beyond any doubt.