Iron Maiden: EVERY Album Ranked Worst To Best
1. A Matter Of Life And Death
To be considered one of Iron Maiden's best albums requires something special, but the distinction of the single greatest outing from the heavy metal legends takes something awe-inspiring, and damn near flawless. In 2006 with A Matter of Life and Death, the band truly delivered this and more.
If there is one thing Iron Maiden know how to do, it is tell a war story through their music. Though not quite a concept album, the band's 14th outing focuses heavily on the themes of both war and religion. Two incredibly powerful ideas that Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson are able to base stunning, incredibly moving lyrics around.
Listening to A Matter of Life and Death from start to finish is a truly immersive experience, from the blistering opener Different World, to the handful of stunning epics that make up the latter half of the album.
The finest chapter on the album, and one of the greatest songs Maiden have ever recorded, is The Longest Day, telling the horrifying story of a soldier landing on the beaches in Normandy on D-Day in 1944. It is still immeasurably impressive how the band are able to capture such a harrowing, detailed experience in the eight minutes that ensure this album rests at the very top of the pile.