Dance of Death
Studio album by
Iron Maiden
Released2 September 2003 (2003-09-02)
RecordedJanuary–February 2003
StudioSarm West (London)
GenreHeavy metal
Length67:57
LabelEMI
ProducerKevin Shirley
Iron Maiden studio albums chronology
Brave New World
(2000)		 Dance of Death
(2003)		 A Matter of Life and Death
(2006)
Singles from Dance of Death
  1. "Wildest Dreams"
    Released: 1 September 2003
  2. "Rainmaker"
    Released: 24 November 2003

Dance of Death is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released first in Japan on 2 September and then in Debrecen (Hungary) on 8 September 2003 in the rest of the world excluding North America (where it was released a day later). The album was an analogue recording.[1]

Their second studio release since the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the album features the band's first-ever fully acoustic track, "Journeyman", as well as "New Frontier", their only song co-written by drummer Nicko McBrain.[lower-alpha 1] As with Brave New World, its predecessor in 2000, the record was produced by Kevin Shirley, who has worked with Iron Maiden on all subsequent releases.

Background

The band first confirmed that they would be working on a follow-up to 2000's Brave New World with producer Kevin Shirley on 27 November 2002, announced alongside a small set of European tour dates for the following year.[2] On 6 January 2003, Shirley confirmed via his website that the band would begin recording that month,[3] followed by the announcement that the basic tracks had been completed on 5 February[4] and that the release was to be mixed in April.[5] On 31 May, the band announced that the album, recorded at Sarm West Studios, would be entitled Dance of Death,[6] after which the release date was issued on 17 June.[7]

The band undertook the Dance of Death World Tour in support of the album, which included many theatrical elements inspired by the record's songs. During "Dance of Death", Bruce Dickinson would wear theatrical masks and a cape while moving around the stage; at the end he would dress as the Grim Reaper for the final chorus.[8] During "Paschendale", Dickinson would wear a traditional British Infantryman trench coat and helmet (although he revealed in the Death on the Road documentary that it was actually Hungarian),[1] as worn during World War I, and the set would be decorated with barbed wire.[8] The tour led to a live album and DVD, entitled Death on the Road, released in 2005 and 2006.

The album was released as a DVD-Audio disc in 2004, including 5.1 mixes of each song.[9]

Songs

Drummer Nicko McBrain made his song writing debut on Dance of Death.

Dance of Death is the only Iron Maiden album to date in which drummer Nicko McBrain has a songwriting credit, having co-written "New Frontier". This also makes it the only Iron Maiden album to date in which every member of the band receives a songwriting credit.[10] The song expresses McBrain's views on human cloning. McBrain, a born-again Christian, explained that "I personally believe that God created man and it's only God's right to create a human being because only He can give you a soul. When man attempts to make man then it's a monster in a test tube."[10]

"Montségur" was based on the fall of the Cathar stronghold of the same name, which fell in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade in 1244.[11] Dickinson, who wrote the song's lyrics, states, "There is so much great stuff and so many great stories throughout history that you can make parallels with the modern day – particularly when history repeats itself as often as it does – that it makes for some very colourful subject matter."[11]

"Paschendale" is about the Battle of Passchendaele which took place during the First World War. It was written by Adrian Smith, who usually contributes to the band's shorter, more commercial-sounding songs, but decided to write what he describes as "a traditional Maiden epic".[12] It features strong progressive rock elements, including its length, detailed structure, and multiple tempo changes throughout the song. Dickinson comments, "the beauty of 'Paschendale' isn't in the epic-ness of the song – although you have to admit it is a powerful and stirring body of music – but the detail."[12] In live performances, Dickinson introduces the song with a passage from Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth".[8][13]

Iron Maiden performing "Dance of Death" in 2011

According to guitarist Janick Gers, the album's title track was inspired by the final scene of Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, at the end of which "these figures on the horizon start doing a little jig, which is the dance of death".[11] Gers wrote most of the music and explained the concept to Steve Harris, who wrote the lyrics and most of the melodies.[10]

"Face in the Sand" is based on the media coverage surrounding the Iraq War, taking place as the album was being recorded.[14] Dickinson explains, "I remember thinking about the desert sands as an image and how it moves and shifts with time. Specifically what I was thinking was that whatever empires you tend to build – whether they are British, American, Iraqi or whatever, they'll all crumble and fade away into something else. So, to my mind at least, the best thing you can hope for, if you were to leave anything behind, is just an imprint in the sand."[14] The song is notable for being the first and only Iron Maiden track in which McBrain uses a double bass pedal.[12]

The final track, "Journeyman", is Iron Maiden's first and to date only fully acoustic song. According to Dickinson on the Death on the Road live album, it is about "the whole process of writing and being a musician",[15] although Mick Wall describes it as "a wistful tale of carpe diem".[14] The song was originally recorded with electric instruments, however, as Dickinson states, "after all the battering that we've given the listener over the last hour of music it just seemed right to play out with something totally unexpected and left field."[14] The original version appears on the No More Lies EP.

Artwork

The original unused cover art

The computer-generated cover art was provided by David Patchett,[16] who asked for his name to be removed from the album's credits after the band decided to use an unfinished version.[17] The album cover was received negatively by both fans and critics, being cited on several "worst of" lists.[18][19][20][21] Dickinson later called the cover "embarrassing".[22]

The original cover art supposedly featured only Eddie and a few monks behind him but the band manager Rod Smallwood felt it looked empty, so he hired someone from IronMaiden.com to design characters surrounding Eddie using the program Poser. They then gave the roughs back to Patchett and asked him to work on the skin and mask textures. Patchett did so but was unimpressed with the result.[23]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
BW&BK7.5/10[25]
Kerrang![26]
Sputnikmusic[18]

Reviews for the album were generally positive with Kerrang! describing it as "stupendous stuff and concrete proof that Maiden are as electrifying and important as they have been in a long time".[26] Sputnikmusic were also positive about the album, giving special mention to "Paschendale", described as "quite easily the ultimate Maiden masterpiece".[18] Although deeming the first three songs "refreshing yet unremarkable", AllMusic describes Dance of Death as "a triumphant return to form for these heavy metal legends."[24]

Although criticising the album for its length and for not "matching the quality" of its predecessor, Brave New World, PopMatters praised the band for being able to "still easily outclass most of the younger nu-metal bands today".[27]

Track listing

Dance of Death track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wildest Dreams"
3:52
2."Rainmaker"
3:48
3."No More Lies"Harris7:21
4."Montségur"
5:50
5."Dance of Death"
  • Gers
  • Harris
8:36
6."Gates of Tomorrow"
  • Gers
  • Harris
  • Dickinson
5:12
7."New Frontier"
5:04
8."Paschendale"
  • Smith
  • Harris
8:27
9."Face in the Sand"
  • Smith
  • Harris
  • Dickinson
6:31
10."Age of Innocence"
  • Murray
  • Harris
6:10
11."Journeyman"
  • Smith
  • Harris
  • Dickinson
7:06
Total length:67:57

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[28]

Iron Maiden

Production

Notes

  1. ↑ While 1984's Powerslave does not have a songwriting contribution from McBrain, he did co-write one of its B-sides singles, which later featured on bonus tracks.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] 12
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] 9
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[34] 10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 10
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 1
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 2
Greek Albums (IFPI)[39] 2
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[40] 3
Irish Albums (IRMA)[41] 6
Italian Albums (FIMI)[42] 1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[43] 11
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] 21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[45] 3
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[46] 3
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[47] 4
Russian Albums (NFPF)[48] 9
Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] 2
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[50] 3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[53] 2
US Billboard 200[54] 18

Year-end charts

Chart (2003) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[55] 81
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[56] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] 72

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[58] Gold 20,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[59] Gold 50,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[60] Gold 24,528[60]
Germany (BVMI)[61] Gold 100,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[62] Gold 10,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[63] Gold 20,000*
Sweden (GLF)[64] Gold 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Documentary". Death on the Road (DVD). EMI. 6 February 2006.
  2. ↑ "Iron Maiden announce 2003 European dates". Blabbermouth.net. 28 November 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  3. ↑ "Iron Maiden To Begin Recording This Month". Blabbermouth.net. 6 January 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  4. ↑ "Iron Maiden Complete Basic Tracks for New CD". Blabbermouth.net. 5 February 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Iron Maiden to Begin Mixing in April". Blabbermouth.net. 21 February 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "Iron Maiden: New Album Details Unveiled". Blabbermouth.net. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  7. ↑ "Iron Maiden Announce European Tour and Release Date". Blabbermouth.net. 29 June 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 380. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  9. ↑ "Iron Maiden release special souvenir EP". 28 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 374. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  11. 1 2 3 Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 373. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  12. 1 2 3 Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 375. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Iain (March 2009). Bayer, Gerd (ed.). "From Achilles to Alexander: The Classical World and the World of Metal". Heavy Metal Music in Britain. London: Ashgate Publishing: 118.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 376. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  15. ↑ "Journeyman". Death on the Road (DVD). EMI. 6 February 2006.
  16. 1 2 Iron Maiden (6 June 2011). "Album List: Dance of Death". From Fear to Eternity Booklet. EMI.
  17. ↑ Porter, Tom (22 July 2010). "Iron Maiden: a gruesome history of graphic artwork". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 Stagno, Mike (13 September 2006). "Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  19. ↑ Wilson, Brian (17 March 2016). "10 Hilariously Terrible Album Covers And Why They Exist". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  20. ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (10 June 2010). "Let's Argue About Iron Maiden Album Art". MetalSucks. Metal Sucks. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  21. ↑ Lawrenson, James (4 November 2010). "When Artwork Goes Wrong: The 10 Worst Album Covers of the 00's". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  22. ↑ Dickinson, Bruce (19 October 2017). What does this button do? : Bruce Dickinson : an autobiography. London. p. 301. ISBN 9780008172435. OCLC 1006818916.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. ↑ "Dance of Death". The Iron Maiden Commentary. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  24. 1 2 Monger, James. Iron Maiden – Dance of Death at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  25. ↑ Henderson, Tim. "Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". BW&BK. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  26. 1 2 Lawson, Dom (12 September 2003). "Kerrang Dance of Death Review". Kerrang!. IronMaiden.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  27. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (1 October 2003). "Iron Maiden: Dance of Death". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  28. ↑ Dance of Death (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 8 September 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  30. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life And Death" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  33. ↑ "Iron Maiden Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  34. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  35. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  36. ↑ "Discography Iron Maiden". The Official Finnish Charts. Finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  37. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  39. ↑ "Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums: 5-11/10 2003" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 9 October 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  40. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2003. 37. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Iron Maiden". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  42. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  43. ↑ "Dance of Death- Oricon" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  44. ↑ "Charts.nz – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  45. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  46. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  47. ↑ "Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Portuguesecharts.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  48. ↑ "Лучшая 10-ка НФПФ. Октябрь 2003г" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers. Archived from the original on 16 January 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  49. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 27 September 2003. p. 62.
  51. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  52. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life And Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  53. ↑ "Iron Maiden UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  54. ↑ "Iron Maiden Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  55. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  56. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  57. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  58. ↑ "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música" (in Spanish). CAPIF. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  59. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  60. 1 2 "Iron Maiden" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  61. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Iron Maiden; 'Dance of Death')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  62. ↑ "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  63. ↑ "EMI Norwegian Dance of Death Award for 20'000 sold". Facebook. 20 December 2020.
  64. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2003" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  65. ↑ "British album certifications – Iron Maiden – Dance of Death". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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