Brave New World | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 May 2000 | |||
Recorded | April 1999 – April 2000 | |||
Studio | Guillaume Tell (Paris) | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 66:57 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Kevin Shirley | |||
Iron Maiden studio albums chronology | ||||
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Singles from Brave New World | ||||
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Brave New World is the twelfth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 29 May 2000. [1] It was their first studio release since the return of longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson (who left in 1993) and guitarist Adrian Smith (who left in 1990) in 1999, as well as the band's first studio recording as a six-piece, as Janick Gers, who replaced Smith in 1990, remained with the band.
The album artwork and title song are references to the novel of the same name written by Aldous Huxley. The upper half of the artwork was created by Derek Riggs, with the bottom half by digital artist Steve Stone.
The songs "The Wicker Man" and "Out of the Silent Planet" were both released as singles. The promotional radio release of "The Wicker Man" featured extra vocals in the chorus not present in any other versions of the song.
The Brave New World Tour was the tour in support of the album, during which the show at Rock in Rio was recorded and later released as a live album and video.
Brave New World peaked at No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified Gold. [2] In the United States, it debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard 200, [3] and registered over 307,000 sales on the Nielsen SoundScan system in 2008. [4]
Most of the songs were written before The Ed Hunter Tour and were later recorded at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris. It was the first album the band would record with producer Kevin Shirley, and the first that they would record live in the studio. [5]
According to an interview with Adrian Smith, "The Nomad", "Dream of Mirrors", and "The Mercenary" were originally written for 1998's Virtual XI , and former vocalist Blaze Bayley claimed to have provided some lyrics for "Dream of Mirrors", but was not credited. [6] According to Steve Harris, work had also begun on "Blood Brothers" during that period, but it was not completed at the time. [7]
"Brave New World" was the release's only song to reappear on the Dance of Death World Tour, the next tour in support of a studio release. None of the tracks from the album were played during the A Matter of Life and Death Tour, although many returned throughout The Final Frontier World Tour, with "The Wicker Man", "Ghost of the Navigator", the title track, and "Blood Brothers" being played during the 2010 leg. "Blood Brothers" returned for The Book of Souls World Tour and "The Wicker Man" also returned for the Legacy of the Beast World Tour.
The song "Blood Brothers", written by Steve Harris for his late father, was dedicated to Ronnie James Dio throughout the 2010 leg of The Final Frontier World Tour, following his death on 16 May. On the 2011 leg of the tour starting in Australia, "Blood Brothers" would then be dedicated to the victims and friends and family of the band members and audience who were affected by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake on 22 February. As the tour progressed, the song was also dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, as well as the revolts in Egypt and Libya and, later, the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks. A live performance of the song from 2012's En Vivo! was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance on 6 December 2012. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Blabbermouth.net | 5/10 [10] |
BW&BK | 10/10 [11] |
Classic Rock | [12] |
Kerrang! | [13] |
Metal Hammer | 9/10 [14] |
NME | 4/10 [15] |
Sputnikmusic | [16] |
Reviews for the album were generally positive. Critics were especially warm towards the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith to the band compared to the previous two releases which featured Blaze Bayley on vocals. [16] Kerrang! described it as "truly towering. Majestic. Bombastic. Titanic. So gloriously in-yer-face you can almost feel its hot breath up your nostrils." [13] Sputnikmusic described it as "one of the band's top albums; alongside the likes of Powerslave , Somewhere in Time , and Piece of Mind " and "definitely the easiest album to get into since the band's glory days." [16] Classic Rock stated that, while "it may not take too many strides forward," it "certainly succeeds in reeling back the years to Iron Maiden's heyday." [12]
AllMusic were slightly more critical of the album, describing it as "no Number of the Beast ", although going on to say that "as comeback albums go, its excellence was undeniable", and likewise giving the album a positive rating. [9]
NME were extremely unfavourable towards the release, arguing that the band's past "dismissal of the outside world, which kept them safe all those years, now leaves them looking rather obsolete". The magazine also compared the band to more contemporary acts such as Korn and Slipknot and felt Iron Maiden were "no longer the high priests of the black arts, and seem almost innocent by comparison". [15] Blabbermouth.net were also negative, stating that the band sound "tired and uninspired", and concluding that "[Brave New World] will fail to leave a lasting mark on the face of the current metal scene." [10]
In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 2000 by Metal Hammer magazine. [17]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Wicker Man" | 4:35 | |
2. | "Ghost of the Navigator" |
| 6:50 |
3. | "Brave New World" |
| 6:18 |
4. | "Blood Brothers" | Harris | 7:14 |
5. | "The Mercenary" |
| 4:42 |
6. | "Dream of Mirrors" |
| 9:21 |
7. | "The Fallen Angel" |
| 4:00 |
8. | "The Nomad" |
| 9:06 |
9. | "Out of the Silent Planet" |
| 6:25 |
10. | "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" |
| 8:26 |
Total length: | 66:57 |
Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes. [18]
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] | 33 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [20] | 10 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] | 12 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [22] | 29 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [23] | 23 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [24] | 16 |
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [25] | 2 |
French Albums (SNEP) [26] | 3 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [27] | 3 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [28] | 4 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [29] | 3 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [30] | 13 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [31] | 4 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [32] | 7 |
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) [33] | 8 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [34] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [35] | 9 |
UK Albums (OCC) [36] | 7 |
US Billboard 200 [3] | 39 |
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Greek Albums (IFPI) [37] | 72 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [38] | 27 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [39] | Gold | 100,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [40] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [41] | Gold | 16,316 [41] |
Germany (BVMI) [42] | Gold | 150,000^ |
Poland (ZPAV) [43] | Gold | 35,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [44] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [45] | Gold | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [2] | Gold | 100,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden released a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, and 1982's The Number of the Beast – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who in 1981 replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. The addition of Dickinson was a turning point in their career, establishing them as one of heavy metal's most important bands. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 22 March 1982 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and their last with drummer Clive Burr.
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present day. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence.
Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician, best known as the bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder/leader of heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He has been the band's only constant member since their inception in 1975 and, along with guitarist Dave Murray, the only member to appear on every album.
Dance of Death is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released first in Japan on 2 September and then 8 September 2003 in the rest of the world excluding North America. The album was an analogue recording.
The X Factor is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 2 October 1995 through EMI Records. CMC International released the album in North America. It is the first of two albums by the band to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career. It also saw the departure of the band's longtime producer Martin Birch, who retired shortly after the release of their previous album, Fear of the Dark (1992). The album takes a darker tone than the band's first nine releases, due to the lyrics being based on personal issues surrounding Steve Harris at the time, who was in the midst of a divorce. This is reflected in the cover artwork, which graphically depicts the band's mascot, Eddie, being vivisected by a machine.
Iron Maiden is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 14 April 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and Harvest and Capitol Records in the US. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. In 1998, along with the rest of the band's pre-1995 releases, Iron Maiden was remastered with "Sanctuary" added in all territories. However, 2014 vinyl reissues, 2015 digital releases and 2018 CD reissues use the original track listing across the globe. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton.
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Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 11 April 1988 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast (1982) and later Fear of the Dark (1992), The Final Frontier (2010), and The Book of Souls (2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Can I Play with Madness" was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Released on 11 May 1992, it was their third studio release to top the UK Albums Chart, and the last to feature Bruce Dickinson as the group's lead vocalist until his return in 1999.
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"Iron Maiden are pleased to announce that their forthcoming new studio album will be called 'The Final Frontier', and is expected be released late summer of this year.
The announcement comes with news of a North American Tour with Very Special Guests Dream Theater to open in Dallas, Texas, on 9th June and finish in Washington, D.C. on 20th July, making it Maiden's most extensive North American tour in many years.
Following these shows in USA and Canada The Final Frontier World Tour will travel back to Europe for a few selected major festival and stadium shows with the band planning to continue to many other countries in 2011."
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