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Prima di lodare o denigrare l?ultimo episodio della saga della ?Vergine di ferro?, sarebbe opportuno fare una digressione sul perché molte band dal passato leggendario, dopo un periodo di tempo calcolabile sommando l?importo delle rate della villa da pagare, si rimettano insieme: l?esito di tali reunion, come auspicabile, non è sempre artisticamente promettente, ma agli Iron questo sembra non interessare.
Onestamente le nostre facoltà mentali non sono ancora così ottenebrate da pretendere un altro capolavoro quale ?The Number of the Beast?, dato nell?ultima decade le produzioni della band si sono sempre situate tra il mediocre e il discreto. Non vogliamo però tediarvi oltremodo, gentili uditori, certi e fiduciosi che il signor Harris e soci hanno sempre mantenuto un saldo legame fondato sulla reciproca stima e l?amore per la ricerca musicale, anche a costo di scontentare i fan più devoti.
L?album si apre sottotono con ?Wildest dreams?, che fin dalle prime battute si aggiudica il tapiro d?oro come brano peggiore dei Maiden: scritto sul modello della più fortunata ?The wicker man?, il succitato brano cerca di recuperare la ruvida spontaneità degli esordi, facendo appello ad episodi come ?Moonchild? o ?The ides of March?, mantenendo intatta la struttura ma stemperandone l?impatto.
Si passa alla title track, una oscura litania dagli accenti fiabeschi che un arcigno Dickinson interpreta con sinistra classe: il giro iniziale viene arricchito da un intermezzo orchestrale semplice quanto efficace che, per una volta, si discosta dalla consueta soluzione assolo/ritornello tipica delle ultime produzioni maideniane.
In molti episodi del disco si nota la sempre più palese dominanza dei toni epici che hanno fatto la fortuna del precedente ?Brave New World?, in particolare con l?aulica ?Montsegur?. Anche ?Paschendale?, uno dei brani di maggior effetto del disco, segue questa tendenza, ma l?andamento altisonante sembra frenato dalle ormai onnipresenti soluzioni manieriste del combo inglese. A questo artificioso riciclaggio sonoro segue ?Age of Innocence?, un semplice riempitivo che negli anni Ottanta non avrebbe trovato spazio in una pubblicazione se non in una b-side.
?No more Lies? e ?Face in the Sand? confermano la tendenza sempre più preoccupante da parte degli Iron di sfruttare fino alla nausea le strutture armoniche che li hanno resi grandi: entrambe le canzoni sembrano scritte sulla falsariga di una ?Fear of the Dark? o di una meno popolare ?Mother Russia?, dove, come da contratto, dopo il tradizionale intro arpeggiato, arriva in un prevedibile crescendo l?accelerazione su cui Dickinson canta di orrori a sfondo storico cari al ?Maiden style?.
Il senso di tedio diffuso e di angosciante ripetitività viene per un attimo dimenticato in chiusura con ?Journeyman?, primo e finora unico brano interamente acustico del gruppo che rivela un?inedita e sorprendente componente della trama sonora del gruppo.
Sostenuta da un imponente arrangiamento d?archi, la canzone rivela una vena melodica ed una insperata versatilità, che risolleva le sorti del disco in chiusura, lasciando ben sperare per le future evoluzioni del sound del gruppo.
In conclusione, non possiamo giudicare ?Dance of Death? un brutto disco, dal momento che, per quanto deludenti, anche i Maiden meno ispirati hanno l?astuzia di inferire il colpo vincente. D?altronde siamo al cospetto di una band che ha reso grande l?heavy metal, pertanto il disco in questione potrebbe facilmente essere definito ?noioso ma con classe?, un lavoro realizzato da vecchie glorie che oramai creano musica con lo stesso trasporto emotivo con cui un impiegato timbra il cartellino.
Siamo dunque certi che ?Dance of death? non scontenterà i fan più giovani ed ingenui degli Iron, così come quelli più nostalgici, qualificandosi come un episodio di puro mestiere, sempre più lontano dai capolavori che hanno reso grandi gli Iron Maiden. Una dimostrazione del fatto che in certi contesti anche la ripetitività può diventare una rassicurante certezza.
Elenco tracce testi e video
02 Rainmaker (03:48)
When I was wandering in the desert,
And was searching for the truth
I heard a choir of angels calling out my name,
I had the feeling that my life would never be the same again
I turn my face towards the barren sun
And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me,
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in our lives like the cracks upon the ground,
They are sealed and are now washed away
You tell me we can start the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears away,
You tell me we can start the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears...
And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me,
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in the ground like the cracks are in our lives,
They are sealed and now far away
You tell me we can start the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears away,
You tell me we can start the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears...
And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me,
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in the ground like the cracks are in our lives,
They are sealed and now far away
03 No More Lies (07:21)
There's a darkening sky before me. There's no time to prepare
Salvage the last horizon, but no regrets from me
Maybe I'll be back some other day to live again, just who can say
In what shape or form that I might be, just another chance for me
A hurried time no disgrace, instead of racing to conclusion
And wishing all my life away. No-one can stop me now.
Time is up it couldn't last, but there's more things I'd like to do
I'm coming back to try again. Someday maybe I'll wait till then
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
They're all sitting at my table, talking tar and drinking wine
There time is up just like me, but they just don't know it yet
So just a word of warning, when you're in your deepest dreams
There's nothing you can hide from. I've got my eye on you
The clock is fast the hour is near. Eventful past is everclear
My life is set the time is here. I think I'm coming home
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
A hurried time no disgrace, instead of racing to conclusion
And wishing all your life away, no one can stop me now
Time is up it couldn't last, but there's more things I have to do
I'm coming back to try again. Don't tell me that this is the end
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
No more lies, no more lies
04 Montségur (05:50)
I stand alone in this desolate space
In death they are truly alive
Massacred innocence, evil took place
The angels were burning inside
Centuries later I wonder why
What secret that they took to their grave
Still burning heretics under our skies
Religion's still burning inside
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
As we kill them all so god will know his own
The innocents died for the pope on his throne
Catholic greed and its paranoid zeal
Curse of the grail and the blood of the cross
Templar believers with blood on their hands
Joined in the choruse to kill on demand
Burned at the stake for their soul's liberty
To stand with the cathars to die and be free
The book of old testament crippled and black
Satan his weapon is lust
As for the knowleadge of god they had claimed
Religion's still burning inside
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
As we kill them all so god know his own
Laugh at the darkness and in god we trust
The eye of the triangle smiling with sin
No passover feast for the cursed within
Facing the sun as they went to their grave
Burn like a dog or you live like a slave
Death is the price for your soul's liberty
To stand with the cathars and to die and be free
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
At the gates and the walls of Montségur
Blood on the stones of the citadel
05 Dance of Death (08:36)
Let me tell you a story to chill the bones
About a thing that I saw
One night wandering in the everglades
I'd one drink but no more
I was rambling, enjoying the bright moonlight
Gazing up at the stars
Not aware of a presence so near to me
Watching my every move
Feeling scared and I fell to my knees
As something rushed me from the trees
Took me to an unholy place
And that is where I fell from grace
Then they summoned me over to join in with them
To the dance of the dead
Into the circle of fire I followed them
Into the middle I was led
As if time had stopped still I was numb with fear
But still I wanted to go
And the blaze of the fire did no hurt upon me
As I walked onto the coals
And I felt I was in a trance
And my spirit was lifted from me
And if only someone had the chance
To witness what happened to me
And I danced and I pranced and I sang with them
All had death in their eyes
Lifeless figures they were undead all of them
They had ascended from hell
As I danced with the dead
My free spirit was laughing and howling down at me
Below my undead body
Just danced the circle of dead
Until the time came to reunite us both
My spirit came back down to me
I didn't know if I was alive or dead
As the others all joined in with me
By luck then a skirmish started
And took the attention away from me
When they took their gaze from me
Was the moment that I fled
I ran like hell faster than the wind
But behind I did not glance
One thing that I did not dare
Was to look just straight ahead
When you know that your time has come around
You know you'll be prepared for it
Say your last goodbyes to everyone
Drink and say a prayer for it
When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
To this day I guess I'll never know
Just why they let me go
But I'll never go dancing no more
'Til I dance with the dead
08 Paschendale (08:28)
In a foreign field he lay, lonely soldier unknown grave
On his dying words he prays, tell the world of Paschendale
Relive all that he's been through, last communion of his soul
Rust your bullets with his tears. Let me tell you 'bout his years
Laying low in a blood filled trench, killing time 'til my very own death
On my face I can feel the falling rain, never see my friends again
In the smoke in the mud and lead, smell the fear and the feeling of dread
Soon be time to go over the wall, rapid fire and the end of us all
Whistles, shouts and more gun fire, lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire
Battlefield nothing but a bloody tomb, be reunited with my dead friends soon
Many soldiers eighteen years, drown in mud no more tears
Surely a war no-one can win, killing time about to begin
Home, far away, from the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away, but the war, no chance to live again
The bodies of ours and our foes, the sea of death it overflows
In no man's land god only knows, into jaws of death we go
Crucified as if on a cross, allied troops they mourn their loss
German war propaganda machine, such before has never been seen
Swear I heard the angels cry, pray to god no more will die
So that people know the truth, tell the tale of Paschendale
Cruelty has a human heart, everyman does play his part
Terror of the men we kill, the human heart is hungry still
I stand my ground for the very last time, gun is ready as I stand in line
Nervous wait for the whistle to blow, rush of blood and over we go
Blood is falling like the rain, its crimson cloak unveils again
The sound of guns can't hide their shame, and so we die on Paschendale
Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire, running straight at cannon fire
Running blind as I hold my breath, say a prayer symphony of death
As we charge the enemy lines, a burst of fire and we go down
I choke a cry but no-one hears, feel the blood go down my throat
Home, far away, from the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away, but the war, no chance to live again
See my spirit on the wind, across the lines beyond the hill
Friend and foe will meet again, those who died at Paschendale
09 Face in the Sand (06:31)
Everybody`s waiting for something to happen,
Everybody`s waiting for something to see
Lunatics waitin for bigger disasters,
Everybody`s waiting for news on TV
Winding lives at the end of the spiral,
Waiting dictators with their next big thrill
Everyone`s looking but no one is listening,
Everybody wants to be in at the kill
I wait for the signs, they tell me true, I see the signs of the end time
Everybody`s searching but nothing`s revealing,
Everyone`s looking for the reason why
Everyone`s hoping for life everafter,
Everyone`s looking at death from the sky
Everyone`s nightmares are going to happen,
Everybody`s ripping the mask from their eyes
Everyone`s playing but no one`s believing,
Everyone`s heroes tell everyone`s lies
So I watch and I wait, and I pray for an answer
An end to the strife and the world`s misery, but the end never came
And we`re digging the graves, and we`re loading the guns for the kill
Can the end be at hand? Is the face in the sand?
Future memory of our tragedy
Can the end be at hand? Is the face in the sand?
Future memory of our tragedy
10 Age of Innocence (06:10)
I can`t be compromising in my thoughts no more,
I can`t prevent the times my anger filles my heart
I can`t be sympathizing with a new lost cause,
I feel I`ve lost my patience with the world and all
And all the politicians and their hollow promises,
And all their lies, deceit and shame that goes with it
The working man pays everything for their mistakes,
And with his life too if there was to be a war
So we only get one chance can we take it,
And we only get one life can`t exchange it
Can we hold on to what we have don`t replace it,
The age of innocence is fading... Like an old dream
A life of petty crime gets punished with a holiday,
The victim`s minds are scarred for life most everyday
Assailants know just how much further they can go,
They know the laws are soft conviction changes low
So we only get one chance can we take it,
And we only get one life can`t exchange it
Can we hold on to what we have don`t replace it,
The age of innocence is fading... Like an old dream
You can`t protect yourself even in your own home,
For fear of vigilante cries the victims wipe their eyes
So now the criminals they laugh right in your face,
Judicial system lets them do it, a disgrace
Despondent public worries where it all will end,
We can`t protect ourselves our kids from crime the trend
We cannot warn each other of evil in our midst,
They have more rights than us, you cannot call that just
So we only get one chance can we take it,
And we only get one life can`t exchange it
Can we hold on to what we have don`t replace it,
The age of innocence is fading... Like an old dream
The age of innocence is fading like an old dream...
11 Journeyman (07:06)
From the red sky of the east, to the sunset in the west
We have cheated death and he has cheated us
But that was just a dream, and this is what it means
We are sleeping and we'll dream for evermore
And the fragment remains, of our memories
And the shadows we made, with our hands
Deeper grey, came to mourn, all the colours of the dawn
Will this journeyman's day be his last
I know what I want, And I say what I want
And no one can take it away, I know what I want
And I say what I want, And no one can take it away
But the memory still remains, all the past years not so strange
Our winter times are like a silent shroud
And the heartbeat of the day drives the mist away
And winter's not the only dream around
In your life you may choose desolation
And the shadows you build with your hands
If you turn to the light, that is burning in the night
Then your journeyman's day has begun
I know what I want, And I say what I want
And no one can take it away, I know what I want
And I say what I want, And no one can take it away
In your life you may choose desolation
And the shadows you build with your hands
If you turn to the light, that is burning in the night
Then your journeyman's day has begun
I know what I want, And I say what I want
And no one can take it away, I know what I want
And I say what I want, And no one can take it away
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di cliffburton86
A questo giro Harris e co. hanno smentito e sorpreso un po’ tutti.
Non troverete chissà quali sconvolgimenti musicali, bensì, una piacevole, curiosa e orecchiabile, evoluzione nella intramontabile musica del più grande gruppo Heavy-metal di sempre... THE IRON MAIDEN!!
Di AR (Anonima Recensori)
LA MERDA + TOTALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Non compratelo.
Di Brizz89
La ripetitività delle canzoni è sempre più frastornante e ci viene ormai automatico chiederci perchè continuino a sfornare canzoni così simili tra loro anche dopo più di 20 anni di carriera.
Un album mediocre che non consiglio all'acquisto se non per provare di tracciare un'inesistente evoluzione di un gruppo appassito con gli anni.
Di vezzo
Montegur: a mio parere il pezzo più bello dell’album, molto pesante nei riff ma dotata di splendidi effetti.
Le canzoni citate valgono assolutamente l’acquisto dell’album che è, insieme a A Matter Of Life And Death, il più bell’album degli Iron.
Di emdero
Dance of Death, il penultimo disco dei Iron Maiden è proprio una schifezza immane!
L'album può andare a farsi fottere!
