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The Final Frontier still brings Iron Maiden closer to their aesthetic legacy and triumphant year 2000 rebirth than its two predecessors.
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Nearly 77 minutes, The Final Frontier calls for a harsher edit and, of course, Maiden's early punk tenacity.
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There are more ideas here than many bands manage in their entire career, but in inimitable Maiden style, it's woven together beautifully.
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The delicately crafted "Coming Home" is Maiden's most effective power ballad ever, while "The Man Who Would Be King" delivers a slice of medieval mayhem. And the jam section during the cut "Isle of Avalon" suggests a metal take on the Grateful Dead. With all that, The Final Frontier boldly goes where few metal bands have gone before.
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While sometimes The Final Frontier seems to mine the Maiden groove until the canary chirps its last, the better songs are an indication that they aren't yet trading solely on their reputation.
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Kerrang!Only Iron Maiden know if this is their last hurrah. But if it is, they're going out the same way they came in: fearless, adventurous, and with a record that'll still bowl you over in a decade's time. [7 Aug 2010, p.50]
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MojoThe Final Frontier, its scratchy, clattering intro resembling The Mars Volta and signifying that this national institution's quest for adventure remains unabated. [Sept. 2010, p.98]
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Now they've reinforced their position as the credible elder statesmen of metal, with a tightly focused, self-referential effort.
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Iron Maiden has put together the best late-career run metal has ever seen, and the only thing we can hope is that it lasts for at least one more album.
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Q MagazineSteel-plated national treasures hit the epic button. [Sept. 2010, p. 117]
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The Final Frontier might sound alien at first, but Iron Maiden's DNA is splashed all over it.
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Maiden have long had a knack for the lung-busting chorus, but what impresses here are the complicated arrangements.
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The Final Frontier is the kind of record that takes several listens to truly appreciate, but it's definitely worth it.
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The Final Frontier becomes less an exercise in experimentation than old-fashioned endurance, and the hushed-intro-bombastic-chorus dynamic begins to grate a little.
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UncutOpener "Satellite 15" might hint at something dark and abrasive, but they're soon back on track, rattling through robust, enjoyable nonsense like the multi-part epic "When The Wild Wind Blows." [Nov 2010, p.93]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 86 out of 103
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Mixed: 14 out of 103
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Negative: 3 out of 103
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Aug 22, 2010
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Sep 12, 2010
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Mar 25, 2012