MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier

Iron Maiden had felt so confident about their fourteenth studio album, 2006′s A Matter of Life and Death, that they had toured the album in its entirety to mostly positive reviews. Having survived through various incarnations for a quarter of a century, the band had managed to overcome grunge, losing their singer (he would eventually return to the group after a six-year hiatus) and almost becoming obsolete. After twenty-five years and fifteen albums, Iron Maiden could easily have ender their career touring their greatest hits but instead opted to record their most ambitious album in some time, which would see its tracks varying from four-and-a-half to eleven minutes in length. The Final Frontier would ultimately become the band’s fourth number one album and their first since 1992′s Fear of the Dark.

The recording sessions for The Final Frontier would see Iron Maiden returning to a studio they had regularly frequented during the mid-1980s. Compass Point Studios, located in Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas, was founded by Island Records owner Chris Blackwell in the late 1970s and had seen such artists as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and David Bowie recording albums there. Iron Maiden had relocated to Compass in early 1993 with producer Martin Birch to record their fourth album, Piece of Mind, and would remain there for their two subsequent records: 1984′s Powerslave and 1986′s Somewhere in Time (both with Birch). Very little in the studio had changed in the twenty-four years since the last time they had visited but, despite the equipment being far from modern, the band were pleased with the intimacy of the location, unlike many modern studios which seem to isolate each band member.

Once again, Iron Maiden were joined by producer Kevin Shirley, who also produced A Matter of Life and Death, as well as Dance of Death and the live album Death on the Road. Although once again bassist Steve Harris was heavily involved in the writing of the album, guitarist Adrian Smith contributed more to the material than on previous records, whilst frontman Bruce Dickinson also shared co-writing credit on four songs. The opening track, Satellite 15… The Final Frontier, was inspired by a tune that Smith had recored in his studio, which he had then played to Harris and was surprised when the track was selected for the album. Having recored a ballad called Out of the Shadows for A Matter of Life and Death, the band decided to write another for The Final Frontier, Coming Home, which allowed Dickinson to show his vocal range once again.

The first track that was made available from the album was El Dorado, which the band released as a free download via email subscription in June. The Final Frontier was finally released two months later via EMI and was their most critically acclaimed album for many years, with Classic Rock stating that, “it’s the big epics on The Final Frontier that really illuminate the blazing fire at the heart of the band’s creative core,” whilst Kerrang! added, “Maiden are going out with all guns blazing.” Within a few months, the album was certified Gold in several countries, including the UK, Canada, Sweden and Germany, whilst achieving Platinum in Finland. A video for Satellite 15… The Final Frontier was released online in July, which featured a science fiction theme as a pilot attempting to complete a dangerous mission.