British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have announced the arrival of their 17th studio album “Senjutsu” on September 3rd through Parlophone Records (BMG in the USA). It was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Steve Harris.
Today the band have unveiled the audio for the album’s second single “Stratego”, which it’s one of two songs on the 10-track, 82 minutes long album written by guitarist Janick Gers and founder member/ bassist Steve Harris. A track in most classic Iron Maiden vein – opposed to what he heard with the album’s first single “The Writing On The Wall”, it’s got their trademark galloping bass lines, a furious guitar lick, and a noteworthy synths section that truly stands out, while Dickinson vocals move comfortably across his lower range.
The song’s digital visualizer sees a red flag, sporting the band’s mascot Eddie decked out in samurai gear, flapping as the track plays. Listen to it below, and check out the lyrics as well, that tell the story of warring tribes in ancient Japan.
How do you read a madman’s mind
Teach me the art of war
For I shall bring more
Than you bargained for
Give me an ultimatum
That I could not dream of
Spills of a crying nation
Upon my soul
For I have not a mortal soul
That you already know
Look at my eyes
There’s no surprise
Ocean is black the devil’s track
Looking beyond beneath the sea
Eye of the storm is here again
Been there before you were ever born
Beyond the dark I feel the pain
It’s hidden but I can’t explain
A cross to bear
A heavy faith
My sorrow whispers
Time again
I hear you calling my name
Come to claim my life again
Pray for me I’m almost there
The pain almost too much to bear
I try to find my way back home
To feel the same again
The voice of nothing
Listened far too long
Little by little eat away
I think I’ve lost my mind
Too late to change now
What I left behind
Hear me listen my call
I am ready to fall
Lord hear me now – let me go
Ocean is black the devil’s track
Looking beyond beneath the sea
Eye of the storm is here again
Been there before you were ever born
Beyond the dark I feel the pain
It’s hidden but I can’t explain
A cross to bear
A heavy faith
My sorrow whispers
Time again
For “Senjutsu” – loosely translated as ‘tactics & strategy’, the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Steve Harris. And with a running time of a little under 82 minutes, “Senjutsu”, like their previous record “The Book Of Souls,” will be a double CD album/triple vinyl album.
Steve says “We chose to record at Guillaume Tell Studio in France again as the place has such a relaxed vibe. The setup there is perfect for our needs; the building used to be a cinema and has a really high ceiling so there’s a great acoustic sound. We recorded this album in the same way we did The Book Of Souls in that we’d write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds. There’s some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort! I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.”
Bruce Dickinson continues, “We’re all really excited about this album. We recorded it back in early 2019 during a break in the Legacy tour so we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course the pandemic delayed things more – so much for the best laid plans – or should that be ‘strategies’!? The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There’s also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised – in a good way, I hope!”
The full track-listing is:
1. Senjutsu (Smith/Harris) 8:20
2. Stratego (Gers/Harris) 4:59
3. The Writing On The Wall (Smith/Dickinson) 6:13
4. Lost In A Lost World (Harris) 9:31
5. Days Of Future Past (Smith/Dickinson) 4:03
6. The Time Machine (Gers/Harris) 7:09
7. Darkest Hour (Smith/Dickinson) 7:20
8. Death Of The Celts (Harris) 10:20
9. The Parchment (Harris) 12:39
10. Hell On Earth (Harris) 11:19
“Senjutsu” will be released on the following formats and available to pre-order from all good music retailers starting Wednesday July 21st
- Standard 2CD Digipak
- Deluxe 2CD Book Format
- Deluxe heavyweight 180G Triple Black Vinyl
- Special Edition Triple Silver & Black Marble Vinyl (from selected retailers)
- Special Edition Triple Red & Black Marble Vinyl (from selected retailers)
- Super Deluxe Boxset featuring CD, Blu-Ray and Exclusive Memorabilia
- Digital album (streaming and download)
