Great song, bring on the album!!
Iron Maiden are perhaps the quintessential metal band. They transcend genres, have a superb work ethic, enjoy a special relationship with their fans and, most importantly, write great music. After surviving the dour 90s Iron Maiden released, in my opinion, one of their finest pieces of work in 'Brave New World'. After the commercial success of their last album 'Dance of Death,' it seemed a fervour had been established, and the world eagerly waited to see what Iron Maiden could produce next.
The first single from their new album 'A Matter of Life and Death' is 'The reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg.' Due to its length, the seven and a half minute song coupled with the seven minute 'Hallowed be thy Name' as a 'B' side so to speak, is not eligible for the charts. My first thought was, 'who gives a damn?' My second thought was 'Iron Maiden don't need the charts.' Since reforming with Bruce and Adrian, Iron Maiden have reached a point where chart success is irrelevant. They will still sell millions of albums irrespective of whether it gets played in the media, Iron Maiden are perhaps beyond the music industry and more of an institution.
Of course all of this wouldn't be worth mentioning if 'The reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' was a pile of crud. Thankfully this Murry/Harris penned tune is a wonderful Iron Maiden song. An odd choice of single however, it's slow drawn out start doesn't attempt to rip your teeth out like 'Aces High' or 'The Trooper'. But it's a smart move for a band that have, on occasions over the years, been accused of sticking to the same old formula. The main riff is very much Iron Maiden, but it's a different Iron Maiden. The song is dark and moody and for once doesn't resort to the oft-used galloping middle section. 'The reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' is instantly likeable which is probably the reason why it's been chosen as the lead single. Those sad few clinging on to the hope they'll write 'Number of the Beast part 2' will be disappointed; the rest of us will revel in this intelligently written tune. If the rest of the new album is as good as this then there'll be a lot of bed wetting around the world over the coming months.