Death on the road Iron Maiden (Live; Double Cassette with 5 free stickers) Virgin/EMI; Rs 250

When you hear the crowd roaring as loud as that, you know it’s metal that’s orchestrating. You know that it’s either Maiden or its Priest. Another live album in their case is always welcome for we feel really good about the fact that metal is alive and kicking with a vengeance. Death On The Road may not hit you in the face like Live After Death did with its Scream for me Long Beach fist raisers, but it sure does raise a dormant hell within your bones. Fans sometimes sigh at live records for they just have to buy and then invariably compare them with the very best. That’s where Death on the Road fails. In this case, the sounds are hardly crisp, but way better than A Real Live One or, for that matter, A Real Dead One. It is remarkable to note the way Dickinson still connects with his fans, for they add another dimension to their historically bent tunes while he further elevates the euphoria to astounding levels. In the end it’s a pretty overplayed format and there’s nothing really new to be had, except for a Journeyman, which sounds better than the studio version. Surprising really for Maiden aren’t really known to make anything special out of their softer tracks live. Lord of the flies for once doesn’t sound too bad a track with Bruce at the helm and all the cuts from Dance of Death are monstrously delivered ? a pretty good thing in the Maiden context. Paschendale in particular stands out with its battle score and spoken intro ? here’s a band that’s forever improvising. Dickinson may have had his voice razed by the harsh elements of age, but the rage still spews forth like a beast that was born to rock generations with boundless energy. Up the irons!

Sunny C. Dua