Dance of Death (album)
| Dance of Death | ||||
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| Studio album by Iron Maiden | ||||
| Released | 2 September 2003 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 2003 | |||
| Studio | Sarm West Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 67:57 | |||
| Label |
EMI Columbia Records (US) |
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| Producer | Kevin Shirley, Steve Harris | |||
| Iron Maiden studio albums chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dance of Death | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| BBC Music | favourable |
| BW&BK | 7.5/10 |
| Exclaim! | favourable |
| Kerrang! | 5/5 |
| PopMatters | favourable |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.0/5 |
Dance of Death is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released first in Japan on 2 September and then 8 September 2003 in the rest of the world excluding North America (where it was released a day later). The album was recorded on magnetic (analogue) tape.
Their second studio release since the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the album features the band's first ever fully acoustic track, "Journeyman", as well as their only song co-written by drummer Nicko McBrain, "New Frontier". As with its predecessor, 2000's Brave New World, the record was produced by Kevin Shirley, who has worked with Iron Maiden on all subsequent releases.
The band first confirmed that they would be working on a follow-up to 2000's Brave New World with producer Kevin Shirley on 27 November 2002, announced alongside a small set of European tour dates for the following year. On 6 January 2003, Shirley confirmed via his website that the band would begin recording that month, followed by the announcement that the basic tracks had been completed on 5 February and that the release was to be mixed in April. On 31 May, the band announced that the album, recorded at Sarm West Studios, would be entitled Dance of Death, after which the release date was issued on 17 June.
The band undertook the Dance of Death World Tour in support of the album, which included many theatrical elements inspired by the record's songs. During "Dance of Death", Bruce Dickinson would wear theatrical masks and a cape while moving around the stage; at the end he would dress as the Grim Reaper for the final chorus. During "Paschendale", Dickinson would wear a traditional British Infantryman trench coat and helmet (although he revealed in the Death on the Road documentary that it was actually Hungarian), as worn during World War I, and the set would be decorated with barbed wire. The tour led to a live album and DVD, entitled Death on the Road, released in 2005 and 2006.
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