Death on the Road

What we have here is Maiden at their live finest...huge stage show in Dortmund, Germany, great set list, great performance, the whole shebang. However, Steve Harris needs to be kept away from the editing room...lifetime ban. I almost had a seizure from the editing, forget the light show. Granted, the editing gets progressively better, but the performance of "Wildest Dreams" is all but ruined by the jarring camera changes.

With this said, this is an amazing show. The band proves that they still have it, and the set list encompasses all of their live favorites as well as some gems from the "Dance of Death" album. "Paschendale" and "Dance of Death" are particularly magnificent with Bruce really getting into the character of the songs by dressing up. The stage set-up is as grand as Iron Maiden themselves, and during the performance of their title track, Janick proceeds to prove to us that guitar acrobatics can be utilized by talented guitarists as well and are not just for use by As I Lay Dying and their ilk.

However, the one downside to this gig, is that the only real stand-outs are really the newer songs from "Dance of Death" because anyone who's seen "Rock in Rio" or heard "Live After Death" or "A Real Live One" has heard these Maiden classics performed before. But it's still very well done. "The Trooper" is boosted by its triple guitar harmony (thank you Janick!) and their performance of "Iron Maiden" here is truly spectacular as I may have previously mentioned. Another Maiden standard is brought back from the dead in the form of "Lord of the Flies". I have to admit, as bland as this song is in-studio with Blaze Bayley on vocals...Bruce breathes new life into an otherwise dead song that sounds very good in this medium...even if the studio version puts you to sleep.

The bonus disc is also a doozy, packed with documentaries, music videos, interviews, the "Dance of Death" EPK...overall, this is a great DVD release for Maiden fans, although "Rock in Rio" also intrigues me, but this suffices and gets the job done very satisfactorily. The main flaw is, as I have said, the editing. But if you can get used to it, you will be rewarded by an excellent gig.

Stand-outs from the gig: "Wildest Dreams", "The Trooper", "Dance of Death", "Paschendale", "Iron Maiden"