Iron Maiden are not the first band you’d think of to be stealth-bombing fans with an album almost out of nowhere, but the (for them) short-notice arrival of Senjutsu has been one of 2021’s finest surprises so far. That isn’t to say the content or format of the veteran metallers’ seventeenth studio album is altogether shocking. Like 2015’s Book Of Souls, this is a sprawling double album and, like most of Maiden’s 21st Century output, it gives their more epic and progressive tendencies free rein. This is no longer news and if it’s purely punchy ’80s anthems you crave, there will probably be another period-piece themed tour along shortly. For now, the Devil is in the deep-delve details and this is simply one of the finest collections of songs they’ve released in the latter (r...
