Dance Of Death (album)

Dance of Death is Iron Maiden's thirteenth studio album, released first in Japan on September 2 and rest of the world on September 8, 2003. This album marks the first participation in songwriting by Nicko McBrain, who co-wrote the song "New Frontier" and also is the first (and so far only) time that all members of the band get a songwriting credit. It is sometimes mistakenly said that Steve Harris performed all the keyboard parts on the album because no credit is given to usual collaborator Michael Kenney, but this is actually due to an oversight in the printing of the album booklet (no instrument credits are given to any of the full band members either). The band's usual message in every album (a variation on the line "Up the Irons!") is absent too.

Give Me Ed... 'til I'm Dead Tour & Dance of Death World Tour was the tour supporting the album. Dance of Death once again brought costumes to Maiden's stage show. 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 the song "Paschendale", Dickinson would sometimes wear a traditional British Infantryman suit as worn during World War I and act out his death onstage during the song.

The title of the album refers to the late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's station in life, the dance of death unites all. This philosophy is more commonly known as Danse Macabre.

Songs

The song "Montségur" was inspired by Bruce Dickinson's holiday stay near Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars conquered by the Albigensian Crusade in 1244. The lyrics include verse As we kill them all so God will know his own, referring to a well-known quote of the papal legate before the massacre of thousands in Béziers in 1209. It also mentions "Templar believers," as it is frequent popular belief today that there was some link between Knights Templar, Cathars and Montségur.

The song "Paschendale" is about The Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War.

"Journeyman" is Iron Maiden's first fully acoustic song in over 20 years. According to Bruce Dickinson, before playing the song on the Death on the Road live album, the song is about "the whole process of song writing and being a musician," though the lyrics seem to be more focused on appreciating life while you have it.

Other lyrical themes are current events in the world ("Face in the Sand" and "Age of Innocence"), religion ("No More Lies", "Montségur"), and realizing yourself ("Wildest Dreams," "Rainmaker," "Journeyman"). The title track features lyrics in a more classic storytelling vein, being about a man who experiences the Danse Macabre and has many similarities to both the poem Tam o' Shanter and "The Number of the Beast". The album is also notable for its heavy Celtic influences in the guitar melodies, especially the title track, "No More Lies," and "Montségur."