English heavy metal legends Iron Maiden will be releasing a brand new studio album later this year.
The band, which hails from Leyton in East London, will release The Book Of Souls on 4th September. It will be the group’s 16th studio album since they made their eponymous debut in 1980 – which charted at number four in the UK and achieved sales of over 90 million albums worldwide. The new record is also the first double studio album the band has ever produced.
Mark Wilkinson’s artwork features on the album cover.
The Book Of Souls was recorded in Paris with the six-piece’s long-standing producer, Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year. However, the band decided to delay its release so that vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear from a tumour, would have time to recuperate sufficiently before joining in the preparations for the album’s launch.
Dickinson said of their latest record: “We’re really excited about The Book Of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double it’s going to be!”
“We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I’m very proud of The Book Of Souls, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!” proclaimed guitarist, Adrian Smith.
Their previous album, 2010’s The Final Frontier, was Maiden’s most successful chart-wise to date, reaching number one in 28 countries.
The Book Of Souls will be released on the 4th September via Parlophone Records and will be available in five formats: 2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition, 2CD standard edition, triple heavyweight black vinyl, high resolution audio and standard resolution audio.
