On the heels of their Biblical single “The Writing on the Wall,” Iron Maiden have announced Senjutsu, their 17th studio album and the band’s first in six years.
Senjutsu, out September 3rd, will be a double album with a running time just shy of 82 minutes. The album was recorded in Paris with the band’s longtime producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Steve Harris. The Japanese title loosely translates into “tactics and strategy,” and the samurai-inspired artwork was created by Mark Wilkinson from an idea by Harris.
“We chose to record at Guillaume Tell Studio in France again as the place has such a relaxed vibe,” Harris says. “The setup there is perfect for our needs; the building used to be a cinema and has a really high ceiling so there’s a great acoustic sound. We recorded this album in the same way we did The Book of Souls in that we’d write a song, rehearse it, and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds.”
He adds: “There are some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort! I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.”
Lead singer Bruce Dickinson says: “We’re all really excited about this album. We recorded it back in early 2019 during a break in the Legacy tour so we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course, the pandemic delayed things more — so much for the best-laid plans — or should that be ‘strategies’!? The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There are also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised — in a good way, I hope!”
Iron Maiden, Senjutsu Tracklist
1. Senjutsu
2. Stratego
3. The Writing on the Wall
4. Lost in a Lost World
5. Days of Future Past
6. The Time Machine
7. Darkest Hour
8. Death of the Celts
9. The Parchment
10. Hell on Earth
From Rolling Stone US
