Iron Maiden will release their seventeenth studio album, Senjutsu, on September 3 on Parlophone Records.
Recorded in Guillaume Tell Studio in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley, and co-produced by bassist and bandleader Steve Harris, the album features 10 tracks, including recently-released single The Writing On The Wall.
Titled after a Japanese term loosely translated as ‘tactics and strategy‘, and most commonly applied in combat situations, Senjutsu features Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Steve Harris.
As with the band’s last album, The Book Of Souls, Senjutsu will be released as a double CD/triple vinyl album.
Steve Harris says, “We chose to record at Guillaume Tell Studio in France again as the place has such a relaxed vibe. 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. There’s 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.”
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson adds, “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 maximise 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’s 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!”
Senjutsu track listing:
1. Senjutsu Smith/Harris 8:20
2. Stratego Gers/Harris 4:59
3. The Writing On The Wall Smith/Dickinson 6:13
4. Lost In A Lost World Harris 9:31
5. Days Of Future Past Smith/Dickinson 4:03
6. The Time Machine Gers/Harris 7:09
7. Darkest Hour Smith/Dickinson 7:20
8. Death Of The Celts Harris 10:20
9. The Parchment Harris 12:39
10. Hell On Earth Harris 11:19
Senjutsu will be released on the following formats:
Standard 2CD Digipak
Deluxe 2CD Book Format
Deluxe heavyweight 180G Triple Black Vinyl
Special Edition Triple Silver and Black Marble Vinyl (Selected Retailers)
Special Edition Triple Red and Black Marble Vinyl (Selected Retailers)
Super Deluxe Boxset featuring CD, Blu Ray and Exclusive Memorabilia
Digital album (streaming and download)
