You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

From a prog point of view, the augurs for Maiden’s 16th album boded well: triple vinyl; songs clocking in at eight, 10, 13 and 18 minutes-plus; Mark Wilkinson artwork.

Could it be that Britain’s biggest ever metal band have finally given in to the passion for progressive music that flows through the veins of mainmen Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson? In a way, yes. And then in others, no. The Book Of Souls is, first and foremost, a great Iron Maiden album. And for a band not daunted by ambition, one that certainly stretches them like never before. Sure, there’s probably too much trad Maiden metal here to assuage those readers already sniffy about the words ‘Iron’ and ‘Maiden’ appearing in Prog. However, those who do dip in will find some excellent prog metal here in opener If Eternity Should Fail, the epic The Great Unknown, The Red And The Black’s gloriously OTT mid section and the title track too. The clincher is Dickinson’s colossal Empire Of The Clouds — pure prog rock indulgence, from its plaintive opening piano chords to swirling Jethro Tull-like mood. It’s the best thing the band have recorded for years, from their finest album for at least a decade.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.