Iron Maiden: Book of Souls

(Disclaimer: This is a review for a local magazine, which means it has a very short word limit, and content restrictions. Take my word when I say Maiden’s new album is fucking awesome, and much better than 90% of the shit being released by bands half their age. Horns high!)

If you’re talking band
s that have stood the test of time, you’re talking Iron Maiden. One of the dominant forces during the British metal invasion of the early 1980’s, Maiden has survived 40 years in the rock world and continue to prove themselves one of the mightiest bands in the land.

Last month, the metal gods looked down, smiled upon their children of rock and offered their 16^th studio album. “Book of Souls” fully displays Maiden’s best quality: Having a sound that is instantly recognizable while remaining totally inspired. Maiden is not repetitive. It’s comfortably familiar while remaining powerful, and thought provoking. From the opening of “If Eternity Shall Fail”, to the 18 minute “Empire of the Clouds”, this album is a journey through themes of mortality and the eternal nature of the soul.

Truthfully, there is no proper way to review a Maiden album in such a short column. It’s too complex, and it rocks too hard. However, one thing is certain. While these hard rockers of the highest magnitude could not be blamed at this point for resting on their laurels, the extraordinary vision and powerful execution presented on “Book of Souls” clearly indicates that these veterans have plenty left in their tank.

On a 5 rock goblet scale, “Book of Souls” receives 4.5 goblets of rock raised toward the heavens.

J. Robert Lobeck

Smile, It’s Autumn (News4U entry for October)

With the weather cooling off, and my favorite time of year getting into full swing, I’ve decided to forgo my usual Andy Rooney style gripes about the society, and attempt to just toss some positive vibes into my little corner of Indiana.

Evansville Fall Fest Brain Sandwich

Autumn means a lot of things. It means football is back. It means the leaves are changing, and for a short period before the deadness of winter, the world is a beautiful canvas of oranges and yellows. For my current hometown Evansville, it means the fall fest, and all the questionable, yet delicious food we convince ourselves is acceptable to eat because hey, it’s the fall fest. To some, including myself, it’s the early stages of the holiday season, kicking off with Halloween. Some might not include Halloween as part of the holidays, but it does involve giving, gathering, and fond childhood memories for most.

For me, more than anything, it’s a time of year to stop being angry, and focus on whatever goodness we have in our lives. As we transition from children into adults, a lot of the magic of the world begins to deteriorate. We become aware that the world is a harsh, unforgiving place. We realize that attempting to live life by the basic rights and wrongs our parents taught us is next to impossible, and we have experiences that leave us wondering what happened to the idealized world we were so convinced awaited us upon adulthood. Some of us can shrug it off and move forward. Some folks have a particular belief system they find peace in. Still, some of us become cynical, depressed, and attempt to shut ourselves up from the world. Even for a cynic like me, society has had a really negative tone to it over this past year. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of election season coming around again. Whatever the reason, these few months every year provide the opportunity to drop that negative weight and temporarily create that idealized world for ourselves, our families, or for someone that might not be able to do it for themselves. No more arguing about politics, social issues, religion, etc. Use that chill in the air to turn inward and focus on appreciating your own little world. Then turn around, and send that positivity outward.

A thousand candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of that candle will not be shortened.

Happy autumn, my friends.

J. Robert Lobeck