Brave New World

Expectations were high before the release of Brave New World. First of all, because Bruce Dickinson returned to the band and many people wanted to see if he was able to transform the band into the heavy metal machine that it once was (due to the fact that many fans and critics downplayed The X Factor and Virtual XI).

Adrian Smith also returned, forming for the first time a trio of guitarists together with Dave Murray and Janick Gers. Every-one with his own playing style, they brought their own touch to the album. As usual, Nicko McBrain’s drumwork provides a powerful backing to the music. Steve Harris throws some strong bass lines at us, remaining still a dominant force throughout the album.

Most of the songs were written before The Ed Hunter Tour and were later recorded at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris. It was the first album the band would record with producer Kevin Shirley, and the first that they would record live in the studio.

According to an interview with Adrian Smith, “The Nomad”, “Dream of Mirrors”, and “The Mercenary” were originally written for 1998’s Virtual XI, and former vocalist Blaze Bayley provided some lyrics for “Dream of Mirrors”, but was not credited.