Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson recently opened up about the band’s success with their latest album ‘Senjutsu’ during a conversation with Consequence Heavy. According to Bruce, their longevity lies in their capability of playing even today and progress, since every band member got better over the years.
‘Senjutsu‘ is the seventeenth and latest studio album Iron Maiden released on September 3, 2021. While most bands find it hard to even survive in the music industry after putting out music for so many years, Maiden’s first album in almost six years was a critical and commercial success as it was praised for its ambitious epic scope.
Moreover, the album topped the charts of numerous countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, and more. It also reached no. 1 on US Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums and US Billboard Top Rock Albums. According to countless music critics and fans, ‘Senjutsu’ is a remarkable example of what Iron Maiden can do musically, even 47 years after their formation.
Because their longevity is something many other artists admire, Bruce Dickinson was asked to share his opinion on their success after all these years during an interview. The musician stated that the primary reason they still achieve these accomplishments is their capability of playing as their members are still eager to perform and release music.
Moreover, Dickinson thinks all the Iron Maiden members have improved at making and playing music, and they are better now compared to 20 or 25 years ago. Since they evolved as musicians, they could release successful albums like ‘Senjutsu’ if you ask him. The frontman also touched upon making impressive records and stated that the band always had a hidden awareness of their work when it comes to seeing its potential, which happened with their 1982 album, ‘The Number of the Beast.’
Dickinson’s statement about their longevity follows:
“First of all, we still have the capability of doing that as in we can still play. We’re actually a lot better players now in many ways than we were 20 years ago, certainly 25 years ago, because we’re not thinking quite so much down the same tram lines. Because of that, it’s enabled us to do an album like ‘Senjutsu.’ We’ve kind of been building to it for a while
I can’t put my finger on exactly one aspect of the album that made things click because that’s not the way things are when you make a really amazing record. I think it really is an amazing record, by the way. You have a vague awareness of it that this might be good when you do it.
It’s ‘The Number of the Beast,’ when we did that album, which is also kind of fairly popular album, we all had a vague awareness that, ‘Wow, this feels like it’s something special.’ Indeed, it was, but exactly why? It was hard to put your finger on. It was maybe people’s mental state; they were relaxed, confident, and having a great time.
As luck would have it, it was the last thing we did because suddenly the world went mad after we recorded it. It was like, ‘Oh my God! There is going to be no more touring for this year or next year.’ It just went on and on. So it was pure good fortune that we recorded it when we did.”
You can watch the interview below.
