Iron Maiden Premiere New Single and Video, “Speed of Light”

Ladies, gentlemen, and whatever it is Disturbed fans are: it is with great pleasure that I stand before you today to report that not only have Iron Maiden released the debut single from their forthcoming new album, The Book of Souls — but that that single is really, really good.

If you, like me, have been waiting for Maiden to ditch the progginess in which they’ve indulged over the course of the past fifteen years or so and just, y’know, rock — then “Speed of Light” is going to feel like Dio has answered all your prayers.

I knew I was in for a treat the second I heard the cowbell. Shit only gets better from there. This isn’t Iron Maiden, Grands Artistes — this is Iron Maiden, THE HEAVY FUCKING METAL BAND. “Speed of Light” is a short, fast, catchy RIPPER. At least for me, personally, THIS is the Iron Maiden I wanna hear.

Will the rest of Book of Souls be this good? We know there’s at least one sixty-three-year-long song on the record, so it’s possible the rest of the album gets bogged down in the same ambitious-yet-flat style that plagued A Matter of Life and Death and The Final Frontier. But I’m optimistic that this is gonna be more of a Powerslave/”Rime of the Ancient Mariener” situation, where the album kicks your ass, and then there’s a grand finale which is actually, y’know, grand. I’m optimistic that this is gonna be the best Iron Maiden album since Brave New World.

But I guess we’ll find out September 4, when Book of Souls is released!

In the meantime, check out “Speed of Light” via the below video. You can just hit play and rock out, but the clip is reasonably entertaining if you wanna actually watch it.