THOUGHTS ON IRON MAIDEN’S VIDEO FOR “THE FINAL FRONTIER”

So we saw Maiden last night. Yeah, the setlist could have been stronger, but whatever. We had a good time, hung out with some good friends, marveled at how Bruce Dickinson, who will turn 52 in August, is in better shape than pretty much anyone else at any age. And as it turns out, if you drink a few beers and smoke a joint, “El Dorado” actually seems like a pretty good song.

And now the band has released a video for the title track from their latest album, The Final Frontier. And, uh… it seems like it should be cooler than it actually is. It tells a story, and cops from everything from The Empire Strikes Back to Alien to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and while I have no idea what the budget was, it does look like it cost a lot more than most metal videos these days. But the CG Eddie looks pretty weak, and, oh yeah, even though I don’t especially dig this track (I haven’t had any beer or weed today… yet), I think that, as a rule, bands should NEVER DISRUPT THE SONG WITH SOUND EFFECTS. ‘Cause first and foremost, the video should be a promotional tool for your music… right? I dunno. When I can’t hear the song because a monster is roaring or laser guns are firing or whatever, I get irritated.

The Final Frontier comes out August 17, and we’re pretty much all gonna buy a copy anyway, so whatever. Music video schmusic video.

-AR