Guitar World caught up with Iron Maiden guitarists Adrain Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers for an in-depth interview on the inner working of the band's latest album, Senjutsu. Following is an excerpt from the story.

Senjutsu is stacked with Iron Maiden’s signature calling cards: dual-guitar harmonies, soaring solos, galloping rhythms, loud-soft dynamics and more merge with enthralling lyrical tales to lead listeners on one hell of a headbanging journey.

“Senjutsu is very cinematic,” says Smith of the stirring title track, which features taiko-esque drums, exotic guitar runs and multiple fiery leads. “There’s a lot of dramatics on the album: 'Days Of Future Past' has a modern vibe, 'The Writing On The Wall' has a folky vibe. Steve (Harris / bass) has come up with some classic stuff. His songs are getting longer and longer. He’s gonna need a triple album next time (laughs). But if you’re a Maiden fan, you’re going to love it.”

“Because of our past we’re a band that can afford to do that,” says Gers of Senjutsu’s extended running time. “We take chances. There’s no set three-minute song that goes exactly where you want it. You can have your fast metal stuff, 'Death Of The Celts' where there’s all the Celtic things, the Eastern-kinda (sounds) of 'The Parchment'. You’ve got the huge choruses of 'Hell On Earth'. It all adds to the album. So many ideas – it’s quite breathtaking, really.”

After nearly five decades as a band, Iron Maiden are an institution, and their legacy is secured. They could easily kick back, release greatest-hits compilations, play exclusive one-off shows – and watch the money roll in. But, Smith says, Maiden’s motivation comes from a different source altogether. 

“I suppose you’re trying to prove yourself every time,” he says. “You’re only as good as your last thing. Maybe it’s some sort of deep-seated insecurity? I don’t know. I just like to bring the best I’ve got to the table every time. I try hard. We all do.”

Check out the complete interview here.

Iron Maiden's Senjutsu album was released on September 3rd via BMG, and is available to order/save at IronMaiden.com

For Senjutsu - loosely translated as ‘tactics & strategy,’ the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Steve Harris. With a running time of a little under 82 minutes, Senjutsu, like their previous record The Book Of Souls, will be a double CD/Triple vinyl album.

Steve says: “We chose to record at Guillaume Tell Studio in France again as the place has such a relaxed vibe. The setup there is perfect for our needs; the building used to be a cinema and has a really high ceiling so there’s a great acoustic sound. We recorded this album in the same way we did The Book Of Souls in that we’d write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds. There’s some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort!  I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.”

Bruce continues: “We’re all really excited about this album. We recorded it back in early 2019 during a break in the Legacy tour so we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course the pandemic delayed things more - so much for the best laid plans – or should that be ‘strategies’!?  The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There’s also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised -  in a good way, I hope!"

Tracklisting:

"Senjutsu" (8:20) - Smith/Harris
"Stratego" (4:59) - Gers/Harris
"The Writing On The Wall" (6:13) - Smith/Dickinson
"Lost In A Lost World" (9:31) - Harris
"Days Of Future Past" (4:03) - Smith/Dickinson
"The Time Machine" (7:09) - Gers/Harris
"Darkest Hour" (7:20) - Smith/Dickinson
"Death Of The Celts" (10:20) - Harris
"The Parchment" (12:39) - Harris
"Hell On Earth" (11:19) - Harris

"Stratego" video:

"Senjutsu" visualizer:

"The Writing On The Wall" video: