Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
2 CD Deluxe Edition | MP3 | 3 LP Vinyl
BMG Recorded Music
Release date: September 4, 2015

Very few things in the world surprise or excite a jaded old metalhead like myself. Iron Maiden releasing their best album in at least 23 years is an obvious exception. There, I said it right in the opening! There is no point beating around the bush on this one: The Book of Souls, in addition to being Maiden’s first-ever double studio album is easily their best effort since 1992’s Fear of the Dark. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of great tracks among the band’s six studio albums that were released during that 23-year period, but not a single one of those records maintained the quality throughout that is so richly on display with The Book of Souls.

Disney is on a roll with its Legacy Collection titles, which started off with a roar with The Lion King last summer and continues with Pocahontas. The Legacy Collection: Pocahontas demonstrates how capable Walt Disney Records is in producing a standout release that befits the film in which it was based. The Disney animated film, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, may not be among the most popular of its contemporaries, but its music is just as stellar.

Here is my review of The Legacy Collection: Pocahontas.

Walt Disney Records’ The Legacy Collection has honored film music celebrating milestones, from The Lion King‘s 20th anniversary to Sleeping Beauty‘s 55th. Finally, this line enters Disney”¢Pixar territory in honoring Toy Story turning 20. Happily, The Legacy Collection: Toy Story, which reaches for the sky, flies with style.

“Andy’s Birthday,” a six-minute track found on the original Toy Story soundtrack, instead is broken up into several tracks on this new Legacy Collection album. This works in separating the scenes and applies to many of the other tracks, many of which are less than a minute long. The film’s three main songs (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” “Strange Things,” and “I Will Go Sailing No More”) sound as good as ever before, as each of them was remastered for the Legacy Collection.

Trials
This Ruined World
MP3
Release date: July 24, 2015

People are always asking me about the state of heavy metal. “Where is the next Sabbath? Priest? Maiden? Metallica?,” they question. Well, I’m sad to say that, while there are innumerable great metal bands in the world, I’ve not seen a band with that sort of potential for a mass, mainstream breakthrough since Pantera in the 90s or maybe Killswitch Engage in the early 2000s. That is, until I recently found an advanced copy of Trials’ new album This Ruined World in my Dropbox about a month ago.

Now folks, I’ve got to tell you that I am utterly ashamed that this Chicago-based band has eluded my radar since its inception in 2008. They are a wellspring of the sort of top-shelf metal that comes along once in a generation. Imagine if you put Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath, Defenders of the Faith, Number of the Beast, The Sound of Perseverance, Ride The Lightning , Vulgar Display of Power, and The Blackening all into a blender. Well, Trials is that… on steroids!

Michael Giacchino personifies optimism, vigor, and sentiment in his scores, thus serving as the consummate candidate for handling the orchestration for Disney’s Tomorrowland. His finest work since John Carter, a legitimately excellent score for anyone who enjoys listening to ambitious instrumentation, this soundtrack ascends even higher in quality. Giacchino’s score typifies why I extend my moviegoing experience beyond the theater and through my daily life of carrying around an iPod with film score playlists in tow.

Here’s my review of the Tomorrowland Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Michael Giacchino.