Santa Claus is a metalhead. That’s right, that’s no hipster beard and stocking hat”¦ that’s a “˜10 day bender, too lazy to shave and I didn’t have anything else clean to wear, what?? ready to get my mosh on’ look. Because, let’s face it, it’s time to take Santa back. We all know he drives around on Christmas Eve in a hearse blasting Motorhead, and wondering what to get all the good metalheads for Christmas. Well, have I got a list for him!

Here’s the 2017 Metalhead’s Holiday Gift Guide…

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.

Here it is folks: “The Speed of Light,” the first single from Iron Maiden‘s upcoming double album The Book of Souls. Take a listen here below, and also check out the official video for the song, which contains visual throwbacks to previous album covers.

The album is Maiden’s sixteenth studio effort and their first in 5 years. It will be available worldwide on September 4th in the following formats:

* 2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition
* 2CD standard edition
* Triple heavyweight black vinyl
* High res audio (24-bit Mastered for iTunes and non-Mastered for iTunes)
* Standard res audio (16 bit/ 44.1 kHz)

It’s been a long 5 year wait for Iron Maiden fans. The band’s last studio album, The Final Frontier, was released in 2010. In the interim, the band has been very busy with a litany of projects. They toured the globe on a massive world tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark album Seventh Son of A Seventh Son, launched their own Trooper brand of beer, bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris recorded and toured for a solo record, and singer Bruce Dickinson started an airline!

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has undergone cancer treatment for a small tumor at the back of his tongue, the band revealed today via their official website and Facebook page.

The heavy metal frontman was diagnosed with cancer around Christmas time last year and yesterday completed a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology treatment. Reports are that because the tumor was caught early on, Dickinson’s prognosis is “extremely good,” with his doctors expecting him to make a full recovery by late May. The energetic frontman will then need an additional few months to “get back to full fitness.”