Metal icons Iron Maiden have released their 17th studio album, Senjutsu this morning on Parlaphone Records. 



Loosely translated as "tactics and strategy",  Senjutsu takes influence from the east, with spectacular Samurai themed artwork by Mark Wilkinson, depicting the band's legendary mascot Eddie as a Samurai, providing a striking visual presentation that perfectly encapsulates the musical and lyrical narratives of the album. 



With an epic running time of a little under 82 minutes,  the album is a joyous journey for Maiden fans, featuring all of the signature elements we've come to love over the band's 46-year career on full display while also introducing some new sounds and stylistic influences.  



Senjutsu was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and was co-produced by Iron Maiden's own Steve Harris, who shared his thoughts on the creation and recording of Senjutsu. 

"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."

 Senjutsu was preceded by an innovative treasure hunt for fans that revealed the title track and art, and two singles The Writing On The Wall and Stratego, the former of which was accompanied by a highly acclaimed animated video by BlinkInk based on a concept by singer Bruce Dickinson and two former Pixar Executives.  



Watch the video for the Writing On The Wall below

The ever enigmatic Dickinson chipped in with his thoughts on Senjutsu 

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!

Senjutsu is out today on Parlaphone Records and you can buy it in a variety of formats from the Maniacs Store now.  

 

Buy Iron Maiden's new album Senjutsu now!

The full tracklisting is:

1. Senjutsu (8:20) Smith/Harris

2. Stratego (4:59) Gers/Harris

3. The Writing On The Wall (6:13) Smith/Dickinson

4. Lost In A Lost World (9:31) Harris

5. Days Of Future Past (4:03) Smith/Dickinson

6. The Time Machine (7:09) Gers/Harris

7. Darkest Hour (7:20) Smith/Dickinson

8. Death Of The Celts (10:20) Harris

9.  The Parchment (12:39) Harris

10. Hell On Earth (11:19)  Harris

Senjutsu is available in the following formats:

• Standard 2CD Digipak
• Deluxe 2CD Book Format
• Deluxe heavyweight 180G Triple Black Vinyl
• Special Edition Triple Silver & Black Marble Vinyl (from selected retailers)
• Special Edition Triple Red & Black Marble Vinyl (from selected retailers)
• Super Deluxe Boxset featuring CD, Blu-Ray and Exclusive Memorabilia
• Digital album (streaming and download)