Personnel: Bruce Dickinson (vocals); Adrian Smith (guitar, guitar synthesizer); Dave Murray , Janick Gers (guitar); Steve Harris (keyboards); Nicko McBrain (drums).

Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.

Recording information: Sarm West Studios, London, England.

Photographers: John McMurtrie; Simon Fowler.

Like all the best metal bands, Iron Maiden has never shied away from grandiosity in both material and presentation--"Rime of the Ancient Mariner," anyone?--and MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH follows in this same bigger-is-better tradition. From the cover art depicting tanks and skeletal soldiers to standout tracks like "These Colors Don't Run" and "For the Greater Good of God," MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH finds these elder statesmen of metal simultaneously reveling in and protesting the horrors of modern warfare and the irony of holy war. Bruce Dickinson proves once again that he is one of metal's greatest vocalists, and Kevin Shirley's no-frills production keeps the focus on the band's trademark guitar interplay. The mood is somber, but the riffs kill and the refreshingly strict 4/4 tempos keep the band close to the script that made them metal legends.