I LOVE A Matter of Life and Death. Love, Love, Love it. My second favourite Maiden album after Seventh Son.

I don't get why people don't like it so much. I honestly don't. Easily the best of the three reunion albums (and therefore the best thing they have pulled off in 20 years). It can't solely be because it's a little more midpaced than the classic era. The music is just too interesting. It really does feel like they've finally got that dark, progressive sound down that they've been working on ever since Fear of the Dark. It's the first time they've managed to keep the arrangements fresh, the sound and melody crisp, the lyrics interesting and exploring a theme in depth. Performance wise, Nicko and Bruce just shine.

The tour was an absolute dream for me - a far, far more satisfying experience than the mixed up setlists in the festival shows later last year. The only dissapointment was the predictable choice of their classics at the end - I could happily never hear 2 Minutes to Midnight again as long as I live.