Iron Maiden, Stratego | Track Review 🎵

Iconic heavy metal/hard rock band Iron Maiden continues to compel on “Stratego,” the second single from their 17^th LP, Senjutsu.

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”“I” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”][/otw_shortcode_dropcap]hear you calling my name / Come to claim my life again / Pray for me, I’m almost there / The pain almost too much to bear.” Those are emotional, heavy lyrics, 🎙 Iron Maiden.  The lyrics hail from the post-chorus of 🎵 “Stratego”, which appears as the second track from 💿 Senjutsu, the heavy metal band’s first album in six years. “Stratego” arrives as the second single from the album following promo single, 🎵 “The Writing on the Wall”.

“Stratego” runs just about five minutes in duration.  This is typical of metal, and rest assured, there’s not a dull moment.  As always, 🎙 Bruce Dickinson is locked-in, remaining a vocal force, or should I say, a vocal beast. The harmonized vocal moments are ear catching.  Lyrically, in addition to the excerpted lyrics, the writing is compelling – metal to the core.  Worth noting, the pre-chorus sections on “Stratego” are varied, eliminating some predictability. The chorus, however, in all its glory, is the same with each iteration:

“Ocean is black, the devil’s track
Looking beyond beneath the sea
Eye of the storm is here again
Been there before you were ever born
Beyond the dark, I feel the pain
It’s hidden but I can’t explain
A cross to bear, a heavy faith
My sorrow whispers time again.”

Following the first chorus there is a post-chorus (excerpted above) – the sole post-chorus of the song. Following the second verse there is a pre-chorus, followed by an awesome guitar solo (🎸 Janick Gers) and one final chorus.

Final Thoughts 💭 

All in all, “Stratego” marks another ‘rock’ solid moment for Iron Maiden.  Is “Stratego” game changing heavy metal? No, but Bruce Dickinson and company still manage to shine bright, years after their most lucrative prime.  They have nothing left to prove. We’re just glad IM is back, right? Right! 

🎙 Iron Maiden • 💿 Senjutsu • 🏷 Sanctuary • 🗓 9.3.21

[📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay, Sanctuary]