Iron Maiden to release new album Senjutsu on 3 September

Iron Maiden will release their seventeenth studio album Senjutsu on 3 September through Parlophone Records. Their first album in six years, Senjutsu was recorded in Paris, produced by Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Steve Harris.

Loosely translated as “tactics and strategy”, the Samurai themed artwork was created by Mark Wilkinson, based on an idea by Steve Harris.

“We chose to record at Guillaume Tell Studio in France again as the place has such a relaxed vibe,” Steve Harris says. “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 would write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds.

“There are 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.”

With a running time of just under 82 minutes, Senjutsu, like their previous record, The Book Of Souls, will be released as a double CD/Triple vinyl album.

“We’re all really excited about this album,” says Bruce Dickinson. “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 are 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 track list

Senjutsu (8:20) – Smith/Harris
Stratego (4:59) – Gers/Harris
The Writing On The Wall (6:13) – Smith/Dickinson
Lost In A Lost World (9:31) – Harris
Days Of Future Past (4:03) – Smith/Dickinson
The Time Machine (7:09) – Gers/Harris
Darkest Hour (7:20) – Smith/Dickinson
Death Of The Celts (10:20) – Harris
The Parchment (12:39) – Harris
Hell On Earth (11:19) – Harris

Senjutsu will be released on the following formats and available to pre-order from Wednesday 21 July:

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