A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death is the fourteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 25August 2006 in Italy and Finland and 28August worldwide—excluding the US, Canada and Japan, where it was released on 5September. It is the first album in Iron Maiden's career to enter the US Billboard charts in the top10, achieving significant chart success in many other countries as well. While it is not a concept album, war and religion are recurring themes throughout, as well as in the cover artwork. The band supported the album with the A Matter of Life and Death Tour, during which they played the record in its entirety. Overview Iron Maiden began writing new songs near the end of 2005, after a break following their hugely successful festival dates in the US and Europe during the Eddie Rips Up the World Tour. After taking time off over Christmas, the songs were completed and the band began recording at Sarm West Studios in London, with their regular producer, Kevin Shirley. The album was recorded from 1 March to 4 May 2006.