Thirty years after the release of their debut album you could easily excuse a band like Iron Maiden for coasting a little if they wanted, riding off into the sunset with an album or two that stuck to the formula and respectfully played it safe. Instead, invigorated by a triumphant, decade-long resurgence and a forward-thinking approach to touring the world, these old codgers came out with a startlingly ambitious album in 2010. Loaded with songs in the seven to 11-minute range, the band’s post-reunion progressive bent is at its zenith, but at the same time there’s an attention to detail in the melodies, making for an invigorating, incessantly catchy record.

Settling into more of a role of principal arranger than chief songwriter, Steve Harris has opened himself up to more ideas from his bandmates, and the ten songs sound remarkably fresh as a result. Adrian Smith is especially prominent on this record, coming through with some of his best work in years, most noticeable on the audacious opening track “Satellite 15 … The Final Frontier,” which sees a surreal, almost tribal intro of noise and percussion segue into an explosive tune reminiscent of UFO. “El Dorado” utilizes the classic Maiden gallop with a sense of renewed verve, “Mother Of Mercy” carries itself with stately grace, the ballad “Coming Home” succeeds in every way that “Wasting Love” failed 18 years earlier, while “Isle of Avalon” and “Starblind” are vibrant, their long running times feeling natural rather than forced.

Elsewhere, Janick Gers comes through with his best songwriting contribution to date with the propulsive “The Talisman,” while Harris’s one solo composition “When The Wild Wind Blows” shows incredible subtlety, successfully bringing some gravitas to an undeniably grandiloquent album. Compared to the stubbornly unmastered sound of A Matter Of Life And Death, producer Kevin Shirley brings a little more color and depth to The Final Frontier, which in turn gives Bruce Dickinson more room to showcase his vocal power. While not a seminal work like Maiden’s five best albums, this is nevertheless a late-career peak by a band showing one and all there was plenty of fuel in the tank yet.