in The Name of The Beast

One cannot stop what is cannot be contained, one cannot overcome a hurricane and cease its existence once it spreads. Like a Tank moving forward, destroying everything in its path, the gruesome foursome of SUICIDAL ANGELS, committed themselves to yet another assault in the name of Thrash Metal…

Recorded in December at the Westfalenhalle Arena (Dortmund, Germany) during the band's 2003 Dance of Death tour, the two-disc Death on the Road deviates little from Iron Maiden's countless other live albums. While blissfully heavy on the group's excellent - and suitably theatrical - new material, longtime fans do not need any more live versions of "Number of the Beast," "Hallowed Be Thy Name," "Run to the Hills," or "The Trooper." All that said, Iron Maiden do not disappoint, laying to waste any notions that they can't hold themselves to the performance standards of their younger days. Even Bruce Dickinson, despite a voice that's now often more choked than feral, can barely keep himself from leaping into the crowd, and it's that kind of enthusiasm that makes each and every live release - and there are a lot of them - worthwhile to some degree.

Vitamin's String Quartet Tribute to Iron Maiden draws primarily from the pioneering U.K. metal band's fertile early-'80s streak: Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, and Powerslave. It starts strong with "Run to the Hills," "The Number of the Beast," and "Two Minutes to Midnight," all three of which feature stirring violins and crisp changes. The addition of light percussion to the normal lineup of violin, viola, and cello is also an interesting move. Later highlights include "The Trooper" as well as the Somewhere in Time favorite "Wasted Years." It would be impossible for the musicians here to fully replicate the power and rapid-fire playing of Iron Maiden. But they are able to climb into the grandeur and ambitious structure of these songs, and that's something in which Maiden fans are sure to be interested.