Senjutsu (album)

Senjutsu is the band's first studio album in nearly six years (although having been put on hold for well over two years), following The Book of Souls (2015), marking the longest gap between two Iron Maiden studio albums. This is also their second studio double album, and their first studio album since Powerslave (1984) to have no songwriting contributions from guitarist Dave Murray in any way,[lower-alpha 1] as well as the first since Virtual XI (1998) to feature multiple songs written by bassist Steve Harris alone.

The name of the album is rendered on the right side of the cover art by the actual vertical Japanese spelling of "senjutsu" (戦術), and on the left side by a font reminiscent of Japanese characters. Although it is not a concept album, doom is a recurring theme throughout.

Senjutsu is one of Iron Maiden's most successful albums, chart-wise, eventually peaking at number one in 23 countries,[6][7][8] and marked their first album not to peak that position in the UK charts since A Matter of Life and Death (2006), which peaked at number two. It did, however, top the UK Rock & Metal Singles and Albums Charts. The album also gave the band its highest chart position in the US at number three on Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and number one on Billboard's Physical Albums Chart.[9]

The album Senjutsu marks the second use of the band's original logotype (with the extended letters R, M and N) on a studio album cover since The X Factor (1995), the previous one being for The Book of Souls (2015). The album cover by Mark Wilkinson presents Eddie dressed up as a samurai and holding a katana.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Classic Rock	[12]
The Guardian	[13]
The Independent	[14]
Kerrang!	4/5[15]
Metal Hammer	[16]
MetalSucks	[17]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[18]
PopMatters	8/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 83 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] AllMusic awarded it 4 out of five, stating, "Clocking in at just over 80 minutes, the epic Senjutsu is another distended late-career triumph, albeit one that requires multiple spins to set up camp in your Homeric metal-craving cranium".[11] Wall of Sound scored the album 9/10, calling it an "(...) epic and triumphant return for the lads... better balanced [than The Book of Souls]... with some interesting songwriting".[21] The Guardian awarded it with the highest note and praising Senjutsu as "(...) an ambitious, eccentric master piece".[13] Classic Rock’s journalist Dave Ling awarded Senjutsu with 4.5 stars out of 5 describing band’s effort as "(…) a remarkable album from a band that still has plenty to say and to offer".[12]

Once again as happened with band’s former album The Book of Souls, both Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines gave the album high marks: the former titled it as "Metal legends Iron Maiden make a stunning surprise return with their 17th studio album, Senjutsu"[15] the latter "Iron Maiden's Senjutsu: an electrifying, cinematic masterpiece"[16] and awarded it with 4.5 out of five stars. Blabbermouth.net were also extremely positive, scoring band's 17th studio album 9/10 and deeming the release in words: "Senjutsu is a modern gem from one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever, if not the absolute greatest".[22]

The American magazine The Rolling Stone appreciated Senjutsu and awarded it with 4 out of five stars and highly positive opinion: "Iron Maiden age gracefully, make metal for the ages on ‘Senjutsu’. Long-running metal firebrands have matured their sound on LP 17 without sacrificing any of their epic grit".[20] Rolling Stone went on to name the album one of the top 50 albums of 2021, and the best metal album of 2021. Ultimate Classic Rock praised album with an enthusiastic review claiming that "Steve Harris seems to have fulfilled his ambition of turning Maiden into a no-holds-barred prog band, albeit with a taste for riffs and melodies that remain specifically theirs. Blue-collar Genesis, if you will, delivered with intricacy and a spirit of unity. After a four-decade career brimming with epic records in this vein, their 17th album, Senjutsu, may be one of Iron Maiden's most epic".[23]

An international online magazine PopMatters scored the album 8/10, advising the listeners to "(...) let the world’s greatest heavy metal band take you on yet another excursion. It’s not without its share of bumps and plenty of familiar scenery, but after more than 40 years, it’s as exhilarating as ever".[19] British magazine NME gave Iron Maiden’s album 4 out of five stars and described Senjutsu as "(…) an instant classic in Iron Maiden’s 41-year journey. The powerhouse metal sound that’s earned them a religious following in every far-flung corner of the globe remains firm. But here, they take things further; ultimately letting imaginations run wild in an album that’s more confident and idea-packed than ever before".[24]

Loudwire called it one of the best metal albums of 2021.[25]

• Official website