Death on the Road
Live album and video by
Iron Maiden
Released
  • 29 August 2005 (2005-08-29) (audio)
  • 6 February 2006 (video)
Recorded24 November 2003
VenueWestfalenhallen, Dortmund
GenreHeavy metal
Length94:25
LabelEMI
DirectorSteve Harris
ProducerKevin Shirley
Iron Maiden live albums chronology
Beast over Hammersmith
(2002) 		Death on the Road
(2003) 		Flight 666
(2009)
Iron Maiden video chronology
The Early Days
(2004) 		Death on the Road
(2006) 		Live After Death
(2008)
Singles from Death on the Road
  1. "The Trooper"
    Released: 15 August 2005

Death on the Road is a live album and video released by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden on 29 August 2005 on CD and vinyl, and on 6 February 2006 on DVD. The album was recorded at Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany on 24 November 2003, during the Dance of Death World Tour.

The release performed well in the national charts of several countries; Finland (no. 5), Sweden (no. 7), Norway (no. 12), France (no. 14), Italy (no. 17), Switzerland (no. 17), Spain (no. 18), United Kingdom (no. 22), Ireland (no. 27), the Netherlands (no. 39) and India (no.29).[1]

Background

The video was released in a 3 DVD set, with the first two representing the concert footage in 5.1 Digital audio and stereo and the final containing special features, including a documentary and the promo videos for "Wildest Dreams" and "Rainmaker".[2][3]

The 70-minute documentary, directed by Matthew Amos, shows the recording of the Dance of Death album at Sarm West Studios, London and the subsequent preparations for the following tour, including interviews with the majority of the band's road crew. Additional and extended interviews with crew and fans (recorded at Earls Court, London) were also included as individual films, entitled "Life on the Road" and "The Fans". The documentary contains the first ever released footage of the band in the recording studio.

Following the original 2006 DVD release, the band noted that several fans had complained about playback issues with the stereo disc, and stated that they would investigate the issue.[4] A week later, the US release date for the DVD was postponed from 21 February 2006 to 30 January 2007, due to "unforeseen production issues".[5][6]

The cover was designed by Melvyn Grant.

The version of "Fear of the Dark" on this release was later included in the Edward the Great 2005 re-release.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Classic Rock (DVD)9/10[8]
Guitarist (DVD)[9]
Kerrang!4/5[8]
Kerrang! (DVD)5/5[8]
Q (DVD)[10]
Record Collector (DVD)[11]
Terrorizer7/10[12]

Reviews for the album were generally positive, with Kerrang! deeming it "very nearly the ultimate Iron Maiden live album," commenting that the release proves that the band "are as exciting, relevant and unique in 2005 as they were two decades ago."[8] AllMusic, however, were more critical of the album, remarking that "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,"" although also stating that the band lays "waste [to] any notions that they can't hold themselves to the performance standards of their younger days."[7] Guy Strachan praised the band for "capturing...the raw aggression of the band's delivery" but also suggested that "while it does do a very good job at capturing a good Maiden show for posterity, by default it contains six songs that have not been issued in a live context before but many of the other ten have featured on damn near every other live album. As a souvenir of a specific gig/tour it works very well, but in the grander scheme of things can be passed over for an album that has a greater tracklist variance".[12]

The DVD release was met with critical acclaim, receiving full marks from Kerrang! who deemed it "the next best thing to having front row seats at a Maiden show."[8] Record Collector were just as positive, calling the package "a visua-sonic treat."[11] Although criticising the "blink-and-you'll-miss-it editing," Guitarist also awarded it 5 out of 5, stating, "It may seem strange to you that Maiden are bigger than ever these days, but if you're in any doubt as to why, the evidence is right here."[9] Classic Rock praised the video for being more intimate than 2002's Rock in Rio, commenting that "it provides irrefutable proof that Iron Maiden are still the world's greatest living heavy metal band — bar none."[8] Q were somewhat less positive, giving the DVD a lower score of 4 out of 5, but still called it "a lavish tribute to one of the UK's most enduring bands."[10]

Track listing

Death on the Road – Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."Wildest Dreams"
Dance of Death (2003)4:52
2."Wrathchild"HarrisKillers (1981)2:49
3."Can I Play With Madness"
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)3:30
4."The Trooper"HarrisPiece of Mind (1983)4:12
5."Dance of Death"
Dance of Death (2003)9:23
6."Rainmaker"
Dance of Death (2003)4:02
7."Brave New World"
  • Murray
  • Harris
  • Dickinson
Brave New World (2000)6:10
8."Paschendale"
  • Smith
  • Harris
Dance of Death (2003)10:18
9."Lord of the Flies"
  • Harris
  • Gers
The X Factor (1995)5:04
Total length:50:20
Death on the Road – Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."No More Lies"HarrisDance of Death (2003)7:50
2."Hallowed Be Thy Name"HarrisThe Number of the Beast (1982)7:32
3."Fear of the Dark"HarrisFear of the Dark (1992)7:28
4."Iron Maiden"HarrisIron Maiden (1980)4:50
5."Journeyman"
  • Smith
  • Harris
  • Dickinson
Dance of Death (2003)7:03
6."The Number of the Beast"HarrisThe Number of the Beast (1982)4:58
7."Run to the Hills"HarrisThe Number of the Beast (1982)4:24
Total length:44:05

DVD special features

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[13][14]

Iron Maiden
Additional musician
Production

Charts

Album

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 37
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 39
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 5
French Albums (SNEP)[20] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 26
Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] 7
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 106
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 16
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 22

Video

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Charts)[30] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 10 DVD)[31] 4
Belgium (Flanders) (Ultratop)[32] 4
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[33] 1
Hungary (Mahasz)[34] 6
Italy (FIMI)[35] 3
Japan (Oricon)[36] 53
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[37] 11
Norway (VG-lista)[38] 1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[39] 2
Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)[40] 78
United Kingdom (UK Video Charts)[41] 1
United States (Billboard charts)[42] 14

Certifications

Album
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Video
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Gold 7,500^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[45] Gold 8,676[45]
France (SNEP)[46] Gold 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Iron Maiden: More Death on the Road First-Week Chart Positions Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 8 September 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2006.
  2. ^ "Death on the Road release date announced". ironmaiden.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  3. ^ Lane, Daniel (15 December 2005). "Maiden New DVD". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Iron Maiden Management Comments on Death on the Road DVD Glitches". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 9 February 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Iron Maiden: Death on the Road DVD US Release Delayed, Theatre Screenings Postponed". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 16 February 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Iron Maiden's Death on the Road DVD To Receive Long-Awaited US Release". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  7. ^ a b Monger, James. Iron Maiden - Death on the Road at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Lane, Daniel; Ling, Dave; Lawson, Dom (13 February 2006). "Death on the Road DVD reviews". Kerrang!; Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  9. ^ a b Bradley, Simon (13 February 2006). "Guitarist Review Death on the Road DVD". Guitarist. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Q Review Death on the Road DVD". Q. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Record Collector Review Death on the Road DVD". Record Collector. 16 February 2006. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  12. ^ a b Strachan, Guy (November 2005). "Iron Maiden: Death on the Road". Terrorizer (137): 75.
  13. ^ Death on the Road CD (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 29 August 2005.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Death on the Road DVD (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 6 February 2006.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Iron Maiden: Death on the Road" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – I". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Iron Maiden from the menu, then press OK.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  23. ^ "デス・オン・ザ・ロード". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Iron Maiden | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  30. ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 833" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Australian Web Archive. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  31. ^ "Austria Top 40 - Musik-DVD Top 10 - 17.02.2006". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  32. ^ "10 Muziek-DVD 25/02/2006" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  33. ^ "Suomen virallinen lista - Musiikki DVD:t 6/2006" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  34. ^ "DVD Top 20 lista 2006. 02. 06. - 2006. 02. 12" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  35. ^ "FIMI DVD Musicali Classifica settimanale dal 3/02/2006 al 09/02/2006" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  36. ^ デス・オン・ザ・ロード（ＤＶＤ３枚組） (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  37. ^ "Dutch DVD Music Top 30 18/02/2006". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  38. ^ "Topp 10 DVD Audio Uke 7 2006" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  39. ^ "Top 20 DVD Musical Lista de los títulos mas vendidos del 06.02.06 al 12.02.06" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 24 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ "Iron Maiden - Death On The Road [DVD]". Swiss Hitparade. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  41. ^ "Iron Maiden, Whitesnake Top UK's Music DVD Chart". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  42. ^ "Top Music Video Death On The Road". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road". British Phonographic Industry. 13 October 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  44. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  45. ^ a b "Iron Maiden" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  46. ^ "French video certifications – Iron Maiden – Death on the Road" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 13 October 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
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