Iron Maiden Vinyl Reissues Continue with 12-LP Second Round
Iron Maiden have announced the second wave in their ongoing vinyl reissue series, which will bring a dozen of the band's albums back to stores later this year.
The next round of reissues continues a campaign that started in 2014, when the band revisited the first eight albums in their catalog, going back to the analog masters to clean up the sound and packaging the LPs in replica artwork that included collectible 7-inch singles from each release's original era. That collection, spanning Iron Maiden through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, wrapped up the group's '80s releases. With the next round, fans will have the opportunity to purchase reissues from the '90s and beyond.
The first wave is scheduled to arrive May 19, with new vinyl versions of the No Prayer for the Dying, Fear of the Dark, The X Factor, and Virtual XI LPs. It'll be followed on June 23 with Brave New World, Rock in Rio, Dance of Death, and A Matter of Life and Death, and concluded July 21 with Death on the Road, Flight 666, The Final Frontier, and En Vivo!
According to the press release announcing the latest reissues, this batch of LPs doesn't draw from the original masters; instead, the band used the hi-res remasters performed during the catalog's digital upgrade in 2015. Like the first batch, the next round of vinyl upgrades includes the albums' original artwork.
For the most ardent fans, Maiden's offering a limited-edition box being made available with No Prayer for the Dying and Fear of the Dark. According to the press release, it's big enough to hold all 12 albums in this round of reissues, along with the triple-LP vinyl version of the group's most recent release, 2015's Book of Souls. Iron Maiden remain on tour in support of that album, with a concluding North American leg scheduled for later this year.
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