{"id":1922294,"date":"2026-05-06T14:23:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T11:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922294"},"modified":"2026-05-06T14:23:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T11:23:56","slug":"iron-maiden-burning-ambition-review-shock-and-roll-with-metals-new-wave-pioneers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922294","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition\u2019 review: shock and roll with metal\u2019s new wave pioneers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_ironmaiden_rosshalfinv2_2000x1270.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_ironmaiden_rosshalfinv2_2000x1270-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Iron Maiden\" title=\"2026_ironmaiden_rosshalfinv2_2000x1270\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Iron Maiden CREDIT: Ross Halfin\/NBCUniversal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Film Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">\u2018Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition\u2019 review: shock and roll with metal\u2019s new wave pioneers<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>A new documentary tracks the band\u2019s rise from East End upstarts to stadium-filling rock giants<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">3<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Damian Jones<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-06T15:23:56+01:00\">6th May 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">I<\/strong>t\u2019s already proving quite the year for Iron Maiden. Not only have the east London metalheads landed a long overdue induction into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame and their biggest ever UK headline show in the form of a two-day mega-fest at Knebworth, they\u2019ve also bagged a much hyped global cinema release for new documentary <em>Burning Ambition<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> Iron Maiden mascot Eddie praised by Metallica, Public Enemy and more in exclusive doc clip<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dubbed a film \u201cfor the fans\u201d, this thrilling 106-minute romp gallops through the rock titans\u2019 five decades together \u2013 from early pub beginnings during the 1970s punk explosion right through to current \u2018Run For Your Lives\u2019 world tour. And it\u2019s all told through the eyes of past and present members, super-stans and famous talking heads such as Lars Ulrich from Metallica, Public Enemy\u2019s Chuck D and Hollywood movie star Javier Bardem.<\/p>\n<p>Director Malcolm Venville\u2019s fascinating film expertly pulls apart Maiden\u2019s allure \u2013 it wasn\u2019t just their music that set hearts ablaze, but the whole rebellious image. Take the group\u2019s shape-shifting skeletal mascot Eddie, who adorns every album cover and is ever present throughout the doc. As Chuck D interestingly points out, the amazing thing about this frightening figure is how he reflects the experience of many fans, who were \u201cdrawn to the band without even knowing the music\u201d. Funnily, we learn Maiden only created the cartoon killer so that they didn\u2019t have to put their own mugs on the records.<\/p>\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-wR6gNMgy\"><\/div>\n<p>Elsewhere, early tension between bassist-songwriter Steve Harris and operatic frontman Bruce Dickinson provides one of the film\u2019s uncharacteristically <em>Spinal Tap<\/em> moments as the pair nearly come to blows when they both try and hog the stage. It\u2019s one of <em>Burning Ambition<\/em>\u2019s highlights \u2013 as is the rockers\u2019 journey to Poland to perform behind the Iron Curtain in 1984. Here, Maiden share an amusing anecdote about how the military police constantly intimidated them by turning up at every concert only to eventually surrender to the music by throwing their hats onstage.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s main problems are to do with pacing. At times, <em>Burning Ambition<\/em> buckles under the weight of its own aspiration as it seeks to cram in too much detail over a relatively short runtime. But in other moments, important parts of Maiden\u2019s history (Dickinson\u2019s initial exit in 1993 and his cancer diagnosis in 2014) are completely glossed over. The band\u2019s golden era in the late \u201880s and early \u201890s, which saw them headline the massive Monsters Of Rock festival (then held annually at Castle Donington in Leicestershire) and unleash classic anthems like \u2018Wasted Years\u2019, \u2018Can I Play With Madness\u2019, \u2018The Clairvoyant\u2019 and \u2018Fear Of The Dark\u2019 barely gets a mention.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the focus sits squarely upon the group\u2019s inevitable burnout during this period. The fact that their army of followers once famously helped Dickinson and co. score their only UK Number One single with \u2018Bring Your Daughter\u2026 To The Slaughter\u2019 despite Radio 1 banning it from the airwaves, also fails to get a look in.<\/p>\n<p>For those uninitiated in the ways of Eddie and the gang, <em>Burning Ambition<\/em> ticks all the right boxes. But as Dickinson himself summed up perfectly in a recent interview: \u201cDiehard Maiden fans will be asking: \u2018why isn\u2019t it 10 hours long?\u2019\u201d It makes you wonder whether a documentary series may well have been a better option \u2013 even if the movie makes for a moving and amusing recap of Maiden\u2019s incredible legacy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"game-review-verdict\">\n<h2>Details<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Director: <\/strong>Malcolm Venville<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> May 7 (in cinemas)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Bruce Dickinson<\/li>\n<li>Iron Maiden<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Lizzo will not back down in backup dancers lawsuit: \u201cThe truth is less salacious than the headlines\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively reach settlement in \u2018It Ends With Us\u2019 lawsuit<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Britney Spears avoids jail time in DUI case after pleading guilty to reckless driving<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Former Santana singer Alex Ligertwood dies aged 79<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Spike Lee defends \u2018Michael\u2019 film following criticism over omission of child sexual abuse allegations<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Albanian Prime Minister announces Kanye West concert in Tirana<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">I<\/strong>t\u2019s already proving quite the year for Iron Maiden. Not only have the east London metalheads landed a long overdue induction into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame and their biggest ever UK headline show in the form of a two-day mega-fest at Knebworth, they\u2019ve also bagged a much hyped global cinema release for new documentary <em>Burning Ambition<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> Iron Maiden mascot Eddie praised by Metallica, Public Enemy and more in exclusive doc clip<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dubbed a film \u201cfor the fans\u201d, this thrilling 106-minute romp gallops through the rock titans\u2019 five decades together \u2013 from early pub beginnings during the 1970s punk explosion right through to current \u2018Run For Your Lives\u2019 world tour. And it\u2019s all told through the eyes of past and present members, super-stans and famous talking heads such as Lars Ulrich from Metallica, Public Enemy\u2019s Chuck D and Hollywood movie star Javier Bardem.<\/p>\n<p>Director Malcolm Venville\u2019s fascinating film expertly pulls apart Maiden\u2019s allure \u2013 it wasn\u2019t just their music that set hearts ablaze, but the whole rebellious image. Take the group\u2019s shape-shifting skeletal mascot Eddie, who adorns every album cover and is ever present throughout the doc. As Chuck D interestingly points out, the amazing thing about this frightening figure is how he reflects the experience of many fans, who were \u201cdrawn to the band without even knowing the music\u201d. Funnily, we learn Maiden only created the cartoon killer so that they didn\u2019t have to put their own mugs on the records.<\/p>\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-wR6gNMgy\"><\/div>\n<p>Elsewhere, early tension between bassist-songwriter Steve Harris and operatic frontman Bruce Dickinson provides one of the film\u2019s uncharacteristically <em>Spinal Tap<\/em> moments as the pair nearly come to blows when they both try and hog the stage. It\u2019s one of <em>Burning Ambition<\/em>\u2019s highlights \u2013 as is the rockers\u2019 journey to Poland to perform behind the Iron Curtain in 1984. Here, Maiden share an amusing anecdote about how the military police constantly intimidated them by turning up at every concert only to eventually surrender to the music by throwing their hats onstage.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s main problems are to do with pacing. At times, <em>Burning Ambition<\/em> buckles under the weight of its own aspiration as it seeks to cram in too much detail over a relatively short runtime. But in other moments, important parts of Maiden\u2019s history (Dickinson\u2019s initial exit in 1993 and his cancer diagnosis in 2014) are completely glossed over. The band\u2019s golden era in the late \u201880s and early \u201890s, which saw them headline the massive Monsters Of Rock festival (then held annually at Castle Donington in Leicestershire) and unleash classic anthems like \u2018Wasted Years\u2019, \u2018Can I Play With Madness\u2019, \u2018The Clairvoyant\u2019 and \u2018Fear Of The Dark\u2019 barely gets a mention.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the focus sits squarely upon the group\u2019s inevitable burnout during this period. The fact that their army of followers once famously helped Dickinson and co. score their only UK Number One single with \u2018Bring Your Daughter\u2026 To The Slaughter\u2019 despite Radio 1 banning it from the airwaves, also fails to get a look in.<\/p>\n<p>For those uninitiated in the ways of Eddie and the gang, <em>Burning Ambition<\/em> ticks all the right boxes. But as Dickinson himself summed up perfectly in a recent interview: \u201cDiehard Maiden fans will be asking: \u2018why isn\u2019t it 10 hours long?\u2019\u201d It makes you wonder whether a documentary series may well have been a better option \u2013 even if the movie makes for a moving and amusing recap of Maiden\u2019s incredible legacy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"game-review-verdict\">\n<h2>Details<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Director: <\/strong>Malcolm Venville<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> May 7 (in cinemas)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/film-reviews\/iron-maiden-burning-ambition-documentary-review-3943998&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_ironmaiden_rosshalfinv2_2000x1270.jpg&#8221;] Iron Maiden CREDIT: Ross Halfin\/NBCUniversal ReviewsFilm Reviews \u2018Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition\u2019 review: shock and roll with metal\u2019s new wave pioneers A new documentary tracks the band\u2019s rise from East End upstarts to stadium-filling rock giants 3 By Damian Jones 6th May 2026 It\u2019s already proving quite the year for Iron Maiden. Not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-1922294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1922294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1922294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1922294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1922294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}