"Senjutsu" (Japanese: 戦術, "Tactics") is the seventeenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 2021. It was the band's first studio album in six years, following "The Book of Souls" (2015), and their last studio album to date. The album received critical and commercial acclaim, noted for its ambitious and epic scope. Two singles, "The Writing on the Wall" and "Stratego," were released to promote the album.
"Senjutsu" is the band's second studio double album and the first since 1984's "Powerslave" to have no songwriting contributions from guitarist Dave Murray. It is also the first studio album since 1998's "Virtual XI" to feature multiple songs written solely by bassist Steve Harris. The album title appears on the cover art in vertical Japanese characters (戦術) on the right and in a font reminiscent of Japanese characters on the left.
Upon release, "Senjutsu" received positive responses from fans and critics, reaching number one on the bestseller lists of 27 countries, including Belgium (Wallonia and Flanders), Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Malaysia, Serbia, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, India, and South Korea. In the UK, the album was the top-selling physical release and also charted highly on the European Album Chart Top 200. In the United States, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Physical Albums Chart, marking the highest US chart position for the band. "Senjutsu" also reached the top three in Australia, Ireland, Great Britain (including first positions in Wales and Scotland), Singapore, Israel, UAE, Japan, the Netherlands, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Montenegro, Poland, Estonia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nepal, Honduras, Uruguay, Cyprus, Latvia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Taiwan, Malta, and Ukraine.
In South America and Africa, the album was released a week later than the official date. Overall, "Senjutsu" reached the top three bestsellers in 55 countries and the top five in 63 countries worldwide, consolidating Iron Maiden's global presence and commercial success.
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