MUMBAI: English heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, has announced the release of its brand new studio album ‘The Book of Souls’. The upcoming album, which is the band’s 16th album, will be released worldwide on Friday, 4th September this year. ‘The Book of Souls’ will be released under Parlophone Records worldwide, and in the US under BMG.

Although the anxiously anticipated album was recorded in 2014 in Paris, with the band’s longstanding producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, the final touches were added earlier this year. However, a statement revealed that Iron Maiden decided to delay the album’s release so that lead vocalist Brice Dickinson would have enough time to recuperate, before joining the band for the album launch.

Dickinson is currently recovering from treatment for a cancerous tumour that was found on his tongue. The band, however, is expected to go on tour for the upcoming album from early 2016, giving the singer adequate time to ready himself for Iron Maiden’s live performances.

‘The Book of Souls’ comes five years after the band’s last album ‘The Final Frontier’, which topped the charts in 28 countries, including in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand and India, among others. The 2010 album also peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 63,000 units. It also marked Iron Maiden’s highest ever ranking in the US.

The new album features 11 tracks and is 92-minutes long, making it the longest Iron Maiden studio album. It is also the band’s first double studio album.