May 16, 1983 - Piece Of Mind
About three weeks after my last release and a little over a year since "The Number Of The Beast", Iron Maiden released their fourth album "Piece Of Mind" on May 16, 1983. After the great success of their last album and an extensive tour, drummer Clive Burr quit the band due to the increasingly hectic schedule Iron Maiden were playing. I'm disappointed to see Burr leave as I thought he was a pretty good drummer, but he is replaced by Nicko McBrain, the former drummer for the band Trust. Let's check out some new Maiden!
Side two begins with "The Trooper" and Murray and Smith sync up again for a pretty epic guitar riff that drives this song. It's a very intricate and fast-paced riff that sounds really good and it's even more impressive that both guitarists play it perfectly in time, giving it a very heavy feel that I think sounds pretty awesome. Everything stops on a dime as Dickinson sings the first part of the verse with no music behind him, only a couple epic notes between each of his lines. It's tough to explain in words but it sounds very epic and nicely done! The rest of the band does come in for the second part of the verse, playing some cool fast-paced stuff and Dickinson's epic verse culminates in a couple big "ohhhhh"s before it's back to the sweet opening riff. If it weren't so cool I'd probably tire of hearing it so much, but it's a very nice riff indeed! They play another solid verse and after a couple more "ohhhhh"s it's time for an extended guitar solo. I think it's one guitarist the whole way through, and whomever is leading the way does a fantastic job with a solid minute plus of excellent guitar. This leads right back into the opening riff as they repeat the formula once more, but there is just so much great guitar in this song! They play a final verse and Murray and Smith end it on a fantastic synced up note to finish off what is my favourite song on the album thus far. Up next is "Still Life" and the song starts off with a very weird vocal bit that when played backwards is McBrain doing a funny voice. Many people believed Iron Maiden to be satanic (they absolutely are not) and this was their way to poke fun at them, by including a hidden message that turns out to be just a joke. After they have their fun the actual song begins and it starts very slowly with some nice bass and guitar and is led by a pretty epic lead guitar riff. A minute in Dickinson finally begins the first verse and he sings in a hushed voice that fits the mood but it somehow still sounds epic and commanding even though he's almost whispering! He leads a solid verse and they shift really nicely into a heavier version of this same riff and the mood sounds more like a typical Maiden song. Dickinson is now in his usual high voice and he continues to lead this more metal verse. He lets out some fairly high yells in the chorus and we hear some cool guitar as well but it's a short chorus and it's right back to the main riff. After another verse and chorus they move nicely into cool new bridge riff, then a different pretty cool bridge riff, and finally the guitar solo! As usual it's a pretty great guitar solo with lots of great fast-paced shredding and when it ends the other guitarist begins his solo! The second solo is a bit slower but still has some pretty great moments to it, especially the crazy fast ending that leads right back into the metal verse. They play a final verse and chorus and once again end things on a nice note to finish another pretty good song. Track 7 is called "Quest For Fire" and after a nice little guitar opening they settle into standard Maiden-style main riff with good contributions from everyone. Dickinson sings the first verse with a bit of a fantasy edge to his voice as he sings about prehistoric times with lyrics referencing cavemen. His voice changes into a higher, more pop-y tone for the chorus and aside from Harris' cool bass, everything else slows down a bit in this more radio-friendly chorus. The guitars pick up again for the next verse and after another verse and chorus they move into a catchy new bridge riff with some nice guitar that sets the stage for the solo. Murray and Smith each get a short chance to show off their skills and neither of them shreds it on this song as they both play slower solos that match the mood of the song well. It still sounds pretty good and it leads right back into the chorus that they play a couple times before ending the song as it began with the same solid guitar part. The next song is "Sun And Steel" and as usual it's driven by some cool fast-paced guitars while Harris and McBrain provide a very solid and speedy rhythm section. Dickinson sings in a nice lower voice to carry the verse but reverts to his usual higher vocals for the chorus. Things sound pretty epic and Harris is playing some wicked bass in the background as Dickinson leads a fairly simple chorus. After another solid verse and simple chorus one guitarist plays a quick riff while the other plays a nice slow riff in a well meshed bridge that leads right to the solo. It's a pretty quick solo that sounds pretty good as usual, but it's very short as they quickly resume the chorus. After a couple rather unexciting choruses they end things with a nice metal flourish but it's not enough to save what was mostly an average song. The album wraps up with "To Tame A Land", which was originally titled "Dune" as the lyrics of the song are about the book of the same by Frank Herbert. However, when Iron Maiden reached out to Herbert for permission they were given an explicit no and told that Frank especially disliked metal music. Ouch! That must've stung for lyricist Harris, but alas this 7 seven-plus minute epic song was renamed "To Tame A Land". It opens with an epic guitar riff that sounds really good as Harris plays a nice bass riff to back it and McBrain plays lots of light cymbals to add to this epic opening. After nearly a minute they shift into a heavier riff for the verse as the guitars sync up nicely and Dickinson sings in his nice epic voice. Inbetween the short verses they incorporate the sweet opening guitar riff into this new verse and it fits pretty nicely! After another verse we're treated to our first guitar solo and while it's not a crazy fast one it does fit the mood nicely. After the solo Harris takes charge with a really sweet bass line and McBrain adds in several pretty nice drum fills. There are no guitars in this part but just the bass and drums sound pretty awesome! Dickinson begins an epic new verse overtop this cool part and slowly and quietly the guitars rejoin the mix. They continue to get louder and once they reach their usual volume they segue nicely into a new part with Murray and Smith both playing some pretty quick guitar. The bass and drums continue to sound great as well and the instrumental awesomeness continues into an extended second guitar solo. Murray and Smith each get 30 seconds or so to solo and while both of them do a splendid job as usual, I think the first one outshines the second with some really awesome stuff. The second solo leads right into an epic bridge riff and after a few more really solid drum fills by McBrain they wrap up this heavy part and end the song as it began. They segue nicely back into the epic opening riff as we hear some more great guitar to finish things out. What a fantastic way to end a pretty great record!
That is the end of "Piece Of Mind" and I thought it was another really great metal album from Iron Maiden. Nicko McBrain seems a fine replacement for Clive Burr and Steve Harris continues to play some absolutely amazing bass. Throw in two excellent guitarists and an epic frontman and you've got yourself another great album! I really enjoyed both "The Trooper" and "To Tame A Land" and while there were a couple moments of more radio-friendly material, it was mostly a pretty sweet record. I think it easily surpasses their debut and while it's closer I think it also is better than "Killers". The buck stops there though as I believe "The Number Of The Beast" was even more amazing than this latest offering. 2nd place is still pretty great though and it seems like there's no stopping these guys from being a constant highlight throughout the decade. Keep it coming!
The album kicks off with "Where Eagles Dare" and new drummer McBrain plays us in with some cool stuff that leads right into a typical Maiden metal riff. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith both play some cool guitars and Steve Harris keeps the pace with some nice bass. Bruce Dickinson comes in to sing the first verse and he sings quickly along in a nice high voice while Smith/Murray lead the way with some sweet lead guitar. After a couple solid verses they move into a new stop-and-start riff that sounds pretty catchy, but it goes on a little long I'd say as it loses it's luster the longer they play it. This eventually leads into the first guitar solo and as usual, I'm not sure who is playing what between Murray and Smith, but it all sounds pretty good. The solo starts slowly but by the end of it we hear some pretty cool stuff at a faster pace and this leads right into an epic new riff. The guitars sync up for a very epic post-solo riff and this seamlessly leads back into the stop-and-start section and after another nice drum fill by McBrain, back to the main verse. They play a couple final verses before ending this pretty solid opener with a sweet flourish ending that has everybody going crazy, with some especially cool bass by Harris. Track 2 is called "Revelations" and has a pretty cool opening riff led by some epic guitar, but 30 seconds in they settle into the main verse. The guitars play a nice, slow riff that sounds pretty heavy and reminds me a bit of a good old Black Sabbath riff. Things sound pretty epic and great as Dickinson begins to sing a solid verse overtop of this slow, heavy riff. After the verse Smith and Murray play two different guitar riffs that mesh really nicely together in a cool new riff and this segues beautifully into a new faster riff led by some pretty sweet guitar. The rhythm section is pretty good as well as Harris plays some great backing bass to support the cool guitars and this somehow flows perfectly back into the slow meshing guitar part from earlier. Dickinson sings another epic verse and even though midway through the music changes back to the heavy opening riff, Dickinson continues the verse and it sounds good over both riffs! After a couple more solid slow verses they speed things up again and set the stage for an extended guitar solo. Whoever it is plays a pretty great solo, slowing down at just the right moments but mostly delivering some blistering stuff that sounds pretty awesome. He gets a solid minute or so to play and does a great job on this solo and after a short and simple bridge riff they bring everything full circle and resume the slow, heavy riff from the beginning. Dickinson sings a final epic verse before they slow it right down for a quiet finish. Up next is "Flight Of Icarus" and Harris drives this song with a wicked rolling bass riff that sounds pretty great! Murray and Smith add some marching guitars but when Dickinson begins the verse the guitars drop off as Harris leads the way with his sweet bass playing. The guitars come in for epic effect at certain times as Dickinson sings a decent verse but his vocal style changes in the chorus to a louder, more sing-along style that I'm not as big of a fan of. This whole chorus just sounds a bit more radio-friendly with a simple guitar riff and catchy sing-along vocals. The lyrics, as the name of the song would suggest, are all about the tale of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and burned his wings. It makes for a solid metal song it turns out as they play another catchy verse and chorus which leads right into the guitar solo. It's a decent little solo with some cool parts to it but it's not as flashy as these two guitarists are capable of as once again it seems they toned things down slightly to reach a wider audience. The solo leads right back into the chorus and after a couple goes through it's time for the other guitarist to have a solo! This one is way better as he shreds his guitar to excellent effect in this short solo before Dickinson sings "fly as high as the sun!" and holds his final note for a solid length while the band delivers another great flourish ending. Side one wraps up with "Die With Your Boots On" and Murray and Smith sync up for a solid guitar riff while Harris plays some mean bass that is in the background at first but comes to the forefront in the verse. Dickinson sings in his usual solid high voice and the guitars add some slow droning notes while Harris continues his sweet bass playing. The guitars pick it up in a nice building riff and I like the echoing backing vocals of "if you're gonna die" leading up to the chorus. The opening riff turns out to be the chorus riff and Dickinson hits lots of quick high notes in this catchy chorus. The guitars slow down again for another verse and after the same building part and chorus it's guitar solo time. It's not a very long solo, but Murray/Smith plays some pretty great stuff, really shredding the guitar at a fast pace. This sweet solo leads right into a new riff that has both guitarists playing the same notes, but one is high and one is low. I think the lower guitar riff sounds pretty good and Dickinson sings an epic new verse overtop that leads right into another guitar solo! The other guitarist gets his time to shine and he starts slow, but quickly begins to shred it and delivers another great little solo. Iron Maiden show off their progressiveness with a lot of great segues between different parts in this song as this solo leads seamlessly into the building riff and the song ends with a final chorus.
Side two begins with "The Trooper" and Murray and Smith sync up again for a pretty epic guitar riff that drives this song. It's a very intricate and fast-paced riff that sounds really good and it's even more impressive that both guitarists play it perfectly in time, giving it a very heavy feel that I think sounds pretty awesome. Everything stops on a dime as Dickinson sings the first part of the verse with no music behind him, only a couple epic notes between each of his lines. It's tough to explain in words but it sounds very epic and nicely done! The rest of the band does come in for the second part of the verse, playing some cool fast-paced stuff and Dickinson's epic verse culminates in a couple big "ohhhhh"s before it's back to the sweet opening riff. If it weren't so cool I'd probably tire of hearing it so much, but it's a very nice riff indeed! They play another solid verse and after a couple more "ohhhhh"s it's time for an extended guitar solo. I think it's one guitarist the whole way through, and whomever is leading the way does a fantastic job with a solid minute plus of excellent guitar. This leads right back into the opening riff as they repeat the formula once more, but there is just so much great guitar in this song! They play a final verse and Murray and Smith end it on a fantastic synced up note to finish off what is my favourite song on the album thus far. Up next is "Still Life" and the song starts off with a very weird vocal bit that when played backwards is McBrain doing a funny voice. Many people believed Iron Maiden to be satanic (they absolutely are not) and this was their way to poke fun at them, by including a hidden message that turns out to be just a joke. After they have their fun the actual song begins and it starts very slowly with some nice bass and guitar and is led by a pretty epic lead guitar riff. A minute in Dickinson finally begins the first verse and he sings in a hushed voice that fits the mood but it somehow still sounds epic and commanding even though he's almost whispering! He leads a solid verse and they shift really nicely into a heavier version of this same riff and the mood sounds more like a typical Maiden song. Dickinson is now in his usual high voice and he continues to lead this more metal verse. He lets out some fairly high yells in the chorus and we hear some cool guitar as well but it's a short chorus and it's right back to the main riff. After another verse and chorus they move nicely into cool new bridge riff, then a different pretty cool bridge riff, and finally the guitar solo! As usual it's a pretty great guitar solo with lots of great fast-paced shredding and when it ends the other guitarist begins his solo! The second solo is a bit slower but still has some pretty great moments to it, especially the crazy fast ending that leads right back into the metal verse. They play a final verse and chorus and once again end things on a nice note to finish another pretty good song. Track 7 is called "Quest For Fire" and after a nice little guitar opening they settle into standard Maiden-style main riff with good contributions from everyone. Dickinson sings the first verse with a bit of a fantasy edge to his voice as he sings about prehistoric times with lyrics referencing cavemen. His voice changes into a higher, more pop-y tone for the chorus and aside from Harris' cool bass, everything else slows down a bit in this more radio-friendly chorus. The guitars pick up again for the next verse and after another verse and chorus they move into a catchy new bridge riff with some nice guitar that sets the stage for the solo. Murray and Smith each get a short chance to show off their skills and neither of them shreds it on this song as they both play slower solos that match the mood of the song well. It still sounds pretty good and it leads right back into the chorus that they play a couple times before ending the song as it began with the same solid guitar part. The next song is "Sun And Steel" and as usual it's driven by some cool fast-paced guitars while Harris and McBrain provide a very solid and speedy rhythm section. Dickinson sings in a nice lower voice to carry the verse but reverts to his usual higher vocals for the chorus. Things sound pretty epic and Harris is playing some wicked bass in the background as Dickinson leads a fairly simple chorus. After another solid verse and simple chorus one guitarist plays a quick riff while the other plays a nice slow riff in a well meshed bridge that leads right to the solo. It's a pretty quick solo that sounds pretty good as usual, but it's very short as they quickly resume the chorus. After a couple rather unexciting choruses they end things with a nice metal flourish but it's not enough to save what was mostly an average song. The album wraps up with "To Tame A Land", which was originally titled "Dune" as the lyrics of the song are about the book of the same by Frank Herbert. However, when Iron Maiden reached out to Herbert for permission they were given an explicit no and told that Frank especially disliked metal music. Ouch! That must've stung for lyricist Harris, but alas this 7 seven-plus minute epic song was renamed "To Tame A Land". It opens with an epic guitar riff that sounds really good as Harris plays a nice bass riff to back it and McBrain plays lots of light cymbals to add to this epic opening. After nearly a minute they shift into a heavier riff for the verse as the guitars sync up nicely and Dickinson sings in his nice epic voice. Inbetween the short verses they incorporate the sweet opening guitar riff into this new verse and it fits pretty nicely! After another verse we're treated to our first guitar solo and while it's not a crazy fast one it does fit the mood nicely. After the solo Harris takes charge with a really sweet bass line and McBrain adds in several pretty nice drum fills. There are no guitars in this part but just the bass and drums sound pretty awesome! Dickinson begins an epic new verse overtop this cool part and slowly and quietly the guitars rejoin the mix. They continue to get louder and once they reach their usual volume they segue nicely into a new part with Murray and Smith both playing some pretty quick guitar. The bass and drums continue to sound great as well and the instrumental awesomeness continues into an extended second guitar solo. Murray and Smith each get 30 seconds or so to solo and while both of them do a splendid job as usual, I think the first one outshines the second with some really awesome stuff. The second solo leads right into an epic bridge riff and after a few more really solid drum fills by McBrain they wrap up this heavy part and end the song as it began. They segue nicely back into the epic opening riff as we hear some more great guitar to finish things out. What a fantastic way to end a pretty great record!
That is the end of "Piece Of Mind" and I thought it was another really great metal album from Iron Maiden. Nicko McBrain seems a fine replacement for Clive Burr and Steve Harris continues to play some absolutely amazing bass. Throw in two excellent guitarists and an epic frontman and you've got yourself another great album! I really enjoyed both "The Trooper" and "To Tame A Land" and while there were a couple moments of more radio-friendly material, it was mostly a pretty sweet record. I think it easily surpasses their debut and while it's closer I think it also is better than "Killers". The buck stops there though as I believe "The Number Of The Beast" was even more amazing than this latest offering. 2nd place is still pretty great though and it seems like there's no stopping these guys from being a constant highlight throughout the decade. Keep it coming!
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