September 3, 1984 - Powerslave
About a month after my last release and 16 months since "Piece Of Mind", Iron Maiden released their fifth album "Powerslave" on September 3, 1984. It's the first time Iron Maiden has had the same album for two albums in a row and they also wrote their longest song by far with a song just under 14 minutes closing out this record. Everything these guys have made thus far has been great and I'm sure this will be no different. Let's check it out!
Side two begins with "Back In The Village" and it's led by a really cool guitar riff that kicks things off and this awesome guitar drives the song. The rest of the band forms a fast-paced backing riff as Dickinson sings overtop this wicked main guitar riff. It moves right into a similarly fast chorus and Dickinson's voice sounds pretty great on this song and the guitar is just relentless! There's never a dull second as we always hear something great and they roll right through another solid verse and chorus. They do a nice switch to a different riff that is also quite fast and it sets the stage for the solo. It's a pretty good one with lots of great speedy guitar work and it leads into a new bridge riff that is pretty heavy and I think sounds great! This somehow leads right back into the wicked main riff and after a final verse we have a rare instance of jamming out the chorus. It's a pretty good one at least and Dickinson quickly sings the name of the song to finish it off. Track 7 is the title track "Powerslave" and it begins with a heartbeat followed by some deep evil laughter. A nice drum fill by McBrain leads to the main riff with great contributions from everyone. It's a catchy main riff that sounds pretty good and they slow things down for a very epic chorus. The guitar and bass both sound great and this part is also pretty catchy. It's unlike their other faster songs but it's a nice change as they return for another verse. After another epic chorus they move nicely into a softer, melodic part and it sounds really good! Both guitarists are playing different and cool riffs and Harris's bass sounds fantastic. One guitarist breaks away from the pack and delivers a spectacular solo overtop this melodic riff. As it ends they kick right into a more typical, very fast solo as we hear some great shredding guitar! This solo is followed by some brief harmonized guitars, then the other guitarist gets a turn as we hear another pretty sweet solo. This is followed by a really nice little drum bit by McBrain that sounds great, then it's back to the main riff. They play a solid final verse and chorus and Dickinson lets out a nice long yell before an excellent metal flourish to end this pretty great song. The final song on the record is "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" and Iron Maiden show of their progressiveness with a near 14-minute song that is based on the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It begins with a nice marching main riff that unsurprisingly is led by some cool guitar and Dickinson sings a nice epic verse overtop. There's a brief guitar interlude after the first verse that sounds nice, then they return to the marching main riff for the second verse. After a couple more solid verses they speed up slightly and switch nicely to a new riff. Dickinson sings a couple epic lines by himself and we hear some cool guitar inbetween as this stop-and-start riff is pretty catchy. Dickinson sings a new verse to fit this new riff and things sound pretty solid as usual. Harris plays some dirty bass in the background that sounds great and this riff culminates with an epic cymbal crash that echoes for several seconds before Harris takes us in a completely new direction. He plays some wonderful slow bass that sounds quite good while Murray and Smith play snippets of trippy guitar overtop. This part is very prog-y and while I'm sure some straight up metalheads were upset at the very slow speed, I like the slow trippy music. Dickinson begins to cite part of the original poem and he speaks (not sings) in a great voice that sounds pretty dark and evil and also very epic indeed. The poem being read in this sinister voice overtop trippy guitar and bass makes for a pretty cool part and they connect this very nicely into a new riff as Harris starts things off with some cool bass once again. The guitar returns at a faster pace and Dickinson returns to his epic singing voice for a new verse as they continue to weave all these cool parts together very nicely. Dickinson lets out a very high-pitched yell to end this verse and while it slowly fades away the rest of the band sets the stage for the first guitar solo. It's a bit on the slower side but it's still very cool and great guitar. As this solo ends, it flows right into the other guitarists solo and this second one is really good! It's got a ton of quick picking and some fantastic guitar and they segue seamlessly from this awesome solo right into a very typical post-solo Maiden riff with some cool harmonized guitars. Everything comes full circle as they somehow make this newest riff flow right back into the original marching riff as they move into a couple final epic verses before ending this epic song and album on a nice note.
That is the end of "Powerslave" and I thought it was a pretty sweet album! Every song on this album is above average in my opinion; they're all filled with the usual metal elements of great guitar, bass and drums but Iron Maiden manage to keep things very fresh with a ton of different and intricately worked riffs. I think this newest album easily surpasses their first two albums with Paul Di'Anno on vocals, and that is no easy feat! I also think it was even better than their last album "Piece Of Mind" and it comes pretty close, but falls just short of their being their best album. "The Number Of The Beast" is still their best in my mind, but "Powerslave" comes very close and is an excellent metal album itself! These guys seem to be hitting their prime and I'm sure their next album will be great as well!
The album begins with "Aces High" which has a slow but epic opening that leads into the speedy main riff with great contributions from everyone. The guitar is especially catchy and sounds great as Bruce Dickinson sings a solid verse overtop in his high, epic voice. The lyrics are about fighter planes and attacks from the sky as we hear Dickinson sing "fly to live, do or die" in the chorus and his voice is layered in the chorus for a much louder and emphatic delivery. They return nicely to the cool main riff and then it's solo time. I'm unsure if it's Adrian Smith or Dave Murray but it's a pretty good solo as you'd expect with some frantic guitar playing. It leads right back into the main riff and after another verse and chorus they jam out the main riff a bit longer before ending things with a nice metal flourish. A solid way to kick off the album, and up next is another song that would become a Maiden staple: "2 Minutes To Midnight". Another catchy guitar riff leads the way and Nicko McBrain plays some nice drums as well as they kick right into the main riff of this song. Dickinson sings a pretty epic verse overtop this catchy riff and I think his voice sounds great in this one. When he shouts the name of the song you know we've reached the chorus and it's tough not to sing along to this very catchy but still pretty heavy chorus. It's a seamless segue back to the main riff and after another verse and chorus it's right into the solo. It's a bit tame at first but ramps up towards the end and as this solo ends, another begins! Steve Harris starts up a marching bass beat and the other guitarist takes over with a much better solo! This one is very fast and sounds pretty sweet and once it ends the marching bass continues as they smoothly shift to a slow, epic new riff led by some loud, harmonized guitars. They connect this nicely back to the main riff and after a final verse and chorus Dickinson continues to sing "midnight!" whilst Harris plays some great bass and they jam out the chorus riff a bit longer before bringing things to a close. Track 3 is called "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" and aside from someone counting the song in, is an instrumental song. It kicks off with a standard Iron Maiden riff with solid contributions from everyone. Quick drums, bass and guitars, and all played perfectly in time makes for a cool main riff. Harris's bass is particularly good and even though there's no lyrics things still shift into what I would call the chorus riff. One of the guitarists breaks away and plays a cool new riff in this chorus, then they move into a slow building riff. It takes a little long to get there, but eventually we reach the guitar solo and the payoff is good as we hear some excellent stuff. This leads right into another awesome part with Smith and Murray playing separate riffs, both of them pretty amazing! It makes for wonderful listening and they prove easily that they don't need a singer to sound great. After some really great stuff they return to the original riff and play a final "verse and chorus" to finish off this awesome song. Up next is "Flash Of The Blade" and it has another cool intro with some nice guitar before they settle into the main riff. It's a fast-paced one and Dickinson sings a quick verse to match it. It leads right into the chorus where Dickinson's voice is layered once again and I'm not a big fan of the layered vocals. They return to the cool intro riff and repeat the same formula before we hear another great simultaneous part with Smith and Murray both playing some fantastic stuff. They sync up for a much slower riff that I find takes the air out of things, and eventually separate for some more great two-riffs-at-once stuff! It's a weird balance with great parts and lesser parts and they switch seamlessly back into the chorus. They play a couple choruses before ending the song as it began with the epic guitar riff. Side one wraps up with "The Duellists" and it's a typical Maiden main riff led by solid guitar and Dickinson sings a quick verse overtop. He hits some really high notes in the chorus, then it's right back to the main riff. After another verse and chorus they move to a new riff with some fast guitar leading the way and Harris playing some great bass to back it. The first guitar solo is shorter and while decent, is below par for these guys. There's a brief marching bridge before the second solo and it's much longer and it fits the mood of the song very well but it still wasn't a face-melter. They move into an epic, slower guitar riff that ties things seamlessly back into the main riff. They play a final verse and chorus and a nice flourish ending with solid drums by McBrain.
Side two begins with "Back In The Village" and it's led by a really cool guitar riff that kicks things off and this awesome guitar drives the song. The rest of the band forms a fast-paced backing riff as Dickinson sings overtop this wicked main guitar riff. It moves right into a similarly fast chorus and Dickinson's voice sounds pretty great on this song and the guitar is just relentless! There's never a dull second as we always hear something great and they roll right through another solid verse and chorus. They do a nice switch to a different riff that is also quite fast and it sets the stage for the solo. It's a pretty good one with lots of great speedy guitar work and it leads into a new bridge riff that is pretty heavy and I think sounds great! This somehow leads right back into the wicked main riff and after a final verse we have a rare instance of jamming out the chorus. It's a pretty good one at least and Dickinson quickly sings the name of the song to finish it off. Track 7 is the title track "Powerslave" and it begins with a heartbeat followed by some deep evil laughter. A nice drum fill by McBrain leads to the main riff with great contributions from everyone. It's a catchy main riff that sounds pretty good and they slow things down for a very epic chorus. The guitar and bass both sound great and this part is also pretty catchy. It's unlike their other faster songs but it's a nice change as they return for another verse. After another epic chorus they move nicely into a softer, melodic part and it sounds really good! Both guitarists are playing different and cool riffs and Harris's bass sounds fantastic. One guitarist breaks away from the pack and delivers a spectacular solo overtop this melodic riff. As it ends they kick right into a more typical, very fast solo as we hear some great shredding guitar! This solo is followed by some brief harmonized guitars, then the other guitarist gets a turn as we hear another pretty sweet solo. This is followed by a really nice little drum bit by McBrain that sounds great, then it's back to the main riff. They play a solid final verse and chorus and Dickinson lets out a nice long yell before an excellent metal flourish to end this pretty great song. The final song on the record is "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" and Iron Maiden show of their progressiveness with a near 14-minute song that is based on the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It begins with a nice marching main riff that unsurprisingly is led by some cool guitar and Dickinson sings a nice epic verse overtop. There's a brief guitar interlude after the first verse that sounds nice, then they return to the marching main riff for the second verse. After a couple more solid verses they speed up slightly and switch nicely to a new riff. Dickinson sings a couple epic lines by himself and we hear some cool guitar inbetween as this stop-and-start riff is pretty catchy. Dickinson sings a new verse to fit this new riff and things sound pretty solid as usual. Harris plays some dirty bass in the background that sounds great and this riff culminates with an epic cymbal crash that echoes for several seconds before Harris takes us in a completely new direction. He plays some wonderful slow bass that sounds quite good while Murray and Smith play snippets of trippy guitar overtop. This part is very prog-y and while I'm sure some straight up metalheads were upset at the very slow speed, I like the slow trippy music. Dickinson begins to cite part of the original poem and he speaks (not sings) in a great voice that sounds pretty dark and evil and also very epic indeed. The poem being read in this sinister voice overtop trippy guitar and bass makes for a pretty cool part and they connect this very nicely into a new riff as Harris starts things off with some cool bass once again. The guitar returns at a faster pace and Dickinson returns to his epic singing voice for a new verse as they continue to weave all these cool parts together very nicely. Dickinson lets out a very high-pitched yell to end this verse and while it slowly fades away the rest of the band sets the stage for the first guitar solo. It's a bit on the slower side but it's still very cool and great guitar. As this solo ends, it flows right into the other guitarists solo and this second one is really good! It's got a ton of quick picking and some fantastic guitar and they segue seamlessly from this awesome solo right into a very typical post-solo Maiden riff with some cool harmonized guitars. Everything comes full circle as they somehow make this newest riff flow right back into the original marching riff as they move into a couple final epic verses before ending this epic song and album on a nice note.
That is the end of "Powerslave" and I thought it was a pretty sweet album! Every song on this album is above average in my opinion; they're all filled with the usual metal elements of great guitar, bass and drums but Iron Maiden manage to keep things very fresh with a ton of different and intricately worked riffs. I think this newest album easily surpasses their first two albums with Paul Di'Anno on vocals, and that is no easy feat! I also think it was even better than their last album "Piece Of Mind" and it comes pretty close, but falls just short of their being their best album. "The Number Of The Beast" is still their best in my mind, but "Powerslave" comes very close and is an excellent metal album itself! These guys seem to be hitting their prime and I'm sure their next album will be great as well!
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