September 29, 1986 - Somewhere In Time
Ten days after my last release and two years since "Powerslave", Iron Maiden released their sixth album "Somewhere In Time" on September 29, 1986. After a very long tour for their last album and a subsequent vacation this was the first Iron Maiden album to not be released a year after the last one. It's also their first album using synthesizers, but there are still no keyboards. Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Steve Harris use guitar and bass synthesizers and they use them on all but just one song on this album. It's certainly a shift for these more standard metalheads but let's see how it sounds!
Side two opens up with "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" and one guitarist plays a quiet but pretty epic riff to lead the way while Harris and the other guitarist play some heavier backing stuff that mixes quite nicely. After almost a minute of this quieter opening they snap right into a more typical main riff that is at a much faster pace and driven by some cool guitars. Dickinson sings in his usual style for another solid verse and it leads right into a similar chorus. Bruce holds some nice long notes in the chorus and Harris'a bass stands out once again as he's playing some awesome speedy bass! They go seamlessly right into a cool bridge riff that has Murray and Smith both playing some good guitar. This part stays instrumental for a good while but right at the end Dickinson sings a brief new part that sets the stage for a guitar solo. I wish I could play snippets of all these solo to show how dynamic and different they are but you'll just have to believe that it's another pretty great solo, and it leads perfectly back into the speedy main riff for another verse. They seem to like this ending formula of final verse, a couple final choruses and a closing part, but instead of a flourish ending Murray and Smith sync up their guitars and play the song out on a catchy harmonized riff. The next song was the big hit single off this album, titled "Stranger In A Strange Land". Harris starts it off with a nice bass riff and after a drum fill by McBrain a slow guitar riff plays overtop and it all amounts to a pretty smooth and catchy main riff. Once Dickinson starts singing the verse the other guitarist adds some light synths to the mix as well and I've been pleasantly surprised about how little the synths affect the rest of the music. It's never over-the-top and always used as just an extra accent. Bruce sings a pretty good couple verses before they move into the catchy chorus. The music is pretty much the same as the verse (which isn't a bad thing in this case) but Dickinson sings a solid chorus, holding lots of long epic notes. They play through another decent verse and right where the chorus would be they instead shift to a solid building bridge riff and then they reach the chorus. After the chorus things slow down and get quiet as one guitar plays some epic stuff and this builds into a full-blown solo. This one is a bit more melodic than most and not as fast but it still has lots of great guitar and sounds pretty good. The solo leads into the building bridge again and just like last time it builds into the catchy chorus. The guitar starts to solo overtop the chorus riff as they slowly fade out this more commercial but still very Maiden song. Track 7 is "Déja Vu" and it has a quiet but epic opening led by some cool guitar and after 30 seconds or so they snap into a fast-paced main riff with some great bass by Harris and some nice synced up guitars from Murray and Smith. Dickinson starts the verse singing in a darker and more sinister voice that I like and he alternates between this and his standard high voice in this cool verse. Things flow right into a similar chorus but I particularly like this riff which has great guitar, bass and drums throughout so I'm happy to hear it more as Dickinson sings a solid chorus overtop. In the next part Murray and Smith are harmonizing experts as they perfectly play the same riff and it's very impressive when they're playing such fast and intricate stuff. They play what's pretty much a harmonized solo and it sounds pretty cool. One guitar then switches to a synthesizer though and things are still decent with one guitar leading the way and the synths in the background but I'm not sure why they felt it was necessary to use the synths at all. They nicely bring it back to the main riff and play a final verse and chorus before Murray and Smith finish things off with a final bit of cool harmonized guitars. The final song on the album "Alexander The Great" is also the longest at just over eight and a half minutes. The song begins with an epic voice saying "my son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee". We hear some ominous synths cue up in the background and the other guitarist plays some cool light guitar as they slowly begin this epic tale. McBrain plays some nice rolling snare drum and after about a minute the light guitar changes to a regular electric guitar and sets the stage nicely for the catchy main riff. It's got a really nice beat to it and as usual is led by some cool guitars while Dickinson sings quickly to match the energy of this main riff. It rolls right into the chorus as we hear the name of the song a couple times, but it's a pretty short chorus verse that ends with some more nice harmonized guitars by Murray and Smith. They play another verse and chorus and then one guitarist starts up a catchy rhythm riff and the other guitarist starts to solo. Both guitars sound great together and the solo is on the quieter side but still sounds pretty good. As it ends things get much louder as we hear some epic gong hits from McBrain and they shift into a new faster riff that once again has some catchy rhythm guitar and some sweet lead guitar mixed together nicely. Add in a great rhythm section and things sound pretty great and the cool lead guitar eventually turns into a full-blown solo. The next part cannot be done justice by words but I will try my best. Both Murray and Smith take turns dishing out some really great solos and inbetween each one everything but the bass stops and Harris gets in some wicked little licks that sound equally as awesome as the several amazing solos. It really is a great couple minutes of insanity and there's no time to catch your breath as it fires right back into the main riff for a final verse. They play a final chorus and they nicely slow things down and finish off this album with a very nice final touch.
That is the end of "Somewhere In Time" and I thought it was another pretty good album from Iron Maiden. When I saw that there were synths I was a bit worried, but they are not overpowering and most of the album still sounded like good old Maiden. Plenty of awesome guitars and bass feature on every song and there are really no weak links as these guys continue to pump out quality music. I think it's easily better than their debut and I like it even more than their other album with Di'Anno on vocals, "Killers". But all of the Dickinson-era albums have been really great and I don't think this newest one quite passes "Piece Of Mind". 4th place sounds like a knock on it but all six of their albums are great and way better than most music coming out this decade!
The album begins with the pseudo title track "Caught Somewhere In Time" and it opens with a slow but solid guitar riff before the rest of the band joins to form the main riff. Harris plays some cool bass in the background as the guitar continues to lead the way and after about a minute this slower opening shifts into a faster, more typical Maiden riff. Harris and one guitarist are both playing some fast and cool stuff while the other guitarist plays a nice lead part overtop and Dickinson finally joins in for the first verse. He sings in his usual high and epic voice and it's unsurprisingly a pretty solid verse. They play through a few solid verses and after a brief cool little building part they finally come to the chorus. Harris's bass continues to sound awesome throughout and while the music is still good, the chorus verse is a little disappointing with Dickinson just singing the name of the song over and over. After the chorus it's solo time and I'm not sure who is playing lead or rhythm but Murray and Smith both show off their talents. One guitar starts up a nice and fast rhythm riff and the other one solos overtop. It's a fairly long solo with lots of great parts to it and when it finally comes to and end the rhythm guitarist takes off for his own solo! This one isn't quite as crazy the last one, but it's still pretty sweet and I definitely support these back-to-back extended solos! That was a lot of great guitar work and it flows right back into the speedy main riff as they play a couple final verses and choruses before ending the song with a metal flourish that features some epic drumming by Nicko McBrain. Up next is "Wasted Years" and it begins with a really epic solo guitar riff before they settle into a solid main verse. It's got a catchy beat led by some nice guitar and Dickinson sings a nice verse to match. Once they reach the chorus the guitars get much simpler and Dickinson sings in a slightly sappier voice that is still good but definitely lesser. Harris is here to keep things interesting thankfully as his bass riff is always something pretty cool and then it's back to the main riff. After another verse and chorus they return to the epic opening riff and they build around that and form a completely new part that sounds pretty cool. This is all setting the stage for the solo and it's a pretty great one overtop a pretty great backing riff. The end of the solo carries over into the chorus and it's a seamless transition as they do a nice job with this segue. They jam out a couple choruses and end the song as it began with a return to the epic opening riff. Track 3 is "Sea Of Madness" and they kick right into the main riff with another catchy and cool guitar riff and Harris and McBrain both play some solid stuff as well in yet another fast-paced but original fresh main riff. Dickinson sings a solid verse overtop and he sings in a decent higher voice as things flow right into a simpler but catchy chorus. They complicate it again for another cool verse and after another chorus it's solo time for one of their talented guitarists. I'm getting tired of writing it, but it's a huge credit to Iron Maiden that they continue to pump out so many different and awesome guitar solos. Words don't accurately do justice when I keep writing " he plays another crazy fast and awesome solo" but every one of them really is pretty amazing! This one is no different and after it ends they quiet everything down to a very slow new backing riff anchored by some more great bass by Harris (same principle applies to all of Steve's tremendous bass riffs) and the solo continues now overtop this way different part! It somehow fits perfectly as they do a great job at this slower part before ramping up back into the main riff. They run through a final verse and jam out a few choruses as one guitarist does some light soloing overtop until it eventually fades to a close. Side one wraps up with "Heaven Can Wait" and it starts with some ominous and dark synths before the bass and guitar start a catchy, epic riff overtop. Harris's bass sounds great as usual and this turns into the main riff as McBrain completes things with some loud and epic drums and Dickinson starts up the first verse. It's another solid fast-paced verse and Dickinson does a nice job of singing quickly along. The chorus is once again much simpler as the guitars slow down a bit and Bruce sings the name of the song several times over. It's a little uninventive but still decent and the verse is much better as they speed things up again. After another verse and chorus the guitar takes right off for a solo and as usual it's a pretty sweet one. It matches the mood of the song really well and the end of the solo leads right into a new slower, rolling riff. Dickinson hits some pretty high notes as he sings a new verse overtop this part that sounds pretty good. In a rarity for Iron Maiden they sing a "whoa-oh-oh" part that sounds decent but like all parts like this it just seems to scream a lack of creativity. From here the guitars speed up to a regular Maiden pace and we're treated to another pretty cool guitar solo. The great guitar continues after the solo as they nicely tie things back to the main riff. They play a solid final verse before jamming out a couple choruses and ending things with another nice metal flourish.
Side two opens up with "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" and one guitarist plays a quiet but pretty epic riff to lead the way while Harris and the other guitarist play some heavier backing stuff that mixes quite nicely. After almost a minute of this quieter opening they snap right into a more typical main riff that is at a much faster pace and driven by some cool guitars. Dickinson sings in his usual style for another solid verse and it leads right into a similar chorus. Bruce holds some nice long notes in the chorus and Harris'a bass stands out once again as he's playing some awesome speedy bass! They go seamlessly right into a cool bridge riff that has Murray and Smith both playing some good guitar. This part stays instrumental for a good while but right at the end Dickinson sings a brief new part that sets the stage for a guitar solo. I wish I could play snippets of all these solo to show how dynamic and different they are but you'll just have to believe that it's another pretty great solo, and it leads perfectly back into the speedy main riff for another verse. They seem to like this ending formula of final verse, a couple final choruses and a closing part, but instead of a flourish ending Murray and Smith sync up their guitars and play the song out on a catchy harmonized riff. The next song was the big hit single off this album, titled "Stranger In A Strange Land". Harris starts it off with a nice bass riff and after a drum fill by McBrain a slow guitar riff plays overtop and it all amounts to a pretty smooth and catchy main riff. Once Dickinson starts singing the verse the other guitarist adds some light synths to the mix as well and I've been pleasantly surprised about how little the synths affect the rest of the music. It's never over-the-top and always used as just an extra accent. Bruce sings a pretty good couple verses before they move into the catchy chorus. The music is pretty much the same as the verse (which isn't a bad thing in this case) but Dickinson sings a solid chorus, holding lots of long epic notes. They play through another decent verse and right where the chorus would be they instead shift to a solid building bridge riff and then they reach the chorus. After the chorus things slow down and get quiet as one guitar plays some epic stuff and this builds into a full-blown solo. This one is a bit more melodic than most and not as fast but it still has lots of great guitar and sounds pretty good. The solo leads into the building bridge again and just like last time it builds into the catchy chorus. The guitar starts to solo overtop the chorus riff as they slowly fade out this more commercial but still very Maiden song. Track 7 is "Déja Vu" and it has a quiet but epic opening led by some cool guitar and after 30 seconds or so they snap into a fast-paced main riff with some great bass by Harris and some nice synced up guitars from Murray and Smith. Dickinson starts the verse singing in a darker and more sinister voice that I like and he alternates between this and his standard high voice in this cool verse. Things flow right into a similar chorus but I particularly like this riff which has great guitar, bass and drums throughout so I'm happy to hear it more as Dickinson sings a solid chorus overtop. In the next part Murray and Smith are harmonizing experts as they perfectly play the same riff and it's very impressive when they're playing such fast and intricate stuff. They play what's pretty much a harmonized solo and it sounds pretty cool. One guitar then switches to a synthesizer though and things are still decent with one guitar leading the way and the synths in the background but I'm not sure why they felt it was necessary to use the synths at all. They nicely bring it back to the main riff and play a final verse and chorus before Murray and Smith finish things off with a final bit of cool harmonized guitars. The final song on the album "Alexander The Great" is also the longest at just over eight and a half minutes. The song begins with an epic voice saying "my son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee". We hear some ominous synths cue up in the background and the other guitarist plays some cool light guitar as they slowly begin this epic tale. McBrain plays some nice rolling snare drum and after about a minute the light guitar changes to a regular electric guitar and sets the stage nicely for the catchy main riff. It's got a really nice beat to it and as usual is led by some cool guitars while Dickinson sings quickly to match the energy of this main riff. It rolls right into the chorus as we hear the name of the song a couple times, but it's a pretty short chorus verse that ends with some more nice harmonized guitars by Murray and Smith. They play another verse and chorus and then one guitarist starts up a catchy rhythm riff and the other guitarist starts to solo. Both guitars sound great together and the solo is on the quieter side but still sounds pretty good. As it ends things get much louder as we hear some epic gong hits from McBrain and they shift into a new faster riff that once again has some catchy rhythm guitar and some sweet lead guitar mixed together nicely. Add in a great rhythm section and things sound pretty great and the cool lead guitar eventually turns into a full-blown solo. The next part cannot be done justice by words but I will try my best. Both Murray and Smith take turns dishing out some really great solos and inbetween each one everything but the bass stops and Harris gets in some wicked little licks that sound equally as awesome as the several amazing solos. It really is a great couple minutes of insanity and there's no time to catch your breath as it fires right back into the main riff for a final verse. They play a final chorus and they nicely slow things down and finish off this album with a very nice final touch.
That is the end of "Somewhere In Time" and I thought it was another pretty good album from Iron Maiden. When I saw that there were synths I was a bit worried, but they are not overpowering and most of the album still sounded like good old Maiden. Plenty of awesome guitars and bass feature on every song and there are really no weak links as these guys continue to pump out quality music. I think it's easily better than their debut and I like it even more than their other album with Di'Anno on vocals, "Killers". But all of the Dickinson-era albums have been really great and I don't think this newest one quite passes "Piece Of Mind". 4th place sounds like a knock on it but all six of their albums are great and way better than most music coming out this decade!
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