PIECE OF MIND

Iron Maiden's fourth album had the unenviable challenge of following on from the highly regarded "Number of the beast". The album sees the band attempting to add greater development to their songs, thus taking them beyond mere heavy rock.

The familiar aggression is still there of course, Steve Harris combining with new drummer Nicko McBrain to provide the long lasting powerhouse rhythm section. After the typical all guns blazing start with "Where eagles dare", "Revelations" has a surprisingly Wishbone Ash like feel. The twin lead guitars and slightly slower but variable pace combine to make for a highly satisfactory prog influenced number.

"Flight of Icarus" is clearly more commercially orientated, the massed vocal chorus being designed to form an anthem for the masses to join in with. "Die with your boots on" is the weakest of the bunch here, being a very ordinary single paced piece of rock metal with banal lyrics - If you're gonna die, die with your boots on. If you're gonna die just stick around. Gonna cry, just move along, if you're gonna die, you're gonna die..

"The trooper" continues the theme of death on the battlefield in an upbeat frenzy. Just another unremarkable Iron Maiden song really. "Still life" misleadingly sets out as a soft number, opening with backward spoken vocals then harmonised lead and acoustic guitars combining effectively. Soon however we are into more orthodox Maiden territory, the track leading off a trio of shorter IM standards.

The closing "To tame a land" was inspired by the "Dune" novels. It is similar in structure to "Revelations", being a slightly more complex, but nonetheless totally identifiable metallic rock tale.

In all, a good album which will satisfy the Iron Maiden faithful. The album contains a couple of well arranged and performed longer pieces which make it a worthwhile acquisition. There are however a number of disappointingly prosaic songs which appear to have been churned out in by the numbers fashion.

Derek Riggs superb sleeve illustration once again makes the clear case for LP sleeves over CD booklets.

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