POWERSLAVE

The third of the Classic Three, and probably the best. This is THE Iron Maiden album for me sometimes, and sometimes it's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, depends on my mood. Basically this is where everything came into place and Maiden could do no wrong. Not one song is a downer. The album mostly has this Egyptian feel to it, obvious due to the cover...

The opener Aces High starts with a bang, and this song is where Bruce Dickinson got his 'air siren' name from, most likely from the final notes of the chorus. This song is fast, full of intricate guitar work and solos, tight drums and bass, and mega intense vocal delivery.

2 Minutes to Midnight keeps the album going with it's instantly recognizable main riff (Maiden has tons of these) and great chorus.

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) is the band's best instrumental track. This is where the Egyptian themes really start coming into play. This song is powerful and intense and excellent guitar work.

Flash of the Blade and The Duelists once again keep the album moving, for there's really no break in the album till towards the end. FotB has nice chorus melodies, especially in the vocals. The Duelists sees the band playing with different time signatures and more complex rythyms. Excellent songs.

The last 'normal song' (in terms of Maiden's standards) is Back in the Village, probably the most fun song with the most ridiculous guitar riff on the album. It's so fast yet so incredibly catchy. This song is competition for fastest Maiden song on the album with Aces High.

Once the song is over, the prog-metal begins. After a very haunting and evil Pharoah laugh, a drum roll leads right into the title track...

POWERSLAVE. One of the heaviest songs the band has made, the Egyptian theme is now in full swing and it couldnt be more amazing. This is the band's most evil, haunting, yet beautiful song the band has made. After the main theme of the song ends, it moves to a more melodic, sad part of the song. The song builds up with an excellent solo before building up the song into another solo, but with more power and musicianship. After the solo is probably the MOST underrated twin guitar part Maiden ever wrote. Maybe it's cause the bass is more prominant in that part, but it is so beautiful, i wish it were more clear.

Finally we move to the epic 14 minute track, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The song takes its time throughout the song. The first section telling the story. When the song moves into 6/8, the song starts becoming more than just your average Maiden tune. Once Bruce is done singing for a bit, the song becomes this dark force that no one could anticipate, nor contend against. When the mood eventually calms down a bit, the song gets darker until you can't even see your hands in front of your face. But there is a beakon of hope, as the song turns more and more uplifting and builds and builds and builds and builds until it cannot build no more and EXPLODES into prog-metal euphoria. My sweet Jesus i have goosebumps, chills down my back and wet pants all at once when the solo comes in. Word cannot describe how amazinf this song is, you just have to listen to it yourself. It just makes you want to go "Yes!" and raise your fist. I dont care if you like prog-metal or not, if you dont enjoy this song, then you are not a prog fan in general in my eyes.

I have no more to say...

2.5 stars really!!

When one talks to a Maiden fanboys, Powerhouse comes usually in their top three and if you talk to progmetalheads, it usually always ends up on their podium as well. So we are ready for yet another formulaic metal full-frontal attack. Actually what the artwork tells us is that their mascot Eddy (mentally interned on the last album) is either completely bonkers (imagining himself as a Pharaonic mummy) or the group's concept is now dry and therefore ready for new temporal adventures out of lack of new Invention avenues. Clearly for me, the second option is the one I chose: there is a strong taste of staleness installing itself in Maiden album with this album, but it did not come as a sudden event, it is a gradual and almost imperceptible downslide to repetititititive riff-erama's galore.

The usually short hits (but not so short this time) Two Minutes To Midnight and Aces High, the two mid-length so-called epics (Duellists and the title track), a few fillers (Losfer and Blade).. Everything points to yet another chapter of déjà-vu/entendu, if it was not for the closing monster track: the 13 min+ Ancient Mariner. Not that this track is breaking uncharted Nubian desert (which for an ancient mariner would be rather annoying ;-), but it does bring a little "je ne sais quoi" that does perk the ear of this old dog. Although of a relatively basic complexity, we have here a real piece of metallic gleam of hope, a bit of an epic; one of these tracks that obviously helped progmetal's development along with Queensryche or mid-period Metallica. And the start of many more migraines for those having metalhead brothers.

Definitely not enough to bring the album to an essential status, not even really saving the album from sinking slowly into oblivion (lost in a metallic ocean of now-average and rather boring riffs, overflowed a tidal wave of such albums), this last track is worth a notice, but little more. Do I read/sound over-articulate and non-sensical for such an album? Most likely a reaction to the album which is more than likely contagious in redundancy. Definitely a bit stale, but ultra fans will love, and I actually very happy for them. To each his own. Now about that Univers zero album..

"Powerslave" was perhaps the first Iron Maiden album to really contain progressive elements, something that would become more and more notable over the next few albums. Of course, the progressive elements are mostly only notable on the last two tracks; the title track and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which also both stands out as some my personal favorite Maiden tracks. This album is perhaps their heaviest, but still holds a close hand to their ordinary, less-heavier sound. After several listenings, this turned out to be my favorite Maiden release ever.

This was Drummer Nicko McBrain's second album with Maiden (he replaced Clive Burr for the "Piece of Mind" album) and you can hear he has found his place in the band here, with his powerful and great drumming style. The guitar riffs are among Maiden's best ever; well- composed yet aggressive in a way without ex-aggerating in any sense. A couple of singles was made from this album as well promoting this album even further among it's already huge sales. "Powerslave" soon became one of the landmarks in the heavy metal scene, and it still is. Every track is a winner here, something that is very rare for most albums, and I would say in overall that this is Iron Maiden's best release this far.

I highly recommend this album to any fans of this band. This may be not essential in a regular prog collection, but it's definitely essential in a heavy metal collection. I really can't go under 5 stars with this one, although it only merits a 2.5 on a prog scale, It's perhaps their most perfect this far, In my opinion.

"Powerslave" is a straightforward heavy metal album of the mid 80's. The drums and the bass sound a bit like on "Piece of mind", but the electric guitars are slightly more fuzzy and less incisive. I find all the tracks sound about the same, so that this is a very disciplined and conservative album. The tracks are slightly progressive, and Dickinson's voice is good although he adopts a repetitive complaining & angry tone, maybe a bit more than usual. To be honest, "Powerslave" is not an exciting album: maybe it is because the guitar sound & effects and the drum patterns could be more varied. Harris' bass contrasts with the monochrome rhythmic guitar riffs: unfortunately, those monolithic guitar riffs often create like a wall to the very elaborated bass, so that the bass seems trapped inside this sound. One can notice Harris' omnipresent typical spring-like noise produced on his bass strings. The best bit is the mellow one on the "Powerslave" track: a very pleasant combination of melodic guitar solo and catchy bass; unfortunately, it does not last long enough. The last track, "Rime of the ancient mariner", is a progressive metal epic song lasting 13 minutes: it is the best one on this record, being very catchy and addictive; it has a mellow bit with a good frightening atmosphere and a morbid narration: it is very appreciated since it temporarily interrupts the monolithic rhythmic guitar riffs. This album is very appreciated among the metal community.

Rating: 4.5 stars

In my opinion this is Iron Maiden's most progressive album of the 80s, or possibly their best "prog candidate" ever. Seventh Son, Brave New World, A Matter of Live and Death ... they may contain more easily recognizable prog metal trademarks, but on Powerslave you get really many somewhat progressive songs together on one album ... and the other more "usual" songs are unusually quirky and innovative - and I think they show that the band had managed to find their own style (Out of the ashes of the NWOBHM, so to speak). Of course it's not a prog metal album - I'd say that it barely qualifies as prog related. But then again that doesn't mean that it's inferior in any way - In fact it's one of my favorite metal albums of all time, and essential for any prog metal fan who's at all interested in the roots of the genre.

Here are my comments on the most interesting tracks (from a prog standpoint):

Losfer Words: An interesting instrumental track that I love to play on the guitar ... a nice, melodic track which is progressive alone because it disrupts the album's "non-prog" flow started by the two preceding tracks. Also it's a very good example of Iron Maiden's capability to write songs that feature polyphonic parts for bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar - quite intriguing.

The Duellists: An epic structure - although the song is only about 6 minutes long, it develops nicely and showcases an element which Iron Maiden used extensively and which was unusual for NWOBHM bands: Altering power chords by moving the base note one half note lower, creating a "reversed" major chord on the 5th step (e.g. A5 (A+E) -> Emaj (G#+E)). It's difficult to describe - but it's something which really expanded the "vocabulary" of metal, at least when used that extensively and consistently as Maiden do.

Powerslave: Oriental influences often lend a progressive touch to any style of music - it works for metal as well as for pop (George Harrison/sitar, anyone?). This is Iron Maiden's oriental epic ... one cannot help compare it to Metallica's Creeping Death. While I'd say that Creeping Death is more progressive, this one is more melodic and a perfect example for a heavy song with a melodic/acoustic interlude. That is followed by a fairly straight solo spot, which is in turn followed by a densely layered melody ... then another solo spot, a lengthy drum fill with a clever chord "descent" which takes us back to the song again. Why am I describing it in that much detail? Well, to show that although this is not considered to be prog metal, it's still a few magnitudes more complex than your average metal song.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Clocking in at over 13 minutes, this is as close to a prog epic as it gets for Iron Maiden. The track has an interesting, literature based lyrical concept, and is divided into three parts: The "main part" (about the voyage of a ship which becomes cursed when one of the mariners kills an albatros), a narrational part in the middle and a lengthy outro which picks up many motives from the main part and describes how the curse was lifted, and what happened after the voyage (thoughts of the one mariner who survived the voyage). Well, musically it's not that progressive (except for the part before the narration begins) ... but it's one of my favorite Maiden tracks, and I love every minute of it.

These guys were the first band to play in an Eastern bloc country with full arena production.They also broke the record for most sellouts at the Longbeach venue in California on this tour. Bet you guys didn't know prog was this popular did you ? Haha.This record along with "Number Of The Beast" are the two most popular IRON MAIDEN releases among non-prog fans. For me it's this one and "Piece Of Mind". The twin lead guitar attack of Murray and Smith and the incredible vocals of Bruce (the human siren), and the world class bass playing of Harris has made these guys a force all over the earth. Steve Harris wrote 4 of the 8 tracks.

The first two songs were actually released as singles."Aces High" is about WWII fighter pilots and the imagery is just fantastic ! "Two Minutes To Midnight" is about the threat of nucleur war.The only instrumental "Losfer Words" is so intense. The rhythm here is punishing to say the least as the guitars play over top.This is a top three song on this record.The next four songs are great and all are part of the Egyptian theme of this album. "Flash Of The Blade" opens with such a good guitar melody and it comes and goes throughout. The song turns heavy when the vocals come in. Just a great sounding tune. "The Duellists" has a killer rhythm with huge bass lines from Harris. Check out the guitar 3 minutes in and a minute later.

"Back To The Village" has some amazing guitar to open then that killer rhythm section takes over with vocals. Outstanding sound 3 minutes in. "Powerslave" has a haunting intro and when it kicks into gear it doesn't get much better than this. Bruce spits out the words. A calm after 2 1/2 minutes as this absolutely gorgeous guitar comes in followed by a ripping assault. Just an incredible instrumental section here. It turns heavy 5 minutes in with vocals to end it. The best song in my opinion is the epic "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner". A very progressive and long song at 13 1/2 minutes. Again the rhythm is killer as vocals join in. A calm 5 minutes in and you can hear that the ship and crew are adrift at sea. The spoken words and sound affects are an excellent touch. At 9 minutes in they sound like SABBATH circa "Master Of Reality". Then we get that galloping rhythm after 11 minutes.

The louder this record is played the better it sounds ! Up the irons !

Iron Maiden is one of my top five favoirte bands in history. Having said that, I do not believe they belong on this site, despite the high level of musicianship from each player. However, since they're here, I might as well review them. Powerslave is usually consider to be the band's finest hour and I must agree. I've heard some reviewers on this site claim it isn't exciting, but Maiden albums rarely are, the galloping rythmns merely fool you into thinking ithe albums are fast paced (the first two albums are but not so much on later records). Instead, you get a melodic power metal masterpiece with the crazy Nicko McBrain and the bass god Steve Harris anchoring the squeals of Adrian Smith's and Dave Murray's guitars, plus the soaring vocals of Bruce Dickinson. Harris is an undisputable bass god and likely second in metal bassists only to Sabbath's Geezer Butler. His playing on this album is his best, so get ready.

The album opens with the ode to World War I pilots "Aces High." This is a rather fast song with Harris' bass leading the way and Bruce's voice is superb.

"2 Minutes to Midnight" is one of the most serious songs Harris ever penned. It deals with the threat of nuclear holocaust as a result of the arms race in the Cold War. Murray's and Smith's solos are some of their finest.

"Losfer Words" is the band's finest instrumental offering, though don't expect any YYZ. The interplay between the guitarists and Harris reveals what talented musicians these guys are.

"Flash of the Blade" returns the band to the Rainbow inspired fantasy lyrics that made them the power metal stars they are today. It's a bit dull compared to the triple punch of the album's first few tracks.

"Duellists" is a splendid piece with Bruce's amazing vocals. The song structure is somewhat prog and manages to vary while keeping its chugging pace.

"Back in the Village" is my least favorite song on the album, though it's far from atrocious. The lyrics are a bit too close to Flash of Blade in my opinion, but then all fantasy lyrics tend to blur at some point.

"Powerslave" contains Adrian Smith's greatest solo and Steve's best bass workout, in my opinion. The song grinds it way through a mid to slow tempo riff that fades into a beautiful solo from Smith. Steve doesn't gallop like he usually does; his sound is slower and fuller than on many other tracks in the Maiden catalogue. Bruce's vocals are as usual strong and the lyrics, though silly, are interesting.

"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the band's crowning achievements (likely second only to Hallowed Be Thy Name). Concerning the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem of the same name, the song twists and turns through the mariner's fateful voyage. One of Bruce's finest performances and enough breaks and time changes to warrant a look even from prog folkies (no offense Hugues:). It stands as Maiden's longest track to date and one of their most progressive.

Powerslave is certainly a must have for metalheads, though proggies could avoid it easily. However, if you like your prog with an edge of heaviness (prog metal, 70s King Crimson, Fragile era Yes), then this would probably be a welcome addition to your collection. I can't give it fives stars on a prog site, but it is certainly an excellent addition to any audiophile's collection.

3.5 Stars

This album avoids the main problem of "Piece of Mind". The music here sounds a bit more original and the songs are a bit more different from each other. Most of the songs are strong and tight, with the 2 longer ones showing the future direction of the band. The progression the band went thru in this album is literally 'prog'. Here, the band started writing more complex songs, exploring ambient atmospheres, and incorporating egyptian scales in a couple of songs. Powerslave features Iron Maiden's longest song, being 13 minutes long. For me, it is the weakest track on the album, as it drags in moments and has some really unoriginal riffs.

Just like Piece of Mind, the album begins with a catchy metal song of high caliber. Aces High has terrific guitar playing and excellent refrains. 2 Minutes to Midnight is another accessible metal song with melody and power. It has an interesting tempo change where the slower section offers wonderful guitar playing. Losfer Words is an instrumental with good ideas scattered, as well as virtuosity. Flash of the Blade has an original idea for a riff, nice harmonized choruses, and a creative moment with many guitars playing at the same time. The Duellists is a more sophisticated song with excellent guitar performances and a longish instrumental section with plenty of good musicianship including the bass playing. One of my favourites of the album. Back in the Village is a straightforward fast-paced metal song, but it has good guitar riffs, saving it from mediocricy.

Now, to the more progressive part of the album:

Powerslave is my favourite song of the album. It has a very captivating main riff played on the verses which uses egyptian scales and excellent vocal melodies. The bridges feature nice melodies and the choruses combines a great vocal hook (as well as vocal harmonies) and another great guitar riff using low notes. After two choruses, a highly melodic (yes, I'm overusing the word melody) guitar solo sets the start of a long instrumental section with the band playing at its best. The bending down of a chord sets the song back again to the verses and choruses and the song finishes.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner does not grab me as much as it does to other fans of the band. However, it really has some high points. I just don't like that much the main riff played in the beginning: it's too basic and unoriginal. Luckily, a tempo change at minute three makes way for a new guitar riff that is more interesting and a more enjoyable rhythm. An unusual guitar line in a different scale leads way to an overlong ambient section with narration. Nothing really happens during it, just an acoustic guitar and an electric one playing the same thing over and over again, making it as boring as the first 3 minutes. Luckily, a more interesting and slightly heavier section wakes me up. Pay attention for the scream in this part, it is even better than the one in "Number of the Beast". Afterwards, some guitar solos appear and the boring riff of the beginning comes back and finishes the song and album on a low point. This song reminds me of the beginnings of the Death Metal band Opeth.

Overall, a very solid album with one huge blunder: Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which sounds like an amateur attempt to write an epic, failing miserable. The rest ranges from good to excellent and provides more complexity than the previous two albums.

I'll have to skip reviewing PIECE OF MIND for now, as I haven't heard the record, yet (it's on its way). So, in my current series of all of the Iron Maiden's albums that I have, let's continue with the one that many fans (if not me) consider their masterpiece: POWERSLAVE.

After Clive Burr had to leave Iron Maiden and was replaced by Nicko McBrain, the band's ideal line-up was finally complete. Even though Burr was a good drummer, his level of playing wasn't up to par with the energetic, stimulant, perfect-for-Maiden style that McBrain brought with him to the Beast. His trademark use of the ride cymbal, while really very, very simple, is so unique, and fits Maiden's music so much like a perfect glove, that now I couldn't imagine the group without their always joyful heavy-hitter. McBrain plays the drums with such a happy, excited face that it even helps the band visual effect (as if it needed any help, with all the Eddy paraphernalia that they got going in their concerts).

Besides the change in drumming (change that really occurred in the preceding album, but as I haven't heard it yet, I have to make my comments here) Maiden's music also experienced an upgrade. Their exploration of more progressive ideas (Maiden's members have never been shy to recognize their progressive influences) and the improvement in their guitar textures marks a huge departure from traditional Heavy Metal acts. It goes without saying that Harris' bass is another big factor in making Maiden what it is, and it also received a push in quality in POWERSLAVE. Dickinson's vocals are, as always, powerful and the perfect match for the music. The punk in their sound was almost completely gone by this point, and the production values were much higher, thus helping the band to achieve the status it eventually did (in my eyes) in SOMEWHERE IN TIME.

My only complaints with this album: it lacks the classical melodic, epic song of other records (even THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST had "Hallowed be thy Name"), that kind of song that only Maiden can deliver, that goes from slow to fast so well-done that the change is absolutely smooth, perfect. The emphasis here is on fast tracks, and even the epic (by it's length), "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", has not enough melody to quench this prog-fan's thirst.

Aces High (9.5/10) If there's something that nobody knows how to do like Iron Maiden is how to open their albums. POWERSLAVE gets started with one of the best fast tracks by the Beast. The simple riff is enhanced by the powerful, throttling bass. The energy is beyond reach, this really sounds like music for war-airplanes. The solo by Smith and Murray is fantastic as always, both of them dialoguing, having a "guitaristic" conversation that even we non-guitar-language speakers can understand. The song reaches its end and we now we're in for one infernal ride. Excellent.

2 Minutes to Midnight (8.5/10) Some distant guitar riff opens this very popular track. The song has power and also a sort of punk-ish air to it, but the great vocal delivery by Dickinson makes it a hit. He makes this song a success, besides, of course, the relentless bass of Harris, who seems to have fingers full of muscles but also full of ideas. The China-cymbal bit in the instrumental section by McBrain is quite precise.

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) (8/10) I'm not a huge fan of this piece. It's a good instrumental, but as instrumentals go, I prefer more soloing, more melody, and this tracks feels more like a regular song without lyrics than a true instrumental wrote as an instrumental. Of course, the level of playing is very high, specially by Harris who manages to make even the most mundane of ideas into something exciting. The guitar solo in the middle section ultimately catapults this track to a higher echelon. Good.

Flash of the Blade (8.5/10) We're back home with a fantastic riff to open this non-stop attack on our energy supplies. The verse is not that memorable but the chorus makes up for it with a catchy melody, ready for arenas. Good song, made even better by Murray's and Smith's solos. The section where only the two of them dialogue is a textbook in good double-guitar metal.

The Duelists (7/10) This one starts with a typical rhythm for Maiden, very similar to that of the last song of this album. I don't particularly love this track, but the guitar solo section enhances it greatly. Too repetitive, this track may be the weakest in the album.

Back in the Village (7/10) The opening riff is decent but not overly original. Pure energy, pure speed, a little of punk forces strike back. Harris' bass just keep on coming with pounding strength. The other not-memorable track in the album, it doesn't hurt it as it's perfectly placed right before better songs.

Powerslave (8/10) The Egyptian-eastern-sounding riff gives this track a distinct flavor that matches perfectly with the lyrics (and overall concept of the album.) This song has a little more in the way of melody, and McBrain's drumming is exactly like it should be. The second section (after the main riff) is menacing, almost black-metal menacing. Then we have an instrumental section with more melody and a great work by Harris. (his bass is just so over the place in the mix). A good track that could've been better.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner (9/10) The long epic of the album, it tells a great story with great resources. At times it could get a little repetitive but there are other moments when it really sounds progressive, with great texturing work by the guitars and master Harris. Dickinson sings his lungs out, but also delivers subtlety and passion. With more variation it could've been the first 10/10 I would've given to an Iron Maiden song, but I'd have to wait for that. More melody, more diversity and this would have been one of THE epics by The Beast. It's probably their longest song, right above "The Sign of The Cross" in THE X-FACTOR, but, unlike that magnificent song, many of the minutes are just too much alike. Great song. Not perfect. The middle instrumental section is amazing, though. It's what surrounds it that lacks enough variation.

Just by seeing the ratings I've given to the songs it's easy for me to say that I like this album more than THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST. As music goes, it's better, with better playing, better ideas, more progressive. That will make me give POWERSLAVE a 4 out of 5. Curiously, though, melody was more present in the 1982 historical album I just mentioned. The right balance would be achieved later.

Recommended for: Any metal fan; Fans of iron Maiden; fans of fast, energetic songs; fans of great lightning-fast guitar soloing.

Not recommended for: People who dislike metal, Maiden and all of that. You know..

.by now it should be clear who should stay away from Iron Maiden. Their music will change, but not as much as to create lovers in those who already can't take metal or the sounds of The Beast.

2.5 stars, actually

I am not an Iron Maiden fan, but from what ive given the chance to hear according to the ratings on this site, i can see why so many people are. This album, i believe, is not as good as Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, because it does not keep a consistent theme the whole album. However it does give you some great songs. The problem i have is that there is some serious filler here, a couple of the songs in the middle are terrible, and it pained me to listen to them all the way through. This is a rather high quality metal album, but that being said its still really straight forward and not for a prog fan. If your a metal fan than go ahead and get it. For the prog fan, Rime of the Ancient Mariner is going to be your only real prog here.

Fantastic metal, RotAM is the only prog though, so 2 and a half stars is quite generous.

Despite being filled with enough cheese to fill the pyramid on the album's cover, "Powerslave" is a juggernaut of infectious and bombastic metal, containing some now classic Maiden tracks as well as there most ambitious composition up to this point. "2 Minutes" might just be the most fun Iron Maiden chorus of all time, while "Powerslave" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" show the band experimenting with their trademark sound to create some powerful new themes. Add to this not one-- but two songs about swordfighting, and you've got a recipe for heavy metal excellence. For fans of the genre and the band-- "Powerslave" is impossible to disappoint.

Songwriting 3 Instrumental Performances 3 Lyrics/Vocals 4 Style/Emotion/Replay 4

Powerslave is the fifth studio album by legendary british heavy metal band Iron Maiden, and for many this release is seen as the peak of their career musically. With all members now having a minimum of one album and one tour under the belt, the band is very tight sounding. In addition they are more aware of what they want their music to sound like when recording in the studio, and main songwriter Steve Harris still has the ability to conjure up tracks containing slightly surprising creative elements.

Musically Iron Maiden now has developed a distinct style of their own. Small remnants of their early punk roots still remain, the heritage from 70's hard rock can still be heard in places; especially on a track like "2 Minutes to Midnight", but most times Iron Maiden now has a distinct, unique sound on this album. Fast paced riffing combined with slower, atmospheric riffs, harmonic riffs and extensive use of harmonic, melodic soloing are all trademarks of Iron Maidens sound here, as well as drums and bass at times played faster than the guitars; and the bass guitar being a central instrument in the soundscape of most songs. In addition to that, the song structures now begin showing influences from prog rock. The long epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is the prime example of that, but also a track like "Losfer Words"; where the band plays around with repeating themes and slight touches of dissonance; is a good example of that influence. The musical style is still heavy metal though; as the influence from progressive rock shows more in structure than in style.

The songs on "Powerslave" are mostly good. Title track "Powerslave" and the long epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" dominates the album, but most of the other tracks here are of high quality as well.

Overall this results in a classic heavy metal album; and is a worthwhile addition to most music collections.

The previous Maiden album, "Piece of Mind" was a bit of a deception. The ultra fast rhythms were gone and place was left for heavier and slower-paced music.

Fortunately, "Powerslave" will be different. Great beats again with a wild opener : "Aces High". But the whole of this album is a fully loaded with the highest energy. I particularly like "Two Minutes to Midnight" and its great guitar break.

This guitar orgy goes on and on, tirelessly. "Flash On The Blade" and its almost punkish mood is just another song which is accelerated to the max. Powerful and effective. Even if all these numbers aren't masterpieces, they are a pleasant metal "symphony".

Because in terms of prog, I'm afraid that the average progheads won't be very pleased with a work like this. Several songs are longer than average, but this won't mean complex song construction. Just extended simple (but good) tracks. For guitar and metallic sounds lovers. In this respect, "The Duellists" is one of the best and most achieved song. One of the highlights.

The title track is also a more elaborate one. Pleasant and melodic middle section (guitar oriented, would you believe). This will only be a short breathe of a smoother moment but the listener is quickly reverted into the fury. A highlight as well.

And finally, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" as the closing number. Their first true epic. From heavy metal to some spacey and ambient parts for about two minutes (the very first ones in their career so far). But I can't really consider this as the archetype of a prog song. It is a creative metal one, that's for sure.

I guess that it has been a deep inspiration for some long "Dream Theater" pieces. Very strong bass and a bombastic wall of sound even if it starts as a "Sabbath" song. The best song of this very good album.

Seven out of ten? Not yet possible, man! Gosh!

Four stars.

I was way too late knowing the music of Iron Maiden until one day in 2000 (can you imagine, I knew the band decades after their glory days in 80s?!) when a local classic rock radio station M97 was airing an excellent tune I knew nothing to play - when I drove my car in Jakarta's congested main road. I called the radio station asking who played that excellent tune. The broadcaster told me "It's Iron Maiden . 'Flight of Icarus' from 'Piece of Mind' album". Oh man, the day after I chased the CD and I got it! Since then I was hooked to IrMa. Well, I think they are one of the best heavy metal bands in the world.

Well, heavy metal is heavy metal .. but . Iron Maiden is unique in sound especially the groove, the guitar solo and most importantly .. the bass playing style by Steve Harris which I think contributes a lot `to the total sound of the band, especially in creating differentiated groove. Bruce Dickinson voice is also nice but is not something peculiar from the music of IrMa as there are other lead singers better than him in heavy metal scene like Ronnie James Dio, David Byron (Uriah Heep) or Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin).

'Powerslave' is significantly different from 'Piece Of Mind', in terms of production even though both are equally heavy in rhythm and riffs. This album was critical milestone to the band's carer in metal world with such legendary tracks like 'Aces High', 'Two Minutes To Midnight', 'Rime of The Ancient Mariner', and the title track. As I have grown up with mainly progressive music augmented with some classic rock and heavy metal, I tend to put my attention more on the epic 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" which consumes the longest duration. There parts with repetition that sometimes make me a bit boring but I really love the drive and energy this track delivers. I can relate those of you who like the 70s music might want to compare this with Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying" where the two have similar style and consume more than 10 minutes in track duration. Of course, I prefer "In My Time of Dying" but I can see that "Rime of The Ancient Mariner" is an excellent track that IrMa must have been so proud about it.

Nothing is truly prog with this album and this is a very good album for those of you like heavy metal music. The artwork of this album had been very popular in mid 80s, used by the young. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Well, looky HERE. This is, so far, the second best Maiden album from the studio, and Dickinson's finest hour with the band. He even wrote the title track! Go figure. But, most importantly, his vocals finally sound perfectly at home with the material. Huh? Oh yeah, and the riffs are brutal and the melodies are memorable and all that stuff no one cares about again.

The album is apparently a concept album devoted to really awesome slaves; "power slaves," if you will. I guess.

Point is, "Aces High" rocks my socks from here to Nebraska. Oh, wait, hmm, does opening the album with a song about fighter pilots sound familiar, Piece of Mind's "Where Eagles Dare?" Why yes it does. However, "Aces" has awesome riffage, and the energy is through the roof. Don't need no stale airplane sound effects to make this number great.

"2 Minutes to Midnight" is also, amazingly enough, pretty sweet. The lyrics are pure trash, but they're still FUN in a goofy sing-along sorta way. Love the chorus; love the solo parts in the middle even more. Speaking of instrumentals, "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" is the last great ole Maiden instrumental. Is it just another excuse for high octane eighties metal riffage? Yes. But is it sweet? As hell; this is eighties metal at its finest. I love the metalized jig part (why does that sound familiar?).

We slow down a bit for the next couple of songs, although they're still quite good. "Flash of the Blade" has a sick as hell opening with a lightning fast Dungeons and Dragons riff. It's pretty solid within and throughout, and the baroque-metal break in the middle is genius. And "The Duelists?" Well, "Duelists" is just...just a really solid heavy metal number. All about fighting. For pleasure. Yep. It's not fireworks or anything, but it's not gonna have you hang your head in shame.

"Back in the Village" is the only number that leaves me cold. I mean, it's toe-tappin' and all, but it's not a very worthy sequel to "The Prisoner." And all that "Backinthevillage I'm just backinthevillage" stuff gets irritating.

However, the best has just about been saved for last. The "Kashmir"/"Stargazer"/"Gates of Babylon" rip-off of a title track, arguably the best song on the record, is a mini-epic in the vein of "Phantom of the Opera;" a goofy intro followed by a couple of savage riffs played in sequence. Dickinson's operatic poetry probably could be better, but just pay attention to the soloing, particularly the fast mid-section (symbolizing the "passage of time," for you Maiden analysis freaks). Ain't that riff God-like? And when Harris' bass takes over? Awesome.

And when "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" starts up, you just know it's gonna be good. That maritime riff is superfantastic. And it doesn't disappoint. Sort of. Okay, so any Maiden track that's thirteen minutes long can't be one-hundred percent gold (it's just more riffs!), and admittedly, the slow part in the center is probably a bit much. But hey, then again, maybe it needs it as a breakup section (besides, the fast section after it is great). Maybe without it, I honestly WOULD get sick of all this endless riffage, like my mom always told me I would. Maybe not. But still, considering the track, and considering the band, it's more than tolerable. The first riff is great, the second is decent, the slow part is...a little too long, the stiff "jam" is cool, and when we return to the first riff? Well, you know I liked that one.

Although, oddly enough, I'm sort of disappointed that the translation of the epic poem into epic Maiden song is so straightforward; I liked how earlier songs used their original stories as metaphors for crazed love ("Phantom") or the falsely accused ("Rue Morgue"). But, oh well, can't have it all, as Bruce "Scream For Me Long Beach" Dickinson tells us.

I honestly don't know why I like this album so much. Dickinson is pretty much free to do what he wants. The subject matter ranges from pharaohs to fencing to fighter pilots. The sound is pretty much right where it's always been (although, is a little of the first album's crunch back again?). The cover is the farthest from the original covers that we've been (I mean, dude, is there ANY black on that thing? Eddie's eyes are friggin' BROWN!).

And yet, there's something about this album. Beyond just the riffs being back, it's more than that. Maybe it's the fact that the Steve's remembered what made the first Maiden album so good; that it was just some dudes playing their metal. There ain't no sound effects or spoken intros, backwards or otherwise. Well...okay, so there're those two "epics" tacked onto the end. They're in the grand old style, damn it! They're actually LESS over-the-top and lumbering than anything "epic" on the last couple of albums.

There's also an...energy on here or something, especially when compared to the last album. It's like the band found a sudden burst of "not suck," and used it to their advantage.

Or maybe I just really, really like mummies. I dunno. I mean, it's not like the thing is perfect; despite there being an instrumental, this is just about as varietous as any Maiden album, and other than rockin' out, it's hard to, you know, really honestly relate to these guys. But still, no pretentious headbanger should be without this one.

Anyways, I gotta get back to building this pyramid for the almighty Dickinsonian one. See ya in a thousand ages or so.

Powerslave is Iron Maiden´s fifth album and the third with Bruce Dickenson behind the microphone. Iron Maiden were at this time already one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world but with Powerslave they cemented that position. Powerslave is one of their most classic albums and it contains many live favorites. Powerslave is probably my second favorite Iron Maiden album and it´s only superseeded by Somewhere in Time. Powerslave was also a significant album for Iron Maiden as it marked the first time the band had a steady lineup over two albums. The success and praise which Powerslave received at the time of it´s release in 1984 led Iron Maiden towards one of the biggest and longest tours of their career. You can hear evidence of that tour on the fantastic Life After Death album.

Powerslave begins with one of the most classic Iron Maiden tracks Aces High. Bruce starts the song with his signature air siren scream which fits the lyrics about air fighting well. It´s a very fast paced song ( of couse not blast beats tempo but still fast) with some really challenging guitar riffs. A favorite Iron Maiden track for me if there ever was one. Two Minutes To Midnight continues the album in great style. It´s a mid paced song with some beautiful vocal lines and guitar chord progressions. I´ve always been touched emotionally by this song. I don´t know why but it works really well for me.

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) is an instrumental song which has never been my favorite. Of course it´s Iron Maiden we´re talking about so it´s still great. Flash Of The Blade is also a good song but again not a favorite for me. The main guitar riff is a bit generic seen with today´s eyes, but probably worked wonders back then. There are some great classical guitar notes being played here too which are really great. The Duellists, which like Flash of the Blade is a song about one of Bruce Dickenson´s big hobbies sword fighting ( I´m sorry but my limited English doesn´t allow me to give a more sophisticated explanation), is also pretty good but again nothing special. Back In The Village is a fast paced song which reminds me a bit about the two previous songs. It´s good but not an Iron Maiden classic. It´s funny but the four previous songs have never been favorites of mine in Iron Maiden´s discography even though they are good songs. They remind me of some of the least exciting songs from Piece of Mind.

Powerslave brings us back on the right course again. This is a classic Iron Maiden song. It´s got a really cool main riff with an egyptian mood. It´s such a great heavy song with great lyrics. One of the highlights of the album. Another highlight is definitely the last song on the album which is the epic Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. This is another classic Iron Maiden song and a fan favorite. The lyrics are inspired by Samual Taylor Coleridge famous poem written in 1797 - 1799. The song is 13:36 minutes long and it´s one of the longest songs written by Iron Maiden if not the longest.

The musicianship is excellent as always with Iron Maiden. It´s impossible not to be impressed with the tight interplay between the musicians and of course Steve Harris dominant and busy basslines. Bruce Dickenson is such a unique singer and proves once again why he is so highly regarded by the fans of Iron Maiden.

The production from Martin Birch is one of the best productions that Iron Maiden has ever had and it´s even more impressive that Powerslave had this sound in 1984. I don´t recall hearing any other metal band from 1984 having this good a production. The bass is very high in the mix which of course is an aquired taste but personally I think it sounds great.

The cover is one of the most beautiful and detailed covers ever. This one´s a favorite of mine. Derek Riggs has really outdone himself with this one ( and would again on Somewhere in Time)

Powerslave is one of the most classic heavy metal album of the eighties and one of the most important albums in Iron Maiden´s discography. After my favorite Somewhere in Time I would chose this one as their best. There is only one true masterpiece in Iron Maiden´s discography though and as Powerslave does have some weak parts I´ll rate this excellent album 4 stars. It might be the best place to start if you´re curious about Iron Maiden as it represents them so well. This is highly recommendable.

Powerslave was my introduction to Iron Maiden and it is a highly recommended album for both metal fans and prog heads. It is the crowning achievement of their evolution from punk-metal to ambitious prog metal epics, it has some of their best songs and I've never heard them play tighter or more passionately.

The opener is spot on, Aces High is an excellent 80's take on Rainbow's Kill The King, injecting with more aggressive playing and speed. 2 Minutes to Midnight is another Maiden anthem, slightly commercial but too catchy to resist. Losfer Words is the first track on the album that extends their usual epic hard rock formula. It's an instrumental with gorgeous bass work from Harris and a structure that goes a bit further then usual metal formats. It's no YYZ but sure enjoyable. Flash of The Blade has some pleasing instrumental sections but suffers from a cheesy bridge and chorus. Also The Duellists has never appealed much to me, but the remainder of the album more then makes up for this mid-album dip.

With Back In The Village, the album gets the momentum back from the first three tracks. A highly Blackmore influenced guitar riff kicks of this catchy speed metal gem. The title track Powerslave is my favourite Maiden song and I'm quite sure I'm not the only one. Their best galloping riff ever, vicious verses, an ominous Eastern music inspired bridge, great vocal harmonies in the chorus and an excellent guitar solo. Also the rhythm is a clear nod to Middle-Eastern dance rhythms and the main reason for the Egyptian flavour. The 13.30 minutes of Rime of the Ancient Mariner can't be missed neither. It's Maiden's most bold and proggy moment and they pull it off with great flair.

Slightly uneven but still superb, Powerslave isn't an album you are allowed to miss if you are interested in heavy prog, prog metal or power metal. If you think Iron Maiden isn't more then a daft commercial 80's metal band, then this album could make you change your mind. An obvious Iron Maiden favourite. 4.5 prog-related stars.

Steve Harris rocks

One of the site's more dubious additions were Iron Maiden even though you must remember they occupy prog-related, not prog-metal. For some even that placement is going too far. I remember the day after this tour hit our city the Powerslave shirts took over the high school halls. I can't remember why I didn't go but I would have enjoyed it. The album, and actually the band, are a mixed bag for me personally. I hate Bruce Dickinson's frequent upper register warbles with a passion, and my friends and I always found the Maiden guitar sound to be a bit thin. Yet what does work here works in a big way. Listening to Steve Harris is just mesmerizing to me, he's a monster. And has anyone noticed how the Maiden rhythm section can sound just a bit like Trewavas and Pointer but with a harder, faster edge? The tracks are too repetitious for me to listen to often, yet they excel in their own way and remain fun to revisit on occasion. Aces, 2 Minutes, and Back in the Village are loads of fun with then hooks and punkish energy. Rime is a bit oversold as the highlight when the title track should be the one getting the attention. It encapsulates all of the strengths of Maiden (and Powerslave) in a more succinct package. From the guitar harmonies to the acoustic interlude to the memorable riffs, it has a great ferocity and bite to it. On the down side the album lags a bit in the middle section from Losfer Words through The Duellists. The lyrics of Powerslave also deserve some acclaim, being more ambitious and intelligent than those proposed by many of their peers at that time. A good album for the 80s metal fan.

Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)

On the fifth studio album of Iron Maiden the band slightly recovers from the small loss of energy that Piece of Mind (1983) had suffered from. Powerslave is one of the heaviest albums of the band with a continues high pace and intensive instrumental parts in all songs. The album is a favorite for a lot of fans of the band.

The opener Aces High is an up-tempo track with spectacular high pitched vocals of Bruce Dickinson and a great instrumental guitar part. This song is very powerful and I used to like it very much, but the songs doesn't grow over time. Two Minutes to Midnight is stronger with some very inspiring melodic songwriting. The opening riff is quite conventional, but the bridge has a great dark feel and the couplet has a nice twist that keeps in interesting. The melodic soloing in the lower paced middle section is good. Losfer Words is an instrumental metal track. It's good, be I prefer the instrumentals of the first two albums. Somehow the melodies aren't as catchy as on other instrumental parts of Maiden.

Flash of the Blade is another up-tempo song with pull-off guitar themes all over the place that give it a sophisticated feel. A nice experiment. The Duellists is one of the stronger tracks of the album. It has many instrumental parts and I really like the vocal parts. It is a song with it's own atmosphere that is kind of relaxing. Back in the Village is like Flash of the Blade a song full of guitar frenzies and little good songwriting. I liked it very much at first, but I think it's a bit too much of to little.

Powerslave, the title-track, is strong Maiden epic with all elements the band has to offer. The song has an Egyptic feel as can be expected with an album cover like this. The many strong instrumental parts make this an important Maiden song. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the absolute highlight of the album. With it's 13 minutes it still is the longest Maiden track ever recorded. It has an amazing story, a great atmospheric middle section, more great instrumental parts and solo's and a good ending. Perhaps this is the proggiest of Maiden's epics.

Conclusion. Another good Iron Maiden album with some weak spots. I might not have always been very positive in my Maiden reviews, but it's important to know I prefer mediocre Maiden tracks to most other metal tracks of other bands. The standard of Iron Maiden was quite high and my expectations have risen over the time when I got into progressive music. This album is yet another good metal album with lot's of progressive moments and enough good songwriting to get four stars. After this Iron Maiden would again change directing with the synth-guitar driven Somewhere in Time.

"Hear the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Stay here and listen to the nightmare of the sea!"

"Powerslave" is the first great progressive metal Iron Maiden album, after they had released a few albums leading to this new direction in their music. IM were always threatening to release an album like this once they broke away from the confining short songs and 4/4 traditional rock signatures. There was always experimentation with time sigs but this was all taken to the extreme level with the brilliant 13 and a half minute onslaught of 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner'; my all time favourite IM track.

I could spend this entire review talking about this track alone, and when I heard this on the metal radio show, when this was first released, the announcer stated that this track alone was worth getting "Powerslave"; I concur with this. It is simply brilliant metal and I have played this so many times I have somehow managed to memorise every lyric and even the lead breaks. There are some incredible lead breaks here by the duel guitars of Murray and Smith. The complexity of the music cannot be taken for granted, there are time sig shifts throughout and mood swings at every verse. The song begins with a galloping riff with small diversions and then it launches into a fast tempo speed lick. "The ship sails on through the fog and ice.... Water water everywhere and all the boards did shrink..." The lyrics are based on Coleridge's poem of the same name and it this song is a very faithful interpretation; the university lecturer played this track when I was studying poetry would you believe. I had given the lyrics and song to the lecturer on her request. It eventually cleared the room of all the ladies but I sat there and enjoyed it.

The song basically goes into each aspect of the poem, where the Mariner sees an albatross, kills it and thus the curse of death plagues the ship killing his crew. "The Mariner kills the bird of good omen..." and the siren like banshees of "Death and She Life in death they throw their dice for the crew", and they want the Mariner to succumb to their deathly charms. Eventually the pace slows and it grinds to a halt with a bassy passage with atmospheric effects, such as a witch's cackle and the creaking of the doomed ship. A narrative voice speaks Coleridge's epic poem that Dickinson had previously been screaming out with utter conviction. It reminds me now of Van der Graaf Generator's lyrics by Hammill on 'Plague of Lighthouse Keepers' that is also about a doomed ship and drowning. "They dropped down one by one," the narrator speaks and then the pace quickens again. The theme of dying and being stalked by death itself is powerful. When the bass begins and a new chugging riff enters, Dickinson's vocals penetrate with power, "The curse it lives on in their eyes, the Mariner he wished he died along with the sea creatures but they lived on so did he, then by the light of the moon he prays for their beauty not doom, with heart he blesses them God's creatures all of them too, then the spell starts to break, the albatross falls from his neck..." After the curse is lifted, a lengthy brilliant lead break with fret melting dexterity pummels the senses. It returns back to the intro riff with variations, I love the lyrics, "that we should love all things that God made" as it shows the Mariner has learnt his lesson from killing the albatross and now has converted to admiring creation rather than destroying it. The poem is also my favourite poem due to this song, and I wrote a very solid essay about it; thank you Iron Maiden for that High Distinction! Overall this track is quintessential to Maiden and is always the highlight for me when it appears on live concert DVDS.

OK, for the rest of the album there is enough here to make this a worthy purchase. 'Aces High' has a catchy chorus and very good guitar work, a classic track. 'Two Minutes To Midnight' was played on metal radio show just before the witching hour so I have heard it many times. It's great in concert and still a popular favourite with Iron fans. 'Powerslave' is a terrific song with killer riffs and a memorable chorus. The Egyptian themes here are of course due to IM's interest in the Egyptian Book of the Dread (shock horror) but the themes lead to the mighty stage set with the Sphinx and Pyramids, and Tutenkhamen mummified objects; it is all very "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for me, but a cool image in it's day, no doubt.

So overall here is an album with strong progressive elements, one killer epic to die for, and a lot of catchy shorter songs. It is definitely worth getting hold of, trust me on this. Along with "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and "Brave New World" this is an excellent metal feast of Iron Maiden.

One of the great things about PA is that I can review albums that are not strictly prog, but would be of interest to proggers(Proto, Related). Of course on a metal site(like Metal Archives which I have yet to check out) I would give this album 5 stars. Powerslave is my favourite Maiden album. But this is not their proggiest effort. "Back In The Village" is almost filler here. "2 Minutes To Midnight" is a popular song but I never liked it very much. Up to this point in their career Maiden seemed equally influenced by punk and prog, yet remained 100% metal. But "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" is IMO, one of the first prog-metal songs.

Almost 14 minutes of some of the greatest music you will hear from the 1980s. "Mariner" has great playing, great lyrics, great singing...well it's just great, really. I've always loved the part in the middle with the minimalistic bass and atmospheric guitar with Dickinson narrating. Some of the best guitar solos from this band can be found here. "Losfer Words"(get it? Lost For Words) is a great instrumental. I admit I'm not really familiar with anything the band did after Fear Of The Dark, but going by memory, I think this is the only instrumental Maiden did between 1980-92. "Aces High" is a classic metal song but not very proggy. "Flash Of The Blade" and "The Duellists" have great choruses but the rest of the two songs aren't quite as good.

The title track is the next proggiest thing to "Mariner". It's a great song. The album cover is my favourite of all Maiden albums. Anything to do with ancient Egypt is just super cool in my opinion. I like the fact that you can hear Steve Harris' bass clearly; on most '80s metal albums the bass usually gets buried under overdubbed guitars. I think he writes most of Maiden's lyrics, I'm not sure. But Powerslave has some of the best lyrics Maiden has to offer. This is nothing essential to a progger but every metalhead should have this album in their collection. 3 stars.

Part three of the Iron Maiden greatest hits trilogy begins with the beloved concert classic Aces High and continues in a similar fashion with Two Minutes To Midnight. But does it mean that the band has finally managed to win me over with their music? The short answer (and judging from my rating) is yes, but please allow me to explain.

It's really not the lack of hits that made The Number Of The Beast and Piece Of Mind such underwhelming releases, instead it's the regular album tracks and the general lack of creative soul searching that made it seem as though Iron Maiden was stamping the same ground and would most likely never get any better than that. Luckily this wasn't so and Powerslave is a perfect example that will hopefully prove all naysayers wrong. If anything, this is probably the band's most consistent release of their entire career with all of these eight tracks featuring the stereotypical Iron Maiden cliches of the past but this time it works because of the longer instrumental passages, better material and a revived interest for progression. The latter might not be too obvious at first but the last two tracks make it a bit more obvious.

The Ancient Egyptian themed title track and 13+ retelling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Rime Of The Ancient Mariner are pretty much as good as this band will ever get for us, casual fans. While the rest of the material might not shine as bright, it still has just enough energy to make it an enjoyable ride leading to the two great compositions towards the end.

If you've still not heard a single Iron Maiden album then this is definitely a great place to start. The band would get even better with their next release, but I'll skip the details for the time being.

***** star songs: Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (13:36)

**** star songs: Aces High (4:29) Two Minutes To Midnight (6:00) Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) (4:13) Flash Of The Blade (4:02) The Duellists (6:07) Back In The Village (5:20) Powerslave (6:48)

Iron Maiden further refined the style of Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind with Powerslave, which included both breakout hits such as Aces High or 2 Minutes to Midnight and progressive metal epics such as the title track and, in particular, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. One of the band's most high-energy albums, the band maintain a furious pace from the opening bars of Aces High and don't let up for the full running time of the set, sustaining their momentum where most other bands would have slacked off here and there. Simply put, not a single song on this album is filler; each one is a classic part of the Iron Maiden repertoire.

Although this was the 5th album by IRON MAIDEN it was the only the 2nd to have the exact same lineup as the previous. Apparently this stability meant they could focus on the music and refine it until it was of near perfection. All members are on full display here at the peak of their careers. All stars align in this metal masterpiece just like the shadows on the calendar days of ancient Egypt at a time when the pyramids served as an aid to the mysteries of the universe. Eddie seems to be stuck in the insane asylum still on the last album since he is not on here and only a sarcophagus representation of his ancient ancestors seems to be on display.

POWERSLAVE was an important development in IRON MAIDEN's career as it took all which came to be on the previous albums and refined them into amazing creations that had the catchiness, the aggressiveness and the beauty and added more complex progressive elements as clearly shown in the band's most compex song ever "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" which is based on the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge that was written way back in 1798.

This is simply one of those beyond belief albums in music history much less metal that demands to be heard and more than holds up the test of time. The band set off on their longest and most successful live tour based on this album which spawned the live album LIVE AFTER DEATH. At this point the band reached the level of superstardom and would forever be an influence on the musical world.

The only curiosity i've ever felt toward this album is that the cover art which is one of my favorites in all of music history suggests a concept album based around the medieval past in Egypt yet begins with a song that is about flying jets. I guess my expectations of a full on concept albums are too demanding and I will not impose it on this album because they did not fulfil them. Taken for what it is it is still a masterpiece of metal music that does not seem in the least bit dated all these decades later.

Half powerful

Wow, what a stunning artwork! This must be top-notch middle-eastern heavy metal! Well, unfortunately not exactly....

"Powerslave" marks, for me, the transition from a pure, epic to a more prog-oriented metal. Thus, as for most transitional albums, it has both good and bad parts.

Good parts are tracks 1, 3, 7 and 8. "Aces High" is a powerful, typical MAIDEN opening, which shares some similarities with "Where Eagles Dare". "Losfer Words" is an aggressive instrumental track with interesting variations. However, the record highlight - and the main interest for proggers - are the Egyptian-like title track and the 13 minutes suite "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". These songs alone justifies the listen. Unfortunately, the rest of the album does not present the same quality and originality.

The other half of the album contains mostly what I consider as filler songs. "2 Minutes to Midnight" sounds rather flat, contrasting with the enthusiasm of the opening track. "Flash of the Blade" and "The Duellists" have strong intros, but afterwards becomes annoying and repetitive, missing at keeping interest. The worst moment of the album is undoubtedly "Back In The Village". This song may be one of their less inspired from the 80's. Compared to the epic tracks on the previous album "Piece of Mind", this is quite a contrast.

My least favorite 80's IRON MAIDEN album. Prog fans can give it a listen, but for them I'll rather recommend "Somewhere in Time", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", or even "The X-Factor".

Iron Maiden's fifth album is generally considered to be one of their best, and while I disagree with this, finding some of their reunion efforts to surpass this, along with some classic ones, this is still a great album. The energy on this album matches that of Number of the Beast, with great musicianship all around. Bruce Dickinson is an incredible singer, being able to combine power with good range and have a dramatic flair to it as well.

This album has quite a definitive duality to it, with half the songs being fairly straightforward such as 'Aces High' and more involved, complex songs, particularly 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. Both types of songs are of high quality, with the traditional metal tracks being fun and up tempo, full of great riffs and the amazing basswork of Steve Harris. 'Aces High' is especially great in this regard, being one of the fastest and most energetic songs the band has ever written, with an extremely memorable hook to go along with it. On the other side of things, the more involved works manage to keep many of the traditional heavy metal elements to it, while also having some fairly interesting ideas thrown in as well. The title track, while the lyrics are very theatrical, are still interesting and tell a great story within the short song length. Along with the lyrical content being interesting, the mild Egyptian touches to the main riff, along with the incredible guitar solo, make this a very worthy song. 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' is where the album really picks up, being one of the best songs Maiden has ever written, with a great sense of progression to it, becoming more intense as the song goes on before completely dropping out, leaving nothing but eerie bass and Bruce reading poetry, all before picking up once again, not wasting a single moment within the 13 minutes of the song.

The album does have an issue with consistency however, as the middle four tracks are considerably weaker than the rest, especially 'Back In The Village' which while fast and energetic, is fairly uninteresting, with Bruce's vocals sounding unimpressive during the chorus, and the song being overall very weak. 'Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)' is the other major weak point, simply because while the riffs are immediately catchy and enjoyable to listen to, the structure of the song leaves a lot to be desired, with it building up quite well. before just... ending, leading to disappointment. Other than these two songs, the album is of high quality, even if 'Flash of the Blade' and 'The Duellists'' aren't anything amazing.

Overall, this is a great album full of great riffs, great energy, and great songwriting. I believe that despite the weaker moments on the album, notably 'Back In The Village', the album is still more than worth listening to.

Best Songs: Aces High. Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Weakest Songs: Losfer Words (Big 'Orra), Back In The Village

Verdict: A great album full of equal parts traditional, straightforward heavy metal, and more unique, experimental moments, all culminating in the 13 minute epic. One of the finest moments for Maiden (In which there are a lot) despite the occasional missteps.

'Powerslave' by Iron Maiden is a good example of what a decent 80s metal album sounds like... but not much more. The follow-up to 'Piece of Mind', one of their more successful releases, is a somewhat disappointing venture into common ground, as the British new wave metal legends present a collection of eight songs, recorded at Nassau Point Studio in the Bahamas, that does not necessarily expand their sound. It has to be said that up to that point Iron Maiden had been gaining momentum, with each release reaching a wider audience, performing better commercially, and so on. However, what I think is that out of their first five studio albums, 'Children of the Damned' is the one that deserves the most attention, as the rest seems a bit incomplete still, maybe lacking this crispy cohesiveness that they would later develop, with albums like 'Seventh Son' or 'Brave New World'.

As for 'Powerslave', it is a powerful, energetic and uplifting recording, kicking off with two awesome and kickass singles, those being 'Aces High' and '2 Minutes to Midnight'. As usual, the primary writer (or rather, contributor) to the essence of the album, is the band's brilliant bass player Steve Harris, undoubtedly one of the most important and influential bassists of his generation, the rest of the band is performing not worse. Bruce Dickinson also sounds like a beast on this album, and there is a very strong Ian Gillan influence on several moments of his phrasing and screaming throughout the album. 'The Duellists' is an interesting song, the title track is really good, and the 13-minute 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' has to be the big winner of the album, as it can be safely said, Maiden went full on prog with this one! A multi-section epic, with shifting moods and tempos, it is a severely promising composition, and a side of the band's sound that would be best developed on the aforementioned 'Seventh Son'.

What I know is that 'Powerslave' is a bit polarizing for fans and critics of the band alike; For me - I know I have heard heaps of better albums, and I am certain that they have released much stronger LPs. Not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but not a mind-blowing and game-changing either.