Deep Dives: Iron Maiden Part V: Powerslave (1984)

Powerslave was Iron Maiden’s first album since Bruce Dickinson became lead singer to feature an unchanged roster. It had 2 singles, and reached #2 in the UK, and #21 in the US. (The US is the only country where it is certified Platinum.) It was supported by the World Slavery Tour, the band’s longest tour to date, which became their Live After Death tour.

Members:

Bruce Dickinson: vocals

Dave Murray: guitars

Adrian Smith: guitars

Steve Harris: bass

Nicko McBrain: drums

The Tracks:

1. “Aces High”: This song about a WWII British pilot is one of the band’s most popular songs, and since Dickinson has a pilot’s license, it’s a natural song for them. An impressive starter.
2. “2 Minutes to Midnight”: This was Iron Maiden’s first single to exceed 5 minutes, and is an excellent protest song. One of my favorites.
3. “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)”: This was the band’s last instrumental. Excellent rhythm section.
4. “Flash of the Blade”: I love the bombastic bass on this. This song has been covered by Avenged Sevenfold and Rhapsody of Fire.
5. “The Duelists”: McBrain is drumming like a beast on this one!
6. “Back in the Village”: This one is good.
7. “Powerslave”: This is an awesome title track!
8. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”: This would be Iron Maiden’s longest song until ” Empire of the Clouds”, lasting almost 14 minutes. It’s named after and inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem. I love this song

Final Verdict: This is the best album so far!

Grade: A+

Deep Dive: Iron Maiden Part IV: (1983)

Piece of Mind is the debut of Nicko McBrain as Iron Maiden’s drummer, as he had left his previous band Trust. The album had 2 singles, reaching #3 in the UK and 14 in the US, and is certified Platinum.

Members:

Bruce Dickinson: vocals

Dave Murray: guitars

Adrian Smith: guitars

Steve Harris: bass

Nicko McBrain: drums

The Tracks:

1. “Where Eagles Dare”: An excellent opener, inspired by the 1968 film directed by Brian Hutton.
2. “Revelations”: This song contains lines from GK Chesterton’s O God of Earth and Altar, and references Aleister Crowley. I like the rhythm section on this.
3. “Flight of Icarus”: Inspired by Greek mythology, and one of my favorite songs on the album.
4. “Die With Your Boots On”: The guitars on this are intense!
5. “The Trooper”: This song is inspired by Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”. This is such a banger!
6. “Still Life”: This song starts with a backmasked message mocking everyone who called them Satan worshippers. It’s inspired by ” The Inhabitant of the Lake” by Ramsey Campbell. This has some of McBrain’s best drumming.
7. “Quest For Fire”: This song is inspired by the 1981 film by jeans Jacques Annuad.
8. “Sun and Steel”: This is based on the life of the samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Another one of my favorite songs.
9. “To Tame a Land”: This was inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune. Harris originally wanted to name it after the books, but Herbert’s estate wouldn’t let him. An excellent closer.

Final Verdict: An excellent introduction for Iron Maiden’s current drummer.

Grade: A+

Deep Dive: Iron Maiden Part III: Number of the Beast (1982)

Number of the Beast marked many changes in the band. Bruce Dickinson became the new lead singer, replacing Paul Di’Anno. Both Burr and Smith were involved with the writing. (Dickinson was also involved, but due to contractual issues with his previous band Samson was unable to have legal credit. The album had two singles, reaching #1 in the UK for the first time, and #33 in the UK.

Members:

Bruce Dickinson: vocals

Dave Murray: guitars

Adrian Smith: guitars

Steve Harris: bass

Clive Burr: drums

The Tracks:

1. “Invaders”: Great opening song with good drumming.
2. “Children of the Damned”: One of the best songs! Dickinson’s singing really does fit the band better.
3. “The Prisoner”: A great song about the cult favorite British sci-fi show. Love the guitar on this one.
4. “22 Acacia Avenue”: The second song about Charlotte the Harlot. It’s not as good as the first one.
5. “The Number of the Beast”: This got the band controversy for its reference to the Mark of the Beast, and of course made the song more popular. Christians always make this mistake. Harris was inspired by nightmares after watching The Omen.
6. “Run to the Hills”: This is about the colonization of America, written from the POV of both the Cree tribe and the settlers, condemning the enslavement and abuse. I love the guitar riffs.
7. “Gangland”: This is Burr’s only credited song. It’s got a good bass.
8. “Hallowed Be Thy Name”: Some of the lyrics got the band in trouble with the band Beckett for being taken from their song “Life’s Shadow”, causing them to leave the song off their setlist during their 2017 tour.

Final Verdict: Dickinson’s vocals are a huge improvement. This album is a bonafide classic!

Grade: A

Deep Dive: Iron Maiden Part II: Killers (1981)

Killers is the final album of the Paul Di’Anno version of Iron Maiden. It was their first album with guitarist Adrian Smith, and producer Martin Birch. The album had two singles, and reached #12 in the UK and #78 in the US.

Members:

Paul Di’Anno: vocals

Dave Murray: guitar

Adrian Smith: guitar

Steve Harris: bass

Clive Burr: drums

The Tracks:

1. “The Ides of March”: A quick instrumental starts things off with a great guitar.
2. “Wrathchild”: This has a cool opening baseline before the guitars come in. The drumming is pretty good here.
3. “Murders in the Rue Morgue”: I love how Harris keeps basing his songs on the classic stories! The opening guitar before the drums is nice. Di’Anno’s vocals are good on this track.
4. “Another Life”: The screaming guitars are intense on this one. Steve has a great bassline.
5. “Genghis Khan”: A throbbing instrumental. I like this one better than “Ides”, as it has more going on. Burr’s drumming is excellent.
6. “Innocent Exile”: Another great bassline from Harris.
7. “Killers”: My favorite song. Di’Anno’s screams are excellent!
8. “Prodigal Son”: This has a good rhythm and I like the lower mix on Di’Anno’s vocals.
9. “Purgatory”: The drumming and guitars are great on this one.
10. “Drifter”: The album closes with another screamer for Di’Anno. The bass and drums are great.

Final Verdict: I like this album a little better than the debut. Adrian is a good fit for the band, and Di’Anno shows off more range to his vocals. Also, I think Eddie looks better than he did on the previous cover.

Grade: C+