IRON MAIDEN

(UNITED KINGDOM)

POWERSLAVE

(1984)
LABEL:

EMI

GENRE:

HEAVY METAL

TAGS:
Epic
""Powerslave" may not be Iron Maiden's best album, but it is undoubtedly a classic from the band's golden age that will leave a lasting impression on many metal fans around the world."
NOISE (16.10.2007)  
4/5
(0) opinions (0) comment(s) (1) Biography + (4)
We are in 1984 and Iron Maiden continues its momentum with this 5th album in 5 years. "Piece Of Mind" had established the band's popularity, especially in the United States, and Iron Maiden's tour was very intense, ending on December 18, 1983 in Dortmund with a memorable date, excerpts of which appear on the DVD "Early Years".

Despite this huge success, Iron Maiden returns to the studio in Nassau, Bahamas, with the now faithful Martin Birch at the controls. The album is released on September 3, 1984, preceded by the single "2 Minutes To Midnight" on August 6. And it is to note that for this album, and for the 1st time of its career, the line up of the group remains stable. The band is now very close to a hit machine with two leaders in terms of composition: Steve Harris on one side and Bruce Dickinson with Adrian Smith on the other. However, this rivalry does not harm the band and creates a certain emulation.

'Aces High' opens the album in a very energetic way. It's a typical Steve Harris song, very heavy, carried by a Dickinson in a state of grace, which is ideal to open the concerts. It deals with the war, in the line of "The Trooper", and more particularly with the British bombers during the battle of England. The song that follows is also one of Iron Maiden's greatest classics, with its memorable opening riff, a huge solo from one of the greatest guitarist pairs metal has ever known, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, and some very clever lyrics about war and a very critical view of politicians and weapons dealers.

'Powerslave' is probably the best song written by Bruce Dickinson. It is also the highlight of the album with its mystical atmosphere, a splendid instrumental part, perfect solos and Steve Harris' bass punctuating the whole. The lyrics illustrate the theme of the cover and deal with a dying Egyptian pharaoh lamenting the limits of his power, a classic among classics. The album finally concludes with the longest track in the band's history, 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner', and its 13 minutes. This title is inspired by a poem of Samuel Taylor Coleridge written in 1798 and is presented as an epic ballad of any beauty magnified by an excellent central break.

Beside these four tracks, the rest, without being bad, suffers from the comparison. 'Losfer wWrds' can be listened to but doesn't have the power of its predecessors, 'Flesh Of The Blade' is a typical heavy metal song that will appear on the soundtrack of Dario Argento's film Phenomena, 'The Duellists', inspired by Ridlet Scott's film of the same name (1978) is quite successful and 'Back In The Village', the sequel to 'The Prisonner' written by Bruce Dickinson, is not a real success.

Iron Maiden did not particularly revolutionize their style in "Powerslave", but they did evolve and bring a touch of novelty with longer, more epic songs and more polished lyrics. Following this huge success, Iron Maiden begins their longest tour, the "World Slavery Tour" which starts on August 9, 1984 and ends on July 5, 1985. He participates in the Rock in Rio, on January 21, 1985 in front of 200,000 people, and does four anthology concerts in Los Angeles between March 14 and 17, 1985, and the whole thing will give birth to one of the greatest live shows in the history of metal, the "Live After Death".
- Official website

TRACK LISTING:
01. Aces High - 4:30
02. 2 Minutes To Midnight - 6:02
03. Losfer Words (Big'Orra) - 4:15
04. Flash Of The Blade - 4:06
05. The Duellists - 6:07
06. Back In The Village - 5:03
07. Powerslave - 7:11
08. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner - 13:39

LINEUP:
Adrian Smith: Guitares
Bruce Dickinson: Chant
Dave Murray: Guitares
Nicko McBrain: Batterie
Steve Harris: Basse
   
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