I've just gotten to Somewhere in Time in my discography run. I still really like this album. It represents a big step toward more ambitious, progressive songwriting, with songs like Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land and Alexander the Great.
I think this is also the album where, and no offense to Dave, it becomes really clear that Adrian Smith is something special as a guitarist and songwriter. I'd posit that this is the most Adrian-heavy album, and still his best full album worth of work. Stranger in a Strange Land has my favorite-ever Maiden guitar solo, but it's only one of several great ones by H on this record (see: Caught Somewhere in Time, Alexander the Great multiple times). He also has, count them, THREE solo songwriting credits here, which are all excellent songs: Wasted Years, Sea of Madness and Stranger in a Strange Land.
Going back a couple of albums, since I made posts about the first three, but not any of the albums since: I really think there's a bigger step forward from TNotB to Piece of Mind than a lot of people do. First, I know Clive Burr has his fans, and I think he's a good drummer, but to me it just sounds right having Nicko behind the kit. Then, I think the songwriting leveled up quite a bit between those two albums. The whole of side A is just excellent, and I really think the only weak song overall is Quest for Fire.
I also think the lyrics are a step up here. This is the album where they fully enter the now-familiar territory of writing mainly about history and literature, as opposed to a mixture that includes a lot of crime/horror/sex lyrics. With the obvious exception of the dinosaurs walking the earth, I think the lyrics here are better suited to the music and more to my liking.
Powerslave... I remain convinced is a step down. Coming back to this album after years of not hearing it, Losfer Words, Flash of the Blade and The Duelists still just don't do it for me. I think we're past the point where those would be likely to grow on me. The other five songs are really good, and there is still a sense of progression on this album. I just think it's far less consistent than its predecessor.
I'm also kind of over 2 Minutes to Midnight. I still think it's a good song, and I like the instrumental section a lot, but the verses and chorus are just decent. Probably doesn't help that it uses that one riff that every metal band used around this time, either.
Live After Death is an album that I've probably overplayed at this point, but I still think it's one of the best live albums ever made. There was a fantastic energy on that tour, a lot of the songs have more life than they do on the album, and it includes so many of their best songs (especially if you include the extra tracks from Hammersmith).
Topic: The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls (Read 572641 times)
