Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Senjutsu

[Cyclopssss]

The story of what happened after the tape stops is equally hillareous in my book. First time I've heard that. 

[TAC]

Quest For Fire catches a lot of flack. I bet it could've made a decent instrumental on par with Losfer Words.

Not a fan of Quest For Fire (in the context of a great album) but I love Sun and steel.
 

So do I!

[Mosh]

Powerslave (1984)


For their fifth album, Maiden returned to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. Powerslave was the first Maiden album to not feature a lineup change. As a result, the leap from Piece of Mind to Powerslave wasn’t as great as the albums before. The band were now comfortable in their sound and it shows. This is no longer a group of amateurs. Powerslave showcases a band that has matured and refined their sound to the point of near perfection.

Like Piece of Mind, the band had a lot of fun in the studio for Powerslave. There was still a 24 hour bar and the band often spent more time partying than actually working. Once again, this comes through in the music. The album is full of energy and the playing, while often technically impressive, is loose. Maiden never had Dream Theater level precision, but this characterized their music and helped them maintain their punkish roots.
 
As usual, Martin Birch held down the production side of things. Despite using the same producer, Powerslave still has its own unique sound. Unlike the reunion albums, which are all pretty similar production-wise, every 80s Maiden album featured its own sonic world. Powerslave is a great example. While musically not that far off from Piece of Mind, the sound is completely different.
 
There’s a significant amount of experimentation on this album. While every Maiden album progressed their sound in one way or the other, Powerslave shows some of their most ambitious work so far. Of course this is most evident in the closing behemoth, Rime Of the Ancient Mariner. This monster song held the title for longest Maiden song until 2015. In many ways, Rime is the song that Steve Harris had spent the last 4 years trying to write. However, Rime is not the only example of the band expanding their horizons. The album’s other most ambitious moments come from Bruce Dickinson, who delivered two songs for this album (another occurrence that wouldn’t repeat itself until 2015): Flash Of the Blade and the title track. Flash Of the Blade is most notable for its almost neoclassical instrumental section. The many guitar overdubs and intricate arrangement resulted in the first Maiden song that could be considered a “studio only” track. The title track is another epic tune that showcases Bruce’s skill at both lyrical and musical storytelling.
 
That aside, the band still hadn’t forgotten their Metal roots. The Smith/Dickinson partnership continues with Back In the Village and 2 Minutes to Midnight. The former is a sequel of sorts to The Prisoner, although perhaps not as memorable. The latter could be the greatest thing the duo ever produced. There’s also no shortage of Steve Harris songs. In addition to Rime, Steve contributed another high energy war themed opener with Aces High, a nice mid tempo romp with The Duelists, and the band’s last instrumental with Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra). As usual, Harris delivers top quality material reminding listeners of who’s the boss.
 
Of course Powerslave also boasts what is arguably the greatest Maiden album cover. The artwork is Riggs’ most complex, depicting a huge scene and a larger than life Eddie. The artwork is notable for all the hidden messages it contains.
 
Just like Piece of Mind, the first single released for Powerslave was a Smith/Dickinson offering: 2 Minutes To Midnight. It’s catchy riffs and chorus definitely made for a great lead single, but its 6 minute length and extended instrumental section was also a bold move. Still, the single was a success and reached #12 on the UK charts. The album was released a month later and shot up to #2. Powerslave was yet another hit for the band and features some of the band’s most beloved and iconic songs. Although it also seems to be the first album that divided the fanbase. Some consider it the weakest entry from Maiden in the 80s, even going as far as to call it “Fillerslave”. While the album is bookended by 4 iconic Maiden songs, the rest of the album has been forgotten over the years. However, that is more due to the band never playing these songs live. They’re still great songs that would fit in any live set. While Powerslave isn’t my favorite Maiden album, it’s another that doesn’t contain any weak songs. Lately I’ve found myself going to this album most when I’m in the mood for 80s Maiden.
 

[TAC]

I cannot make a proper response until I get home from work tomorrow, but suffice to say, I did NOT care for Powerslave....

Reasons tomorrow.

[Mister Gold]

Not my favorite IM album, but it's impossible to deny the impact of it and its central tracks. Personally, my favorite cut off the album is probably the title track. Rime is a masterpiece, but Bruce wrote a monster of a song with Powerslave. Plus I think its solo section is probably the band's greatest ever.

Speaking of which, here's a funny story, I got to see the title track performed live last Friday. I lost my shit when that intro track of groaning started and it took an extra five-to-ten seconds for all the middle aged guys around me to realize what song was about to hit the stage.

Needless to say, it was a highlight of the night with Bruce wearing a luchador mask the whole time he was singing it!

[Mosh]

I cannot make a proper response until I get home from work tomorrow, but suffice to say, I did NOT care for Powerslave....

Reasons tomorrow.

OK I'm glad to hear we have someone who was there and didn't enjoy it at the time. I think the "Fillerslave" thing has died down a lot recently and I'd be curious to read more about the reception at the time.

[PowerSlave]

To me, this album was the pinnacle of their classic sound. It took everything that the previous two albums did well and then perfected it. I also see it as an end to that particular sound. The band's approach would change significantly after this album. Obviously, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. The title track features the best lead/instrumental section that the band would ever create, and the songs that many fans consider to be "filler" would be stand-outs on just about any other album from any era. They suffer in this instance simply because they are surrounded by brilliance.

[jammindude]

I completely disagree that this was the first album to split the fan base.   I think that came with the introduction of synths on the next album.

Most of you here were too young to remember....but synthesizers was an extremely dirty word in the heavy metal fan base for most of the 80s.   It seems silly now, but it was very deeply rooted in history, culture, and rise of disco and new wave being seen as a threat to the more organic approach.  And yes....many people flocked to metal BECAUSE they felt that organic material was going to be killed off by synthesizers.   You laugh, but this was a real thing. 

Judas Priest and IM introducing synths on Turbo and SiT respectively was a contributing factor in the boom of the thrash metal movement that was happening at the same time period.

But thats for the next album.

I too, believe that this is the peak of the classic era.   I still have a personal preference for PoM, but I think PS truly has the band firing on all cylinders.    There are no QFF's to be found.   There are a couple "also rans", but they only seem that way because of how jaw dropping the front and back are.   On any other Maiden album, Back in the Villiage would be a knockout punch.   Here, its just overshadowed.

[NoseofNicko]

Their third best album. Awesome album. A lot of people think it has fillers, but I disagree, all of the songs are excellent.

[Mladen]

A fantastic album and one of my favorites. It was the first Maiden record I've ever heard and it made a serious impact on me almost immediately.

The hits and epics are remarkable, but the hidden gem is Back in the village. One of their all time best songs, people actually forget this song was chosen to open the side two, and it's well known side two openers need to be something the band is confident of. Once CDs came along, it was just one of those middle four, which is a shame. It kicks ass and could have worked well live, but unfortunately that never happened.

[Setlist Scotty]

Definitely a great album, IMO. I would probably say that PS and PoM are tie in my book ratings-wise, and I'd probably take them both over TNotB, but really hard to say. Obviously, this album lead to what I think is THE greatest live album ever, and served as my introduction to Maiden, as I previously stated. Funny thing I remember when hearing PS was my surprise at the "ahhhs" that accompanied the chorus to the title track, which were missing from the live version, as well as how much more I preferred Bruce's way of singing "Running, scrambling, flying...." etc. in Aces High live than the studio version. I guess the live versions here are superior to the album versions again, IMO. But I still love PS lots! The only track I really don't like is Back in the Village - totally dig The Duellists and Flash of the Blade.

Anyway, there's one thing I take issue with in Mosh's review:

Of course Powerslave also boasts what is arguably the greatest Maiden album cover. The artwork is Riggs’ most complex, depicting a huge scene and a larger than life Eddie. The artwork is notable for all the hidden messages it contains.

While the cover art for PS is killer and one of their best (not to mention their most hilarious, IMO, considering where people entered into the temple/pyramid!), most of Mosh's description is much more apt for SiT. That to me is the greatest Maiden album cover of all time, certainly the most complex, depicting a huge scene and has numerous hidden messages throughout.

[MirrorMask]

Not my favorite IM album, but it's impossible to deny the impact of it and its central tracks. Personally, my favorite cut off the album is probably the title track. Rime is a masterpiece, but Bruce wrote a monster of a song with Powerslave. Plus I think its solo section is probably the band's greatest ever.

I mostly agree with this, except for the last part: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son has Maiden's best solo section ever.

Powerslave's however would come in a close second, fantastic song and my favorite on the album.

I don't like it as much as Piece of Mind or Seventh Son, but it's still fantastic and yes, the cover is glorious. Rime of the Ancient Mariner is another masterpiece, worthy of being Maiden's longest song for three decades. Aces High is a wonderful opener and there are few things in life more electifying than hearing it as opener of a Maiden concert, and being bombarded by a wall of sound of fellow Maiden fans screaming to the top of their lungs the chorus. Absolutely amazing.

I must confess that by now I'm fed up with 23:58, but still it is a great track, I always enjoyed it more when hearing it live at concerts rather than the studio version, it has a lot of added energy.

Out of the "other four songs", my favorite is Flash of the Blade, and least favorite is the instrumental. The remaining two songs are okayish, they're not bad by any means, but they're shadowed by the rest of the album.

I'll echo the sentiments of Mister Gold in going insane over hearing Powerslave starting  live - I avoid setlist spoilers like the plague, and I couldn't even believe that they would actually play it given one of the many unwritten rules of their setlists, which is basically "Play alyways 23:58 off the album and screw the rest" (and also, more generally, centerpieces of an album / stage set do not survive the tour they build around the song).

So, to sum up, not up there with my favorite Maiden albums, but still a great record, completely deserving the fame it gets, and opened and closed by four of the best songs Maiden ever recorded, with personal preference going to Powerslave which is amazing from start to finish.

Slave to the power of death
Slave to the power of death
Slave... to the power of... deeeeeeaaaaath!!!!! 

(Come to think of it, even the ending is one of Maiden's best ever)

[jjrock88]

Aces High is one of the greatest opening tracks on a heavy metal album. It just starts off the album perfectly. I definitely don't see this album as having any filler; to me it's just one of the classic 80's Iron Maiden albums. And I will also vote Somewhere in Time as the best album cover but Powerslave is right behind it.

[Art]

Powerslave is just fucking epic. The title song is one of my favourites, and 2 Minutes is the one i enjoy the most watching live.

It's hard for me to rank the classic era albums, but Powerslave is surely on their top 5 ever, IMHO.

[Stadler]

Maybe it was where I lived, or the time (my senior year of high school) but Powerslave was epic right from the get-go.  There was no talk of "Fillerslave" where I was (and of course, it reverberated into the next official release... I guess more on that soon enough).

It's in my Top Ten records of all time (though I sometimes argue with myself as to whether Killers is my favorite Maiden album).

"Back In The Village" is one of my top ten favorite Maiden songs, and frankly, that is one of my favorite album sides ever (this was the last Maiden studio album I bought on vinyl).

The b-sides were AWESOME - my introduction to Nektar.   For those old farts like me, we had to dub vinyl onto cassette if you wanted to hear your music in the car, and I would put "some cunt's recording this..." at the start of my Maiden tapes for years.   

[Podaar]

... I did NOT care for Powerslave....

Reasons tomorrow.

I can't wait.

Most of you here were too young to remember....but synthesizers was an extremely dirty word in the heavy metal fan base for most of the 80s.   It seems silly now, but it was very deeply rooted in history, culture, and rise of disco and new wave being seen as a threat to the more organic approach.  And yes....many people flocked to metal BECAUSE they felt that organic material was going to be killed off by synthesizers.   You laugh, but this was a real thing. 

So true.

I've always loved Powerslave, especially for the two openers and the two closers. The main riff on the song Powerslave is simply brilliant. I have to agree with the folks who say the rest of the album is great too but compared to the godlike bookends it feels like a bit of a let down. And I'll never understand the dislike for Back in the Village. If it was on any other album it would be a highlight, IMO.

Only Iron Maiden could get away with having a single in the 80's that included the lyrics: "The body bags/and little rags/of children torn in two."  Respect!

[Stadler]

... I did NOT care for Powerslave....

Reasons tomorrow.

I can't wait.

Most of you here were too young to remember....but synthesizers was an extremely dirty word in the heavy metal fan base for most of the 80s.   It seems silly now, but it was very deeply rooted in history, culture, and rise of disco and new wave being seen as a threat to the more organic approach.  And yes....many people flocked to metal BECAUSE they felt that organic material was going to be killed off by synthesizers.   You laugh, but this was a real thing. 

So true.

I've always loved Powerslave, especially for the two openers and the two closers. The main riff on the song Powerslave is simply brilliant. I have to agree with the folks who say the rest of the album is great too but compared to the godlike bookends it feels like a bit of a let down. And I'll never understand the dislike for Back in the Village. If it was on any other album it would be a highlight, IMO.

Only Iron Maiden could get away with having a single in the 80's that included the lyrics: "The body bags/and little rags/of children torn in two."  Respect!

And an oblique concentration camp mention (Bergen Belsen)!!

[bosk1]

While the album is bookended by 4 iconic Maiden songs, the rest of the album has been forgotten over the years. However, that is more due to the band never playing these songs live. They’re still great songs that would fit in any live set. While Powerslave isn’t my favorite Maiden album, it’s another that doesn’t contain any weak songs. Lately I’ve found myself going to this album most when I’m in the mood for 80s Maiden.

This pretty much sums up EXACTLY how I felt about this album from the time I got it.  I love those four tracks.  The others are some of the most unmemorable of the entire IM discography to me, and I never listen to them unless playing the entire album as background music while I'm doing something else and can't be bothered to hit the "skip" button.  For this reason, despite the strength of those four tracks, other than Seventh Son, I consider this to be the weakest of the classic era albums.

[Mosh]

Anyway, there's one thing I take issue with in Mosh's review:

Of course Powerslave also boasts what is arguably the greatest Maiden album cover. The artwork is Riggs’ most complex, depicting a huge scene and a larger than life Eddie. The artwork is notable for all the hidden messages it contains.

While the cover art for PS is killer and one of their best (not to mention their most hilarious, IMO, considering where people entered into the temple/pyramid!), most of Mosh's description is much more apt for SiT. That to me is the greatest Maiden album cover of all time, certainly the most complex, depicting a huge scene and has numerous hidden messages throughout.

Meant to say most complex so far. They outdid themselves again with SIT, although it's still up for debate which of the two is better.

[ori.elias5]

Ohh Powerslave. an all time favorite.

This album is full of energy. whenever I'm down I listen to it on full volume and just get so adrenalized after.

To me, powerslave is up there with piece of mind and 7th son and defines the classic maiden.

The guitar solo in the title track is probably one of the best ever 

[romdrums]

Listening to Powerslave right now.  I took the Maiden plunge a few years ago when Book of Souls came out.  I had always been aware of their existence, but had never really listened to their records in depth.  The bass player of a band I was in in the late 90's/early 2000's was huge into Maiden, and I remember watching Live After Death with him a few times.  I also remember, back in my junior year of high school, while studying English Lit in Honors English, my teacher played us "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in its entirety, and I remember thinking it sounded an awful lot like Arch-era Fates Warning (!!).  Anyway, last year, I went out and purchased NOTB through Seventh Son and then all of the reunion era albums.  I'm glad I did.  I discovered a lot of really cool music.  It's fun reading the posts from those of you who were there from the beginning.

[MirrorMask]

I wasn't there from the beginning (Even though I could say I was just literally - I was born late November 1979 and Iron Maiden's debut came out April 1980 so my life is as long as their recording carrer, give ot take... even though if I want to be more precise I guess I have to look towards Pink Floyd, I'm one day older than The Wall), but I feel like a was. 22 years since I'm a Maiden fan and I guess by now I could teach stuff about them, I surely don't have first hand memories of those who lived the '80s seeing their concerts, but it feels like I've known them since forever. It's so great to realize that once I was a new fan, and there were older fans than me, and now that I'm an "old" fan as well there's people discovering them just now. Generation after generation people still are drawn to this band and they're active and popular as ever!

[TAC]

I will follow up this post later with a "...This is now." rebuttal, but well, some of you might not want to read this.


That was then......

So Powerslave came out shortly after I turned 16. I thought myself, even at that age, a Heavy Metal expert!   I was already into new bands like Metallica and Queensryche, with music so fresh and exciting.
I was also already a huge Iron Maiden fan, who were my favorite band along with UFO.

Anyway, when Powerslave came out, obviously the first thing I noticed was the Epygtian theme. Like when I think a screenwriter has run out of ideas, the old fall back is to have one of the characters turn unfaithful.  When a Metal band is out of ideas, they go Egyptian.
Ok, but it's Maiden, this is going to be great innit?

First track was a standard fast paced track. I guess it was cool and all, but it felt clichéd and formulaic. Yawn.

OK, the next track is the new single. Oh, and in 1984, what was all the rage? War and the nuclear bomb. Maiden singing about war was nothing new, but again, it felt clichéd again. Plus in 1984, this is what, now the 5th song that starts out with the same used up riff. So now Iron Maiden is now ripping off Riot, Accept, Saxon, and Dio? Really? The musical break was decent, but it felt very predictable.

I felt they should've renamed Losfer Words as Losfer Ideas. How can a band release such a monster like Transylvannia, and then follow it up with this piece of crap?

Next is Flash and The Duallist. Yes, it's already well documented that Bruce likes fencing. But these tracks are just not strong enough. Not even close.

Oddly, the only song I really liked right away was Back In The Village.

The title track, I originally felt was contrived and forced. I thought it was ok but I still felt like I knew every twist and turn before they took it.

And then Rime. I cannot tell you about the endless interviews I saw and read about how they did this super long song, and no metal would ever have the balls to do such a thing. Puleeze. And it doesn't really go anywhere. A very predictable mellow part 2/3rds of the way through. The song really has one pace and that's all it has.

I was very let down by Powerslave and the only thing that made it worthwhile was the Rainbow's Gold B-Side, which was better than anything else on the album.

[stargazer18]

This was Maiden’s current album when I discovered them. Not long after hearing the title track on a tape my bother made of a local college radio show, I worked quickly to pick up the rest of their discography. At the time I felt that this album was the best of what they had done up to that point. I still feel this way and think it’s just a tad bit ahead of both Piece of Mind and The Number of the Beast.

IMO, The classic Maiden song types that appeared in the previous albums are refined and taken to the next level on this album.

Lead Single: 2 Minutes to Midnight – Clearly a step ahead of both Run to the Hills and Flight of Icarus in terms of complexity and arrangement. I know it’s overplayed but it’s a great song to sing along to. It also features some of Maiden’s most graphic lyrics.
 
Second Single: Aces High – following in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Trooper, this song is a worthy successor. I love this song from start to end agree that it’s one of their best album openers. I wish they had used the Churchill intro on the album but at least it’s in the video and opened up the concerts.

Title Track: Powerslave is an awesome song given it’s both powerful and dynamic and showed that Bruce could compose as well as Steve if not in term of quantity, of quality. My 1998 copy sadly places the intro onto the end of Back in the Village instead of at the beginning of Powerslave. Duh!

Album Ending Epic: Rime of the Ancient Mariner rotates along with a few others as my favorite Maiden song.  It features a “slow gallop” beat interlaced with the story of the Albatross and the Mariner.  This song always seems shorter than it is and the mood changes work perfectly with the lyrics. The quiet middle section with the spoken word passage that segues neatly into the guitar solo is phenomenal. Granted, I think you have to be drawn to the story to make this song work.

There’s no doubt the stand out tracks listed above over shadow the remaining four but, with the exception of Back in the Village, the three remaining tracks work well within the context of the album for me.

[stargazer18]

I will follow up this post later with a "...This is now." rebuttal, but well, some of you might not want to read this.


That was then......

So Powerslave came out shortly after I turned 16. I thought myself, even at that age, a Heavy Metal expert!   I was already into new bands like Metallica and Queensryche, with music so fresh and exciting.
I was also already a huge Iron Maiden fan, who were my favorite band along with UFO.

Anyway, when Powerslave came out, obviously the first thing I noticed was the Epygtian theme. Like when I think a screenwriter has run out of ideas, the old fall back is to have one of the characters turn unfaithful.  When a Metal band is out of ideas, they go Egyptian.
Ok, but it's Maiden, this is going to be great innit?

First track was a standard fast paced track. I guess it was cool and all, but it felt clichéd and formulaic. Yawn.

OK, the next track is the new single. Oh, and in 1984, what was all the rage? War and the nuclear bomb. Maiden singing about war was nothing new, but again, it felt clichéd again. Plus in 1984, this is what, now the 5th song that starts out with the same used up riff. So now Iron Maiden is now ripping off Riot, Accept, Saxon, and Dio? Really? The musical break was decent, but it felt very predictable.

I felt they should've renamed Losfer Words as Losfer Ideas. How can a band release such a monster like Transylvannia, and then follow it up with this piece of crap?

Next is Flash and The Duallist. Yes, it's already well documented that Bruce likes fencing. But these tracks are just not strong enough. Not even close.

Oddly, the only song I really liked right away was Back In The Village.

The title track, I originally felt was contrived and forced. I thought it was ok but I still felt like I knew every twist and turn before they took it.

And then Rime. I cannot tell you about the endless interviews I saw and read about how they did this super long song, and no metal would ever have the balls to do such a thing. Puleeze. And it doesn't really go anywhere. A very predictable mellow part 2/3rds of the way through. The song really has one pace and that's all it has.

I was very let down by Powerslave and the only thing that made it worthwhile was the Rainbow's Gold B-Side, which was better than anything else on the album.

I came to Powerslave after a year long love affair with Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil - This album was a game changer for me. Really opened my eyes (and ears) to what a different brand of music sounded like.

[TAC]

I came to Powerslave after a year long love affair with Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil - This album was a game changer for me. Really opened my eyes (and ears) to what a different brand of music sounded like.

Awesome, man. Definitely a step up from Motley Crue! (I also loved their first two albums)

[Samsara]

I got heavily into Maiden when Dance of Death came out. I always knew Maiden, but just never took the plunge, as someone said above. The song that has always resonated with me from Maiden, even before I became a huge fan, was "Aces High." Still does...

[wolfking]

Love this album so much.  It was number 4 in my top 50!

I remember discovering Iron Maiden through Aces High.  I was I think 12 and one of the best sources of music back then was a late night music video program called Rage.  Every Saturday night from about 11pm through to 5am they use to have guest artists playing their fav tunes.  I use to record it and use Sunday watching and trying to discover some new stuff.  Marylin Manson was on there once and was playing some cool stuff, but one video started and it was Aces High.  It fucking changed my life, it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen.  From there my brother had a vinyl copy of TNOTB as he collected vinyl and it went from there.

As I started saving pocket money and started working early, I'd save up and buy a new Maiden album as soon as I could.  I went to the store and picked up Powerslave and saw Aces High was on it.  So happy, got the album home and the rest is history.

Such brilliant production, performances, songwriting, and the intricate and detailed solo and instrumental sections are just unreal.  Everyone is on top of their game here and I love everything about this album.

[Grappler]

I discovered Maiden in the mid 90's via Fear of the Dark - I can explain that once this thread reaches that album, however, the first album I actually owned was Best of the Beast.  I figured I should start with a compilation/greatest hits.  Aces High was the first song that I really became attached to.  The speed, the guitar riifs, the vocals - it all fits together perfectly. 

The title track and Rime are awesome, and such a great way to close out the album.   I've just gotten back into Back in the Village and Flash of the Blade in the last few weeks.  Otherwise, for a long time, I just listened to the bookend tracks - 1, 2, 7 and 8. 

[TAC]

    I've just gotten back into Back in the Village 

So you're...back in the village?

[wolfking]

    I've just gotten back into Back in the Village 

So you're...back in the village?

Again?

[Phoenix87x]

Of all the classic IM albums, powerslave took the longest for me to get in to.

It also has the incredible 2 minutes to midnight, which is the very first IM song I ever heard and the song that got me in to Maiden. Big props to Vice city for that. Besides that I really love the title track and Rime of the ancient mariner

[TAC]

    I've just gotten back into Back in the Village 

So you're...back in the village?

Again?

o/

[PowerSlave]

I will follow up this post later with a "...This is now." rebuttal, but well, some of you might not want to read this.


That was then......

So Powerslave came out shortly after I turned 16. I thought myself, even at that age, a Heavy Metal expert!   I was already into new bands like Metallica and Queensryche, with music so fresh and exciting.
I was also already a huge Iron Maiden fan, who were my favorite band along with UFO.

Anyway, when Powerslave came out, obviously the first thing I noticed was the Epygtian theme. Like when I think a screenwriter has run out of ideas, the old fall back is to have one of the characters turn unfaithful.  When a Metal band is out of ideas, they go Egyptian.
Ok, but it's Maiden, this is going to be great innit?

First track was a standard fast paced track. I guess it was cool and all, but it felt clichéd and formulaic. Yawn.

OK, the next track is the new single. Oh, and in 1984, what was all the rage? War and the nuclear bomb. Maiden singing about war was nothing new, but again, it felt clichéd again. Plus in 1984, this is what, now the 5th song that starts out with the same used up riff. So now Iron Maiden is now ripping off Riot, Accept, Saxon, and Dio? Really? The musical break was decent, but it felt very predictable.

I felt they should've renamed Losfer Words as Losfer Ideas. How can a band release such a monster like Transylvannia, and then follow it up with this piece of crap?

Next is Flash and The Duallist. Yes, it's already well documented that Bruce likes fencing. But these tracks are just not strong enough. Not even close.

Oddly, the only song I really liked right away was Back In The Village.

The title track, I originally felt was contrived and forced. I thought it was ok but I still felt like I knew every twist and turn before they took it.

And then Rime. I cannot tell you about the endless interviews I saw and read about how they did this super long song, and no metal would ever have the balls to do such a thing. Puleeze. And it doesn't really go anywhere. A very predictable mellow part 2/3rds of the way through. The song really has one pace and that's all it has.

I was very let down by Powerslave and the only thing that made it worthwhile was the Rainbow's Gold B-Side, which was better than anything else on the album.

I feel like I don't know you anymore. I want a divorce...

[JayOctavarium]

TAC  DOESNT LIKE POWERSLAVE

I feel like I don't know you anymore. I want a divorce...