Iron Maiden
Flight Of Icarus

THE REVIEW

The famous "Flight of Icarus" was released during April of that 1983 which saw the band's international success and the release of another of their most famous singles: the renowned "The Trooper" (which we won't discuss here). Extracted from the album "Piece of Mind" in its support, it was mainly intended for the U.S. market, where the band had not yet achieved success comparable to that in Europe. Consequently, the track embraces the classic sound of those years and is quite standard, without denoting too much inventiveness or peaks of creativity. 

"Flight of Icarus" is a track with a rather slow and almost dragged pace that perks up the ears during the catchy chorus (but nothing more), but especially during Dave Murray's excellent solo and its ideal continuation by Adrian. Dickinson is still at his best and demonstrates it magnificently. It is neither a masterpiece nor one of the best tracks on "Piece of Mind," but it allows Maiden to gain good popularity even on American soil.

With a faster pace and more conviction in the overall groove of the whole song, "Flight of Icarus" could have achieved a better success that would have significantly impacted the quality of the album (which in my opinion remains the least inspired and decisive of the '80s records, due to a smoothed and dull production). Nonetheless, a quality song.

The b-side is this time a very interesting cover: "I Got the Fire" by Montrose; well-executed and lively, it enjoys a good performance from everyone and engages the listener even without the original's energy, a good second track that will please fans of Harris and co.