Iron Maiden
Powerslave

THE REVIEW

We all know Iron Maiden, the pioneers of heavy metal who have inspired many bands after them to join the rock world..live one of the best bands ever..much is said about them, of course, many of you from what I have seen think they are overrated failed fools, others that they are the best, inimitable, Dickinson has a great voice, etc. certainly after The Number Of The Beast in 1982 (first album with Dickinson on vocals after Paul Di'Anno's departure from the band) there was a change in sound, and good Bruce was the protagonist among the riffs of Murray and Adrian Smith, the usual great bass of Harris, and on drums the new Nicko McBrain, who I must say doesn't make you miss Clive Burr.

After The Number, Maiden had a tremendous success, releasing Piece Of Mind in 1983 and in 1984 Powerslave, which many consider their most accomplished album, with the cover featuring the usual monster Eddie (gimmick or commercial idea??) this time in an Egyptian version, starting strong with one of their most famous songs "Aces High," like "Invaders" from The Number Of The Beast starting strong with a chorus that would become famous, a piece about World War II evocative but repetitive when Dickinson screams "Rolleee Mane Raeneeeeee" well guys I found it really embarrassing we move on with a masterpiece "2 Minutes To Midnight," very fast and violent one of the most successful ones that immediately engages us with the famous opening riff, what can I say, wonderful, but after these two tracks, it falls down like the old Piece Of Mind; the problems surface and are evident, no ideas no ideas the next three songs are irritating and mundane, and they will show us the already evident limits of Iron.

The penultimate song after the previous tracks is "Powerslave," the title track is laughable, the riff is supposed to remind us of ancient Egypt, I almost see them with the Bangles (the ones from Walk Like An Egyptian) along with puppet/zombie/pharaoh and monumental scenographies no no..guys, the music needs to vary or the scheme stays the same, let's do Run To The Hills, The Number Of The Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, and Aces High with some fireworks, not all of us are 15 years old, and records need to be listened to form an opinion, and after "Powerslave" strangely enough comes the last track which is wonderful "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" is truly a beautiful song, but guys, why always propose the usual three little songs/singles and the rest the usual routine, Harris's gallop, two riffs, and Dickinson yelling the chorus, in Fear Of The Dark always the ballad at the end which would become their flagship in any concert (Rock In Rio, impressive), the Maiden could have done more, like other bands they have been ruined by music for its own sake, by self-indulgence by settling (as long as the fans sing the most famous songs like U2).

But Powerslave is not a three-star album, sometimes breaking away from the standard is necessary, Maiden in the following years did not do so, with Somewhere In Time, from which only "Heaven Can Wait" and the title track are salvageable (Wasted Years embarrassing), Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son from 1988, which many consider their last salvageable studio work, indeed takes many elements from metal that would make Blind Guardian famous with interesting keyboards and lyrics, and indeed is their best work in my opinion, afterwards, disgusting albums like "No Prayer For The Dying" and "Fear Of The Dark" were released, nauseating with the subsequent departures of Dickinson and the arrival of a new jester/guitarist Janick Gers totally incapable taken to do some clowning to excite the various seventeen-year-olds, finally in 2010 (I'm not mentioning the previous ones, I'm ashamed) "The Final Frontier" comes out and it's a vile and revolting work, obscene in its banality, we're now reaching the levels of a joke even the cover turns out almost crappier than the album, and they, the Iron Maiden it doesn't surprise me to find them with a Madonna or a Katy Perry now the farce is complete if they had focused on sound instead of thinking about Egypt and Blade Runner-style scenarios for their various tours (see Somewhere On Tour).