Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Iron Maiden
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1984
Piece of Mind finally crowned Iron Maiden as music legends and the greatest heavy metal band of all time. With Piece of Mind, Iron Maiden stepped into their golden years, which lasted almost until the start of the nineties. It was also the record that showed how much the band had grown, because they had almost completely shed their NWOBHM roots and developed the true, classic Iron Maiden sound we know from their eighties releases. Piece of Mind also proved that Maiden were nowhere near done, and sure enough, just when you think it’s impossible to top the best moments of the first four albums, the Maiden drop the groundbreaking Powerslave in 1984. Everyone has their eighties favorite, be it Somewhere in Time or Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, but without a doubt Powerslave is the essence of the classic Iron Maiden sound. The unchanged classic lineup delivered an unforgettable document of music history, one that flawlessly captures the atmosphere, magic, emotion and unstoppable power Maiden still deliver to this day. And it wasn’t only Iron Maiden who hit a peak; after a short stay between padded walls, Eddie traveled to ancient Egypt and, on one of Derek Riggs’ most unforgettable covers, got himself crowned pharaoh.
Powerslave kicks off with a track so mighty and magical that only the unforgettable opener from the very beginnings of Maiden, Prowler, can compare. Even more, Aces High might just be the best opener of all time! No matter how many times you hear it, those opening riffs on crystal-clear guitars give you goosebumps every single time, and the aggressive, fast tempo that peaks in an outstanding solo section and Bruce Dickinson’s blazing air-raid siren are heavy metal at its finest. The brilliant atmosphere of supersonic riffs, Harris’ deep bass, Nicko’s superb fills and one of Dickinson’s brightest moments fantastically carries the adrenaline rush of a British pilot into the music, during the first all-air battle, which raged between July and October 1940. Aces High continues the series of war songs that started with Invaders and The Trooper, and with its excellent lyrics and unforgettable chorus this timeless classic became a live crusher and a fan favorite. With 2 Minutes to Midnight, Maiden waded into political waters for the first time, at the height of the Cold War. The critical look at the corruption and amorality of politics carries an excellent message, which the title itself radiates especially well. It refers to the so-called “Doomsday Clock”, which marks the threat of nuclear weapons and the approaching end of humanity. The clock came closest to the end, two minutes to midnight, in September 1953, after the Soviet detonation of a nuclear bomb of terrifying power. Today the clock stands at five minutes to midnight, and 2 Minutes to Midnight still carries a powerful message. Along with its mighty chorus and a slightly more hard rock solo section, where perhaps the last NWOBHM influence is hiding, it’s one of the best-known Maiden songs and a frequent live favorite. Next up is the fourth and, to this day, last instrumental the band has recorded, Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra). A thoroughly solid track, it can’t match the power of the previous ones, and while it’s by no means a bad song, it doesn’t reach the magic of Transylvania or Genghis Khan. Maybe that’s also why the song got the title Losfer Words (“lost for words”) (Big ‘Orra) (“big horror”). One of Bruce’s many talents is fencing, and that’s undoubtedly what gave rise to the, sadly overlooked, classic Flash of the Blade. With an intro with a dark atmosphere built on superb riffs, an excellent foundation in the verses, a great harmonized solo section in thirds and, last but not least, fantastic lyrics about a young swordsman who wants to avenge his murdered family, it’s all the harder to understand why Flash of the Blade has never been played live to this day. The same goes for the next swordsman anthem, The Duellist, which is based on Ridley Scott’s 1978 film of the same name. The film tells of the eternal feud between two French officers during the Napoleonic era. It’s a real shame The Duellist has never been played live, because it contains one of the best instrumental parts ever, and at the same time it phenomenally carries the ideal of honor, courage and love of the classic swordsmen into lyrics and music. Back in the Village continues the story of The Prisoner from The Number of the Beast, which is based on the cult British series The Prisoner. The lyrics are based on an episode near the end of the series, when the main hero “Number 6” returns to the mysterious Village. Back in the Village also boasts a brilliant instrumental part and mysterious lyrics, but it fades a bit next to the other outstanding tracks. By then it had become Iron Maiden’s habit to close a record with an epic, and Powerslave goes above and beyond in this regard too. The whole record almost completely pales once we fight our way to the closing epics. Yes, this time two colossal epics await us, which together run over twenty minutes. Dickinson really showed himself in his full glory on Powerslave. Not only had his vocals matured a bit and often sound like he’s about to scream his vocal cords/lungs out, he also proved himself an excellent writer, with Flash of the Blade and the first of the two epics, the title track Powerslave, which is probably even his best contribution in the entire history of Maiden. The seven-minute epic is the peak of the album. It opens with a scary intro of howling wind, wolves, a heartbeat, a scream and evil laughter, then explodes into ingenious, Oriental/Egyptian guitar riffs and outstanding bass lines, watched over by Dickinson’s wicked vocals in the verses. The epic lyrics about a dying pharaoh, inspired by Egyptian mythology, finish Powerslave off superbly, and it’s also one of the mightiest Maiden songs, shining in all its beauty in a spectacular instrumental part where a gorgeous, melancholic solo, two ingenious, lightning-fast solos and the incredible bass lines of mastermind Steve Harris trade places. Powerslave is without a doubt one of the greatest Maiden moments and one of the brightest points in the history of heavy metal. But out of the blue, Iron Maiden pull one more album out of their sleeve at the very end, a thirteen-and-a-half-minute epic about sailors and albatrosses. Rime of the Ancient Mariner remains the longest Iron Maiden song to this day, full of unforgettable, spine-chilling and mighty parts that raise a hair or two without even trying. Together with Hallowed Be Thy Name, it may even be the mightiest song in the Iron Maiden discography. The epic, in the true sense of the word, is based on the cult poem from 1798, The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere, by the famous Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The song, which perhaps best shows Harris’ genius, is a real journey full of outstanding riffs and fantastic Bruce lines that work like the narrator’s sentences. Somewhere in the middle the track is cut through by a mystical ambient section with an unforgettably mysterious and eerie atmosphere, built only from Harris’ bass, a keyboard backdrop, spoken word and the creaking of ship timber. Then the song is carried to a completely different level by the calm part being cut across by faster bass lines, a guitar and vocal entry, pulled off so masterfully that the goosebumps sneak up all by themselves. A moment that can truly only be compared to the outstanding instrumental part of the epic Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. If I hadn’t known the length of the song, I wouldn’t even have noticed it, because the constant changes of tempo and rhythm, Adrian and Dave’s playing with its unforgettable lines, and a colorful rhythm section make Rime of the Ancient Mariner so varied and diverse that it’s over in the blink of an eye. What a fitting, gigantic finale to a mighty album!
Powerslave can only be described with one word, which has come up several times already: unforgettable! With Powerslave, Iron Maiden wrote an indelible document of heavy metal. Nobody has yet managed to top the album’s magic, virtuoso playing and one of the best vocal performances ever; maybe only Maiden themselves, with later releases. Powerslave came out just before I was born, and sadly I never got to experience the monumental World Slavery tour, which makes it all the harder to describe my joy at the current tour, which revives the spectacle of the eighties with a legendary Egyptian stage production and unforgettable classics. See you at the Somewhere Back in Time tour, then!
Lineup
Bruce Dickinson – vocals
Steve Harris – bass, keyboards
Dave Murray – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums
Production
Martin Birch
Tracklist
1. Aces High 04:29
2. 2 Minutes to Midnight 05:59
3. Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra) 04:12
4. Flash of the Blade 04:02
5. The Duellists 06:06
6. Back in the Village 05:20
7. Powerslave 06:47
8. Rime of the Ancient Mariner 13:36
