Review Summary: So In conclusion this album is a classic. When I listen I rarely skip a track. Besides it is Iron Maiden what more could you want? Surely though this is my favorite Maiden album partly because it introduced me to them by being the first I bough and sec
In 1992 after hooking up with their most popular singer ever Bruce Dickinson Iron Maiden Released the Smash hit
The Number of the Beast. Many believed that this album could not be beaten that it was just too good. After many sales and success with the album they continued their music writing by releasing the next album in 1993
Piece of Mind. This album proved that maybe Iron Maiden could top
The Number of the Beast and that maybe the band had finally reached their full potential. So let’s discuss how this album could have possibly beaten
The Number of the Beast shall we?
Iron Maiden is
Bruce Dickinson- Lead Vocals
Steve Harris- Bass Guitar
Dave Murray- Lead Guitar
Nicko McBrain- Drums
Adrian Smith- Lead Guitar
Vocals
Bruce Dickinson is largely regarded as possibly the best metal vocalist of all time. This is a very agreeable statement; Bruce’s vocals are not annoying or lacking in any way. It is almost as though that Iron Maiden could not possibly do any better. Bruce has a higher voice much like many other bands tried to do such as some of the hair metal bands of the 80’s. But unlike those Hair Metal bands Bruce can actually sing and well too and some tracks that show off his great voice a lot include:
Where Eagles Dare,
Flight of the Icarus,
The Trooper and
To Tame a Land. Aside From being Standout Tracks themselves they are excellent examples of how well he can sing. So in conclusion Bruce’s voice is best shown on this album and he is the best well known singer in Metal period.
Guitar
The Twin guitars in this album by the two lead guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are very impressive. Although neither of these guitarists is legendary they still provide the band with some great riffs and excellent solos. Unlike much more generic music the solos are not just a plucking version of the main riff, they are dynamic and fast paced. A couple songs in this album such as
Where Eagles Dare have a 3 or 4 minute period of nothing but instrumentals which isn’t bad but can seem to drag on for a bit.
To Tame a Land is easily the home to the best solo on the album although it is not overly complicated is probably my personal favorite. All together Dave and Adrian provide some catchy and excellent riffs and great solos on this album.
Bass
Instrumentally the most talented member of the band would be Iron Maidens Bassist Steve Harris. All throughout the album Steve provides complicated and very impressive bass lines. These are no ordinary bass lines that are just a lower version of the main riff these are fast paced lines that merge perfectly into the whole song itself. You can also always here Steve unlike many other bands where it is drained out by the guitars, vocals and drums. Out of all the songs on this album my favorite bass line has to be
The Trooper it just blends so perfectly with the entire song. And as well as being a great bass player Steve is probably the best song writer out of all the members. I would say out of Metal Steve Harris is surely one of the best bassists out there.
Drums
In 1993 before
Piece of Mind was released Iron Maidens original drummer Clive Burr departed from the band and the infamous
Nicko McBrain joined the band. Clive Burr’s departure was never a joyful thing but it is my belief that Nicko is a superior drummer. As we all know Drumming is a very important deal in metal and Mr. McBrain certainly gets the job done. Drumming is never out of place on this album he always keeps the beat and always has a couple little drumming tricks up his sleeve. The biggest shining moment for Nicko is in the song
Where Eagles Dare with the intro and throughout the rest of the song he continues to be the standout musician in the song. The truth is Nicko will probably never match up to drummers like Neil Peart but for now he is quite well where he is.
Lyrics
For those of you who see an Iron Maiden shirt and think SATANICA in you brain you need too look past Eddies antics and actually listen to the music and its lyrics. Iron Maiden is not an evil band most of their lyrics are about war such as in songs like
The Trooper. Out of all of Iron Maidens albums this one of not the best lyrically, but it is still excellent.
Revelations by far delivers the best lyrics in the album like this passage “O god of Earth and Altar, Bow down and hear our cry, Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die, The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divine, Take not thy thunder from us, But take away our pride.”. Out of all Maiden songs this one probably has my favorite lyrics. One song in particular stands out for being lacking in good lyrics and that would be
Quest for Fire. But throughout the whole album the lyrics prove to be excellent as always for Iron Maiden.
Album art and booklet
Although not the most important matter in an album it is still worth discussing. This album has some very memorable art like many Iron Maiden covers, and it is Eddie in a padded room in a straight jacket chained to the walls by a collar. Many people look at this depiction of an insane zombie and think that Iron Maiden is one of those dark screaming bands well you’re wrong. All I can say is do not let Iron Maidens cover art discourage you from buying it no matter how much it discourages you’re parents. And Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands for booklets. The little sleeve comes with all lyrics attached and loads of pictures of the band with their instruments and all sorts of antics. So for Iron Maiden the cover art is good and the booklet is excellent.
Short TBT
Where Eagles Dare- This is the perfect opener for this album. Starts off with an excellent drum intro and goes into some great guitar work. This song is also a Bruce Standout and shows off his voice perfectly. Only think I do not like about this song is the sort of dragging musical interlude but that’s it.
4.5/5
Revelations- Like I said earlier this one probably contains my favorite Iron Maiden lyrics ever and has some great guitar work as well. It is a slower song never really speeds up too much. Very solid, worth a listen.
4.5/5
Flight of the Icarus- One of my favorites off the album also one of the singles. This is possibly the catchiest song on the album but it is not too catchy. More proof that Bruce can sing and that the rest of the band can play. The song also has a nice solo. Not a very long song but still a good one.
5/5
Die with you’re boots on- This song is one of the weaker on the album. I really enjoy the opening guitar and bass is excellent. Lyrically it isn’t great and the backup vocals are kind of annoying but still a good song not worth skipping by any means.
4/5
The Trooper- Another single off the album. This is one of Iron Maidens most well known songs and for a good reason. The songs main guitar lines rules and the lyrics are excellent. A good lengthy song not too long not too short and is all together very solid.
5/5
Still Life- Starts off with what I believe is a backwards message, not sure what it’s saying. Throughout the song it gets faster; starts off quite slow then gets gradually faster and does a great job at it. The drums are a definite standout on this track. The song is a gem all together.
5/5
Quest for fire- This is the weakest track on the album. Unlike many others though I do not hate this song I actually enjoy it sometimes. Lyrically though this song isn’t good. And the instrumentals are average but Bruce is still good. Average that’s all this song is.
3/5
Sun and Steel- Another quite catchy song. I have always had a soft spot for this song. The instrumentals are good and it’s very Traditional Iron Maiden. The thing I love most is the chorus and the solo ain’t bad either.
4.5/5
To Tame A land- arguably the best track on the album. To tame a land with some nice guitar work then it just kicks it up. As usual Iron Maiden ends with a bang on their albums and this song is just the traditional amazing ender from Iron Maiden.
5/5
Top 3 songs
To Tame a land
The Trooper
Flight of the Icarus
Pros.
Great Music as usual
Great Vocals by Bruce
Awesome Bass guitar work
Great lyrics
Friendly for all ages
Not annoying metal
It’s Iron Maiden
Cons.
Quest for fire is just average
Cover art may discourage some from buying it
Final Score 5/5
