Iron Maiden's Reviews

Piece Of Mind

Arguably Maiden's finest hour

Just when no one thought Bruce Dickinson would be able to fill the shoes of Paul Di'Anno's former lead vocalist position in Iron Maiden, he proved just about everyone who doubted him DEAD WRONG. With the release of Number Of The Beast, it was clear Bruce was more than a replacement frontman - he was giving the band a rebirth! And in 1983, a great year for heavy metal, the band released what is arguably its greatest album - Piece Of Mind. Read on for my review of this album, as well as my comments on the remaster series.

Where Eagles Dare - An awesome hard rocker, this was the band's first song to explore one of Bruce's favorite lyrical themes - World War Two air combat. It's not quite as good as the more famous Aces High from Powerslave, but it's still excellent.

Revelations - This one's a little different than what can normally be expected from Iron Maiden, but it's still nothing short of excellent.

Flight Of Icarus - WHOA. Can anyone say "masterpiece"? This is by far the best track on the album. In addition to just being a great song, it proves just how flexible the band's themes can be.

Die With Your Boots On - A severely underrated track, this one deals with the classic theme that a captain should go down with his ship. A great song that never got the proper credit.

The Trooper - Many call this the best song on the album, and with very good reason. Dave and Adrian had never played guitars THIS GOOD before this song, and to date, THEY NEVER HAVE! This song is THAT GOOD, people.

Still Life - Although it's not called "Piece Of Mind", this one qualifies as the album's title track since it uses that phrase. Of all the songs on the album, this is probably the toughest one to get into, but once you get into it, you'll never want to let it go.

Quest For Fire - IF YOU CALL THIS SONG A FILLER, YOU MAY AS WELL SAY "I HATE IRON MAIDEN." This track features the band in its prime, doing an excellent song. Sure, it's no Flight Of Icarus or The Trooper, but it's still an excellent cut, and one of my faves from the band.

Sun And Steel - The most melodic rocker on the album, this one also gets severely underrated. Bruce's vocals are top notch on this one. WHEN YOU ARE LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM, DO NOT SKIP THIS SONG.

To Tame A Land - The first in a series of "lengthy album closers" by the band, this is a darker and harder rocker that is very often overlooked, due to the fact that it's the last song on the album. Don't make the mistake of overlooking it, or you'll regreit it for the rest of your life.

Now for my comments on the remasters series - as a die-hard Maiden fan, I AM SEVERELY DISAPPOINTED. Sure, the sound quality is improved over the original CD issues and there is some cool enhanced CD footage (all the remasters before the X Factor have this), but this reissue is lacking the most important thing a remaster needs: BONUS TRACKS. The total play time doesn't come too close to the eighty minutes that can fit on a CD. There were a plethora of rare tracks from this era that have never before been issued by the band (except for in the restrictively expensive box set. These rarities include B-Sides (the band's cover of Jethro Tull's Cross Eyed Mary is priceless), interviews, BBC session tracks, and others.) To put it simply, if you already own the original issue of this album on CD, it's really not necessary to get the new remaster.

Are you just getting into Iron Maiden? Start with Number Of The Beast, and get this one if you like it. Don't bother with hits compilations, as not one of them to date has captured the true essence of the band. Buy that one first, and if you like it, get the other albums with Bruce (Don't get the ones with Paul Di'Anno and/or Blaze Bayley unless you're a DIE HARD FAN.) Piece Of Mind is a true metal classic. You've gotta hear it for yourself to believe it!

Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98