Iron Maiden's Reviews
Piece Of Mind (Average Rating: 9.24 out of 10)
Overrated and Underrated... but simply brilliant! (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
A. Paul Melin
from Derby, KS of USA
After the successful "Number of the Beast," drummer Clive Burr departed and replacing him would be their craziest and current drummer, Nicko McBrain. While Clive Burr wasn't bad, McBrain brought a zanier style to the Maiden fold and added to the live experience. Here's the lowdown:Where Eagles Dare - Simply brilliant. The drums here showcase Nicko's abilities to the fullest. A little overlong, but why carp? A good opener. Revelations - Another brilliant rocker. Bruce really belts it out on this one! It also has an epic tone to it and the lyrics themselves are great. Bruce really wrote a classic. Flight of Icarus - One of my favorites! Great, rocking epic. Adrian and Bruce wrote this song together. The riff in this song is one of the most memorable riffs ever created by this great heavy metal band. Die With Your Boots On - This one is bashed on by many, but I really don't see why. It's a little weaker in comparison to the previous tracks, but the essence of Maiden is still there. The Trooper - My favorite from this album and one of the two hits. The chorus is unique and the lyrics awesome. Just a rocking good song with scorching solos by Dave and Adrian. Still Life - Although it's not called "Piece of Mind," this is actually the title track of the album. This one's also a bit underrated. However, this is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Quest for Fire - Kind of a midpaced epic. This one actually is the most debated song on the album; some like it, others don't. I didn't particularly like this one. The chorus isn't all that catchy and overall, this is the weakest here. Sun and Steel - Pretty good rocker. This one's also midpaced. This one takes a little getting used to, but it's a solid song from start to finish. To Tame a Land - This is also an underrated one. This is the big-scale epic of the album (practically every Maiden album has one). Although it doesn't hold a candle against Rime of the Ancient Mariner or Alexander the Great, this is still an impressive song. Bruce's vocals are excellent here as well. All in all, this is one of the highest marks in Maiden's career. It's strange that it's both underrated and overrated; Overrated because many like it for The Trooper and Flight of Icarus alone and underrated because it has a slew of songs that aren't recognized like they should be (i.e. Die With Your Boots On). I recommend this for any fan of heavy metal and especially the Iron Maiden fan. This is a 5-star effort from one of metal's supreme bands.
Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98
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