(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
markyff
from Hanson, MA USA
Maiden's fourth album became their first platimum platter in the U.S. which subsequently led to their first tour here as headliners. A significant reason for "Piece's" success was due to the collaborative effort of the songwriters, especially Bruce Dickinson. Stepping out of the shadow of chief songwriter, bassist, and band founder Steve Harris, Bruce showed a complexity in his ability to write powerful songs that lacked neither the poetic lyricism or musical chops of Harris' best work. Case in point, "Revelations" is a masterpiece, Maiden's first true epic and a solo writing credit for Dickinson. Not to be outdone, Harris penned "The Trooper" arguably one of the greatest HM songs ever. If an alien arrived on earth and wanted to know what heavy metal was, this song would be all he'd need to hear. Smith and Murray's trademark harmonies create a forboding back drop to Harris's adaptation of Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade". Science fiction also gets its due in "To Tame a Land", Harris's tribute to "Dune" and another epic that closes the lp. "Where Eagles Dare", featuring the thundering drums of newcomer Nicko McBrain (completing the classic Maiden lineup) kicks off an album chock full of heavy highlights. "Flight of Icarus", the first single, and "Still Life" are excellent combinations of power and melody, metal with a commercial side, but not too blunted or poppy. Some filler with "Quest for Fire" and "Sun and Steel" being decent but unremarkable. The band was in top form for "Piece of Mind" and this 1983 release remains along with its predecesor "Number of the Beast" as the most important record in Maiden's formidable catalogue.
