Iron Maiden's Reviews
Powerslave (Average Rating: 9.32 out of 10)
Maiden is a slave only to genius (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
astyanax
from Columbia, MO USA
Powerslave--The name itself should be compelling enough for just a quick look, but once you get past the initial gaze, be prepared to be blown away. Powerslave is all about power in the songwriting, the guitar riffs, the vocals, the percussion, everything. Maiden's previous two albums, Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind, were very strong as well and Powerslave completes a trilogy of some very fine metal albums.Though they are a heavy metal outfit, don't think for a second that Iron Maiden can't be intelligent songwriters. And because they are British, they are naturally indebted to their own culture and history as shown in their opening and closing tracks, "Aces High" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" repsectively. "Aces High" recalls Britain's finest hour in grandiose Maiden style metal and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" pays tribute to the great poem of the same name written by Britain's own Samuel Taylor Coleridge which is 14 minutes long. Their other tracks, most notably "2 Minutes to Midnight" and the title track "Powerslave", all demonstrate Maiden's erudite lyrical qualities, catchy choruses, robust guitar solos, precision drumming and, of course, Steve Harris' marathons on the bass. Maiden doesn't receive the credit it deserves especially for establishing precedents for the evolution of speed metal, elaborate stage shows, and great quality live performances. Listen to the album straight through (it's hard NOT to do this) and you will see their influence on others at work. This album demonstrates that Iron Maiden can clash fists with any of this so called "new metal" led by lowly underachievers and unintelligent cronies like Limp Bizkit or Korn. And if anyone of these new metal bands believe that they owe nothing to Maiden, then let them get their heads checked. Because much of what goes on today in the metal industry was either established or polished, in full or in part, by Maiden. This album shows Maiden in their prime and how much they did contribute to the overall phenomenon. Their albums, especially this one, are staples for any metalhead. And, as said before, this album encompasses itself around one element--power.
Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98
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