Saviours Of Rock

BUY THESE DISCOUNTED RELEASES

Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind
RELEASED: May 16 1983
PRODUCER:Martin Birch
LABEL:Sanctuary/Columbia, EMI
BAND:Steve Harris

Bruce Dickinson

Adrian Smith

Nicko McBrain

Dave Murray

+
Blistering solos, Lots of energy, Maiden at their finest
-
“Quest for Fire”, 2nd half doesn’t quite measure up to 1st

TRACKS:

1.Where Eagles Dare 2.Revelations 3.Flight Of Icarus 4.Die With Your Boots On 5.The Trooper 6.Still Life 7.Quest For Fire 8.Sun And Steel 9.To Tame A Land
 
           
OVERVIEW

Ok, it’s going to be really hard for me to be objective here, since I love this record so much, but let’s be honest: even the critics agree that Maiden was at the top of their game with this one. After the seminal “Number of the Beast” took off, Harris and Co could’ve easily sat on their laurels and put out a lazy album that would’ve still sold millions. Bands have done it before *coughJudasPriestTurbocough*. Sorry, I have a cold.
            Fortunately for you and yours truly, Maiden isn’t that band. Instead of writing “Number of the Beast Pt. II”, they tighten up their songwriting even further. Everything is cranked to 11 here - from the blazing guitarwork to Harris’s rapid-fire fingerstyle bass to newcomer Nicko McBrain’s precision sledgehammer drumming to Bruce’s Herculean vocal performance, Maiden is definitely taking no prisoners and taking no crap from anyone. Try and find a band in the 80’s that didn’t religiously cop the dual harmonies and rhythmic patterns Maiden put out, not to mention Bruce laying the vocal template for the whole power metal genre.
            Seriously, though, this is arguably Iron Maiden’s finest hour (although you can make a convincing argument for “Number of the Beast” or “Powerslave”, and I might even agree with you a little), and definitely shows off everything they’re exceptional at. This disc is nothing less than a classic, and if you don’t have it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

SONGS

Like Maiden would kick off with a boring song…”Where Eagles Dare” is fast, tight, and everything a good opening track should be. Bruce sings like he’s still got something to prove as the new guy in the band, and the tight riffing and harmonies in this song are 100% USDA approved classic metal. “Revelations” is a little more laid-back, but after an opener like that, that’s not saying much. “Flight of Icarus” is one of Maiden’s first forays into mythological lyrics, and of course everyone knows what happens to Icarus, but it’s still a great epic track. Things go from better to great with “Die With Your Boots On”, a totally underrated classic track with Steve’s signature bass all over it and a pretty darn good guitar solo to boot.
            But of course, on this album, it doesn’t get much better than “The Trooper” – if you only hear 5 Maiden tracks in your life, this NEEDS to be one. Shred-a-licious guitar work, the classic galloping guitars, and easily one of Maiden’s most recognizable melodies, ever make for an instant headbanging classic. On an unrelated note, don’t listen to this song on the highway. It’s just asking for a speeding ticket.
            “Still Life” shows a more somber side of Steve focusing in on himself and his recurring nightmares, another common song topic. Unfortunately, up next, we have the only thing that keeps me from giving this album a perfect score: “Quest For Fire”. Instrumentally, it’s pretty good, but the lyrics and melodies combine to form one of the goofiest Maiden songs ever. I mean, dinosaurs and cavemen? That’s not metal!*
            Fortunately, things get back on track with the samurai ode “Sun and Steel” and keep right on rolling with the epic, Dune-inspired “To Tame a Land”. For a 7+ minute closer, this track is hard to beat; the beginning is almost trance-like, but the last 4 minutes take on an almost prog-rock edge, with phenomenal solos and great composition all around. Great stuff, indeed.
CONCLUSION
Like I said, this is arguably Maiden’s finest hour, but even a casual or new Maiden fan absolutely must own this album. Just like Anthrax’s “Spreading the Disease”, Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”, this is one of those albums that made metal what it is today. So backhand that kid in the Slipknot hoodie that says Maiden is wussy music and grab this album next chance you get. Seriously.

Review by Matt Rewinski

All images, logos, and pictures are trademarks or registered trademarks of Saviours Of Rock or their respective owners, and are protected by copyright laws in the USA, Australia and other countries. Except as required for normal use by a viewer of this web-site, nothing pertaining to this web-site or its contents may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written consent of Saviours Of Rock or its respective owner.

Copyright ©2006 Saviours Of Rock TM. All Rights Reserved.