Heavier Than Heaven

This is the fourteenth studio album and the most powerful sounding record ever released by the band. Life, death, politics and war are recurrent themes of this album. The distinctiveness of the record is that each and every song was performed live and recorded in the same room and the lyrics of all the tracks go along with its melody! The album starter “Different Worlds” is a mixture of class, quality and perfection; an absolute stunner without doubt! “These Colors don’t Run” and “Brighter than a Thousand Suns” are songs with remarkable tempo changes and very thought provoking lyrics. Janick’s “The Pilgrim” reminds you of the maiden classic “Powerslave”, however it’s a super cool song with a wicked and fret melting solo. “The Longest Day” is the crunchy sounding track of the lot and has a fabulous bass-line! “Out of the Shadows” is an out-and-out killer composed by Bruce “Air Raid Siren” Dickinson! Dave’s “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg” has uncovered his composing talents in a first-rate way, with ever haunting lyrics and ultra heavy riffs; this is one of the best songs f the record. The album finisher “The Legacy” leaves you dazed and flabbergasted. This is the most delightful song ever composed by the band and is the best sounding track of the record.

The record is a blend of musicmanship, adaptability, passion and spirit and is arguably one of the best heavy metal albums of the century!

This is the thirteenth studio album and perhaps the most controversial albums in the history of the band. The album cover has severely been criticized for its unsightly appearance and it was considered to be unworthy of an Iron Maiden Album cover.

“Wildest Dreams” as the album opener sounds decent and is quiet passable. Dave Murray’s “Rainmaker” has a wonderful riff-pattern and the solo of the song cannot get any sweeter! This is followed by “No More Lies”, it is unquestionably one of the best songs of the record. ”Montsegur” has a very heavy start and is loud enough to blow your head off its place! The title song “Dance of Death” is pure class and a gem on the band’s crest, the slow start of the song is followed by a very melodious bridge and superb solos played by all the three guitarists individually! Adrian’s skillful piece of composition is the lengthy “Paschendale”, the song has a classy intro and is an epic both lyrically and musically! “Face in the Sand” exposes the remorseful state of our world and is a brilliant composition by the legendary bass guitarist, Steve Harris. The album finisher “Journeyman” is the first ever acoustic song recorded by the band and it describes the whole process of writing and being a musician, very beautiful indeed! Despite all the controversies surrounding the album art, the record was a huge hit among the fans and is undeniably a fascinating album!

With the huge success of their previous album “The Number of the Beast”, the band was off the hook and subsequently released “Piece of Mind” the very next year. The second album of the “Golden years”, the Record is a time less and awe-inspiring master piece.

This is the first album to feature the band’s new drummer Nicko McBrain who showcases his super skills in the first of few seconds of the record opener “Where Eagles Dare” and he keeps you wondering why he is as good as Clive Burr. The album’s theme wasn’t preset, but the lyrical approach showed the band’s predilection for film and fiction. The album consists of nine songs out of which five are power-packed and are an out of the world experience to any metal-head. “The Trooper”, is a default in all of the band’s live performances and an overplayed song is a killer nonetheless. “Revelations”, a forerunner to the more famous “Powerslave” of their next album, is a breathtaking song and is solely composed by the front man Bruce Dickinson. The album single “Flight of the Icarus” is an uncomplicated song with one of band’s best ever solos. The finisher and the epic song of the album “To Tame a Land” is an outstanding track which is highly underrated, it is definitely one of the better sounding tracks of the record. Surely one of the classiest albums ever produced and mastered, this took the band into new heights and their greatness then was inexplicable.

Up in the top 5 metal albums of all time “Number of the beast” launched the band into fame and success. It was the first album in their “golden years” which lasted through out the 80’s and which consisted of 5 top class albums. With the release of this album, the band members were considered to be devil worshippers as the record contained a lot of dark, brutal and pensive themes. With Bruce Dickinson replacing Paul Di’anno, the songs sounded heavier and grandiose, and ended becoming a feast to all the metal heads. The album kicks off with “INVADERS”, a ferocious song and a great opener for such a fiery album. The song is then followed by the worth mentioning and the beautifully composed “CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED”, an exquisite power ballad defining the sound of the band. “NUMBER OF THE BEAST”, a brilliant title song, has given the fans more than what it takes to be a title song. “RUN TO THE HILLS”, though an over rated song, sounds amazing in live performances and is a fan favorite. The album finisher is probably the best ever metal song to be recorded and produced; “HALLOWED BE THY NAME” is one song which made IRON MAIDEN so very great. It’s the sole outcome of amazing riffs, mind blowing vocal performance, thundering bass line, hell hammering and fret melting solos. Amidst all the controversies surrounding the theme of the album and the new, extravagant approach to the world of metal music, this album is definitely a killer by its own!

With the return of the former lead guitarist Adrian Smith and the “Air Raid Siren” Bruce Dickinson, this was perhaps the most long awaited reunion record in the history of the band. But at the same time, the record faced ridiculously high expectations due to the band’s return to their 80’s line up. The record is filled with outstanding tracks and there isn’t a single weak song featured over here. The album starts with Adrian’s “Wickerman”, an amazing song with very weird lyrics and a very well crafted solo. “The Ghost of the Navigator” and the title song “The Brave New World” are two beautiful and well written melodic and progressive metal songs. The title song is followed by “The Blood Brothers”; This song in particular is exceptional because of the way in which it was played, heart and soul performance by the band. Dave’s “The Nomad” is an excellent song with mind blowing solos from all the three guitarists! “Dream of Mirrors”, composed by Steve Harris and the ex-frontman of the band, Blaze Bayley, is an epic not to be missed. One of the rawest songs ever produced by the band, “Out of the Silent Planet” is definitely a fascinating track lyrically. The “Mercenary” for its shear pace and catchy chorus will leave you high and wasted. An all killer no filler album, the band has undeniably surpassed all the expectations they faced prior to the launch of the record!!