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!

The sixth studio album “Somewhere in Time” and the fourth in their “golden years”, was launched at the pinnacle of the band’s fame and success. The record saw a change in the style of the sound and there was an obvious addition of synthesizer which is neither overpowering nor disturbing. The record starts off with the title song; “Caught Somewhere in Time” is an outstanding composition by Steve Harris and has a deadly opening. It’s followed by the ever stylish Adrian’s “Wasted Years”, easily the highest rated song of the record; it’s unquestionably  one of the best among the master pieces the band has timelessly produced. “Sea of Madness”; Raw opening accompanied by paced up drums and high flying vocals, this song is an absolute frenzy and sea of madness! The delightful “Heaven can Wait” was an immediate fan favorite and should be included in all the set lists as the song sounds amazing in live performances. ”The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” and “Dejavu” are decent songs but the band could have delivered better. Adrian’s “Stranger in a Strange Land” depicts the excellence of the guitarist’s composing and writing lyrics, and it’s tremendous nevertheless. The album finisher “Alexander the Great” is a great epic song recounting the life of Sir Alexander the Great and the hardships he faced; Deft use of the synthesizer and marvelous solos! On the whole this album was a great hit and is a classic album without doubt!

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.

This album stands for the quintessence of the band at the height of their golden era. The record’s theme is a mix of power, emotion fantasy and mystery and was the first album to be released without any change in the line-up. The record consists of eight tracks out of which four have become timeless hits. The album kicks off with one of the most definitive piece of metal work ever recorded, “Aces High” and is by far the best opener for any of the maiden concerts. Another classic song to be included in a metal head’s play list is “2 Minutes to Midnight”, a brilliant intro by the maiden powerhouse Adrian Smith. The next four songs are just blatant fillers. The band has never disappointed their fans when it comes to an album finisher. The last two songs being “Powerslave” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are the most important pillars of the Maiden stronghold. With dark and haunting lyrics, powerful riffs and a mind blowing bass solo, the title song “Powerslave” definitely speaks of the quality of a timeless maiden classic! “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the longest track in the history of the band, brings the perfect ending to one of the most sought after heavy metal albums in the world!

The last album to be released in the “golden years” shows the height of the creative progression that the band was heading towards, from the start of their previous album, “Somewhere in Time”. Co-incidentally, the album is also their seventh studio album and it has pulled off a better synth balance and is not very pushy. The record is one of a kind because it’s the first album to have a specific storyline that unfolds through the songs! The story is adorned with obscure, sinister and dark thoughts! The album opener “MOONCHILD” has a brilliant synth start and is followed by “INFINITE DREAMS”; This particular track is filled with delightful tempo changes through out. The weakest track of the record is “THE PROPHECY”; However the song is definitely not a filler!

“THE EVIL THAT MEN DO” and “CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS?” are beautifully composed heavy metal singles and are featured in most of their live performances. The title song is splendid and top notch and is incomplete without the killer solos! “THE CLAIRVOYANT” is easily the album’s best song with its thundering bass start!

An amazing way to round off the “golden years”, the band’s music had become more progressive and they were considered to be the greatest and the most successful heavy metal band of all time! UP THE IRONS!!

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!!