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JennYBlast From The Past Vol. 2 - Part III: Iron Maiden - Powerslave Album Review
September 4th 2008 02:49
For the second issue of Blast From The Past, we'll dvelve into punk rock, metal, and rap. Part III will look at one of greatest metal bands, Iron Maiden.
Release date: 3 September 1984
Genre: Metal
Length: 50:26
Label: EMI
Released more than twenty years ago, Powerslave is Iron Maiden's fifth album. It ranked second on the UK Album charts, and barely missed the US Billboard's Hot 200 by getting as high as 21st.
From the opening notes of Aces High, you know you're going to listen to something great. The guitar and the bass shine equally on this track. Nowadays, the bass is often used as a back-up to the guitar, so it was refreshing to have the two instruments having individual patterns. At first listen, I didn't like the chorus, but it really matches the intensity of the instrumental.
Aces High is followed by 2 Minutes To Midnight, an instant classic. It has a great instrumental and you'll find yourself shouting “Two minutes to midnight” by the second listen.
Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) is an instrumental where the guitar gets to shine, something that you don't see too much anymore. A four-minutes delight, the guitar's pattern will stay stuck in your head for days and days.
The fourth song of the album Flash Of The Blade has a great guitar. The song was also covered by Avenged Sevenfold (HERE), you decide which version is better. I personally prefer the original.
The Duellists sounds like a continuation of Losfer Words. I think it would have been better positioned right after the instrumental instead of having another song between the two. There's a long guitar solo halfway through to the song that makes you forget that there actually were some lyrics at the beginning. I was slightly startled when the lyrics came back because the solo was so long, I just expected it to go on and on. Back In The Village also has a solo between verses but it was a little shorter than on The Duellists.
Powerslave is the album's title track. This song ties the Egyptian theme on the cover to the album's sound mainly through the lyrics. It's probably the darkest song on the album as the guitar seems to have a menacing tone.
The album concludes on Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, a ten-minutes long epic track. The song seems to be separated in two parts thanks to the great instrumental that really shifts the initial sound halfway through. So it really feels like two songs into one that tells a long story.
In the end, this was a great album, a must-buy. I give it a 4.9/5. It would've gotten a perfect score, but unfortunately I got bored halfway through (especially on Flash Of The Blade), so I feel like it's missing that punch needed to make it perfect. Don't get me wrong, the songs are great, they're just missing that extra something that makes you want to air-guitar away.
So, that's it for this month's Blast From The Past. Hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. See you all next week.
Note: If you noticed, this is the second album review in which I haven't provided any links for the songs. The explanation is simple. I couldn't find several Ramones' tracks for Mondo Bizarro and YouTube vids for Iron Maiden tracks have a terrible sound quality where the bass almost drowns the guitar. My advice to you would be to either buy or download these two albums.
[Click here for Part I: Fat Joe - Don Cartagena Album Review]
[Click here for Part II: The Ramones - Mondo Bizarro Review]
Genre: Metal
Length: 50:26
Label: EMI
Released more than twenty years ago, Powerslave is Iron Maiden's fifth album. It ranked second on the UK Album charts, and barely missed the US Billboard's Hot 200 by getting as high as 21st.
From the opening notes of Aces High, you know you're going to listen to something great. The guitar and the bass shine equally on this track. Nowadays, the bass is often used as a back-up to the guitar, so it was refreshing to have the two instruments having individual patterns. At first listen, I didn't like the chorus, but it really matches the intensity of the instrumental.
Aces High is followed by 2 Minutes To Midnight, an instant classic. It has a great instrumental and you'll find yourself shouting “Two minutes to midnight” by the second listen.
Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) is an instrumental where the guitar gets to shine, something that you don't see too much anymore. A four-minutes delight, the guitar's pattern will stay stuck in your head for days and days.
The fourth song of the album Flash Of The Blade has a great guitar. The song was also covered by Avenged Sevenfold (HERE), you decide which version is better. I personally prefer the original.
The Duellists sounds like a continuation of Losfer Words. I think it would have been better positioned right after the instrumental instead of having another song between the two. There's a long guitar solo halfway through to the song that makes you forget that there actually were some lyrics at the beginning. I was slightly startled when the lyrics came back because the solo was so long, I just expected it to go on and on. Back In The Village also has a solo between verses but it was a little shorter than on The Duellists.
Powerslave is the album's title track. This song ties the Egyptian theme on the cover to the album's sound mainly through the lyrics. It's probably the darkest song on the album as the guitar seems to have a menacing tone.
The album concludes on Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, a ten-minutes long epic track. The song seems to be separated in two parts thanks to the great instrumental that really shifts the initial sound halfway through. So it really feels like two songs into one that tells a long story.
In the end, this was a great album, a must-buy. I give it a 4.9/5. It would've gotten a perfect score, but unfortunately I got bored halfway through (especially on Flash Of The Blade), so I feel like it's missing that punch needed to make it perfect. Don't get me wrong, the songs are great, they're just missing that extra something that makes you want to air-guitar away.
So, that's it for this month's Blast From The Past. Hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. See you all next week.
Note: If you noticed, this is the second album review in which I haven't provided any links for the songs. The explanation is simple. I couldn't find several Ramones' tracks for Mondo Bizarro and YouTube vids for Iron Maiden tracks have a terrible sound quality where the bass almost drowns the guitar. My advice to you would be to either buy or download these two albums.
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