SOMEWHERE IN TIME

Fresh off of the success of 1984's 'Powerslave' and the 1985 live album 'Live After Death', Iron Maiden were well and firmly at the top of the metal world, and their run of strong releases would continue with 'Somewhere in Time', an album which saw the band continue to enter progressive territory with their writing, with longer songs and the addition of keyboards.

However, stylistically this is still very much Iron Maiden. By this point the band have clearly defined their sound, and there's not much point in tweaking what already works. With blistering guitar harmonies and wailing vocals, Maiden have clearly hit their stride by this point in their career. The use of keyboards adds an atmospheric, spacey feeling to the music, giving 'Somewhere in Time' its own identity amongst the bands discography.

With a solid production and some of guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray's finest guitar tones, the sound here is timeless. Even after all these years, the album holds up well for both its sense of melody and its metal edge. The lyrics are a lot more introspective than previously, a sign of the bands world-travelled weariness after their constant touring. But it also makes for some of their most sincere and personal songs, particularly in 'Wasted Years'.

With highlights including the aforementioned 'Wasted Years', 'Stranger in a Strange Land', 'Caught Somewhere in Time', 'Deja-Vu' and 'Heaven Can Wait', there's an abundance of quality material here, making 'Somewhere in Time' another in a string of classic albums.