SOMEWHERE IN TIME

It is not surprising to me that Maiden has been included here in the archives. Albums like "Somewhere In Time" (this album) and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" are definitely progressive enough to be included here, as well as the rest of their discography, considering that their post-"Fear of The Dark" albums all featuring strong progressive elements to them.

Released at the top of their career, "Somewhere In Time" was stepping even further into progressive territory and saw Iron Maiden experimenting with guitar synths, giving the music a dark and spacey atmosphere throughout the album. It also has a bright epic feeling to it due to the spacey mood of the music and the cover for this album should give you an idea of this fact. Some Maiden fans found this album irritating and "cheesy" because of that when it was released back in 1986, but I think it works extremely well, especially on the album opener "Caught Somewhere In Time" which sets the mood for the album perfectly. This album is less heavy than 1984's "Powerslave", which is their heaviest, and best, but not any less good. This album could be considered as a concept album since the song titles match each other as a story of sorts, but it really isn't, though I'm not exactly sure yet. I would say this is their most progressive album in their 80's period.

The songs are for the most extremely good, very good performance from the band too. The production fits the music well and the only weak thing about this album is "Heaven Can Wait" which is to me the worst track here, though still being good. Bruce Dickinson's voice sounds great here and he masters the lyrics well. He might go a bit overboard sometimes, but you'll get used to it. Adrian Smith and Dave Murray's guitars are clear and not too heavy, though their usual heavy riffing also is present here. Nicko McBrain's drumming is excellent too; His powerful drumming style is defined well here without getting out of control. The album is greatly supported by an amazing cover art by Derek Riggs, who also drawed most of their other covers.

The best tracks here are "Caught Somewhere In Time", "Stranger In a Strange Land" and "Alexander The Great". This is to me Iron Maiden's 2nd best release, only towered by "Powerslave". I'll give it 4.6/5. Recommended to any prog-metal collection, at least!

And so it goes, Iron Maiden releases their third (of four) undeniable prog masterpieces in a row. By now, the formula was easily identifiable, although the band slightly tweaks their sound with the introduction of guitar synthesizers, coating the album in an irresistable polish that sounds slick on first listen but with edges so sharp they can cut you if you're not careful. I'm speaking specifically of the title track, a pounding near-epic that doesn't let up for a second, and "Sea of Madness" and "Deja-vu," two near-forgotten album tracks that come out of nowhere with blinding speed. Elsewhere, the band falls back on its European style of metal, from the soccer-style chanting of "Heaven Can Wait" and the history-lesson- in-rock of "Alexander the Great." Of the two singles, "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a moody affair, and "Wasted Years" is the band's first distinctly autobiographical song, not to mention its first distinctly pop composition. Interestingly enough, it was around this time that singer Bruce Dickinson would begin to be alienated from the rest of the band, citing later the rejection of his mostly-acoustic material. I was quite surprised to read such things, as there's no noticable signs of it judging from the material on display, the band firing on all cylinders.

For the first time, Iron Maiden use synthesizer guitars through a sound quite similar to their previous Powerslave album; this gives a real modern & slightly futuristic sound to the whole: it even may make you think there are modern keyboards played in the background; unlike on the Judas Priest's Turbo album, the synthesizer guitars here rather sound atmospheric. Looking at the complete art cover, one may inevitably think about the Blade Runner movie. The rhythmic electric guitar riffs are very sustained: their sound is however less razor & incisive, a bit more fuzzy and unclean than on Powerslave. Dickinson's voice has a slight permanent echo: he still adopts a repetitive, complaining & angry tone. One can notice Harris' omnipresent typical spring-like noise produced on his bass strings. The excellent drums are restless and they sound like on the Powerslave album. The compositions are certainly progressive related. I find the Somewhere in Time album a bit faster than the Powerslave one. There are some excellent backing vocals like on "Heaven can wait" and "Alexander the Great". There are many slightly echoed guitar solos, and the long one on "Alexander the Great" is absolutely memorable.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Somewher in Time, obviously one of Iron Maiden's best albums. And really the second to last one before they went down hill from that point. It's a good album with interesting songs and incredilbe musicianship. Steve Harris to this day has never disapointed me with his base guitar skills, much like Geddy Lee! The album has some of my altime favorite songs on it including Sea of Madness, Caught Somewhere in Time, and Stranger in a Strange Land! An awsome listen that's worth the look in. Buying this album isn't something you'll regret that easily. 4/5 stars, it's an awsome album! Iron Maiden is a classic rock everyone should get.

Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time is my favourite IM album; it's different from the other previous albums, mature and complex. After a strong album such as Powerslave and an amazing live album (IMHO) Life after Death, the band needed to comfirm their "rock giants" status; they surely did, and the '86 album comfirmed their value. There aren't any filler songs here; the use of keyboards is great and a surprise to all fans (at that time). From the first song to the last, the musicianship is amazing, the guitar duo Murray/Smith doing an outstanding job (again IMHO). Bruce Dickinson's vocals sound fresher and better than ever; the rhytms section bass/drums worked great. And we all know what Steve Harris is capable of when he picks up his bass guitar and his work on this album makes no exceptin - an excellent work.

All these being said, I highly recommend this album to all prog-rock and prog-metal fans everywhere, get this album quickly if you have the chance, you won't regret it.

"My son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee."

After the masterpiece "Powerslave", I was wondering how Maiden could improve the quality of their albums. Well they managed to do it with "Somewhere In Time". This album is simply amazing - the compositions are flawless, the production is perfect, the futuristic artwork matching perfectly the more polished sound of the album making it sound more modern. Songs are longer and darker, and overall not so heavy compared to their previous albums. For me the best Maiden album.

"Caught Somewhere In Time" opens the album with an epic feeling - it's still fast paced Maiden, but the sound has clearly changed with the addition of the guitar synths. "Wasted Years" and "Sea Of Madness" are two mid paced songs with a dark feeling, very interesting songs. "Heaven Can Wait" is anthemic Maiden, the only song on this album that is played live due to its more conventional structure. "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" is the heaviest song on the album. "Stranger In A Strange Land" is a song that will chill your bones - it's the darkest and slowest song on the album although it's not really a ballad - one of my all time Maiden favorite. "Deja-vu" is a typical Murray/Harris song: beautiful melodic intro and fast riffing all the way. And "Alexander The Great" closes the album with a great epic inspired by the life of King Alexander of Macedon.

Rating: 95/100 (5 stars)

OK I'll admin it, I got back into Maiden because of my teenage son, but when I was his age, and a great fan of this band, I missed all the prog elements in their music, because I was not aware of them. Now I can easily identify it. There are plenty of progressive tendencies in this band, they themselves have admitted to listening to Genesis and Jethro Tull. And it is plenty clear on this album. Not a perfect album, but a good one, with some metal masterpieces. Alexander the Great in particular has an symphonic prog style instrumental section, stretching the song over 8 minutes. It is packed will all the prog devices in the book, including a little nod to Genesis from the Lamb album. Wow! Heaven Can Wait is another highlight, with an instrumental section far more advanced than your average metal guitar solo. It's tight, melodic and sophisticated, with the harmonized guitars creating a great ambience. Deja Vu and the title tracK are classic rockers which just sweep you along... Anyway there is no shortage of epic, majestic and bombastic material here, and one can forgive a couple of "generic" fillers.

As far as I am a Maiden this album is their wirst album. It's not bad, no no. After Powerslave they lost something while making this lp. The songs are not so fresh and I don't like the production. Synthesizers, keybords. The whole album sounds very electronic. The best composition on Sowhere in Time is Alexander The Great, no doubt about it. Heaven Can Wait is a nice track for a sing a long with the band. Wasted Yeras is nice too. It would be a powerful album, but the productions and synths make this lp the worst Maiden release. 3 stars

3.8 stars

Somewhere in Time is marks a progression within a band that will later lead into their highly-acclaimed "Seventh Son of the Seventh Son". I believe Somewhere in Time is a transitional album with the band experimenting with a more symphonic sound, with the help of guitar synths that sound like keyboards. This album is in my opinion their most enjoyable album since the debut.

Caught Somewhere in Time is an energetic and sophisticated composition that is worthy of opening the album. From the beginning, you can hear the guitar synths working well with the introductory guitar melody. A big portion of the song is devoted in guitar soloing. Wasted Years is a relatively simple mid-paced track focused on melodies. Sea of Madness is another melodic tune but with a faster pace and a darker tone. The guitar playing is very good here. Heaven Can Wait is an interesting song, with catchy melodies and a wonderful section with a sort of "football-chant" melody on top of guitar soloing. The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner is a good long song with a great instrumental section. Stranger in a Strange Land is another of those tunes with well-constructed choruses, but this one has a wonderful instrumental section with good use of the guitar synths. A guitar solo plays at the end, which is something new for Maiden. Deja-vu is a nice fast-paced rocker. I especially like the guitar melody after its choruses.

Alexander the Great is the highlight of the album and their "proggiest" song up to this point. IT is very classical in terms of arrangements, as it is supposed to take you back in time. It begins with a military kind of beat and a nice and soft guitar solo, then the beat progresses and a wonderful guitar melody prepares you for the song. The synths are prominent in this song, very effectively used. The songwriting in the verses-choruses are excellent Afterwards, an fast paced instrumental with guitar noodling tricks you with its shifting time signatures until when you least expect it, an incredibly full and heavy guitar solo floors you. The instrumental continues with guitar melodies and a very long guitar solo that is very good. Another verse/chorus finishes the song.

I highly recommend this album for any progger interested in knowing what Iron Maiden is all about. This album is an excellent blend of both their sides: the energetic and the sophisticated. You won't have brainless 3-minute rockers nor a long dullfest that is "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

I just got the remastered and expanded versions of this, and Seventh Son, for £10 the two at musiczone. A wonderful bargain! Now, I am no fan of heavy metal, and not a particular fan of most of Maiden's output. Tracks like 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' leave me cold. But this album is different. It certainly has progressive elements, and whilst the guitars are riffing and screaming, as befits the genre, they also provide some subtle touches at times, and Steve Harris' bass playing is a delight. Every track here has something of value in it; no weak songs on this album. Melody is in abundance all over the place, and Bruce sounds really powerful and at the top of his game here. My favourite track must be the epic 'Alexander The Great' which closes the record, but 'Sea Of Madness' and 'Stranger In A Strange Land' run it close. My least favourite is probably 'The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner' but even that song is highly listenable and has some excellent playing on it. All the songs contribute to the atmosphere on this album, yet all are different enough to remain in the memory long after the cd has stopped, and you may well find yourself humming segments from different tracks to yourself for days after! Highly recommended! Although not strictly prog, it is still a strong four star album.

The eighties were a great time to be an IRON MAIDEN fan, from 1982-1988 they put out 5 classic albums. "Somewhere In Time" is a melodic and reflective record from the band that is one of my favourites.The futuristic album cover is pretty cool as well.

"Caught Somewhere In Time" opens with an interesting guitar melody, and the bass lines are great ! The melody picks up tempo until were galloping.The interlude is filled with some fantastic guitar solos. "Wasted Years" is my favourite song on the record. It's so melodic, as they look back on the good times. What an uplifting tune ! Again like the opening song the instrumental interlude is amazing. "Sea Of Madness" opens with a flury of drums and some fat bass in this heavier song. We are treated to some screaming guitar as well. Steve Harris is all over this song.

"Heaven Can Wait" is an uptempo rocker that isn't as good as the first three. "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" opens with tranquil guitar that is blown away by fast paced drums and guitar. Being a long distance runner myself this song has special meaning. "Stranger In A Strange Land" has lots of heavy drums and riffs. When Bruce sings of the" land of ice and snow" I can totally relate to that right now up here in Canada. "De ja vu" has a haunting intro that turns into a fast paced tune. "Alexander The Great" has a nice relaxed guitar melody while the drums pound away.The song picks up speed as Dickinson's great vocals come in.The guitar melodies are beautiful and the bass is fantastic !

For me this is just a notch below "Powerslave" but it's no less a masterpiece.

As a big Iron Maiden fan, I fell prey to the excitement upon its' release, & listened to it regularly. But looking back, it was the sign that the peak had been reached with Powerslave, and as a group, Maiden had released their masterpieces, & would live to unsuccessfully match them, with the adoption of a more modern sound contributing to the sense that the original fire was gone & replaced with veteran competency. With the addition of synths in the mix, which was the rage in those days ( Def Leppard & Mutt Lange were a "successful example of that sort of production philosophy), Maiden lost some of the edge. The songwriting was still up to the challenge, but pop elements started appearing. IMHO, if they had kept the rawer sound, this album could be a match for the previous run of excellent intelligent metal albums that Maiden had built on. No fault or blame to be layed at their feet; as with any group, you want to "maximise" or "keep" your sound modern, but with time, one could see the best being in past. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son would confirm it, and by that time, the songs were no longer there, or at least not the consistency to sustain an album worth of music. As a sidebar, it must be said that among metal or "prog" metal groups, they were one of the only ones to keep their integrity & not cave in to "commercial" demands (see Judas Priest - Turbo). So in brief, the classic period has ended, the spiral down started, and they stayed in the "majors" the same way that Sabbath, Purple, & Priest did - the back catalog of great music, & the fact that no one else among the new acts could really match them, live or on disc.

Right after the release of their most successful studio album at that time and following what might be one of the biggest tour in those days, Iron Maiden took some time off... well, most of Iron Maiden anyway. Adrian Smith was working on writing the majority of what would become Somewhere in Time. Having reached the top of their game with Powerslave, it was time to try something a bit different. Guitar synths and keyboards were thrown in, and to amazing results, though many fans were bewildered at this bold move at first. What cannot be denied, anyhow, is the effect this album has had on the development of metal, and is definitely what should be considered as a proto prog- metal album, if not the first modern prog-metal album.

From the opening notes of Caught Somewhere in Time, Maiden makes it clear ; they have made something new and exciting, yet they still have their trademarks : dual guitar harmonies, thomping and clacking bass lines, tempo changes, high caliber musicianship and intelligent songwriting. We find an energized and original Nicko McBrain, giving it his all. And what about Bruce Dickinson ? He delivers what I consider to be his finest vocal recording ever, and that throughout the album.

On with the songs. Caught Somewhere in Time kicks of the album with an amazing guitar harmony, complete with synth guitars. The intro then incorporates drums and bass, climaxing into the song's main pattern at high velocity. Amazing theatrical vocal performance courtesy of Dickinson. And the band are up to it : intricate arrangments, time signature changes, great solos. The addition of sinth guitars adds A LOT to the atmosphere of this song, and throughout the album.

Wasted Years is the most popular single off Somewhere in Time, and I understand it though it must be my least favorite song from this album, even though I love it (and that says it all about an album, when you enjoy even your less favorite track). The main guitar motif has become an anthem. Anyway, the song is a straight-forward hard rocking tune with beautiful arrangments and, again, wonderful vocals.

Sea of Madness is a gem. You know when bands make a song that is different from what they usually do and are incredibly successful doing it ? That's the case here. Hard rocking and galloping when it needs to be, uplifting and beautiful in other moments, all the while offering a great display of musicianship and mastery of their craft. A truly progressive song.

Another anthem is found in Heaven Can Wait, a classic Harris penned number with a great sing along chorus. The band takes us, once again on a few mood swings throughout this song.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a very fast song, bringing to mind the strides of a runner in a race. The song is so relentless you can almost feel breathless when it ends. Great arrangments and vocals here too, and McBrain never gives up in this one. I suspect he is the runner here.

Next comes another gem (as in my description above), Stranger in a Strange Land. Right from the start, you cannot help but either headbang or tap your foot, and when the guitars kick in, you just do it harder. Such a mean and original riff!!! The ambiences created through the song are amazing, as is the way the song builds up.

Dave Murray's only penned number on SiT, Déjà-Vu, is another great track, not unlike The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (if I am not mistaken, they share the same bpm). It is surprising this song fits so well in the context of the album considering it was Murray's only contribution.

What better way to end an album than an epic ? Alexander The Great is a biographical resume as much as it is an amazing epic, complete with time changes, odd time signatures, complex arrangments and yet again an amazing deliver from Dickinson.

The production fits the theme of the album, and at that time was unlike anything previously heard. Futuristic, spacey, yet hard and heavy.

This is one of Maiden's really prog albums, and as such, deserves a rating as a prog album alone. Considering the lasting influence this album has on prog, metal and prog metal, considering the groundbreaking factor and the amazing quality of the material presented here and the high caliber of every musician involved, this album deserves nothing less than five stars.

Without a doubt, this album has one of the best covers in all the Iron Maiden/Eddy catalogue, with a futuristic approach and even some irony. Not that this matters that much for a musical standpoint, but I thought I had to mention Maiden's covers at least once in my series of reviews.

This album arrived two years after the preceding one, POWERSLAVE, which means that for one year there was no new studio record by the British. 1985 only viewed the release of LIVE AFTER DEATH, Maiden's first proper live album and one that would capture the hearts of its fans even more. It seems that that hiatus from the compositional stage worked, as SOMEWHERE IN TIME is, in my eyes, far superior to POWERSLAVE, to the point that it may well be, alongside SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON, my favorite Maiden disc with Dickinson on vocals.

This album presents a slight change of style in Iron Maiden's music. If the focal point of the music in POWERSLAVE seemed to be speed and energy, in this record we find, alongside fast, pure-adrenaline tracks, more atmospheric moments, more use of the guitar synth, and a couple of songs which are absolutely progressive, maybe the first ones since "Rime of The Ancient Mariner" and much more so. The use of textures, of guitar harmonies, the dialogues between the two guitars get more complex, more interesting; Harris' bass continues to astound with its marvelous mix of simplicity and virtuosism; McBrain's drumming is just as tight as always but he seems more secure in this album, like if he finally felt himself 100% a part of Iron Maiden. And one of the factors that I love the most about this band is showcased here to a great extent: the ability to create ultra-fast metal pieces but filled with lots of catchy, even beautiful melodies. If there is something that no metal band has managed to do is to write fast music so tuneful. All the bands that have hopelessly tried to emulate Maiden (mostly power metal and progressive metal outfits) are yet to match the wonderful experience that some tracks in this album can produce in a fan, that sense of hearing music that belongs to you, metal that's yours. A fan gets to become one with the songs, and the songs are designed to do that. More on that later.

Caught Somewhere In Time (9/10) A typical Maiden-esque melody in guitars opens this fast track that, unlike most Maiden openers, lasts over 5 minutes. The main verse is faster, like a horse galloping at full speed the bass takes us through this journey. At every moment we're dazzled by short but glorious little melodies by the guitars. Dickinson sings even better than usual here. It has a long instrumental section with a great guitar solo and some truly inspired bass work. Another fantastic opener by the Irons, maybe not as instantly memorable as others like "Aces High", but surely more complex and easy to grow with time.

Wasted Years (10/10) Not much can be said about this anthem of anthems in the already-full-of-anthems catalogue of The Beast. Speed, energy, beautiful guitar melodies, a sense of weird melancholy and nostalgia, the years that passed us by are gone and the song makes us pay them homage but also leave them as relics of an ancient, dead past, making us look for the future. Smith and Murray just blow their axes away with a magnificent display of guitar playing and one of the best solos in the band's catalogue. The chorus can't be more memorable. This song is the stuff of legends. The first song ever by Maiden that I need the urge to give a 10/10 to, but certainly won't be the last (as my chronologically-wrong review of FEAR OF THE DARK can easily attest).

Sea Of Madness (9.5/10) The opening verse of this song is quite unique, the rhythm has a certain weird groove to it. The chorus is very good again, but the relentless stop- and-go main riff of the song is what truly makes it instantly recognizable. The middle section is slow and quiet, more melodic, atmospheric almost, with another great display of prowess by Harris. Great song. Another grower.

Heaven Can Wait (10/10) This track may well be THE anthem by Maiden, and in this case almost literally so. It starts very quietly, haunting, only strings (bass and guitars it's what I mean; they work with strings after all). Then another energetic verse with a breathless delivery by master Dickinson. The chorus is very likeable but rather generic. The song is going great but as it is up to this point would be just another good fast song. Then we start going upwards, the guitars stars dueling with each other, the battle seems unstoppable. A sudden change in speed, a little slower, Dickinson sings and then we're invited to join in a true anthemic moment made for stadium chants and for uniting all the thousands of fans of The Beast. A moment that, if maybe not incredibly fantastic from a musical point of view, some may see it as cheesy, but is just magical because it unites the music and the fan, both are made into one. The speed comes back and the guitars' fight reaches a climax where neither one seem to be able to win, and they just join forces, as we already did with this music. This rollercoaster of a songs started like a regular decent track and by the end became one of the all-time greats by The Beast.

The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner (9.5/10) The beginning of this song sounds like future albums like THE X-FACTOR will sound. The bass goes up and down, one guitar plays chords, the other a soaring high melody while the hi-hat provides the touch of heart-less mathematics to such a warm start. The main verse starts, Dickinson delivers as usual, some great double melodies by the guitars ensue, melody after melody. Excellent.

Stranger In A Strange Land (8.5/10) The bass and the drums open this one in unusual fashion, and then the guitars come in and we're fooled for a second into believing this is a ZZTop track (please, stop the violence, only for A SECOND). The use of guitar synths is clear here, the song is not so fast as the preceding ones, but is more atmospheric, even futuristic at moments. The texturing work is just great as in every track in this album. The chorus is good, not great. This song is another proof as to the progressiveness in Maiden's metal. (Harris' most important influences were Squire and Rutherford among others, as he himself has recognized and, most importantly, as the music SHOWS.) Very good slow track. Only the slightly average chorus deters it from being excellent.

Déjà Vu (9.5/10) Another slow, melodic start where the three string-based electric instruments seem to dialogue with each other. And then suddenly one of those legendary lightning-fast riffs by The Beast attacks. McBrain adds to the energy while Dickinson forces his throat to the limits. A fantastic fast track, very melodic all the craziness notwithstanding. At moments sounds like a "progged-up" version of "Killers", the title track of Maiden's sophomore release.

Alexander The Great (10/10) The longest and most progressive song in SOMEWHERE IN TIME, it starts like a slow march filled with evil, dark spirits. Guitar melodies fly over the marching snare-drum rhythm and the pedal. Then the main verse comes into scene. The tempo is similar to that of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in POWERSLAVE, but the song as a whole is much more progressive, varied, complex. Instrumental sections abound, guitar solos inhabit this epic track as the most honorable of citizens of the land of melodic metal. Another superb song that deserves a perfect rating, even if it hasn't reached my heart as much as the other two, but maybe that's because of exposure, as this is another example of why I love Maiden.

This album is better than almost any other in all of Iron Maiden's catalogue (bar, in my opinion, SEVENTH SON and X-FACTOR), but it's definitely a "grower": one has to give it time, and it will grow; one has to give it a few listens, an it will show its true face. The first true masterpiece by The Beast, it gets a 5 from me, and I think the rating is in accordance to PA guidelines, for this is a true progressive album.

Recommended for: Every Iron Maiden fan and every Metal fan. But give it time to grow with you as it did with me.

. and be ready to chant in communion with The Beast, and tell Heaven that it will have to wait... at least till you finish listen to SOMEWHERE IN TIME.

This is a great album period. Some people didn't like the synth and more polished futuristic sound of the production, but I think it was a natural progression and it was toned down in the following 7th son where they hit the nail right on the head. Every song on this album is excellent and sure it was maybe a little bit more accessible to the average person with all it's gloss and polish, it is still Iron Maiden and it offers some of Maidens' most complex works such as Alexander the Great and Adrains' Sea of Madness. Bruces' volcal sound insanely awesome on this record and the only thing I would change is the effects on his voice. If it was turned down just a little it would be perfect, but that's a very minor complaint. On 7th Son they get it just right, but my opinion here is he had just a little too much reverb/delay/whatever on his vocals here.

This is one of Maidens best efforts.

Interesting Tidbits about this album...

Bruce has no contributions on this and it's the only album where he doesn't. Bruce had some acoustic material that the others weren't that into.

Adrian wrote both the singles on this album and it's the only time Adrian has song credits without other collaborators.

This was their peak sales in the USA selling 2 million copies of Somewhere In Time.

This album features the most complex detailed painting Derek Riggs has ever done for Maiden. He really went above and beyond in the early days!

A very slick and highly polished Iron Maiden release with a classy sound and line up of songs, creative guitar work, and clever use of the band's varied talents; however, none of the songs here have the staying power or memorability of other releases, making "Somewhere in Time" a good, but sometimes forgettable record when placed alongside the band's library. No fan would be disappointed though, and a few listeners coming strictly from within the prog-metal realms may find a lot to like here as well.

Iron Maiden's sixth studio album "Somewhere in Time" is a heavily discussed album by fans of this legendary English band. It was very original in its day, as the band switched to synth guitars on this album and were among the first band to use that instrument in a way that enhanced their sound. At the same time the synth sounds alienated many fans, of which quite a few would say that this album showed a band in creative and musical decline.

Musically the band has perfected their sound on this album. The playing is tighter than the proverbial duck's arse, and the band members are experienced enough to add the extra touches to ordinary tunes to make them sound good, adding small nuances and touches in turn to make the songs sound interesting; as can best be heard on opening track "Caught Somewhere in Time". Adding the synth sounds to the music also elevates many tracks from the realm of the ordinary to something better, where the slightly softer edges of the synth guitar riffs adds flavout and atmosphere to Iron Maidens trademark harmonic and melodic soloing and riffing, and giving a warmer touch to Maidens pacey songs, where the fast paced bass guitar and drumming do sound better accompanied by the slightly softer synth guitars.

A new aspect to Iron Maiden's sound on this album, or at least an aspect much developed here, are several examples of songs where Bruce Dickinson's vocals are used as a melodic instrument in itself. These songs are rather monotone and repetitive apart from the soloing, and Dickinson's vocals carry as good as all melody in the singing parts of these songs. "Wasted Years" is a very good example of this. If this is planned or more an indirect result of the synth guitars slighter fuzzy sound is of course something that only can be speculated upon.

The influence from progressive rock continues on this album as well; an aspect of their music surfacing on their previous studio album "Powerslave". As with that album, in many songs the progressive elements are more to be found in structure than in actual playing; and the elements are most noticeable in the long, epic tracks on this release.

The individual songs on "Somewhere in Time" are a rather mixed affair. Although musically at their peak now in my opinion, the songs as such aren't as good as on previous albums. The creative well seems to have run dry; with fewer songs than normal containing original or really captivating elements.

The addition of the synth guitars to their sound as well as the band members ability to play on individual and collective strengths are the factors that elevate this album to an interesting, albeit varied, release.

Same sort of recipe as in "Powerslave" (their previous albums) : longer compositions, more hard-rock than metal oriented and very little prog to my ears. I am only amazed to read about the progressiveness of this album (or band).

Would you ask back in 1985 to which genre Iron Maiden's music was related, I bet you that NO ONE would have linked it with prog, that's for sure. Did they become prog with the remastering of their albums ? .Strange. Although the same progressive trends have invaded lots of bands which were never considered as such before. I must have missed their reconversion.

Anyway, this is another very good Maiden album. To be faithful to your roots was not an easy task in those mid eighties but Maiden did it remarkably. It is difficult to find a weak number in here. The album opens brilliantly on the title track which is one of the highlight.

If you are in need of energy : grab this album (or another earlier Maiden one like "Killers"). You will be rejuvenated. A killer song as "Heaven Can Wait" will just beat you down. Great chorus, majestic guitar work and incredible beat. Extremely powerful.

I would have rather titled the next song "The Loneliness Of The Short Distance Runner", because one can hardly believe a long distance one can run as fast as the amazing beat available here. It is one of my fave from this album. Fantastic guitars again and SUPER fast rhythm. Almost punkish. But that's not the first time that Maiden flirts with this genre. Another highlight.

The heaviest song is not the best one available : "Stranger In A Strange Land" has a slower-paced tempo (but I agree that it is difficult to remain on the levels of the other songs so far). This type of tracks usually doesn't please me a lot (whatever the band). I prefer energetic to heavy. Bizarrely, an atmospheric break is the start of a brilliant (guitar) solo. So, my judgement about it is mixed.

Smooth guitar to open "Déjà vu" which will be very soon converted into a fast metal mood. Drumming here is very good. Countless hits on the drum kit all the way the way through. Very effective song and nice vocals-guitar interplays.

The closing number is also a highlight. Starts on a bolero-like mood (but this doesn't make a song prog, even if the riff of "Watcher Of The Skies" from who you know is seriously borrowed around minute four). A good overview of the history of this great conqueror and an epic metal track.

This album will please any Maiden fan. It is purely in the band's trradition. No real change with this work. Four stars.

I wanted to review this for a long time and now I finally urged myself to do it. I still have many prog albums to go but now it's Iron Maiden time. Is Iron Maiden prog of any kind ? Personally I don't think so, but if there's an album that comes close it could well be this one. This was my absolute favourite hard rock album of the eighties. Really good and inventive compositions for a simple (?) hard rock band I thought back then. But if I see the number of reviews on this website for this band and the ratingaverages they score you really start to believe this is prog (related).

Anyway, now about this album. I'll start with the highlight which is the last track of the album: Alexander the Great. I'm in love with this song for over 20 years now and it will probably never go away. It must have something to do with the progressive elements you can find in it. The instrumental part is mindblowing and suits me 100%. Unfortunately none of the other tracks can keep up with this class act but still there are several real nice ones, like Stranger in a strange land, Heaven can wait and Sea of madness. And actually the others aren't bad at all either. So it's not really hard for me to come to the 4 star conclusion. Great effort by Iron Maiden.

This is probably my favourite Iron Maiden album, although BNW and the debut come close. The production is a step up, i think from all their previous albums, and the addition of keyboards to the mix creates a great new sound for Maiden.

This album hits the ground running with anthem 'Caught Somewhere in Time'. This is a Maiden claasic and sums up their sound at this period. 'Wasted Years' was one of the singles of the album and does sound quite commercial, but nevertheless it is a brilliant song. 'Sea of Madness' is an often overlooked highlight with a truly epic soaring chorus. 'Heaven can Wait' is absolutely amazing. You should hear it to believe it. 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' is good, if not slightly derivative of an earlier song (Children of the Damned). 'Stranger in a Strange Land' is another single but this one is even better and a good competitor for best song on the album. Very epic with great lyrics. 'Deja Vu' is a somewhat weaker link, but Bruce's very unusual vocals keep it interesting. 'Alexander the Great' closes the album perfectly with its epic storyline and impressive musicianship.

This albums packs in everything that I love about Maiden. Thunderous bass lines. Catchy Riffs. Soaring choruses. Blistering Solos. break-neck drumming. Atmospheric synths. The list goes on. Just buy it, wether your a fan or not you probably will be after a couple of spins of this album.

Up the Irons!!!

This album was my Maiden voyage into metal territory back in the late eighties, and the great riffing, crystal clear sounds, top notch production and relentless pace still blows me away. Throughout the album's compositions melodicity and powermetal battle for dominance, leaving the victory for the listener.

Highlights on this album are the fabulous opener Caught Somewhere In Time, which really sets the pace for the album. Heaven Can Wait, with bruce air raiding that Heaven can wait, good typical IM guitar solo in the middle and a stadium rock feel to it. And of course Alexander the Great.

All in all I consider this album my second favourite Iron Maiden album just after the classic The Number Of The Beast, a very enjoyable listening and recommended to all who enjoy high paced melodic metal.

Simply the best Maiden album money can buy.

All the merits their music had accumulated from The Number of the Beast onwards and which resulted in better and better albums peaked with this one here. Tight songs with power, not one unnecessary note and a treat from the first to the last song. If I had to single out one track it'd be ALEXANDER THE GREAT - this song has the right feel for its issue. I'd never thought one cut put the Story of Alexander to music without failing. Maiden taught me better.

With Seventh Son... two years later they became more commercial and four years after this best of all Maiden albums we had to witness the complete downfall of the legend (No Prayer for The Dying - very aptly titled!). And if there was a satisfying resurrection in the new millenium remains open to debate. But SOMEWHERE IN TIME is a clear case - 5 stars.

After the absolute masterpiece that "Powerslave" was, expectations were high for the new Iron Maiden album. Unfortunately "Somewhere in Time" isn't as good as its predecessor; however, it is a fine heavy/power metal album, and why?

First of all, I have to praise the new direction the band took with this record. They just didn't tried to create a "Powerslave part II", they incorporated new elements to the band's sound, the most important of them being the use of guitar synths; they gave a fresh and new atmosphere to the record, and songs like "Alexander the Great" benefit one hell of a lot with them. The production is also rather different; the guitars don't sound so sharp anymore, nor does the drums; the vocals are definitely highlighted by the production, the same thing with the synths. The bass is a bit more buried under the guitars than on previous releases, but after all it still is audible and tasteful.

Another key element of "Somewhere in Time" is the fast instrumentation; Maiden never played so fast, believe me, and that's why this album carries a strong power metal vibe too. The drumming is almost thrashy sometimes ("Dejá Vu"), with Nicko McBrain delivering another great performance again, technical yet not overplaying anything... One of my favourite drummers, that's for sure!

Adrian Smith is another important musician on "Somewhere in Time", mainly because of all the songs he composed (he penned the majority of the songs, together with Steve Harris or alone). Unfortunately, because of his huge contribution, Bruce Dickinson wasn't allowed to write anything for this record, which is a shame, since the band owes him songs like "Revelations" and, most of all, the title track of "Powerslave". Fortunately, he wrote some songs on the sucessor of "Somewhere in Time", the acclaimed (and widely overrated) "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son".

Anyways, highlights? There are some really great songs here and some pretty average, the latter ones bringing the album down and harming the whole listening experience quite badly. "Caught Somewhere in Time" is one of the best songs here, absolutely dominated by some intricate soloing and a very nice vocal performance by Dickinson. He was in a really good shape during the recording of this piece, just listen to him screaming "Caught somewheere in tiiiiiiiiiiiimee!"... It's truly amazing, I even dare to say that his performance here is better than on "Powerslave" and that's saying something! "Wasted Years" is another great song, catchy as hell and in the same vein as "2 Minutes to Midnight" or "Flight of Icarus"; a rather commercial tune but still amazing. It also features a very nice beginning (Mustaine apparently loves it, since he ripped it off - just listen to "Washington is Next!").

The best of the bunch is, however, "Alexander the [%*!#]in' Great" and what a song, ladies and gents!! It sounds like "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" combined with the epic historical themes that made "Piece of Mind" what it is! Just take a time and listen to that masterpiece, it deserves some listens for you to fully understand its greatness! Absolutely gorgeous song!

With the fanboy mode turned to "OFF", I'll now speak about the low points of this record. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is one of them, not a horrible song but it does absolutely nothing to make this album better. It's midpaced and features a catchy chorus, but it isn't a song that you'll enjoy that much, that's for sure. At least is better than "Quest for Fire"... "De Já Vu" sounds also really forced, despite the thrashy feel it carries. An uninspired song, to say the least. "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" and "Heaven Can Wait" are both decent, though. I reallly like the chorus of both, but, again, they do nothing to make this album better. Ah, and "Sea of Madness" has a nice beginning and breakdown, but it is unfortunately another average number,

So, with all those average tracks in, the listening experience of "Somewhere in Time" is far from perfect. Nevertheless, there are some great bits here, songs like "Alexander the Great" stand out as absolutely fantastic, so this record is worth listening because of them. Anyway, despite not being the best Maiden album, I recommend this piece to power metal and also "fast heavy metal" fans. And the performances of the musicians are also quite technical at times, so that's another plus. A good album, all in all, better than "Piece of Mind" and "Number of the Beast" and worse than "Powerslave" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son".

Best Moments of the CD: -The beginning and solo section of "Caught Somewhere in Time". -The chorus of "Wasted Years". -The intro and middle section of "Alexander the Great".

Concluding: ALEXANDER THE GREEEEEEEEAT! - that's all you need to hear if you want to check this album out.

This was the first actual metal I owned, after hearing Wasted Years and being impressed by the opening guitar lead riff. While Bruce Dickinson is a focal point of sorts, this album showcases all of the band members on the top of their game, well balanced, executing well, and full of energy. Where some of the earlier albums may have rocked harder, they always had a looseness to them that didn't appeal to my musicality (Run to the Hills is a great example), and the subsequent album was almost poppy to my ears, Somewhere in Time struck the right balance.

Is it prog? No. Is it as sophisticated as much of the material in our Prog Metal category. Yes. And just as well executed. Further, I think Iron Maiden influenced those bands perhaps more than any other. Certainly my old favorite, Queensryche, started as a Maiden clones, and in fact one of the classic riffs from Eye of a Stanger resembles the signature riff from Somewhere in Time to a suspicious degree.

My favorite songs from this album: Caught Somewhere in Time, Wasted Years, Stranger in a Strange Land

Least favorite Deja Vu

Welcome to the new era........ Iron Maiden style

The guitar synths and other plastic fantastic noises took over this album and out went the fantastic Powerslave sound. Which was very good because another Powerslave would be a suicide. Even a massive Powerslave fan like myself have to admit that. Somewhere In Time was the right album for Iron Maiden. It was also a bold step and I was one of those scratching my head.

The album opens with Caught Somewhere In Time. A good track and strangely overlooked by the band itself in the latter years although I have yet to meet a fan who does not rate this song very highly. It is never played live, as far as I am aware of. It is a good song and I rate it highly.

Wasted Years is a song I want to banished to the naughty corner and never want to hear it again. I think it is cheap and pop-metal like. The next song Sea Of Madness is decent with a good drive and more than one sniff of symphonic prog. Heaven Can Wait has a good riff and a memorable chorus. It is a live favourite.

As a man who like long 100 miles cycle tours around UK, the next song is almost my own anthem. Yes, I very much identify myself with The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner. The lyrics could had been written by myself when I race over one of the Scottish islands on my way to somewhere not important. I hope Iron Maiden is not going to charge me royalties for every time I sing this song loud because this will bankrupt me. I love this song and every word of it. I can feel every word of it in my tired legs. The next song is also one of my favourite Iron Maiden songs. Although a bit light-weight, Stranger In A Strange Land also has an epic feeling and a memorable tune. It is also pretty much prog rock at times with some good tempo changes and harmonies. An excellent song.

The next song Déjà Vu is an uptempo song with a catchy chorus. Not bad, but not great either. The closing song Alexander The Great is the symphonic prog rock alibi on this album. It has all the hallmarks of both a good heavy metal song and a good prog rock song. The plastic fantastic synths makes it a bit cheap and dumbed down in my view. Compare it to the title track from Powerslave and you will see my point. It is certainly not the greatest epic Iron Maiden song ever.

So, how does Somewhere In Time stacks up today ? Pretty well, actually. The sound is good and like a 2009 release. The songs is good. I am in doubt if this is a 3 or a 4 stars though. But I will go for a 4 stars rating here because I believe I will listen a lot to this album during the next decades. I also need Iron Maiden's approval to play The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner in my funeral. So I have to be a bit kind here. Call it a bribe. So the rating goes up from 3.75 stars to 4 stars.

This is my favorite Maiden album and there are moments we can call this music truly progressive. First of all if comared to previous releases this one sounds different. More spacy. The second thing is, guitar chords are built in truly progressive way. Sometimes riffs don't fill much space leaving room for synth guitar effects. It sounds really great believe me. Every track on this album is brilliant but two my favorite are Sea Of Madness and Stranger In A Strange Land. Both written by Adrian Smith are 2 of my 3 best Maiden tracks ever (the other one is Revelations). And both are a bit similar. There's that proggy quiet part in the middle of each of those. Like something taken from Yes or Genesis. Simply amazing tunes. Guitar solos on this release are mostly played by Adrian and I think it was a good move because he's more tallented guitarist than Dave Murray in my eyes. His guitar work sometimes reminds me of Alex Lifeson's style. Especially in those solos. The songs are dynamic, melodic, good arranged and played with precision. This easily deserves 5 stars. Heavy metal for thinkers.

They bite harder, and they progress, but they are still lost.

If they indeed are lost, then I certainly wouldn't mind being there with them. This is Iron Maiden's logical successor to Powerslave in more than one way. They bring back some of the fiery luster they had in their early days, and implement that with natural sound progression and more complex tendencies.

Caught Somewhere In Time just absolutely rips. those dancing and flailing guitar lines are epic and tasteful, not to mention wild eyed and vitriolic. The furious level of power exhibited here is quite the breath of fresh metallic air.

Wasted Years is another "instant classic". the well known opening guitar notes, leading into the main heavy rock of the piece. The screeching roar of before is toned down, but Iron Maiden are able to reach a fine middle ground, complete with catchy chorus, too. Sea of Madness picks things back up, and we are off on another grand romp. The rhythm playing is very tight and focused. You can feel the dark symphonic atmosphere that has been injected into the tracks, and the album as an entirety.

Noticeable is the embrace of more complex structures and mystic sound, in general. Each song feels at least somewhat more unique than the filler from their last couple of albums. They certainly raise the bar for themselves. Still, unimpressive and average pieces like Heaven Can Wait bloat the album and slow down the process of entrancement. They don't ever let the steam go for too long, though. Loneliness, and its somber melancholy guitar lines bring us back to the forefront. They thrash about accurately, and Bruce gets better with each new album, vocally.

Stranger In A Strange Land is intimidatingly staggering in its low end atmospheric swagger. This song has a lot more personality and identity compared to their "filler" songs. The keyboards certainly don't negatively impact the music, and add a drenching epic wash over the eerie work. Deja Vu begins with a downtrodden guitar solo before the song becomes what I call another faceless Maiden tune. It is good, but I am left unaffected and unimpressed.

The last song is the most unique of the ones, here. It has the most progressive sensibilities, and rocks the hardest, overall. Bruce is venomous, and Alexander The Great never lets down. A fitting end to a strong effort.

The album is a good new direction for Iron Maiden, and they try consolidating their mass sprawling style base into one cohesive work, and sits well as a sign of things to come in the very near future. Still, there are a few filler spots, as with most Iron Maiden releases, crafted in their trademark faceless trot, and their writing hasn't fully revived itself, yet.

Best Moment - Album opener

Worst Moment - Deja Vu, or Heaven Can Wait

*** Stars, somewhere.

Somewhere In Time is the sixth full-length studio album by UK heavy metal act Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden had enjoyed great success with their previous album Powerslave (1984) and the ensuing world tour in 1984-1985. Listening to Somewhere In Time it´s fortunately quite obvious that they had no intention of slowing down or abdicate the heavy metal throne in favour of new forces at this point. In other words they had not become lazy or tired because of success. Somewhere In Time is another great album in a long line of classic heavy metal albums by Iron Maiden but there´s something different about the sound on this one compared to earlier releases by the band that makes Somewhere In Time one of the most unique studio albums yet by Iron Maiden.

The music on the album is at its core melodic heavy metal as on any other album release by Iron Maiden, so the basis in the music with Bruce Dickinson´s powerful and distinct vocals, the thunderous ( read: Galloping) rythm section and the twin lead guitar attack is as present as ever. The difference between Somewhere In Time and earlier releases by Iron Maiden is that Somewhere In Time actually moves slightly into progressive territory. The use of synth guitars and a general epic atmosphere on the album helps on that impression.

There are eight tracks on the album. Three are written by guitarist Adrian Smith while the last five are written by bassist Steve Harris. Bruce Dickinson had written songs for the album but the rest of the band favoured the songs written by Adrian Smith and Steve Harris. Wasted years and Stranger In A Strange Land were used as A-sides for the two EPs released to promote the album. All songs on the album are of high quality and while it´s almost impossible for me to pick out favorites I´ll give a special mention to opener Caught Somewhere In Time, the fast paced The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner, the melancholic/ nostalgic sounding Stranger In A Strange Land and the grand epic closer Alexander The Great. All songs on the album leave me awe strucken though and a great feeling of joy always overwhelms me when I listen to Somewhere In Time. While I mentioned the word progressive above, the music on Somewhere In Time really isn´t progressive metal and shouldn´t be regarded as such. There are many progressive elements on the album though that has been greatly influential on the progressive metal genre and should I point to one album by the band that warrants Iron Maiden´s inclusion on a progressive rock site it would definitely be Somewhere In Time.

The production by Martin Birch has a grand and clean futuristic sound that goes very well with the extensive use of synth guitars and the sci-fi theme on the album. One of the most unique heavy metal productions I have ever heard. It´s very different from the sound on earlier albums by Iron Maiden.

My own story with Somewhere In Time probably has some effect on my final rating on the album. Not only is this an absolutely fantastic album but it was actually my first ever LP purchase ( I had some cassettes but an LP is something special IMO). I get all nostalgic thinking about that purchase. I even remember which store I purchased the album in. Putting that LP into an empty shelf ( which would soon be full) in my now long gone teenage bookcase is something I will treasure forever. My copy of the album actually turned out to have an error in the first song on Side 2 The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner which means that the needle jumps. Very annoying and I of course went to the store where I had purchased the album and made them give me a new copy. The only problem was that the new copy had exactly the same error and I gave up trying to get a new one. It must have been a whole shipment to Denmark with LP copies of Somewhere In Time with the same error because my brother has a copy with the same error and two of my friends have copies with the same error too. I´ve since purchased Somewhere In Time in both a flawless LP version and on CD but fortunately my first meeting with the album didn´t take away the fact that I enjoyed this album very much the first couple of years after I purchased it. There have been times when I haven´t listened much to Iron Maiden but this is the album I always return to when the urge to listen to some great melodic heavy metal comes over me. A Masterpiece well deserving a 5 star rating.

On Powerslave Maiden had served a nice taste of prog metal, on Somewhere In Time they took another step forward and tried to evolve and develop their sound into synth-metallic directions, similar to what Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne were doing around that time, be it with varying degrees of success. At the moments where Maiden comes up with adequate songs it works successfully, but there's just too much filler and big sing-along choruses to make up a good album.

On the opening Caught Somewhere In Time everything they do is superb though, only the chorus is a bit grating to my ears. It's a pattern that returns in much of the songs. Only Stranger In A Strange Land fully convinces me. Most songs are average at best, featuring unremarkable verses and bridges and choruses that vary between inadequate and commercial. Also Alexander The Great doesn't speak to me.

I remember this album didn't click with the fans back in 1985 but going by the ratings that seems not to be the case for the prog crowd. One thing is sure, from the next album onwards, Maiden re-turned to the Powerslave formula and gradually became a self-derivative and irrelevant band. Here, at least they tried. It can't convince me a bit really. 2.5 stars

Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)

In a time 'progressive' was a cursed word Iron Maiden changed their direction in exactly that direction. This somewhat strange move for one of the most popular metal band of their times wasn't perceived as a progress by the fans, but in our progressive community it was seen as a pleasant career-move. Might Harris had always intended to extend his melodic and inventive ideas for the band? Perhaps the roots for this new style can be found in the new technology of it's time (synth-bass and synth-guitar). I don't know, but I learned to like this one-of-a-kind album in their discography.

On the Somewhere in Time album the metal-sound got some electronic edge to it and there now was a frequent use of synthesizers, albeit guitars-synths. The vocals of Dickinson are less close to the listener due to the use of reverb effects. The sound of this album is also a bit more abstract and perhaps a bit spacey to some. The drums are still recognizable Maiden style.

The songs. The album opens with the title track and to be honest, it's not my favorite track of the album. I know a lot of people who really like it, but I think it sounds un-interesting and the melodies just don't seem to work. Even some of the guitar-solo's don't work for me, usually a strong part of the Maiden title tracks. A pity. The next track, Wasted years, is a stronger track with a nice guitar theme and a catchy refrain. It's slight electronic sound works really well here. Sea of Madness is a bit more progressive and has a great bridge and refrain. The lyrics are bit dull IMHO.

Heaven Can Wait is the first masterful Maiden track on the album. This epical track about a near-death-experience has many parts put together in an intelligent and fresh way. The many guitarsolo's work well and the atmosphere works pretty well with the lyrics. Great! The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner is a song with a lot of instrumental guitar parts that work very well with the up-tempo approach. I used to think of this song as a real treat: the more melodic guitar parts the better. Stranger In A Strange Land is a simple but effective song like Wasted Years. Somehow the simplistic rhythmical approach (one might say kind of eighties-rock like) works very well. It give focus.

Déjà Vu is an up-tempo track with again a lot of melodic guitar parts and a good lyrical theme. This albums keeps getting stronger! Alexander The Great is the big epic of the album. It has all of the epic ingredient Maiden has to offer: many melodic instrumental parts, a story-line, some more development with instrumental parts (this time even in an odd time- signature!) and a good conclusion.

Conclusion. A strange Maiden album with synths and a slight progressive approach. This new slightly progressive sound is established by it's sound, Iron Maiden already had lot's of inventive songwriting and many melodic parts. Somehow I can understand this album is not for every-one and it might not even be appreciated by all fans of the band. I myself like it, though I think side two is better then side one. Four stars. A lot of guts to make experimental metal like this in the mid-eighties!

This release is the first time we really see Iron Maiden flirting with experimentation, and do they pull it off?...well of course they do its Iron Maiden...well yes to a certain extent they do, its not 100% perfect like their classic albums are, and there is one or two filler songs (i dont really care much for THE LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER or ALEXANDER THE GREAT too much) but the rest make up for a pretty great album. The opener CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN TIME, has some great synths and quite a catchy chorus, WASTED YEARS is a verry, verry catchy song, and i just love DEJA VU, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and HEAVEN CAN WAIT, they are all classic Maiden...so overall, a very good album and a high 4 stars :)

Caught Somewhere In Time - 10/10 Wasted Years -10/10 Sea Of Madness - 9/10 Heaven Can Wait - 10/10 The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner - 7/10 Stranger In A Strange Land - 10/10 Déjà Vu - 10/10 Alexander The Great - 7/10

CONCLUSION: This is a great album, yet another highly rated Iron Maiden album

First album after the proclaimed Iron Maiden trilogy that begun with The Number Of The Beast turned out less successful in the hits department and is generally considered to be slightly weaker than the two juggernauts that surround it. While I can understand that the fans might prefer hits like Aces High and Two Minutes To Midnight over this material, this doesn't make Somewhere In Time a lesser release by any means. On contrary, this actually happens to be my favorite Iron Maiden by far!

My love for this record is not a nostalgic one since I've discovered it pretty recently and it wasn't even among the first batch of albums that I've heard from the band. This is a very honest and unbiased response to a solid record and a rarity within the Iron Maiden discography. Not only does the album feature most of my favorite compositions from the band but it also pretty much nails the experimental fling that I've been lacking on their previous releases.

Right off the bat you know that this album is special judging by the excellent album cover. I just had to buy the vinyl in order to be able to decipher all the hidden messages and clues of the band's past depicted on the front and back cover work, easily their best album cover to date! The music doesn't disappoint either. Caught Somewhere In Time is a magnificent album-opener that kicks the record into high gear from the get-go with the dual guitar action followed by drums and stomping bass only to let Dickinson enter more than a minute into the composition.

Wasted Years is the more commercial out of the two singles released from the album but it's really not a bad song by any means. Yes, the chorus might sound a bit cheesy to some but the instrumental arrangements make up for most of the possible flaws that some people might mention. Sea Of Madness and Heaven Can Wait are another two rather commercially oriented tracks, surprisingly neither of the two were released as a singles. Solid tracks but somewhat disappointing in the context of the rest of the album.

If you feel a bit discouraged by side one of the record then fear not, side two is the far more superior of the two! The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner kicks things off with another signature guitar melody that will most likely get stuck in your head for days on end, I know that it did so with me. The album's second single Stranger In A Strange Land is really a weird but fun choice for a single since it's really not as radio-friendly as any of the tracks off side one. Luckily, it only makes me love it even more!

Now here is an odd number for any Iron Maiden fans who claim that the band has never played dangerously close to Power Metal. Déjà Vu is easily the most Power Metal oriented composition that the band has released and it almost makes me imagine this whole parallel universe where Iron Maiden is a Power Metal band playing exclusively tracks like this one. Ain't that a funny thought? Time for another epic history lesson and Alexander The Great clearly doesn't disappoint in that regard. This is an epic composition at it's finest, everything is done here just the way I like it, even down to the odd time signature section played in 7/8.

Even if Somewhere In Time is my personal favorite among the Iron Maiden albums I'm not sure that it's the album for everyone. You should probably start your journey with Powerslave and then move on to either this album or the great 1980 debut release. Hopefully you'll get just the right amount of exposure to the band by going through these three albums since I've found most of their other releases to be lackluster in one regard or another.

***** star songs: Caught Somewhere In Time (7:26) The Loneliness Of A Long Distance Runner (6:31) Alexander The Great (8:37)

**** star songs: Wasted Years (5:07) Sea Of Madness (5:42) Stranger In A Strange Land (5:45) Déjà Vu (4:56)

*** star songs: Heaven Can Wait (7:22)

I have bought this album twice in my lifetime once on cassette as a child and the other as a re-release showing the vinyl to compact disc remaster.

As a child the group's album cover was the basic reasoning to buying the album. The lack of vocals where immediately obvious in the opening track.

This island based group is much like any other trying to distance their perversion unto the mainland. The album/cassette was enough to get me turned out to their sound.

In common sense this group is a rock skip on the water, jumping as many times as possible until their destination is complete. In the metal genre a top choice, in the progressive genre they are a continuation a branch of metal era founding setting a progressive metal pace that began the song structuring of putting instrumentals with vocals.

The album cover is the best introduction and end to the album, in progressive it is best kept on the rack unopened as a gift in the reference.

There's little doubt in my mind that Somewhere In Time isn't quite as good as the preceding Powerslave, but at the same time it's still a very good Maiden album which is somewhat underrated in the band's catalogue. The main sticking point for me is probably Wasted Years, a flirtation with a more commercial style of metal which, whilst it doesn't actually stray into hair metal territory, often seems as though it's threatening to. Beyond that song, however, the band do a decent job of incorporating synthesisers into their sound and present more epic, progressive songwriting of the sort that by this point was what we all expected of them.

I only had a chance to know better about Iron Maiden quite late in year 2000, actually. But I then collected their albums and found out their first five albums were very good. When I got this Somewhere In Time, I did find anything new coming out from their musical creativity - it's just usal stuffs - nothing new and challenging. It's still a good album even though not as powerful as its predecessor Powerslaves. The band seemed like in a stagnant period - or may be they got bored with the music?

Caught Somewhere In Time is actually quite unique which demonstrates excellent Dickinson vocals with catchy chorus. Deja-Vu proves the roots of Maiden's sound with excellent guitar work from Murray and Smith. Alexander The Great, at over eight minutes, enjoys some moments, but unfortunately it lacks cohesion. The other remaining tracks, by Maiden standards, quite boring and not quite good, actually. Wasted Years is maybe only good to be performed live. Heaven Can Wait is also similar even though it has quite good lyrics. The Loneliness Of The Distance Runner best sounds mundane and it shows how actually the band started lacking of creativity.

Overall, it's still good album even though it's not as excellent as the previous five albums. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Featuring the best album cover in the history of such things and a fresh new synthesized sound, Iron Maiden's 1986 album 'Somewhere In Time' finds the East London metal kings casting off the shackles of their constricting NWOBHM origins and writing much more expansive material influenced by bassist Steve Harris' youthful love of progressive rock. The group's first, fully-fledged attempt to integrate synthesizers and keyboards into their powerful sound, 'Somewhere In Time' can be counted as something of a surprise success. Whilst many rock bands would ultimately stain their once-proud resume's during the 1980's thanks to their attempts to 'stay modern'(just think Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis...the list is endless) Iron Maiden actually managed to pull off the neat trick of enhancing their sound. The addition of slinky yamaha synths and hi-tech keyboards to the group's speed-metal-inflected brand of pumping heavy rock proves a bold departure for a group whose simple-but- effective formula had seen them conquer the globe. The anthemic hooks, rousing choruses and screeching guitar solo's are still in check, the glitzy electronic edge adding a real instrumental depth to such big-sounding tracks as 'Wasted Years' and 'Heaven Can Wait', the album's stand-out moments, and the powerfully-charged Steve Harris-penned epic 'Alexander The Great' becomes a kind of proto-progressive song-suite filled with atmospheric sound effects and some genuine musical grandstanding. It's all very far removed from the simplistic sound of 'Killers' and the early-eighties big-selling 'Number Of The Beast', and in some quarters is seen as a major influence of the burgeoning prog-metal scene(Just ask Queensryche). Figuratively speaking this is still heavy metal, yet the strong symphonic overtones brought about by the group's new approach shows that Iron Maiden are much more refined outfit than their blood 'n' thunder reputation suggests. As an album 'Somewhere In Time' still has it's flaws - 'The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner' drags it's feet and 'Deja Vu' seems forced and awkward - yet there is much here that will delight both die- hard fans of the group and those with more progressive tastes. Featuring a slick new direction, this is very much Iron Maiden at their most adventurous.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Hail the chorus effect!

I do enjoy a lot of Iron Maiden's albums and i used to like Somewhere In Time a lot once, but listening to this now the main problem of this album is that it has no great material, the songs does not have the same impact on me as before. One thing that bothers me is the sound, i used to like it before, but it's too similar sounding, the guitars are heavy chorused and does not stop, or use a different sound at all. Dickinson's vocals are good but i don't like his operatic vocals on this album, i like his regular vocals better.

Some of the material is good and some is boring, it seems Iron Maiden went for a simple formula this time, the writing is not exciting at all and is hardly progressive. The songs contain some changes and some nice interludes, but it all sounds flat and not dynamic, most of the riffs are uninspired and that's what is bringing the whole album down. Few of the riffing are good but a lot of it is just boring 80's metal stuff. I used to like pretty much everything the guitars did in their early days, but nothing of it is remotely close here, the solos are not memorable, they are just there because the song gotta have a solo right?

This is definitely a classic Iron Maiden album though, and fans of the Dickinson era will worship this blindly, the band gave their fans all they want, Iron Maiden riffing, Iron Maiden vocals and Iron Maiden rhythms, but it is not enough this time. I admit there are a lot of enjoyable parts here and there, about every song contains one part or two and that's the problem, the good parts are spreaded on the entire album and are far apart, I find my self waiting to hear those thirty seconds that i like and the rest is nothing special, i would expect Iron Maiden to do better.

I have one song that i really like though, I knew this song before i got a copy of the album, and it remained my favorite here, 'Wasted Years' is a great song, it's different from the rest of the album, although i saw some reviews stating this song is cheesy and maybe the album's worst, i love it, it works, it has a good riff, good vocals, great energies and an amazing solo, just perfect.

I really wanted to rate this album higher but i can't, as much as i love Iron Maiden the album does not move me anymore. Although i can not say the band is playing bad, i wish the material was much stronger, because they are a beast and overall the band does work. The album's rating is 3 stars but i'm knocking out one star because of my personal feeling.

This is my least favourite record of Iron Maiden (although I must admit that I haven't listened to Virtual XI for more than a decade and this record is also a good candidate). Iron Maiden made use for the first time of guitar synthesizers which do dominate the record. The heaviness of metal is putted away and Maiden sounds far more like pop/wave music, which is often confused with prog. Great atmospheric passages should have been on this record, but -unlike "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" on Powerslave and the title track of the Seventh Son of the Seventh Son- they are absent on Somewhere in Time. Some passages are a sign for the greatness of the next record, like "Alexander the Great", but these does not save the record. The best track on the record is "The loneliness of the long distance Runner" which seems to have both the catchiest melodies as the most sophisticated ones.

I must admit that I'm a progressive metal sceptic and like to put most of those records in the power metal category which I often call "pussy metal". Metal is a great category because of its strength: take away the strength and the music fails to entertain me. The tech extreme is therefor in my favour. This record is one of the metal records which may have some progressive atmosphere, but never became as intelligent as progressive music should be. This record still contains the skills of the individual members and might please most fans, but I should not recommend this to anyone who isn't already a Maiden fan.

After bursting from his grave from wearing himself out from the "Powerslave" tour on the "Live After Death" album, Eddie springs back to life and takes up time travel on IRON MAIDEN's sixth studio album SOMEWHERE IN TIME. Although it seems like it should be a concept album it only has a handful of tracks dedicated to time. This is the first album the band utilized synthesizers in their sound but as a complementary background setting instead of a full-on keyboard effect. This album to me sounds like there is a lot of recycled riffage going on. There are parts here and there that clearly remind you of previous albums, but despite it all MAIDEN deliver yet another satisfying album from beginning to end. Unfortunately this album just sinks a little between the ones surrounding it for me.

Despite being a tad musically inferior, I have to say that the artwork is one of the best album covers in musical history with tons of references to previous songs, albums and themes. Derek Riggs outdid himself on this one with the Blade Runner themed sci-fi extravaganza. I was initially disappointed that this album was not the fully formed concept album that "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" eluded to moving toward on the previous album. We would have to wait until the next album for that to happen, but this is still a strong album that despite seeming a little bit like IRON MAIDEN on cruise control still has enough melody and metallic fury to satisfy. Yet another essential listening experience for anyone even remotely interested in traditional metal of the 80s. 4.5 rounded down

Iron Maiden-Somewhere In Time

Somewhere in Time is often forgotten, most likely because it's edged between the two masterpieces 'Powerslave' and 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'. Somewhere in Time should not be forgotten though, I think it's just as much of a masterpiece as with the two surrounding it.

Somewhere in Time is notable as being the first Maiden album to feature use of the synthesizer, and they use it perfectly. I usually don't like the synth, bands usually make it an upfront instrument; however, Iron Maiden uses it to enhance their sound. Instead of the synth dominating, it adds to the atmosphere of the album. The beginning of the opening song 'Caught Somewhere in Time' already shows the synth playing well, enhancing the guitar. 'Wasted Years' is one of my favorites from the album with very powerful riffing and great lyrics. 'Heaven Can Wait' is probably my favorite song on the album, and this was a song that just blew me away ten or so years ago. The bridge is the part that stands out the most to me, with powerful chanting 'Oh-oh-oh`s' and great atmospheric synth. The catchy chorus, great soloing, fluctuating rhythms, and amazing bridge makes this one of my favorite songs by the Maiden. 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' I feel is an underrated song, it's probably my second favorite from the album.

The production and atmosphere of the album feels a lot different then the previous 'Powerslave'. Like i said, the synth adds a lot to the overall sound of the album and helps. I'm not sure if I prefer the sound on albums like 'Powerslave' or the sound of this album and the next, but either way I love both.

Overall, don't forget this one. This album marked a change in Maiden's sound, and it would lead to the next album which is considered one of their crowning moments along with 'Powerslave'.

Hope you found this review helpful.

(Originally Written for www.MetalMusicArchives.com on October 19th 2014.)

This is definitely my favourite Iron Maiden album and one of my favourite albums in general, and there are exactly eight reasons for it. But it would be boring to list them, because the tracklist can be found above the reviews.

I've tried hard to find an oh so slight weakness, and failed miserably. Well, not miserably, as I don't want to find one, but you get what I mean. Somewhere In Time is a powerful album from the first to the last chord, the perfection of the famous Iron Maiden sound, and manages the near impossible: it is even stronger than its already great predecessor Powerslave. It doesn't matter whether a song is fast or a bit slower, Steve Harris' bass guitar saunters through it, supported by the ever precise drumming of Nicko McBrain. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith perform twin guitars at its best, Wishbone Ash never reached that level. Above all flies Bruce Dickinson's voice, fed by lyrics that really suit him.

As I said, every single one of the eight songs is simply great and worth 5 stars. Though, this is not completely true, because there is one song that is even better and worth 6 stars. Which one? The one where all those wonderful things I mentioned about the musicians are featured strongest: the most galopping bass beat, the twinniest twin guitars and the deepest, possibly darkest lyrics. In short, Stranger In A Strange Land. The song's only weakness (ha, I've found one in the end!) is that it is only 5 minutes and 43 seconds. 10 minutes would do it more justice.

5.17 stars for the whole album. As this site limits ratings to 5 stars, I'll go with those.

Guys, I've got a confession to make.

I don't like Iron Maiden.

I know this statement is akin to dousing a puppy in kerosene and overhand lobbing it into a raging bonfire, but it's true. I've tried my very hardest for almost four years now to enjoy them, to see the awe-inspiring craftsmanship everyone proclaims is prevalent on so many of their classic records...but I just can't. Not only do I think both drummers on Iron Maiden, Clive Burr and Nicko McBrain, plod out some of the most boring and repetitive rhythms of all time, but the songwriting of so much of their work may have worked wonders back in 1980, but like a joke it got extremely old extremely fast with each successive release following their self-titled debut. I think the revolutionary label slapped to Iron Maiden is quite reputable, but at the same time the asserted quality to match that is repudiable.

But, and I do mean a HUGE but -- Iron Maiden's 1986 work Somewhere In Time is one of my all-time favorite metal albums. Period. Strange, right? A band I dislike making one of my favorite albums? It's true though -- I think that Somewhere In Time is a precision-made, calculated masterpiece that distances itself so far from the band's discography that it might well be from a separate artist.

Somewhere In Time is a dystopian-based, Blade Runner-inspired record that came two years after 1984's Powerslave, an album that showed a lot of promise and had a few great tracks, but didn't nearly harness the same effect as it's successor. The Powerslave supporting tour ate up a whopping 187 concerts and excreted a whole lot of exhaustion onto the band following it, specifically Dickinson, who thus was not able to produce quality songwriting contributions. Dickinson had written some acoustic songs, in fear that if they didn't step up their game to a different level, that the band would "stagnate and drift away" (see even the band recognizes their sameness to a certain degree). Although these acoustic songs were not featured, this attitude continued into the eventual recording process, causing Somewhere In Time to be the first Iron Maiden album to harness synthesizers. While this might seem like a big no-no, considering that often it's the case that once a band starts leaning on the synths it's akin to them just committing creative suicide, but it's quite the contrary; Somewhere In Time's utilization of synthesizers gives a wondrous air of mysticism to the album, as it acts as a supreme background element to the its futuristic setting. It's also a key component in the massive epics that permeate the album. The title track opener, for instance, is a blazing fireball of a gallop that is one of the most prime examples of a perfect setting of the mood on any album, unheeded by the furious scream of synthesizer bursts. 'Wasted Years' is one of three contributions by guitarist Adrian Smith, and is the most lasting relic of this album's legacy. It does have a slightly poppier vibe, which may owe to this fact, but Dickinson's beautiful chorus and the magnificent guitar hook is nothing short of a knockout punch. One more highly recommended track is 'Stranger in a Strange Land', a bass-heavy, groovy romp which acts, in a way, as a better track representative of the theme of being "caught somewhere in time" than, well 'Caught Somewhere In Time'. Perhaps this is because of the lyricism of being in a mysterious world in which the rules are unknown, which I believe the album was trying to tackle. 'Caught' is still the best track, though. Not taking that back.

The band took their biggest step forward with this album, talentwise. McBrain, who I criticized previously for being extremely repetitive and leaning too hard on a a few stagnant drum patterns, is absolutely mindblowing on this release. His constant shifts between the groovy steel heel-click of the slower songs and the fast-paced explosiveness of the faster ones makes for one of his all-time best work. Steve Harris as always is extremely present and upfront, especially for a bassist. The neat thing about him is that, as a part of the percussion section, actually works off of McBrain to create this almost machine-like twang that follows his groove. Twin guitarists Smith and Murray are of course better than ever, offering extremely intricately-woven shredding that did well to pique my interest. Dickinson, although I'll always prefer Di'Anno, is at his zenith on Somewhere In Time, belting out a sort of sophisticated type of melodic yell that few of his peers have been able to accomplish. Absolutely stunning, all of them.

Many critics readily dismiss Somewhere in Time as being "half-baked", or "a hurried coverup of an atrophying creative muscle". These same critics will turn around and praise Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, an album I believe to be leagues below this one, and compliment it for factors they would say that Somewhere in Time wrongfully utilized. I say, pay no attention to them and embrace this one just like you would say Number of the Beast or Powerslave, because it's definitely up there with the best.

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.

Somewhere in Time is the first Iron Maiden album to incorporate the use of synthesized guitars, softening the power of their traditional double guitars. This earned them some criticism from their most radical fans, who did not see with good eyes that the group tested new proposals that were less harsh than those typical of heavy metal. But Steve Harris and the rest of the band always recognized their musical influences, and hence the nods to the progressive genre have been constant in their discography. Somewhere in Time is a demonstration of this. Without neglecting its essence, since after all, they are a group with a metal root, they give us songs of remarkable quality related to prog-rock.

To especially highlight the more than 8 minutes of the extraordinary and epic Alexander the Great, an evocation of the Macedonian king and conqueror, in my opinion, one of the best songs in the Iron Maiden discography, which has failed to transcend more than it deserved, probably due to the initial suspicion that the album got, in addition to the fact that they never played it live. Other great songs are the painful Stranger In a Strange Land and its deep, melancholic guitar solo, and the dynamic Wasted Years and The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner.

The rest of the songs, like the galloping, Caught Somewhere in Time or Heaven Can Wait, are closer to their traditional heavy metal style.

Time has given Somewhere in Time a much fairer place than the one it had at its release, recognizing its value as a work of a very good level, despite the differences with their previous albums.