PIECE OF MIND

Piece of Mind is the sophomore effort with Bruce Dickinson in the band. The band continues to write solid metal music here. All the elements of Iron Maiden are here, but I have a problem with it. There's no progression, no adventure. It just sounds as if Iron Maiden just threw a bunch of songs of the same style, making this album non-essential.

Where Eagles Dare is a rare excellent opener, as many openers are just a typical catchy fast paced metal song. Yes, it's fast paced. Yes, it's catchy, but this one is also an excellent piece of music, with interesting riffs and an extended guitar solo. Revelations is another long song. It's well done and all, but it just doesn't grab me that much. Maybe the riffs are not as imaginative as they were in the previous albums. Same goes for Flight of the Icarus , but I have to admit that the chorus is interesting, with the vocal harmonies and the drum beats that are introduced when the vocals go "Like an eagle." Die with your Boots on also sounds like anything that's been done before, with uninteresting riffs and solos, but this one is worse because of the horrible vocal harmonies present. Fortunately, the next song redeems the worst song. The Trooper is easily the best song of the album, with a genius use of double guitars, insanely catchy guitar riffs, wonderful rhythms, superb guitar solo, and the sublime harmonized chorus hook. Still Life is a nice straightforward song that has better riffs and ideas (like the mellow intro) than the songs preceding "The Trooper." The next two songs are unremarkable but To Tame a Land , while not on the same level of Phantom of the Opera, is a very strong mini-epic with a mellow intro and solid songwriting. There are many brilliant musical moments throughout this song and if I'm not mistaken, Harris called it the best song he has ever written, at least up to that point.

The reason to get this album is mainly the great opener, the epic closer, and the short perfection that is "The Trooper". The rest ranges from poor to good. There are many other albums you could buy instead of this one, but if you are a fan of the band and possess their best album, it won't hurt to get this.