POWERSLAVE

This is truly a masterpiece, and is probably the first really progressive album Maiden released. As always all the musicians are mindblowingly good. Bruce Dickinson is particularly amazing on this album, showing both the rougher side, and the more operatic side of his voice. Steve Harris is also worthy of note, being one of the most influential bassists in heavy metal music.

'Aces High' starts the album in a classsic Maiden way: short and fast. This contains some brilliant interplay between all the musicians at break-neck speed. '2 Minutes to Midnight is a very venomous track, with it's ironic lyrics about nuclear war, and has a great solo to boot. Possbly the Maiden song with the best Catchiness:Skill ratio as well. 'Losfer Words (The Big 'Orra)' is a great instrumental packed with siome of the best riffs and basslines on the album. 'Flash of the Blade' is a very epic sounding track, despite being short and has some very powerful vocals. 'The Duellists' marks a slight drop in quality, but still manages to be brilliant. 'Back in the Village' is a strange track and a sequel to a previous track called 'The Prisoner'. This one has a great catchy chorus. 'Powerslave' is the album's heaviest track and has a real Egyptian feel, that became quite popular in the heavy metal world (see Metallica's Creeping Death, and anything by Nile). The masterpiece, however, is the epic 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner', a song that takes us on a journey through the sea. The story is easy to follow and the music is very atmospheric, with different sections creating different moods. It has some great riffs and solos, everything that you expect from Maiden and more.

While not being my favourite Maiden album as such, this is undoubtedly the best. 5 stars.