SOMEWHERE IN TIME

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.