Guitar Hero: Iron Maiden

No, this isn't an official game or even a rumoured game.
It's a passion project of mine that I started back in 2010, a fictional Guitar Hero game centred around my favourite Metal band at the time. I'm aware this isn't the first fan-made game to bless the Internet but every now and then, I like to revisit the tracklist I assembled (occasionally changing it here and there) and enjoy some great tunes.
Since Iron Maiden aren't one for selling out in the same way Metallica or Van Halen have done and now that the Guitar Hero developers have activated the clean slate protocol on the entire franchise, it's unlikely we'll ever see anything resembling this in the slightest. There's no real reason for me to keep this alive other than personal reflection but since I'm quite proud of my setlist and believe it's probably as close as a real game's song selection would be (assuming licensing isn't too much of an issue), I've decided to share it here.

First though, a few small notes.
Each batch of songs is supposed to follow some kind of Career on Guitar, where the easier songs would come first and gradually get more challenging. Each group of Iron Maiden tracks are separated by "guest acts", which will make more sense when you see them. I tried to go for a selection of tunes/bands Iron Maiden have covered or artists that I think members of Iron Maiden either enjoy listening to/respect as musicians. I've also included my guesses for what the difficulty tier would be for each song on Guitar, if you're interested in that kind of thing. If any of you want to give me Bass, Drum and Vocal tiers too, go right ahead.
When I first made this list, I'd originally included venues and locations where you'd play each tracks ranging from The Rainbow Theatre to Rock In Rio, finally ending in a made up location set in the street seen on the first two Iron Maiden albums (which I dubbed Acacia Avenue). Sadly, I can't remember most of them and can't be bothered to research new ones so you'll have to come up with some yourself.
Instead of the standard single encore track for Iron Maiden sections, I've decided to put two encore songs that would be played consecutively to add an extra challenge. If you have any questions about this setlist or want to offer your own feedback regarding difficulty tiers, song choices or anything else, you can do so either in the comment section or via Twitter. Also, if you want to listen to these songs on Spotify then here's a playlist link for you. Right then, time to start posting these tracks!


"The Wicker Man" - Iron Maiden, 2000, Metal
Guitar Tier - 4/10
"Iron Maiden" - Iron Maiden, 1980, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10

"Doctor Doctor" - UFO, 1974, Hard Rock
Guitar Tier - 3/10
"The Zoo (Re-Record)" - Scorpions, 2011, Metal
Guitar Tier - 3/10
"Rosalie (Live)" - Thin Lizzy, 1978, Classic Rock
Guitar Tier - 4/10
"Seven Seas Of Rhye" - Queen, 1974, Classic Rock
Guitar Tier - 4/10
ENCORE
"Riding With The Angels" - Samson, 1981, Metal
Guitar Tier - 3/10

"Different World" - Iron Maiden, 2006, Metal
Guitar Tier - 4/10
"Running Free" - Iron Maiden, 1980, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Tailgunner" - Iron Maiden, 1990, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Fear Of The Dark" - Iron Maiden, 1992, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
ENCORE
"Satellite 15...The Final Frontier" - Iron Maiden, 2010, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Revelations" - Iron Maiden, 1983, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10

"Mother Goose" - Jethro Tull, 1971, Prog Rock
Guitar Tier - 4/10
"Bad Penny" - Rory Gallagher, 1979, Blues Rock
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Black Night" - Deep Purple, 1970, Hard Rock
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Blowin' Free" - Wishbone Ash, 1972, Classic Rock
Guitar Tier - 5/10
ENCORE
"A Farewell To Kings" - Rush, 1977, Prog Rock
Guitar Tier - 5/10

"The Evil That Men Do" - Iron Maiden, 1988, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Paschendale" - Iron Maiden, 2003, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Can I Play With Madness" - Iron Maiden, 1988, Metal
Guitar Tier - 5/10
"Wasted Years" - Iron Maiden, 1986, Metal
Guitar Tier - 6/10
ENCORE
"Wrathchild" - Iron Maiden, 1981, Metal
Guitar Tier - 6/10
"Speed Of Light" - Iron Maiden, 2015, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10

"Halo Of Flies" - Alice Cooper, 1971, Classic Rock
Guitar Tier - 6/10
"Dead Memories" - Slipknot, 2008, Metal
Guitar Tier - 6/10
"Kill Me (Ce Soir)" - Golden Earring, 1975, Rock
Guitar Tier - 7/10
ENCORE
"I Got The Fire" - Montrose, 1974, Hard Rock
Guitar Tier - 7/10

"Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter" - Iron Maiden, 1990, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
"Futureal" - Iron Maiden, 1998, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
"Out Of The Silent Planet" - Iron Maiden, 2000, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
"Flight Of Icarus" - Iron Maiden, 1983, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
ENCORE
"Man On The Edge" - Iron Maiden, 1995, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" - Iron Maiden, 1982, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10

"Starship Trooper" - Yes, 1971, Prog Rock
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Don't Talk To Strangers" - Dio, 1983, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
"Under A Glass Moon" - Dream Theater, 1992, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
ENCORE
"Pure Evil" - Iced Earth, 1991, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10

"For The Greater Good Of God" - Iron Maiden, 2006, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Dance Of Death" - Iron Maiden, 2003, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Caught Somewhere In Time" - Iron Maiden, 1986, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
"Transylvania" - Iron Maiden, 1980, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
ENCORE
"El Dorado" - Iron Maiden, 2010, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
"The Number Of The Beast" - Iron Maiden, 1982, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10

FINAL CHALLENGE
(this entire group of tracks is designed to be played consecutively without any breaks to act as the "final boss" of the game)

"Aces High" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"2 Minutes To Midnight" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 6/10
"Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Flash Of The Blade" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 6/10
"The Duelists" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
"Back In The Village" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Powerslave" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" - Iron Maiden, 1984, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10

BONUS TRACKS

"Charlotte The Harlot" - Iron Maiden, 1980, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Killers" - Iron Maiden, 1981, Metal
Guitar Tier - 9/10
"The Trooper" - Iron Maiden, 1983, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Phantom Of The Opera" - Iron Maiden, 1980, Metal
Guitar Tier - 7/10
ENCORE
"Heaven Can Wait" - Iron Maiden, 1986, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10
"Run To The Hills" - Iron Maiden, 1982, Metal
Guitar Tier - 8/10


I picked a selection of songs that I thought GH & Iron Maiden fans would want to play. I'll admit, the six-pack of "Iron Maiden Epics" that Rock Band released as DLC including "The Prisoner" and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" influenced my decision, as I was going to include those but felt there was no need as they're not particularly significant tracks in the band's history and they've already been included in a music game.
Also, "The Trooper" and "2 Minutes To Midnight" would pretty much be identical charts to the versions that were on Smash Hits and GH5. I actually made a GH7 playlist that included "Phantom Of The Opera" so, assuming that were real, the chart would be the same too. As for "Wrathchild" and "The Number Of The Beast", those would be updated charts for a new engine instead of the GH:80s and GH3 charts. "The Number Of The Beast" would definitely be harder to play than in GH3.
Anyway, that's the end of Iron Maiden Month on this blog! I hope you've enjoyed the posts and weren't too bored by the lack of variety. Next week, I'll be back to posting other album reviews or opinions posts regarding bands that aren't Iron Maiden.

Shout Out: All Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 4

Time to conclude this mini-series with the three latest albums, excluding The Book Of Souls which I've reviewed already. After coming back with Brave New World in 2000, Iron Maiden decided to give fans more of the same rather than experiment or completely change everything about their sound.

Dance Of Death may have the appearance of an off-the-wall album that takes crazy risks with the style and sound but all in all, it's quite a straightforward record. This is apparent after listening to album opener, "Wildest Dreams". It's quite similar to previous album opener, "The Wicker Man", in structure and sound, suggesting the band's desire to keep things the way they are for now. After all, it's not compulsory for each album to be completely different to the last.
Many songs deal with the topic of war in one form or another, whether it's wars from many generations ago ("Paschendale") or more modern conflicts ("Face In The Sand") so naturally, the songs dealing with heavier topics have a more magnificent sound. The album is also the first to have an acoustic track ("Journeyman"), ending the record on a softer note instead of an epic one like previous albums. My main gripe with the album is that there's nothing particularly special about it if you're not into the longer tracks.
It definitely sounds like they focused more on writing impressive songs over the seven minute mark with lots of layers to the music than on creating shorter tracks with the same impact as "The Number Of The Beast" or "Aces High". This isn't a problem with Dance Of Death exactly, more a problem for people who prefer the band when they're playing short and sharp tracks...like me. However, this album & its critical reaction is possibly the one most responsible for Iron Maiden's recent obsession with epic tracks.

1. Wildest Dreams

2. Rainmaker

3. No More Lies

4. Montsegur

5. Dance Of Death

6. Gates Of Tomorrow

7. New Frontier

8. Paschendale

9. Face In The Sand

10. Age Of Innocence

11. Journeyman

ALBUM RATING - 4/10

If you thought the band would take a break from the darker songs about war for now, boy were you in for a disappointment. In 2006, another three years after the last album, Iron Maiden released A Matter Of Life And Death. Once again, it may not be a concept album but...well, I think the cover speaks for itself.

Having successfully found their groove and settled comfortably into their new sound, the band return for another confident display of roaring guitars and screeching vocals. "Different World" starts the album off with a bang and if Dance Of Death had more tracks like this, I probably would've given it a slightly higher rating. Considering this is the band's 14th studio album and each band member has been recording for nearly 30 years, there's no sign of battle fatigue in the guitar solos or any of the individual performances. Sure, Bruce's vocals have changed since 1982 but they haven't substantially dipped in quality and he can still scream out a good chorus!

This album is another one for fans of Somewhere In Time or Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, one for people to listen to at home where they can appreciate each note, as the album wasn't mastered so it contains no studio alteration; what you hear is what the band played. Aside from a few tracks which change tempo and speed up throughout, many of the songs on the album take it steady and sound more solemn than the last two records. I suppose you could label this as more Prog Metal than Heavy Metal, although there are a few of those tracks on the album ("The Pilgrim") and even a few that blend the two ("Lord Of Light").

A Matter Of Life And Death isn't a strong candidate for anyone's favourite album. Even Top 5 would be pushing it, unless you prefer Prog Metal, but it's still good. It's well written and better performed than some material by bands still in their youth. It'd be ignorant of me to say this is their strongest material since Piece Of Mind or an earlier album but it's definitely a testament to the band's lasting appeal and talent.

1. Different World

2. These Colours Don't Run

3. Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

4. The Pilgrim

5. The Longest Day

6. Out Of The Shadows

7. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg

8. For The Greater Good Of God

9. Lord Of Light

10. The Legacy

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Between 2006 and 2010 (when the next album was released), Iron Maiden released Flight 666, a documentary about their Somewhere Back In Time tour. In this film, the band talked about how the audience for their gigs tends to stay the same age as kids now are starting to get into the band. It was that reason they decided to revisit older songs, so the fans could see these tracks played live for the first time. With this in mind, you'd have thought they'd be more inclined to write new shorter tracks with the same energy to give new fans what they wanted. Instead we got this.

When this album first came out about five years ago, I actually reviewed it and basically said that it's one of my least favourite albums. There were a few songs on it that I enjoyed but the majority weren't to my taste, although I acknowledged the appeal other fans might have for it. For starters, the album opener probably should've been split into two different songs. "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" starts off with about four minutes of apocalyptic drums and bass before kicking off what would've been a really solid album opener without the intro.
Whilst the critics couldn't praise this album enough (arguably in an attempt to validate themselves as intellectuals), I remember feeling an immense disappointment with this album. It felt like there were several ideas that I could've enjoyed if they were tweaked slightly such as the drumbeat for "Starblind" or just trimming the length of a couple of tracks. I could talk about each track individually like I did before but honestly, I still believe this album suffers from how long it is.
A lot of the power and energy some of these songs deserved is lost once they enter the ninth minute (or sooner, depending on how tolerant you are towards Prog Metal). I could endure the longer tracks on previous albums but it's a lot harder to do so on this album. I'm not entirely sure why, as there's nothing especially wrong or flawed with the material. It's just a bit tiring now, like listening to a child telling their fifth story that just goes on and on and on and on. Even the shorter songs feel uninspired, as if they were designed just to be to be filler between the epics.

1. Satellite 15...The Final Frontier

2. El Dorado

3. Mother Of Mercy

4. Coming Home

5. The Alchemist

6. Isle Of Avalon

7. Starblind

8. The Talisman

9. The Man Who Would Be King

10. When The Wild Wind Blows

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

I could (and probably will) change my mind about this as I get older/wiser but for now, here is my personal ranking order for all 16 Iron Maiden albums from highest to lowest:

1. Powerslave

2. Piece Of Mind

3. The Number Of The Beast

4. Somewhere In Time

5. Iron Maiden

6. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

7. The Book Of Souls

8. Killers

9. Fear Of The Dark

10. Brave New World

11. No Prayer For The Dying

12. A Matter Of Life And Death

13. The Final Frontier

14. Virtual XI

15. Dance Of Death

16. The X Factor

I'm aware some of the ratings I've given the albums on this blog don't match up with the order I've listed them above. Chances are I'll change some of the ratings at a later date but for now, this is how I would rate the albums. Thanks for reading all/some of these posts! I'm not entirely certain about what to post next week but I do know it'll be Iron Maiden related, as we're not out of September yet!

Shout Out: All Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 3

Continuing on from part 2, I'll be discussing the band's career throughout the 90's and early 00's here. Since the band had released what is generally considered to be their first "bad" album (even if I don't fully agree), they needed to get back on track with another great release.

Fear Of The Dark is a little bit darker than previous albums, featuring songs with more sombre lyrical themes and different musical styles. Album opener "Be Quick Or Be Dead" was likely picked to lead into the record because of the aggressive chorus and fast tempo typically found on Speed Metal tracks, as it's a great start to a relatively slow album. Sadly, the band haven't quite captured the same energy that the stellar material from the 80's had. In a way, this is quite good.
It's a respectable decision to continue to produce art your way rather than buckling under commercial pressure and just giving into what you think people want, which is what makes Iron Maiden different to Def Leppard. Instead of writing another Powerslave the band continue to develop their sound and even though they made a few mistakes along the way, namely in the form of a power ballad ("Wasting Love"), at least they're willing to try.
Most fans will know this album for the title track alone, as it's probably one of the band's best songs despite coming from a remarkably average album. Overall, there are several decent tracks but as I mentioned in the last post, decent tracks aren't enough when the band have created several years worth of amazing songs. This album is more likely to be someone's favourite if they're into Metal with a grander sound and mature lyrics, as there's plenty of that on Fear Of The Dark...even if some of the song titles sound plain silly.

1. Be Quick Or Be Dead

2. From Here To Eternity

3. Afraid To Shoot Strangers

4. Fear Is The Key

5. Childhood's End

6. Wasting Love

7. The Fugitive

8. Chains Of Misery

9. The Apparition

10. Judas Be My Guide

11. Weekend Warrior

12. Fear Of The Dark

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Having lost Adrian Smith during pre-production for the last album, the band suffer another line-up change as Bruce Dickinson decides to walk in favour of a solo career. Replacing him was Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley, a sort of cross between Di'Anno and Dickinson without any distinct vocal traits of his own.

If you thought the last album was a little bit too moody, you probably won't think much of The X Factor. Everything right down to the grotesque album cover feels dark and depressing, although this is generally considered to be down to Steve Harris' ongoing divorce during the writing process. 11 minute album opener "Sign Of The Cross" starts off with a Gregorian chant and after nearly 90 seconds of this, a melancholy riff introduces us to Blaze's hushed vocals. If I'm honest, there are far better ways to open a Metal album with a new line-up than something that sounds too dark to be played at a funeral.

"Lord Of The Flies" probably would've been a better choice for album opener, as it actually makes me want to listen to the rest of the record and has a great performance from each band member...except Blaze, who sounds like a parallel version of Bruce who's making up how to sing each line as he goes along. This album returns to the progressive format with longer song lengths and frequent tempo changes but since most of the songs start with the same atmospheric guitar/bass intro, the amount of songs that you could call filler is higher than ever before.

Even the better songs on this album aren't significant when compared to other popular Metal tracks released before 1995. It's genuinely difficult to remember more than about three different songs on The X Factor after listening to them and regardless of whether you're into Metal or Iron Maiden specifically, you could easily miss this album and not lose out on anything. THIS is the first "bad" Iron Maiden album in my books, not No Prayer For The Dying.

1. Sign Of The Cross

2. Lord Of The Flies

3. Man On The Edge

4. Fortunes Of War

5. Look For The Truth

6. The Aftermath

7. Judgement Of Heaven

8. Blood On The World's Hands

9. The Edge Of Darkness

10. 2 A.M.

11. The Unbeliever

ALBUM RATING - 2/10

As much as I'd love to say that this was the last album with Blaze Bayley on vocals, there's one more fans had to sit through. Virtual XI was released three years later to tie into both an Iron Maiden video game and the 1998 World Cup, for some reason.

Having got over their personal problems, Iron Maiden return with a slightly more energetic offering. "Futureal" is a perfect album opener following The X Factor and probably the one song where Blaze doesn't sound poor behind the mic. The rest of the album isn't half bad either, as each song has a slightly more distinct sound from the last. The quality of each track is also more in touch with 80's material and even though the second half of the album starts to trot out the homogenised intros en masse, at least the first half is enjoyable.

It's not the band's best when it comes to songwriting, especially when you compare the opening riff of "Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger" and Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", but for fans of the long Maiden tunes, this is probably somewhat of a guilty pleasure. If you can ignore the vocals and focus on the music, you might get something out of it.

Virtual XI deserves points just for giving fans hope, more than anything. If Iron Maiden released another X Factor or No Prayer For The Dying, they could've gone out with a whimper and become another Deep Purple, periodically touring capital cities after releasing a Greatest Hits/live album every five years or so. Fortunately, this album is indisputably better than the last one and proves the band are capable of slowly returning to glory after a down period, even if it's by taking baby steps.

1. Futureal

2. The Angel And The Gambler

3. Lightning Strikes Twice

4. The Clansmen

5. When Two Worlds Collide

6. The Educated Fool

7. Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger

8. Como Estais Amigos

ALBUM RATING - 3/10

In 1999, the band kicked out Blaze Bayley and Bruce Dickinson returned to the mic, bringing ex-member Adrian Smith along with him to become the third guitarist for the band. This is still the current line-up for Iron Maiden and it doesn't appear to need changing any time soon.

Brave New World marks the start of Iron Maiden's journey into the third decade of their career (ignoring demo tapes and gigs before their first album's release) and thankfully, it's a good start! Album opener "The Wicker Man" is just what fans needed to remember why they fell in love with the band in the first place, hearing all three guitars going at it with Bruce confidently belting out each line again. Whilst the main responsibility for songwriting tends to be with Steve Harris, Bruce is no slouch when it comes to writing himself. His return meant both his vocal AND creative talents could be put to good use again.
As is often the case on highly regarded albums, there are longer tracks for the Prog Metal enthusiast ("The Nomad" and "Dream Of Mirrors") and shorter tracks for casual Metal fans ("The Mercenary" and "The Fallen Angel") but all in all, the whole album is enjoyable regardless of which type of song you prefer. Anyone who compares it to earlier albums like Piece Of Mind or Somewhere In Time is completely wrong though; it's a completely different sound and use of musical structure to those albums. It may have similar traits of Iron Maiden albums in the past but as the title suggests, it's the band exploring a new millennium with different expectations of musical talent and Metal.
It's a bit of old and a bit of new, creating something relatively unique and more memorable than anything from the Blaze era, for sure. Above all else though, this album is a return to form. It's a great band that's back on track after some four albums that collectively missed the mark. If you listened to Brave New World after Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, it might not sound as great due to the lack of disappointing material you've had to endure in the middle. However, if you ignored No Prayer For The Dying and listened to this one after Fear Of The Dark, it would probably sound like a flawless transition.

1. The Wicker Man

2. Ghost Of The Navigator

3. Brave New World

4. Blood Brothers

5. The Mercenary

6. Dream Of Mirrors

7. The Fallen Angel

8. The Nomad

9. Out Of The Silent Planet

10. The Thin Line Between Love And Hate

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Since I've already reviewed The Book Of Souls on this blog, the last part of this Shout Out will only contain three albums: Dance Of Death, A Matter Of Life And Death and The Final Frontier. Probably should've thought about that before writing these, as I could've done three parts with five albums each. Ah well.

Shout Out: All 16 Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 2

In part 1, I talked about Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number Of The Beast and Piece Of Mind as well as the line-up changes that occurred in between. Time to look at the next four albums!
If you asked me which year I personally believe is the best for Metal album releases, I'd give you three that are close to being equal; 1983, 1984 and 1990. If I had to narrow it down to one of those, I'd pick 1984 and Powerslave is the reason why.

I fucking love this album. It's not just my favourite Iron Maiden album but easily my number one favourite studio album too. I'm not sure if it's down to this being the first album that has exactly the same line-up as the previous one or the band entering the studio on a really fucking good day but everything about it from the epic cover to the order of songs is just perfect! "Aces High" has everything an exceptional album opener needs with a punchy rhythm and catchy riffs pouring out of every orifice. Even the name of the song feels appropriately placed at the top of the track list!
Unlike the last two albums, Powerslave contains more energy in each track and the only song that periodically takes a breather is "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", although you can hardly fault it for that when it comes in at 13:34 long. Nicko McBrain has settled in as the new drummer and the band are, in my opinion, at the top of their game both musically and lyrically, thanks to Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson (with Adrian Smith occasionally stepping in).
The galloping rhythm the band have become known for has slowed down slightly, presumably to create different sounding music & avoid being labelled as another Motorhead or AC/DC, but I still defy anyone listening to "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" or "The Duellists" to do so without bopping their head or bouncing their knee to the beat. At the risk of sounding like a terrible writer, it's difficult to describe exactly what makes this album superior to others but I've never quite had the same joy or felt the same love towards another collection of music. If you're into long-winded progressive Metal, this album isn't going to be your favourite. However, if you like your Metal to pack a wallop and leave you wanting more, this is the one for you.

1. Aces High

2. 2 Minutes To Midnight

3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)

4. Flash Of The Blade

5. The Duellists

6. Back In The Village

7. Powerslave

8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

ALBUM RATING - 10/10

I suppose the only problem with a perfect album is the follow-up. How can you beat something that, by your own mental definition, can't be beaten? The simple answer is you can't and I think the band knew that, as Somewhere In Time isn't just another album of classic Heavy Metal. This is the album where the band begin to...experiment.

After a bit of a break following the World Slavery Tour the band had embarked on after Powerslave, Iron Maiden decided to try something new; guitar synthesisers. Whilst it adds a certain artificial & arguably dated quality to the music compared to the raw, aggressive tracks from their first five albums, the passion is still there. Album opener and semi-title track "Caught Somewhere In Time" may be over seven minutes long but once the tempo picks up around the 52 second mark, it doesn't falter or slow down until the outro. In fact, if it were a little bit shorter, it'd probably be one of the band's more popular tracks.

Despite several tracks having a fairly futuristic sound and lyrics dealing with time ("Stranger In A Strange Land" and "Deja Vu"), this isn't the band's way of saying they're going in a different direction in terms of songwriting. In fact, if you remove the guitar synthesisers, it's pretty much a standard Iron Maiden album with songs still following the formula of musical symmetry ("Heaven Can Wait") and a vocal-based chorus, despite having a killer guitar riff throughout the track ("Wasted Years"), before bringing it on home with an epic finale ("Alexander The Great").

Somewhere In Time is definitely up there with the stronger Iron Maiden albums although, much like Killers, it's unlikely that you'll find anyone who classifies this as their favourite record. It's one that fans will treasure, as it really does contain a lot of strong material, but it's not a great example of typical music from the Metal genre. It's kind of like the Thinking Man's Metal, something for you to listen to at home and privately rock out to as opposed to doing it in a crowd of several thousand gig attendees. Most importantly though, it shows that Iron Maiden are capable of "experimenting" a little and not completely fucking everything up like most Rock/Metal bands.

1. Caught Somewhere In Time

2. Wasted Years

3. Sea Of Madness

4. Heaven Can Wait

5. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

6. Stranger In A Strange Land

7. Deja Vu

8. Alexander The Great

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

I think the key to experimenting successfully and steering a band into new territories is doing it gradually, one small change at a time. If Iron Maiden veered from The Number Of The Beast to this next album in the space of one year, it's unlikely I'd be talking about them today.

Whereas the last album happened to feature several songs with similar themes, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is definitely a concept album that tackles subjects such as paranormal abilities and good vs. evil. "Moonchild" is a decent album opener that introduces the concept of the record to a punchy rhythm and some neat keyboard riffing although not the best the band have ever written. Along with the use of keyboard across the album instead of guitar synthesisers, the more frequent use of changing time signatures mid-song signifies the band's desire to move into a more progressive genre, especially in the case of the album's (nearly) 10 minute title track.

The album generally has a more mystical feel and, similar to Somewhere In Time, is the kind of music to enjoy through headphones instead of amps at a festival. The songs feel slightly less powerful than ones on previous albums and whilst they're all well written and contain the by-now obligatory gallops or moody intro riffs ("The Evil That Men Do" and "Only The Good Die Young"), there's something about the use of keyboard that dulls the impact some of these songs possibly would've had were they recorded during the Piece Of Mind or even Somewhere In Time sessions.

Fortunately though, compared to other bands who were releasing mediocre material in 1988 (looking at you, Judas Priest and Megadeth!), Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is still strong and contains a good balance of lengthy masterpieces and shorter Metal tunes. I would recommend listening to Iron Maiden's earlier material before these, as it's interesting to hear the subtle changes in musical style going forward instead of backward.

1. Moonchild

2. Infinite Dreams

3. Can I Play With Madness

4. The Evil That Men Do

5. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

6. The Prophecy

7. The Clairvoyant

8. Only The Good Die Young

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

During pre-production for the next album, guitarist Adrian Smith felt that the band had musically regressed with this record and decided to call it quits. After leaving the band, he was replaced with White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers, who'd also worked with Bruce on his solo album released in the same year.

Whilst Iron Maiden have never sold out and gone fully commercial, No Prayer For The Dying is probably as close as they will get. The band chose to dial back the progressive elements they'd spent years developing and recorded this album with the intention of giving it a "street" sound, like their earlier work. I don't know if this decision was due to the poor sales Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son made in the US or possible nostalgia for recording in the early 80's but sadly, it never quite hit the mark.

Admittedly, "Tailgunner" is a great album opener that would've sounded a lot fresher if had come out before "The Clairvoyant" and yes, this is the only album to produce a number one single for the band ("Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter") but other than a handful of decent riffs, the album doesn't really bring anything worthwhile to the table. At a push, it maybe could've worked if it was recorded around 1981-82 but then we wouldn't have The Number Of The Beast, a far greater effort. It's not a bad album but with 10 years of fantastic music behind them, it's not unreasonable to expect more from the band that gave us Powerslave.

No Prayer For The Dying is an album that's perfect for fans who liked the musical sound of the last two albums but disliked the songs and their progressive elements. However, when a band inevitably abandons the need to "experiment" and returns to the sound of their earlier material, it only really works if a) the music they made when experimenting was terrible or b) they slightly adapt their new music so that it contains the best elements from original and experimental. This album falls into neither category.

1. Tailgunner

2. Holy Smoke

3. No Prayer For The Dying

4. Public Enema Number One

5. Fates Warning

6. The Assassin

7. Run Silent Run Deep

8. Hooks In You

9. Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter

10. Mother Russia

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Next week, I'll post part 3 which will cover Fear Of The Dark, The X Factor, Virtual XI and Brave New World. Thanks for reading!

Shout Out: All 16 Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 1

What kind of Iron Maiden Month would this be if I didn't talk about EVERY STUDIO ALBUM THEY'VE RELEASED?
The answer is "a pretty poor one", in case you cared. However, since there are 16 albums as of September 4th 2015, I'm going to break these posts into four parts looking at four albums each. I'll probably talk a little bit more about the band's history as I'm going through them, although don't expect an in-depth biography.
I'm also going to split the four posts across two weeks, with two posts this week & the remaining two the next. However, I might do two different posts in the final week if I get round to it. It's also worth noting that I'll be discussing the 1998 remastered albums, as they're the versions that are currently available and some contain a few extra tracks. OK then, let's get shouting!
The first official studio album is the self titled 1980 debut featuring a very different line-up to the one we have today:

The first album is quite possibly the most aggressive one Iron Maiden have ever released, although this is mostly due to the difference in band members. We have Paul Di'Anno on vocals, Dennis Stratton and Dave Murray on guitar, Steve Harris on bass and Clive Burr on drums. Fans will know that only two of those band members are still part of Iron Maiden today but we'll get onto departures and arrivals as we talk about each album.
Iron Maiden starts off with the instantly catchy "Prowler", a fine album opener that displays each member of the band on top form. Most of the tracks from here are relatively short and punchy that focus slightly more on riffs and hooks than the overall band effort that later albums are centred around ("Running Free" and "Iron Maiden") although the influence from Classic Rock bands such as Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash are still prevalent throughout ("Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World").
All in all, it's a damn good debut that any self-respecting Metal fan will enjoy whether they prefer their music short and sharp or long and melodic. NWOBHM elitists will argue that this is Iron Maiden's best album and whilst I agree with it being ONE of the best, there are still areas that could've been/were improved on future records. As usual, here's a tracklist with my personal favourites underlined:

1. Prowler

2. Sanctuary

3. Remember Tomorrow

4. Runnin' Free

5. Phantom Of The Opera

6. Transylvania

7. Strange World

8. Charlotte The Harlot

9. Iron Maiden
ALBUM RATING - 8/10

In the year between album releases, Dennis Stratton was replaced with Adrian Smith on guitar. Since Dennis was probably responsible for two of the weakest tracks on the first album, this was definitely for the best. Chances are the following album, Killers, wouldn't have had the same edge with his presence.

Compared to their debut, Killers starts off as a bit of a dud. "The Ides Of March" is a largely pointless intro to the far superior track "Wrathchild", likely included to showcase new guitarist Adrian Smith's talents. However, once the bassline for "Wrathchild" rolls in, all is forgiven. It's clear that the band are back for another strong entry, not changing a proven formula but capable of adapting to include more of what fans were after, seeing as how this album has more songs that are indisputably Metal as opposed to Hard Rock (excluding the Led Zepp inspired "Prodigal Son", of course).

Paul's vocals have branched out into other octaves ("Twilight Zone"), Steve's bass playing is still strong and smooth ("Innocent Exile") and the combined guitar work of Adrian and Dave is flawlessly executed ("Killers"). However, after revisiting this album, I realised Clive Burr's drumming is my personal highlight. He had a unique talent for playing his kit alongside the guitar riffs, turning the drums into more than just a percussive device and creating a stronger bond between each band member's musical contributions ("Genghis Khan" and "Murders In The Rue Morgue").

It's tricky to decide whether I prefer this album or the last one as an Iron Maiden fan. On the one hand, the songs on the debut are more memorable but on the other, the musical talent on this album is easily stronger. Either way, it's another great album although it lacks the same magic spark that some of the band's other records have. You might find people who call this their favourite album but you're more likely to find people who prefer either the previous or the next one.

1. The Ides Of March

2. Wrathchild

3. Murders In The Rue Morgue

4. Another Life

5. Genghis Khan

6. Innocent Exile

7. Killers

8. Prodigal Son

9. Purgatory

10. Twilight Zone

11. Drifter
ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Another year, another line-up change! This time, Paul Di'Anno was kicked out for drink and drug abuse. Fortunately, he was replaced with Samson vocalist & all-round top bloke, Bruce Dickinson. Bands go through line-up changes fairly frequently and most of the time, they survive. However, the true test of a band's lasting quality is whether they can survive a change in lead singer. Cut to 1982 and the release of the third album, The Number Of The Beast.

Not only one of Iron Maiden's most popular albums but also one of the most iconic albums in the entire Metal genre, and rightly so! It introduced me to the band and whilst it's not my all-time favourite Iron Maiden album, it's got plenty of great tracks to introduce you to what the band are all about. However, one of the few flaws is probably the introduction. "Invaders" is an easily forgettable song but works as an energetic album opener. It's straightforward Metal and, most importantly, it shows fans of Paul's vocals that the band have found a suitable replacement.
With Bruce on board, the band were able to explore new musical territories so in a way, this almost feels like the first proper Iron Maiden album. The sound quality is much stronger than the previous two entries (which occasionally sound as if they were banged together in someone's garage) and the lyrical themes are slightly more mature too ("Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Run To The Hills"). In terms of the musical structure, many tracks start off fairly slow but speed up once they get past the intro or enter the final section of the song. This was experimented with during Paul's stretch with Iron Maiden but it seems the band are confident enough to use it frequently now.
The Number Of The Beast is slightly more about the band effort than previous albums but still contains epic riffs for air guitarists to shred to and catchy choruses for fans to belt out at concerts ("The Prisoner" and "The Number Of The Beast"), just what the band needed to secure longevity and solidify themselves as Metal legends.

1. Invaders

2. Children Of The Damned

3. The Prisoner

4. 22 Acacia Avenue

5. The Number Of The Beast

6. Run To The Hills

7. Gangland

8. Total Eclipse

9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

The last album I'll be talking about in this part also featured a new band member, as Clive Burr had to leave for personal & medical reasons. Whilst Clive was an amazing musician who sadly passed away two years ago, ex-Trust drummer Nicko McBrain stepped up to the mark and helped the band create another excellent album in 1983.

Piece Of Mind is notable for two reasons in my eyes. Firstly, as I've already mentioned, it introduces Nicko McBrain who manages to prove his worth in the first four seconds of album opener "Where Eagles Dare". Secondly, it's the first album to officially give Bruce Dickinson songwriting credit which probably explains the various lyrical topics covering war and mythology, albeit the latter twisted into a metaphor about teenage rebellion ("Die With Your Boots On" and "Flight Of Icarus").

Despite introducing a fairly standard galloping rhythm to the mainstream on the previous album with "Run To The Hills", this album is probably responsible for turning it into a signature sound for the band thanks to a decent filler track and one of the band's biggest fan favourites ("Sun And Steel" and "The Trooper" respectively). Whilst the first half of the album is considered more memorable than the second, that doesn't mean it's a record that's only half decent. It's full of great songs although the band appear to have put all of the filler at the end.

The fourth album in four consecutive years doesn't slow down or show signs of creative fatigue. Compared to the last three albums, I'd say Piece Of Mind takes less risks as it essentially hits the same beats as the previous record but there's nothing wrong with that. Iron Maiden deliver another hefty dose of Heavy Metal, pure and uncompromising. I think if this album had the same level of controversy and notoriety as The Number Of The Beast when that was first released, this would likely be everyone's favourite of the two.

1. Where Eagles Dare

2. Revelations

3. Flight Of Icarus

4. Die With Your Boots On

5. The Trooper

6. Still Life

7. Quest For Fire

8. Sun And Steel

9. To Tame A Land

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

That's the end of part 1. Come back soon for part 2, covering Powerslave, Somewhere In Time, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and No Prayer For The Dying!

The Book Of Souls - Iron Maiden

Before I start this review, I've decided that in celebration of one of my favourite bands triumphantly returning to the studio I'm going to declare September IRON MAIDEN MONTH on this blog. I'm sure I'm not the only one making a big deal out of Iron Maiden's new album but I figure it's time I talked about these magnificent bastards on here.
Along with a review of their latest album, I'll also be discussing their previous work & a few passion projects of mine that I occasionally revisit. In other words, if you dislike Iron Maiden then you might as well come back to this blog in October. If you don't really care about them, maybe give the next few posts a read as you may find your new favourite band as well!

As I stated in my brief discussion about "Speed Of Light", I was incredibly excited for this album but still a little concerned about the length of some of the tracks. When it comes to Iron Maiden, I much prefer the shorter, energetic tracks to the longer, progressive ones BUT I still like some 8+ minute songs. Whilst I wouldn't call this Iron Maiden's best album by any stretch, The Book Of Souls manages to perfectly balance the complex 11 minute epics with tidy five-minute rockers. It's an album that fans of earlier and later albums can enjoy, which is certainly more than can be said for The Final Frontier.
Kicking off the band's 16th record is "If Eternity Should Fail", a song which starts off like something from Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical but soon breaks into a hearty & familiar gallop. This is a good example of a longer track I can enjoy, although I wouldn't rank it among my favourites (before you ask, "Dream Of Mirrors" and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son". The rest...meh). It's a slow burning album opener that contains most if not all of the Iron Maiden hallmarks, even if it sounds a little theatrical at times.
After this, we have a few songs that'll get heads banging on the first playthrough ("Speed Of Light" & "Death Or Glory") as well as slower, more solemn tunes for the music enthusiast to aurally dissect on repeat listens ("The Man Of Sorrows" and "The Book Of Souls"). As I said, it's a balance that works better than quite possibly any other Iron Maiden album since they first started experimenting with longer progressive tracks in 1983. However, those songs all look like radio edits compared to "Empire Of The Clouds", an 18 minute ballad about "the 1930 R101 airship crash" featuring Bruce Dickinson on piano, an impressive first.

My immediate thoughts regarding this piece were that it sounded like a musical score for either a film or modern video game with added vocals. It's less episodic than "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" or even other prog masterpieces such as "2112" - Rush but it also demonstrates the band's expertise at writing and performing something as grand as an opera suite, composing not just guitar riffs but orchestral melodies too. The entirety of both discs is a testament to the band's collective talent but this song probably showcases it more than any other.
The rest of the album could be easily summed up by taking snippets from the band's previous records and retuning them until they sound like they were recorded yesterday. I'm not saying Iron Maiden have pulled an AC/DC and rehashed old music for a healthy buck, although "Shadows Of The Valley" might as well be titled "Wasted Years Part II" for that opening riff. What I am saying is that there are many tracks that capture and refine the sound fans may remember from older albums like Dance Of Death or Somewhere In Time. It's almost as if the band sat down & revisited their favourite tracks from each album or decade before writing this one. That may sound like a criticism but, in my eyes, it's far from it.
There's nothing wrong with a band borrowing ideas from their past selves as long as they do something clever with it. Yes, "Shadows Of The Valley" might sound a hell of a lot like another song at first but the remaining six minutes or so develop into something brand new & very enjoyable. You could argue that this is the same for every band who've lasted more than a decade and released several different albums but there's a clear influence from earlier material in these songs. Whether it's the use of a specific tone for an intro like "Moonchild" ("When The River Runs Deep") or a dark bassline underneath atmospheric guitar like "For The Greater Good Of God" ("The Great Unknown"), this album learns from history & adapts without making the mistake of repeating it note for note.

Over the course of eleven tracks and about 90 minutes, the essence of Iron Maiden has been captured and reshaped into another great package of music. Perhaps that's why they called it The Book Of Souls; it contains the soul of each notable sound the band went through...or maybe it just sounded like a better name than anything else they could come up with.
Either way, I'm giving it an 8/10. Well written, superbly executed and an improvement from the previous effort. Whilst the last few albums have made fans question whether the band are considering hanging up their guns, this one makes them sound stronger than...well, the 90's at least. Up the Irons!