Customer Reviews

Powerslave

5 star:		(222)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" was to metal what Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was to pop. If you were a fan of heavy metal in the 80's then this album was the soundtrack to your Saturday night out with the guys. There is just so much on this album to rave about, be it the killer chorus of "2 Minutes to Midnight", the great guitar track of "Flash of the Blade, the cool "Egyptian" sound to the title cut, of the epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". There was something here for every metal fan. Iron Maiden has made a career out of defying the norm, and in a time when most bands were riding the metal-pop wave, writing songs about Girls..Girls..Girls, or Talking Dirty to Me, Maiden's subject matter was the RAF during WWII and the Blitz with "Aces High". "Powerslave" is about Egyptian mythology, and the album also features a song about fencing "Flash of the Blade". Not your typical song matter for an 80's metal band. But the highlight of the album for me is "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", based on an 18th Century poem, this 12 minute epic tells the tale of a doomed captain and his ship, and is musically one of the most impressive songs in Maiden's catalog. If you haven't heard this song, then buy this album immediately! It's worth the price of the cd alone. It doesn't matter if you think "Powerslave" is Maiden's best album, or if you like "Beast" or "Piece of Mind" or any one of their other albums better, you have to respect Iron Maiden for what they accomplished with "Powerslave".

Im going to start by saying this album is in my top 5 favorite cds and i have over 100.

1. Aces High: This starts the album off with a bang. The guitar riffing is fast, high pitched, and adrenline pumping, not a very heavy song, but still metal and just as good.There is also a great solo by Dave Murray. You'll like this song if you like faster, higher pitched, metal songs. 10/10

2. Two Minutes to Midnight: This was Maidens highest single of this album and for good reason, it has a cool riff and a very catchy chorus. Bruce dickinson does a pretty good vocal performance on this song. The guitar riff is much like Ted Nugent's Stormtrooping. 10/10

3. Losfer Words (Big Orra):This was Maidens last instrumenatal,
and unfortunatly it was not another Ghengis Khan. It has a fast heavy Prog Rock Sounding riff to it, this song is complety unique and I haven't heard anything like it. 8/10

4. Flash of the blade: The song starts out with a unusual riff that sound like it could be part of a Ozzy Osbourne guitar solo.
when the lyrics start both guitarists do your typical iron maiden power cord riffing. There is a cool sychronized solo played in octaves in the guitar bridge. 8/10

5. The Duellists. Starts off with more heavy guitar riffing. Steve Harris plays his bass great in this song, providing a good backup sound in the chorus and the guitar solo that follows. Some parts of this song are very heavy, other parts are filled with melody, and in some parts there is both. There is an excellent guitar bridge and solo. 9/10

6. Back in the Village: It's a decent song but it pales in comparison to all the other songs, it has a really wierd sounding main riff. When the guitar solo starts at 2:30 the song gets really good with good riffs and a guitar solo. 7/10 but 9/10 for the solo

7. Powerslave: This is the secound best song on the album, the opening guitar riff is fast, galloping, and vicous sounding. Then it gets even better during the chorus when the riff changes into something even nastier and faster then the opening one. After the secound chorus the song complety mellows out into a slow beatiful guitar solo, this goes on for a minute then the drums kick in and in launches a fast, powerful, absoluty rocking guitar solo, with Steve Harris's Bass loudly playing along in a catchy little rhythm during the solos.
11/10

8. Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The album ends with one maidens finest songs ever. Every single memmber of the band shines on this song, there are more good guitar riffs in this song then on any 10 Nu-Metal albums, nevermind make that 20 albums, i kinda forgot how bad nu-metal is. This song is complety fasicnating and still amazes me. The whole album is worth the price just for this 14 minute epic masterpiece.
13/10

Sorry if you didn't understand me or i rambled on, but i just love this album, buy it!

Please tell me what you thought of my review by pressing yes or no, im just curious to see if i was helpful at all. Thanks for reading.

and one other thing listen to wrathchild (the reviewer below me.) he is absoluty right about everything he said, screw king diamond and all that satanic sh*t.

The World Slavery Tour was my first concert ever; and in retrospect, what a great concert to start with! By 1984, when "Powerslave" came out, Iron Maiden had established themselves at the top of the heavy metal heap. Their previous album, "Piece of Mind," was a huge seller, and the successful World Piece Tour set the bar high for the band's follow up. The radio was already playing "Two Minutes to Midnight," so I had an idea we'd have more of the same good music.

When "Powerslave" came out, I grabbed a copy as soon at it hit the stores. I still remember the album -- especially the textured front cover and a mass of hieroglyphics to decipher. (See what you lose with CD art?) There's all sorts of little messages Derek Riggs included in the cover, you just needed to have a hieroglyphics key to decipher them. I also recall there being a message scrawled on the vinyl's lead-out that said, "There's only one!" I'm not sure if that was just a random note or if there was anything to it. Who knows, maybe I had the winning album in some sort of meet the band contest.

Even though I had gotten a small sample of the music, I was a bit disappointed on first listen. I guess I was looking to be slapped in the face and bowled over by it, but that didn't happen. Maybe it was because the band's sound had become more technical, weaving together more intricate melodies, I'm not sure. Nevertheless, over the years, I've grown to really love the album.

In retrospect, this is a pretty good place to start if you've never heard a full album from the band's earlier days. I've always thought "The Number of the Beast" was better, but "Powerslave" shows a band reaching their creative peak. You not only get songs that widely regarded as Iron Maiden classics: "Aces High," "2 Minutes to Midnight," and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," but the other songs round out the album almost to perfection. I have especially grown to love "Back in the Village" and "Flash of the Blade," two songs I'd love to see in the setlist.

One note -- I am especially thankful for "Rime of the Ancient Mariner;" it came along during Freshman year English class. While the song isn't the whole poem , it contained enough to allow me to quote several passages and pass many a quiz!

This is a prime example of what every album should be. There is not a weak point on this entire album. It starts off with Aces High, which in my opinion is their greatest opener and one of their best songs ever. With its fast paced drum beat, dueling guitars, and the high pitched wail of Bruce Dickinson, it makes for the perfect opening to this album. Steve Harris bass work as always is incredible, and it can actually be heard which is not true in most metal bands. 2 Minutes to Midnight is a catchy tune with a great chorus which can be stuck in your head for days. Losfer Words is a nice little instrumental which displays the musical talent of each of the members. Flash of the Blade and The Duellists are both great songs, both with incredible guitar harmonies of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. The title track, Powerslave, is themed in Ancient Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs, and the guitar riff goes great with the theme. Powerslave also has one of the best solos ever. The album closes with the 13 minute epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, also another Maiden classic. From beginning to end, this album is flawless.

The year is 1984, and Iron Maiden are boarding a train. Bruce, Adrian, Dave, Steve, Nicko...all aboard? Now it's time to push the pedal to the metal, and don't let up until the album's over. The next stop? A classic, timeless metal album known as "Powerslave."

This English metal band is about as important to heavy metal as Black Sabbath and Metallica. They debuted in 1980, when bands like Ramones and Clash were popular. So, Iron Maiden (and other New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, like Motorhead and Judas Priest) killed off the uprising of punk, and helped to keep heavy metal alive in the `80's.

"Powerslave" flies by at about the same pace as a Judas Priest record, but there's more to this album than just speed. Like stellar musicianship and super catchy rhythms. Plus, frontman Bruce Dickinson's vocals may be considered by some to be annoying, but I think they help to give Iron Maiden a sound of their own. His famous British-accented upper register usually shines in every song, and he also makes some good vocal hooks.

"Aces High" begins with a chugging riff and stop-start bursts of drums. It then becomes a continuous, running beat, with some of the aforementioned high pitched singing (which sounds similar to Maiden's earlier hit, "Run to the Hills.")
"2 Minutes to Midnight" has another fast, catchy riff and two melodic solos. This song is really a highlight, though, because the chorus is a shout-along (well, almost).
"Losfer Words (Big `Orra)" is a personal favorite, because it's an instrumental. A lot of heavy metal's best albums (i.e. Metallica's "Master of Puppets," etc.) have instrumentals, and not only does "Powerslave" have one, it has a GREAT one. This song features some great guitar work (including a classical sounding solo), and a couple of tempo changes.
"Duellists" is also mostly an instrumental (the middle and most of the end is free of vocals). It also has a fast, chugging riff, two more tasty solos, and a couple more speed changes.
"Powerslave" has mostly galloping riffs. It slows down for the middle, when there are two wailing solos, but it turns back to the galloping beat near the end.

Even though they may not be as relevant now as they were in the 1980's, they have influenced many popular bands (like Metallica), so the spirt of Iron Maiden lives on through them. Plus, even if you don't give them credit for being one of metal's most important and influential bands, "Powerslave" is still a classic, timeless masterpiece which should always have a place in every metalhead's C.D. collection.

Ah, what's to say that hasn't yet been said? When you look up metal in the dictionary, you'll see Maiden right next to it. And if you don't, then buy a revised copy. This is the definitive sound of everything that ever has been and everything that ever will be metal. Put simply, Maiden are legends, and Powerslave is one of their best efforts. Incredible riffing, mindblowingly complex drumming, killer solos, and that incredible power surge of Bruce Dickinson - this band has a sense of scale, and that scale is big. I can't even try to pick individual highlights, but the last song, the epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is pure genius! Certain parts of that song give me chills like no other. To wrap this short review up (and I know Maiden deserve a longer one), go out, buy Powerslave, crank up the stereo, and have yourself a good time. Really, it can't offer anything less. Not that we'd expect it to anyways.

10/10

PS - Sharon Osbourne, her stupid daughter, "Big Dave" and that lame excuse for a band Bury Your Dead can all jump off a bridge for all I care. No one f**** with Maiden and gets away with it! Up the Irons, cuz Ozzfest is now dead!

THE BAND: Steve Harris (bass), Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Nicko McBrain (drums).

THE DISC: (1984) 8 tracks clocking in at approximately 51 minutes. This is their 5th album in 5 years. Recorded at Compass Point in Nassau, Bahamas. The disc contains an 18-page booklet with a brief intro, lyrics, band pictures and thank you's. All songs written by Harris and/or Dickinson (with Smith co-writing one). The enhanced CD features a nice multimedia section for your PC - including 2 videos ("Aces High" and "2 Minutes To Midnight"), the band's catalogue of albums, band history, family tree, itinerary from the '84-'85 World Slavery Tour, and more. Digitally remastered in 1998. Cover art by the one and only Derek Riggs.

COMMENTS: It's hard to top this release from Iron Maiden. In my opinion, it sits up on that same lofty shelf with "Number Of The Beast" and "Piece Of Mind". "Powerslave" was Maiden's 3rd monster album in a row and it solidified them as the best metal act of the time. The title track is a classic and it's one of my favorite Dickinson penned tunes, ever. The 13+ minute "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" is a marathon of a song, and perhaps the band's all-time exemplary magnum opus. "Aces High" and "2 Minutes To Midnight" were two of the band's higher ranking chart hits - and simply fast paced classic Maiden tunes. "Losfer Words" is a hard hitting instrumental (their first since "Genghis Khan" from their "Killers" album in 1981). The only song I give less than a perfect score is "Back In The Village" (a good song, but the least memorable on such a flawless album). I've been to many concerts and one of the stand-outs is Maiden at Radio City Music Hall in NYC (January '85)... 4 sold-out nights in a row (would have been 7 nights had Bruce not been sick). If I'm reaching for some classic old-school longhaired metal, or one of my favorite Iron Maiden albums, "Powerslave" is absolutely one of the first ones I choose. The band was never better than they were here on "Powerslave". Great disc.

It really is a damned shame, isn't it? This generation's sorry excuse for music is being recieved with misplaced fervor and adulation by would-be critics while grandiose epics such as Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" are fading into obscurity due to the gratuitous ignorance of the MTV-worshiping youth. Makes me cry. Just the thought of someone choosing Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavinge over Iron Maiden makes me ill. Maybe I'm out of line, but i strongly doubt it.

Having been around for nearly a decade by this time, Iron Maiden's sound was developing from their early punk-styled streetwise songs to complex masterpieces. The Number Of The Beast saw the beginning of this change. The band's 1984 release, Powerslave, was the moment where their new style shined it brightest.

Like the previous release, 1983's Piece Of Mind, this album has the classic, and most likely the best, Iron Maiden lineup. Bruce "The Air Raid" Dickinson takes the forefront and vocals and sings with raw energy and power while having refined his ability over the last two albums. Guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray play the harmonies that are so tight it's hard to imagine how they pull it off. They also let off some blazing solos when the time comes. As always, bassist and main lyricist Steve Harris lets himself be heard in the low end as he pounds, slaps and jams with the rhythm of Nicko McBrain, whose drumming is masterful and incredible.

The album starts off with the classic Aces High. The song starts a little slowly but once the harmony and rhythm kicks in, you know your time has come. The song is fast paced; hard, heavy and powerful with some great guitar work and a showcase of Dickinson's vocal refinement. Next comes another classic and live favorite: 2 Minutes To Midnight. Slower than the previous song, the guitars are very tight while the rhythm is powerful as Dickinson sings away with perfection. Next is Losfer Words (Big Orra), which is one of the 4 instrumentals that Iron Maiden has recorded in their career. A very cool song, the guitars shine, the bass is all over the place and the drumming is solid and consistent. Flash Of The Blade comes next and this is an awesome song about fighting and being a swordsman. The opening guitar is pretty interesting but blows into a hard song that rocks until its over. Not much to say about this song except awesome.

Another song about fighting, The Duellists follows up. It is basically a continuation of Flash Of The Blade with the heavy guitars and pounding rhythm but it is definitely a great song. One of my favorites on this album, Powerslave is an incredible song. Right away, the song hits home with heaviness. Dickinson steps in with the microphone and sings incredible lyrics about an evil Egyptian god. The guitar of the pre-chorus is cool and gives the song and evil type sound but the chorus is where everything shines. Dickinson's vocals soar while the other instruments play something similar to a march or even their signature galloping sound. The song breaks down into a soft piece but picks up again and ends in perfection. The final song, the longest song Iron Maiden has ever done, is Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. All any fan can say about this song is "wow". Its is simply incredible. The guitars gallop, the bass pounds, the drums flow and Dickinson's vocals are amazing. The breakdown with the spoken part is eerie but cool. And like the song Powerslave, the song comes full circle and ends perfectly. Words can not begin to describe this song.

Among Iron Maiden's 12 studio albums, a majority of fans vote this album to be one of their favorites. It has everything Iron Maiden stood for from the beginning. Although a number of these songs aren't played live anymore, they are still classics in their own right and you have to love each and every one of them. I recommend this for every Maiden fan and any fan of metal in general. Go on. Buy it.

Powerslave...even the name sounds legendary. Over the years, trends may have come and gone, but Iron Maiden has stood strong through it all. Even today, though they're not so mainstream, you can still see their t-shirts worn on strangers in a crowd (featuring of course, the immortal Eddie The Mascot!)

If you've never heard any of Maiden's music, they sound a bit like other famous, founding power-metal bands Judas Priest and Dio. I know nobody's compared Maiden to Dio much, but I believe that Maiden, Priest and Dio were all founders of the heavy metal sub-genre known as "power metal", which, if defines, includes melodic, chugging guitars, deep basses, fast, heavy drumming and soaring vocals.

However, these three were different than some of the great, yet unfortunately faceless European power-metal acts. The three power-metal titans were all somewhat mainstream so they had a bit of a different sound. Still, Iron Maiden was a revolutionary band that deserves respect and attention, and "Powerslave" is certainly one of their best, along with being one of the finest metal albums ever to grace our music stores!

Believe it or not, this was actually my first Iron Maiden cd...not "Piece of Mind", nor "Number". I know what you're thinking - 'what's up with that?'. Well, while online, I heard a sample of the epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". I put everything I was doing on hold and felt this epic masterpiece flow through my body! It rocked! So in a few days, I picked this work of art up and can't stop listening to it. Here are the pieces that form this creation.

Aces High: LOVE the opening. So melodic, yet so catchy, one of my favorite tracks. Then it starts up with a fast pace and some great vocal/instrumental work. Actually, this is a song about warplanes, bombers and things of that sort. Very interesting and a dazzling opener. Kind of like Judas Priest's "Rapid Fire", off the album "British Steel" (another fine example of power-metal!)

2 Minutes To Midnight: Catchy, sing-a-long chorus with a killer guitar riff that sounds similar to the one on the classic Dio track "Stand Up and Shout".

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra): An instrumental, and a flawless one at that. Seems to go by quickly, but never loses its greatness.

Flash of the Blade: A mostly instrumental one with a super guitar riff. Included is a fancy, even neo-classical lick in here with a start-stop bass/drums combo similar to the opening of "Aces High".

The Duelists: A similar topic to "Flash of the Blade", but longer and with more lyrics. Starts off with a quick beat of the drum and doesn't stop from there!

Back in the Village: Would be considered perfect if not for the last, twenty seconds! If you're gonna listen to this CD late at night, don't listen to this track. Towards the end, the music goes on and on until you hear these creepy, pre-recorded types of sound effects, something very similar to what Pink Floyd does. Still, I admire the whole technique and how they put it in without doing it the wrong way.

Powerslave: The Egyptian-tinged title track that's one of the longest songs on the album. The really catchy part of this is when a verse on the chorus repeats, "Tell me why I had to be a powerslave!". I've STILL got it in my head from the first time I listened to it.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Worth the entire cost of the album alone! A thirteen and a half minute epic that's got anything and everything! Starts off pretty quickly, but towards the middle it slows down and even has the Captain (read the lyrics and you'll understand what I mean), narrating a part. Actually, the whole epic is, as another reviewer mentioned, about a captain and his crew out at sea. They shoot down an albatross, possibly for food, and some unexpected things happen. You absolutely MUST listen to this song!

Overall: This is a fine slab of history that seems to be forgotten with today's music audience, and that's a shame. If more people today were able to recognize the talent and greatness of bands past, like Iron Maiden, among countless other classics, the world would be a little better. Even if this seems to be overlooked, it's definitely a Top 10 Metal Album. I had my doubts while buying it, but now, I can't stop listening to it! So, buy yourself a little piece of history and know you've got a timeless classic in your collection!