Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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56 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic Maiden = essential., March 17, 2004
Given how musical tastes change over the years, it's not uncommon for people to find that the music of their youth isn't quite so appealing anymore. Yet for me, even as I become absorbed by avant-garde, Rock-in-Opposition, 20th/21st century classical, modern jazz, and other wild n' crazy stuff, Iron Maiden remains very endearing. And it's not just nostalgia (distorting the past to fit the sensibilities of the present). Iron Maiden is just a great, great band, and _Piece of Mind_ remains my favorite album in their considerable catalogue (followed by _Seventh Son..._).Although it will probably pain a lot of hardcore Maiden lovers to hear me say it, but I think Iron Maiden's music has always had a certain metal-pop quality to it. I do NOT mean that Iron Maiden should in any way be associated with pathetic pantywaists like Poison or Warrant (such bands justify the repeal of the First Amendment). But in addition to insatiable metal energy and carnivorous, immortal metal riffs & solos, Maiden has always placed an immense emphasis on vocals, hooks, melodies, and tight songs. Yeah, they're cheesy, but Maiden is comfortable with their intrinsic metal cheesiness, so it works for them rather than against them. (A worse crime than cheesiness is to be completely oblivious to your cheesiness -- for an empirical illustration of this theory, I refer you to the legions of horrible European power metal bands like Stratovarius and Helloween.) _Piece of Mind_ is an amazing album with not a single weak track. Of course, some songs are still better than others, and those are veritably deserving metal classics. There's "Where Eagles Dare", with its choppy, spitfire riffing; "The Trooper" with its unforgettable, evocative metal gallop and lyrics; and "Flight of Icarus", with its classic chorus and anthemic reach. "Revelations" is an epic that surrounds lyrical moments of beautiful imagery with memorable metal riffing. There is also "Still Life", one of the most tragically underrated Iron Maiden songs, with a mysterious opening that kicks into one of the most infectious and catchy songs in their catalogue. Apparently a lot of people think "Sun and Steel" and "Quest for Fire" are crap or at best inconvenient filler, I really like those songs ("Sun and Steel" especially!). The final epic, "To Tame a Land", suggests the direction the band would take with _Seventh Son_, carefully building until its monumental, epic guitar harmony at the end -- it remains one of the highpoints of their formidable songwriting genius. It's a classic, and it doesn't really need me saying so. But another positive review never hurt anyone.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest Metal Album Of All Time?, February 17, 2007
The first time I heard this record,I was about thirteen. It had already been out for about four years,and in that time its acclaim had grown to the point where it was already widely regarded as a classic. Once I heard the brief drum solo that opens lead track Where Eagles Dare, it was easy to hear why. There was something so fierce about Piece Of Mind. Perhaps it was the production of Martin Birch, or the primal screams and powerful wails of Bruce Dickinson. Maybe it was nine-round axe duel between Adrian Smith and Dave Murray or the masterful rhythm section of Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain at work. I think it was all of those, but most importantly, it was the songwriting that made this album the highlight of metal's most creatively stellar year,1983.
Listen to the aural acrobatics of the aforementioned Where Eagles Dare which features one of the best examples of daring riffery and acrobatic melody the metal genre has to offer. Even the album's weakest track, Quest For Fire, thrusts, dodges, lunges, and parries with proud cunning. Every composition on Piece Of Mind broke ground, and the album as a whole could not have been written by any other band. Piece of Mind is one of those records that always seemed to be not unlike an anthology of self-contained, yet vaguely related stories. When reading the acknowledgements, it comes as no surprise that the band thanks Alistair MacLean and Frank Herbert for the inspiration that their novels brought to their work. My young mind was engrossed in the richly British escapism of the lyrics and still is to this day. Where Eagles Dare sent us on a mission to infiltrate a castle in the Austrian Alps. The intricate dirge Revelations told a tale of Biblical intrigue. Flight Of Icarus brought the myth of one who tempts fate with man-made wings to a whole new generation. Die With Your Boots On gave us warnings from Nostradamus. The Trooper, with its rousing, galloping twin-lead riff, put us right onto a battlefield during the Crimean war. Still Life told us a ghost story. Quest For Fire took us back to a prehistoric time that never actually was. Sun And Steel took us into the mind of Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, and finale To Tame A Land thrust us far beyond our universe to Frank Herbert's desert planet Arrakis. Never before or since has a album taken me to so many fantastic realms in such a short period of time. This, combined with everything else I have written, is what makes Piece Of Mind the definitive Iron Maiden experience. All in all it remains a swashbuckling thriller of sound and fury that has withstood the onslaught of Father Time long enough to become my favorite album ever.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nurture The Mind, March 25, 2004
Following their breakthrough performance with "The Number of The Beast", Iron Maiden ventured forth their massive success by releasing their fourth studio album "Piece of Mind". It would eventually be one of many classic albums from Maiden, forever earning them the pinnacle of respect from the metal community.
"Piece of Mind" would be the first record featuring Nicko McBrain on drums. Alas, "Life in Maiden was never the same again!" This change in the band's roster will result in what eventually will be known as the famous "Classic Maiden Lineup".
The members in Maiden still acknowledge this album as one the best in their vast repertoire after all these years. Interestingly enough, they only play "The Trooper" in their present live-set. However, "Piece of Mind" was an important turning point for Maiden as it leads straight into their musical climax, "Powerslave".Where Eagles Dare - 10/10 The first track of "Piece of Mind" is a song about the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. McBrain's drumming skills are immediately conveyed in this intro, as he precisely drums his way through the 6 minute song. One of Maiden's best openers, it also acts as foreshadowing to "Aces High" on their next disc. Revelations - 8/10 One of the slowest tracks on this disc. This is where Dickinson exemplifies his amazing vocal range and capabilities. It won't be immediately appealing, but this is a song that takes some time and patience to indulge and sink into. Flight of Icarus - 7/10 Much like "Run To The Hills", this is one of Maiden's most overrated songs due to the fact that it's a single. An ode to Greek Mythology, it does have a great sing-a-long chorus. However, the conclusion of this song is unquestionably the highlight with awesome guitars contrasted with Bruce's amazing vocals. Die With Your Boots On - 7/10 This track is probably the weakest lyrically on the album. Fortunately, it's saved by the band's fantastic instrumental skills. The Trooper - 10/10 This is the gem of "Piece of Mind". Undisputedly, a Maiden classic even 20 years later. As mentioned earlier, it is the only song from this record that the band still keeps in their playlist. Mesmerizing guitar harmonies juxtaposed with Steve Harris's brilliant base to magically weave everything together, when combined with Bruce's memorable vocals, this is Maiden at its best! Still Life - 6/10 This song is a disappointment because it had an extremely beautiful intro, and potentially could have been a classic as well. However, the rest of the song starts to drag. It is not bad by any means, just not as refined as others. An average effort here. Quest For Fire - 7/10 Many critics seem to nail this song as "filler", especially the lyrics. However, what they don't seem to understand is that Iron Maiden has always been a band that wrote about subjects which were incredibly original. It takes balls to start a song with "In a time where dinosaurs ruled the earth" and still have it be a credible piece of music. This is traditional Maiden songwriting and also contains a very good solo. Sun And Steel - 6/10 This is perhaps the weakest song on the album. Lacks overall structure but it has a few moments. To Tame A Land - 10/10 Arguably the best track on "Piece of Mind" along with "The Trooper", this is another one of Maiden's closing epics. It is about a book named Dune, which was actually the original name for this song. 7 minutes of intense guitar adeptness with aggressive base work, always changing, and evolving, Maiden is shown once again as a cohesive unit. Although there are no fillers, not all the songs are perfect with some being average at best. "Piece of Mind" is not a perfect album, but it deserves no less than 5 stars. It will forever hold a special place among the other metal masterpieces of all time.
Nurture your mind with metal goodness. - ToS.
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album Piece of Mind 
