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Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 1984 through EMI Records in Europe, and on 14 September 1984, through its sister label Capitol Records, in the US. It was re-released by Sanctuary and Columbia Records in the US in 2002. The songs "2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Aces High" were released as singles. Its cover artwork is notable for its Ancient Egypt theme. That theme, taken from the title track, was carried over to the album's supporting tour, the World Slavery Tour. This began in Warsaw, Poland, on 9 August 1984; it is widely regarded as being the band's longest and most arduous tour to date, and led to the live album Live After Death. The release contains a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the lyrics of which include some lines from the poem. At 13 minutes and 45 seconds in length, this was Iron Maiden's longest song for over 30 years until it was surpassed by the 18-minute "Empire of the Clouds" from the 2015 album The Book of Souls. Powerslave is notable as the band's first album to feature the same personnel as their previous studio release. This lineup would remain intact for two further studio releases. It is also their last album to date to feature an instrumental piece, and the only one until Senjutsu (2021) in which longtime member and guitarist Dave Murray does not have a songwriting credit.
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Reviews
Heavy metal. Dos megahits. Un 4.
Some inspired classic metal jams paired with howling, high vocals no singer in that genre would attempt today.
So, whole I like metal, Iron Maiden has always left me a little cold. Maybe it's the fetishisation of military history, maybe it's that I hate West Ham (COYL). This has done little to change my mind. But it's one of the better Maiden albums, and Tony Hawk has made it so 2 Minutes to Midnight is always a buzz of nostalgia. So it's a pass mark here!
Pretty solid, but I'm not a huge Maiden guy.
Discazo de todo un referente del hard-rock. Canciones con riffs pegadizos y con un estilo muy fácilmente identificable. Imprescindible y poderoso. Aporta muchos matices.
OK, I'll admit it. I was wrong. I had many opportunities to listen to more Iron Maiden and even grew up in an area that loved heavy metal. Scorpions and Judas Priest were on regular rotation, as were albums like "The Number of the Beast". Weirdly, my freshman year roommate was even a huge Maiden head, and yet somehow I just didn't latch on any of the later records. Thank you for putting this in front of me. Maiden represents some kick ass rock and roll yet has some complexity, too, like TOOL. I'm going to have to check out their catalog, and hell, maybe I'll even see if I can see them on the upcoming tour, though they are playing a venue I don't like. (Tacoma Dome, impossible traffic, yuck.)
Solid. Only downside is, the singing is flat at times. But it's flat with conviction.
For one second, I thought the generator had given me an Earth Wind & Fire album to review, ha ha. Iron Maiden do share one thing with the legendary funk band, though. Both acts are iconic for their elected genres, and they both have a very efficient drive that makes them bring the expected goods on the table for their target audience. It's not "high art" in my own book, but it's still memorable and idiosyncratic enough to justify the love of their fans, I guess. I don't have the time to write a proper review for this record. I needed to finish my review of the new Fontaines DC album that's coming out today for the music website I write for (long story short: apart from a very small fistful of gems, it's a little underwhelming). Yet I did listen to more than half of *Powerslave*. It's Iron Maiden doing what they do best: double-tracked guitar soloing relying on fifth harmonies or the "tapping" technique, funny punk-inspired cavalcades, somewhat hackneyed chromatic switches for the chord sequences, over-the-top anthemic singing for the choruses... Which means that it's not aesthetically stellar in my book, but that I can respect it, at least. Funny coincidence: as I was using public transports yesterday, I saw a frail and grumpy old man using a walker proudly sporting an Iron Maiden T-shirt. The sight made me feel old myself. Evidence enough that if you merely assess this band as a cultural signifier, they have left an imprint you can't so easily dismiss... Yet I think the inclusion of *The Number Of The Beast* is enough to have them represented in the list. Digging out the rest indeed sounds like archeology in my eyes. Most Egyptian temples are beautiful enough to look at today, but their state of preservation vary from one temple to the next. I'll see myself out -------------> 3/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 for the musicianship and production values + 3 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 125 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 143 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 320 (including this one)
Sure sounds like Iron Maiden
The official list and the fan list have both really made me appreciate Iron Maiden. They did one thing but they did it so well. I’m never mad when an album of theirs comes up, and I’m always impressed by the craftsmanship
Not their best, but still worthy