Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind

This is a great example of how powerful Maiden were back in those days, and is a potent example of how far British hard rock had evolved in the post punk era of the early 80's. Maiden were a product of that stable of great young bands, and the Harris / Dickinson era hailed probably some of the bands best ever work. Piece of Mind was one of those.

Piece of Mind, a hilarious pun I'm sure we'd all agree, built on the success of Number of the Beast, the album that had shot Maiden to rock stardom once and for all. It re-used a lot of the tested formula of the previous album(s), and showcased Harris's great songwriting, his finesse for using bass as a 'lead' instrument, but also Dickinson's wonderful vocal range, which borders on the almost operatic at times. It also introduced a new member, Nico McBrain, on the drums, stepping into Clive Burr's shoes and adding an impressive technique and arguably better choice of fill and greater restraint.

Previous reviewers have picked their favourite tracks and The Trooper and Die with your Boots on are certainly the most, er, obvious candidates. But I'd listen to Where Eagles Dare more than anything else given the choice. OK the overdubbed "machine gun" sound (I imagine mimicked by a guitar chopping motion?) was a bit silly, but the overall effect and impact of this as the album's opener is quite breath-taking. The layering of guitar melody during the 'solo' (not really a solo when everyone's playing it!) is staple metal fare, echoing Blackmore on In Rock, but also Twisted Sister and Thin Lizzy and countless others - but it is highly effective and well executed, but on 'Eagles Dare' and elsewhere on the album.

Elsewhere I would agree that Revelations is a great tune, anything that shoehorns GK Chesterton prose in is good in my book! The soft/slow to hard/fast transition makes this song, and the medieval sorcery lyrics - as used (abused?) by Dickinson almost through this album - can be forgiven. In fact, not taking lyrics seriously is an important element of enjoying a Maiden album.

The Trooper and Die with your Boots on are both good enough but I think get more air-time than they deserve and are by no means the only reason to like this album (see above). The Trooper is not a patch on Run to the Hills or Number of the Beast, both of which are excellent rock anthems, but both of which manage to cross-over into the pop world largely unscathed. The Trooper looked and felt incongruous in the "top 40". Probably because there's no actual chorus, just lots of Dickinson harmonied wailing. Still they are both good enough and are quite memorable in their own way.

I'm afraid there are, however, clangers on this album. Or fillers at best. Quest for Fire is terrible, built around an awkward riff. Flight of Icarus (which was on the single) is also pretty appallingly bad. The only redemption in either case is that they are short. The other short song is Sun and Steel which, while it might sound equally peurile, does at least have some zip to it and for me is worth of its place on the album. In fact I quite like this as it is the closest thing on the album to genuine crossover metal/pop.

Finally both Still Life and To Tame a Land have merit: the former builds well and the lyrical side holds interest; while the latter is interesting from a musician's perspective - lots of discordant notes and off-beat rhythm. Quite a b old enterprise for Miaden. That said the lyrics are just lazy and facile, and it is nowhere near the 'epic' they probably set out to write to close the album, a fine example of which was "Hallowed" on the previous album. TTaL just sort of fizzles out ... which is a shame because that closes a pretty strong album. You are left wanting another ...

One final point, the production quality of PoM is top notch - Martin Birch at his near-best (his best was on Machine Head, by Deep Purple). The post grunge era of metal owes a lot to the likes of Birch, just as much in fact as they do to Harris and Maiden.

One of the best albums Iron Maiden has made yet. Best track is The Trooper - has an amazing riff to it that i listen to over and over!

Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind - This is probably my favorite Maiden album as it has some truly outstanding tracks and sounds really heavy. "Revelations" is (in my opinion) equal best, or perhaps the best Maiden song. "Die With Your Boots" on has some amazing guitar work and "Still Life" is again brilliant. There is no average track on this record, and most are standouts so if you have any sense you will run out and buy it (or if your really clever you'll already have it...) Buy It!