There could have been few bands in the world in the early to mid 1980’s in a better position to reach a period of dominance than Iron Maiden. They had done their time in the pubs and clubs, five years of grind and toil that saw them attain a recording contract, and then release their debut and sophomore albums “Iron Maiden” and “Killers”. Through this saw some rearranging of the furniture, bringing in Adrian Smith as guitarist, who had always been destined to find his way into the band, then Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, whose powerful range gave the band a wider scope of songs to aspire to, along with the songwriting ability of both he and Smith, and finally Nicko McBrain whose drumming and personality completed the outfit. This line up had recorded the band’s previous album “Piece of Mind”, which had built up on the enduring success of “The Number of the Beast” and pushed on further, showcasing longer and more complicated song structures while retaining all of the characteristics which made Iron Maiden such a unique proposition in the music world at that time. Alongside the boss Steve Harris and the ever present Dave Murray, the band had toured for 8 months to promote the “Piece of Mind” album, which was completed in December 1983. They then allowed themselves a three week break (yep, that’s it) before reconvening to begin writing for the follow up album. Is it any wonder maintaining families under these time pressures was extraordinarily difficult. And this wasn’t unusual in the days of a 12-month cycle being write an album, record an album, release an album, tour the album.
The band returned to the Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas to record the album, the same place where “Piece of Mind” was recorded and that the follow up to this album would also take place.
The success of “Piece of Mind”, which had gone to #3 in the UK, #14 in the US and #17 in Australia, proved there was a marketplace for their music, and having already shown they could write fast paced and heavy singles such as “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper”, and longer and technically proficient songs such as “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “To Tame a Land”, in order to go to another level with their music, just what could they produce for their new album that would satisfy these requirements? The answer came in the form of 8 amazing tracks that make up the album that became “Powerslave”.
One of the immediate impacts of this album, that if you look at the cover of the album feels so mystical and mythical, is that the first two songs heavily reference and describe war, such that when initially listening to the album you could believe that it is going to be an album all about war. And part of the perfection of the tracks is that the music of each almost makes you feel the differing emotions of the actions being drawn. The opening battle cry of “Aces High” moves from the twin guitar montage before diving hell for leather into the song at a careering pace, which barely lets up for the entire song. As with so many of Steve Harris’ composed songs, the subject takes its basis from the movie of the same name, 1976’s “Aces High” {put in some context of the movie here]. Even the screaming solos from Dave and Adrian through the middle of the song make it sound like you are watching the planes dogfight above you, rolling and turning and diving, and the pace of the song exarcebates that as well, and the conclusion you almost see two of these plavnes colliding as the final note is played. It is a sensational opening track, setting the album off in cracking style.
This is followed by the iconic opening riff of the Smith/Dickinson song “2 Minutes to Midnight”, and while the opening track speaks in a romantically yet realistic tone of the way that air fights occurred during WW1, there is immediately a more sinister sound about the following track. There is a more serious tone about the lyrics here, referencing the Doomsday Clock, which symbolises impending doom, and is set closer to midnight the faster that this approaches. The guitars are more menacing, as Bruce starts singing lyrics such as “The killer's breed or the demon's seed, the glamour, the fortune, the pain. Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain, Don't you pray for my soul anymore”. The solo section is a brooding piece as well, the tempo rising and falling, until at the end it falls into Nicko’s rising drum roll, and crashes back into the main riff, and the tone of the whole song builds to its crescendo as Bruce spits out his lyrics - “The body bags and little rags of children torn in two, And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you. As the mad men play on words and make us all dance to their song, To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun”. It is an incredibly powerful finish to the track, one where the built up emotion spills over and crushes to the conclusion. Still just an amazing song.
After two heavy war based song lyrically, the third track takes on a different direction, with the instrumental and cleverly titled “Losfer Words”. Some have questioned why the band would place an instrumental on their album when they have the voice of Dickinson to call on, but this works really well, and does gives you the opportunity to fully concentrate on the music and musicians themselves. The middle piece of the song, with Dave soloing and Steve’s incredible bass guitaring underneath, is still an amazing piece of music.
From here the album moves into two songs that may not be about war but are certainly referencing the use of weapons. Bruce utilises his love of the sport of fencing in composing “Flash of the Blade”, where the lines “the smell of resined leather, the steely iron mask, as he cuts and thrusts and parries at the fencing masters call” is surely a reference to his own early travails in the sport. This song moves along at a quick tempo driven my Nicko’s fast rated drum beat, vastly underrated on this song in particular. Bruce’s doubled vocals through the chorus increases the energy as well, adding that extra layer. It’s a simply structured song but each part is played to perfection. This segues perfectly into the start of “The Duellists”, Steve Harris’ depiction of an old-fashioned duel. The bassline that runs through this entire song, but especially through the middle instrumental solo section that links the two lyric bound stanzas, is truly remarkable. It is the mainstay of the song, and it is no wonder the band has never played it live, because even Harry’s fingers would be bleeding at its conclusion if he did. Take a listen to this track and be amazed at what he puts into this track, that sometimes just seems to blend in so well that you don’t even notice it. It really is a remarkable piece of bass playing. The two solos played over the top sound amazing, but it is the bass underneath that provides the real superbness of the song. An underrated classic.
Opening up side two is “Back in the Village”. Now, I love “The Prisoner”, not only do I love Iron Maiden’s song, but the TV series that it is written about. So who would ever have thought we would get a sequel to that song? Well here it is, the Smith/Dickinson composition that once again returns to the eponymously named ‘The Village’ of the TV show, and we have more rollicking fun lyrically as they again canvas us with the goings on of the show. It is a rollicking ride musically, wonderfully fast paced with great guitar licks from Adrian, that incredible rumbling bass from Harry and Nicko’s drums crashing along the way. Bruce has a ball with the lyrics, both soaring and spitting as he moves through the song. It’s yet another great track with so much energy and purpose you can’t help but be transported along for the ride.
The final two tracks of the album take a different direction and are both arguably some of the finest work that Iron Maiden has ever done. “Powerslave” is Bruce’s second solo composition for the album, and fourth overall, stamping his mark on the direction the band was taking. The Egyptian theme was apparently something Bruce had been working on while on tour for “Piece of Mind” and then eventuated during the writing sessions for this album. It is an epic song, highlighted as with many of the songs here by the two bands of lyrics connected by a long solo section that allows the two guitarists to showcase their ware. Bruce’s vocals here are amazing, but for me the epic brilliance of that middle section is unmatched in all of music. Harry’s bass once again takes the reins of the music, the way he runs his fingers up and down and around the fretboard during this interlude is truly brilliant. The mood he creates here is perfect for the song, less intense than the verses and chorus have been, and amplified by the guitars of Smith and Murray, whose perfect harnessing of the mood brings it all together amazingly. The mood swings lower and higher, serene to more intense, until again the conclusion to the solo section is hammered down the slope by Nicko’s drumming to crash back into the main riff, and the song is off again. Just magnificent, and an epic track that has stood the test of time to retain its magnificence.
And yet - there is still no song written by this band, or perhaps any band ever, that is a more perfect embodiment of bringing a poem or story to life than Steve Harris’ masterpiece, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Inspired by and referencing direct lines from the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, it is a brilliantly conceived retelling of the story of the poem, with the songs going through all of the lulls and rolls, highs and lows, anguish, fear and redemption that the poem has to offer. Each part of the story has music composed to relate to that part of the tale, and while it isn’t an opera, it is a piece of musical theatre where you can see what Bruce is singing about by his descriptions and the music bringing it to life. Again, the middle section is a superbly written and performed piece, picturing the boat stranded on the lifeless sea, the dead lying around the mariner, with the spoke passage from the poem itself. This then feeds into the return of the band proper, as the mariner accepts the curse and wishes he had taken his shipmates place, as Bruce sing and the music builds, into the cacophony of his scream, and the roller coaster of guitars and drums scream down the precipice into the heart of the solo section, one of the heaviest and brilliant pieces of music the band has ever written and played. I still get shivers down my spine every time I hear this lead into the Dave and Adrian solo pieces. It is magnificent, emotional, headbanging stuff, which continues back into the verse and the end of the tale and the song. The whole song is an experience, not just the final track of the album. Maiden has a lot of long songs, that have their own tales to tell, and the majority of them and brilliant. But “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a step above them all. If Maiden had never written another album, another song, following the release of “Powerslave”, it would barely have mattered, because this album is so utterly brilliant, and this song is the crown that rests at the top.
Back at the end of 1985 I was on an end Year 10 school camp at a place called Bundanoon on the NSW Southern Highlands. For a week 50-60 of us spent that time camping and running around like the 15 and 16 year old maniacs we were and having a superb time. The conclusion of the camp was a skit concert on the final night, where all campers were asked to participate. Some of my friend group got together and pretended to be a rock band, miming to the Stiff Little Fingers instrumental track “Go for It”, and in the process enthralling the crowd so much, that at the end they decided to do an impromptu second performance. This one saw the band miming, quite well from memory, Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills”, receiving rapturous applause at its conclusion. This, as it turns out, was the first time I had heard an entire song from start to finish by Iron Maiden. I had heard one of my best friends all camp walking around humming and singing a couple of songs throughout, without knowing what they were. As it turns out, he had recently rediscovered Iron Maiden in a big way. And so, the following week when we were back at school, as I had on quite a few occasions in the past, I brought in a blank cassette, and asked him to record me some Iron Maiden for me to experience. This friend, who at this point became and remains my heavy metal music dealer, came back two days later with the album “Powerslave” for me to listen to.
That day was Wednesday 27 November 1985. It was the first day I had truly sat down and listened to a heavy metal album. It was the first time I had listened to an Iron Maiden album. More importantly, it was the first time I had listened to “Powerslave” the album. And it was captivating. I sat in my bedroom that afternoon, with my portable tape player that had just spent the past week taping my friends laughing around campfires and playing hijinks on teachers (tapes that still exist almost 40 years later), listening to this album for the first and second times in my life. And, it was surreal, that’s what I remember feeling. Because the journey of the album is quite a winding one, of battles and fights of different eras, of mythology and poetry and mystery. And that’s not an easy thing to understand and take in when you only have your blank cassette cover with the names of the songs on it, rather than the album itself. It was something that I wanted to rectify.
About six months later, on Friday 2 May 1986 as it turns out, I had completed an English exam for my year 11 half yearlies, and was faced with the prospect of either waiting at school for about four hours for the end of the school day to catch the bus home, or instead face the walk home, a journey of about an hour and 20 minutes from school. I decided on the second, so that I would at least have some time at home before the rest of the family arrived. On the way however I decided to divert into town, and take a look at Kiama’s one and only record store, Kiama Sight & Sound, just to see what was in stock at the time. And, beyond my surprise, there was a vinyl copy of Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave” in the racks. My heart leapt, and within moments I had made my purchase ($11.99 for those interested) and returned to my journey. It was warm for the start of May, and the walk home wasn’t a pleasant stroll, but the anticipation of being able to get home to listen to my new acquisition was enough motivation to keep going. And I still remember that afternoon, putting the album on my parents' stereo, and hearing it in pristine condition, holding the album and going over every centimetre of detail in both the cover design and the information contained within.
This has been a very long winded explanation of my discovery of this album, but I feel it is important, because of the momentous occasion that it was. It was my first Iron Maiden album, and first experience of both the band and heavy metal as a genre. Is it a simple and accurate statement to say that my life changed that day forever? Probably, but a more accurate one was that over the proceeding eight weeks of the summer holidays of 1985/86 my whole world changed. The album grew with me at different stages, the rollicking opening of “Aces High” and the intangible opera of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” the first to cast me under their spell. Then came that middle solo sequence of the title track, one that is still so amazing to the present day. The urgent charging of both “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Flash of the Blade”, driving relentlessly forward. The utter bombasticness of “Back in the Village”, and the amazing instrumental influences of “Losfer Words”. And finally, the sheer underrated brilliance of “The Duellists”, once again through that middle solo section with the three guitarists and the drummer putting together an amazingly connected interlude. Each piece of that puzzle came to me in different times, and eventually combined to become the whole, the album that is “Powerslave”.
So I wore that cassette out that I was originally given, and countless others once I had the vinyl album. Eventually came the CD as well. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have listened to this album in my life. It is not unreasonable to guess that it was over 500 by the time I left high school and that was 37 years ago. It has been a constant companion, an album that has never lost its sheen, never lost its lustre. The writing and composition is so superb, with all contributors arguably at the peak of their powers on this album. And the performance of the music, under the brilliant production of Martin Birch, is beyond compare.
The band that my friends and I created not long after high school eventually had a crack at five of these eight songs, with a reasonably high success. “Flash of the Blade” was one of the first songs we learned and was always fun to play. “Aces High” was well received whenever it was brought out, as was “2 Minutes to Midnight”. “Losfer Words” would give the long suffering vocalist a rest during a set, while we famously debuted “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” at our mates 21st birthday party, which saw the metal heads in attendance open mouthed in awe, and the rest of the party bored to death by the end of its 15 minute journey. There’s still video footage of it somewhere.
Today, this still ranks as one of the best that Iron Maiden has produced. Discussions will always occur between people’s favourites, but in writing, music and production this album ranks at the top of the tree. The band went forth on the World Slavery Tour to promote this album, which eventually led to one of the greatest live albums of all time, “Live After Death”. It heralded a remarkable run of success for the band built on talent and hard work.
This was my introduction to this band and heavy metal. And over that timeline of 39 years, hundreds of bands and thousands of albums, I have still heard nothing that betters this album. I believe there are a number that are of the equal of this but nothing exceeds it. Is it just because it is the first I heard? Or because I lucked out on finding it at the exact right moment that I was looking for it? Believe what you will of that. As an album and a band, you would be hard pressed to argue against it. I think it is one of the best albums of any genre ever. And still my favourite of all time.
