Iron Maiden - "Brave New World"

Iron Maiden - Brave New World
2000, Columbia

1. The Wicker Man
2. Ghost of the Navigator
3. Brave New World
4. Blood Brothers
5. The Mercenary
6. Dream of Mirrors
7. The Fallen Angel
8. The Nomad
9. Out of the Silent Planet
10. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

I haven't gotten into a lot of Iron Maiden's later period... Book of Souls notwithstanding. Mostly because I'm not sure what's good. There was a period where Bruce Dickinson left and they put out some albums that have gotten really horrible reviews. I heard through the grapevine that this one was pretty good. It sees Bruce Dickinson back on vocals so that's something. It's not too much of a stretch to say that if you liked the classic Maiden sound then you'd be pretty happy with Brave New World. I know I was. I can see where their penchant for extended galloping jams was really starting to develop. Several songs have extended sections with leads and choruses that could have probably been trimmed by a minute or two. Still a solid Maiden album, though.

Useless Fact: "Out of the Silent Planet" is the title of a novel by C.S. Lewis. I don't think the song is about the book, but I could be wrong. The case can be made, I think.

Iron Maiden - "The Book of Souls"

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
2015, BMG

DISC ONE
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Speed of Light
3. The Great Unknown
4. The Red and the Black
5. When the River Runs Deep
6. The Book of Souls

DISC TWO
1. Death or Glory
2. Shadows of the Valley
3. Tears of a Clown
4. The Man of Sorrows
5. Empire in the Clouds

I didn't really know too much about The Book of Souls other than that I'd seen it around for sale. Naturally, I bought it one day while getting groceries. I mean, it's friggin' Iron Maiden. How bad could it be? Seemed like a pretty low-risk investment. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a double album with some truly epic tracks. Quite a few here are over the ten-minute mark, not to mention "Empire of the Clouds" which is a whopping eighteen minute opus. I'm pretty impressed that a band that has been around as long as these guys can sound so alive and energetic. You could group this album in with Number of the Beast or Powerslave and no one would be the wiser. Bottom line, if you like Iron Maiden, you will dig these discs.

I do have a couple of complaints though. First, the production seems a little dated here. When I said you put this next to those other albums I meant it... unfortunately that seems to include some dated production. I also think a couple of tracks could have been trimmed a bit. I love the rollicking "The Red and the Black" but there's an extended galloping session near the end that I think could have been trimmed a bit. Also, Bruce Dickinson seems a big strained here. Though, considering he was battling cancer at the time I think I can give him a pass. That's how tough that man is. "Oh, I've got cancer? Let's record a double album! What do you think about that, cancer?!" As of this writing, he did beat that cancer.

Useless Fact: "Tears of a Clown" is a tribute to Robin Williams and I understand "The Man of Sorrows" is about Aleister Crowley.

Iron Maiden - "Number of the Beast"

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
1982/1998, Sanctuary

1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Total Eclipse
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

When I was growing up Number of the Beast was like numero uno on any Christian watchdog's hit-list. Just look at the cover art! There's Satan! The chorus of the title track says "666!" They're evil. Case closed. I mean looking at the lyrics and understanding the context would get in the way of sensationalism - and that crap sells! So yeah... contrary to popular Christian belief the song is far more "horror story" than "evil worship song." In fact, the narrator is expressing horror at what he's seeing, desperate to call the authorities. Also, let's take a look at that cover art again. Is the devil on strings like a puppet? Were Iron Maiden actually commenting on the true sovereignty of God? Um... probably not, but I think it's interesting nonetheless. It's got great anthemic songs - "The Prisoner" and "Run to the Hills." I don't have to tell anyone reading this that The Number of the Beast stands as a metal classic. An essential disc for any metalhead, Christian or no. Walmart chains regularly carry this album so you have no excuse not to buy it!

Useless Fact: While on the surface "22 Acacia Avenue" is about a hooker at said address. Of course, like a lot of Iron Maiden songs, a little digging reveals that it's actually against such things. It pleads for the lady to wake up, value herself, and get out of the situation.

Iron Maiden - "Piece of Mind"

Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
1983/2002, Sanctuary

1. Where Eagles Dare
2. Revelations
3. Flight of Icarus
4. Die With Your Boots On
5. The Trooper
6. Still Life
7. Quest For Fire
8. Sun and Steel
9. To Tame a Land

What strikes me as I listen to Piece of Mind is not the excellent musicianship, the innovative riffing, or the powerhouse vocals. No, what strikes me is the fact that, man, these guys were huge dorks. Seriously. Just look at the subject matter - mythology, war, fantasy... oh, and let's not forget Frank Herbert's Dune. At some point they figured out that playing music and growing your hair long gets you more girls than memorizing Paul Atraides' lineage. Still, this is a classic metal album and while Number of the Beast would probably be the album that defined the genre, Piece of Mind perfected it. A must for any metal fan.

Useless Fact: A lot of the songs were written by the bassist, Steve Harris. As a result the songs have a lot of cool bass. Can't complain about that, no sir!

Iron Maiden - "Powerslave"

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
1984/2002, Sanctuary

1. Aces High
2. 2 Minutes to Midnight
3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)
4. Flash of the Blade
5. The Duelists
6. Back in the Village
7. Powerslave
8. Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Back in the day, when I was just a lad, there were certain people whose job it was to protect all of us Christian youth from the dangers of entertainment. They would sit safely ensconced in their Holy Batcaves monitoring movies, music, and television for anything that even looked remotely evil. These people would then write books on their findings. I still have Bob Larson's book on satanism. Most of these people, Bob Larson included, had indexes in the back of their books which listed bands you and your child should stay away from. Near the top of every list sat Iron Maiden. Why? Well, they have a song called "Number of the Beast!" Isn't that enough?! As a result I never listened to Iron Maiden or even knew what they were really about until just recently.

All I can say is... Bob Larson - you are a total jackass.

Seriously.

Iron Maiden's Powerslave is essentially a history lesson set to music. Instead of songs about Satan you get songs about the Royal Air Force during World War II ("Aces High") or a song about Egyptian myth ("Powerslave"). The, as if that weren't cool enough you get a 13-minute epic track, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which, near the end, tells us we should be thankful for everything God made. Granted, it's based off an 18th century poem, but still. Hardly the subversive satanism the band was often accused of. I'm a little sad that I didn't get into this stuff when it originally came out. After all, these guys are the ORIGINATORS of power metal. Heck, Christian bands like Barren Cross (which I also love) are a direct carbon copy of Iron Maiden. Everything here is top shelf metal. Galloping riffs, soaring vocals, fantastic bass lines all prove just how talented these guys are. Now if you'll excuse me I have to track down some more Iron Maiden.

Useless Fact: Sorry. While I am sure there are lots of obscure facts about Iron Maiden, I'm too new to the band to know any. Oh wait! Here's something, pulled from No Life Til Metal - apparently the stage show for this album was an enormous spectacle to behold. Head on over there to read a little more about it.