Powerslaveby Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden's 1984 classic is, in my opinion, the best album of their career. From the opening drum salvo of "Aces High" to the epic closer of "Rhime Of The Ancient Mariner", this album has everything that we love about this group. The eight songs herein are crafted like a fine aged wine. Steve Harris, the band's primary songwriter, really poured over each one of these eight songs, polishing and finetuning them until each one became a classic. There is no filler to be found here. Some fans may claim that tracks like "Flash Of The Blade" or "Back In The Village" stumble next to epics like "Powerslave" or "2 Minutes To Midnight", but I disagree. The truth is that every album is only as good as its weakest songs. What becomes "filler" on some albums becomes the defining texture of others. Such is the case here. Every song is unique and stands on its own high and mightily. I cannot accept that "The Duellists" is any less of a song than "Aces High". Not on this album. I must also point out how splendid the record sounds. Martin Birch's production is superb. It has a warm, inviting sound to it, which is really effective on the longer tracks here, drawing the listener in to each song and the world they each inhabit. Bruce Dickinson's voice is placed perfectly in the mix. It soars with beauty and strength. Kudos to Mr. Birch and his mixes, which seem to vary from album to album, but are usually always done in fine form. Powerslave is the ultimate Iron Maiden album and will never tire with repeated listens.