This album is the culmination of 4-5 years of very hard work. Constant touring and recording have made Maiden the metal act in 1984-85. Plays the gruelling World Slavery Tour that starts off in Poland August 9, 1984 and ends in California July 5, 1985 after 190 concerts. Truly amazing. The show is now with Eddie as a giant Sfinx and mummy behind Nicko's drumkit. The stage production is their biggest ever, with the Egyptian markings all over the stage. For the first time in several years there are no line-up changes. This line-up is later regarded as the "classic" Maiden line-up. Smith/Dickinson/Harris/Murray/McBrain

Aces High: Dear God. Take me now!! What an intro! The coolest guitar sound. Suddenly they sound really raw. Bloody great. I don't deserve to listen to this track. It is only meant for the Metal Gods! Cool solos!!!

2 Minutes To Midnight: First single. Great intro riff by Mr. Smith. He sure knows how make 'em. The drive in this song is great. Reminds me of the drive they had on "Killers". This song is also regarded one of several immortal classics made by Maiden.

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra): The last instrumental number so far. Great feel and drive in this song. Great feeling in the guitars. You can really hear how they caress their guitars. Lovely.

Flash Of The Blade: Again cool intro riff. One the more anonymous tracks on the album, but that is a pity. A great track that deserves a listen or two. Great axe-work on this one as well.

The Duellists: Starts off, some vocals, and then chorus. Some more vocals and chorus. The middle section with twin lead and solos are truly a masterpiece. I love this tune. Although this review sounds a bit lame.

Back In The Village: Well sorry! So the intro riff for "The Trooper" wasn't good enough for ya? Well this one kicks you where it hurts the most. Without a doubt one of the coolest riffs Maiden/Smith has ever written. And it is such a shame that it never gets played. The guitar work in this song is 10/10. Period!!

Powerslave: Why? Why do you keep on tormenting me with classic upon classic?? A B. Dickinson classic. What a great drive in this song, and the slow middle section is just heavenly. Again amazing axe-work by Murray and Smith.

Rime Of The Ancient Mariner: MASTERPIECE! I won't even explain myself. Listen to this 13.34 min long epic track by S. Harris and make up your own mind.

What an album. Every track just has something. A great guitar sound, that just sound bigger and better every time you listen to it. Maiden really shows the metal-world how a heavy metal album anno 1984 should sound. Still the drums sounds a bit like he's playing on boxes, but the raunchy guitar sound makes up for it. To say the least.

Only one more comment: BUY, FOR GODS SAKE BUY!! Or listen to it on and on.

Written by Ulrick
Thursday, July 11, 2002
Show all reviews by Ulrick

Ratings

Ulrick: 10/10

Members: 9.16/10 - Average of 3 ratings.



Member ratings

---

Steen (Staff) Rating: 8/10 No review was posted

notrap Rating: 10/10 No review was posted

Dark Lord Rating: 9.5/10 No review was posted

---

This article has been shown 11822 times. Go to the complete list.

Login to RevelationZ member section to comment

Comment by i.Ron S. (Anonymous) - Sunday, May 11, 2003

The finest piece of music.

Comment by SATANAS INTERIUM (Anonymous) - Sunday, June 15, 2003

MAIDEN = GODS

Comment by kris s (Anonymous) - Friday, September 26, 2003

much power 9/10

Comment by Morten (Anonymous) - Monday, September 29, 2003

...one of two Maiden essentials (the other one being Peice of Mind) 9/10

Comment by Mads (Anonymous) - Monday, September 29, 2003

Powerslave is the best Maiden album in my opinion followed by Iron Maiden, Killers, The-X factor and Brave New World... and when I have have heard Dance Of Death a few more times, I'm sure it will be up there as well... Dance Of Death = Powerslave 2???

Comment by Oscar (Anonymous) - Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Powerslave = the best album ever, Iron Maiden = God. Thank you Iron Maiden!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Leslie (Anonymous) - Friday, April 23, 2004

Gods. Maiden are gods. It's that pure and simple. I mean, no one listening to this album can deny that fact (except my parents who were born on the wrong side of the jurassic period, but that's another story). When I grow up I'm going to build a shrine in the name of Maiden, just for Powerslave. This baby is just full of classics. If you don't have this one - GO OUT AND BUY! BUY!! BUY!!! Aces High is one hell of an opener - I love this one (even though Churchill was a rascist). Flash of the blade is great too, even though it's not as popular as 2 minutes to midnight - dunno why, they're both equally brilliant tracks. Maiden's longest (and a godsend to heavy metal fans reading literature for uni) is the Rime of the Ancient Mariner - 13 and a half minutes of metal magic. But my personal favorite? Powerslave. Powerslave... *drools insensibly over keyboard* Well, to sum it up - this album is unrateable. Why? Because it's beyond ratings. It's fantastic, incredible and well and truly MAIDEN. It's guaranteed to make you wet your pants or drool like a baby. Or at least to give you goosebumps all over like a rash of prickly heat. A ticket to heavy metal heaven. THANK YOU MAIDEN, AND UP THE IRONS!!!

Comment by I Maiden (Anonymous) - Saturday, May 22, 2004

First off thank you god, for Maiden in general, and secondly thank you maiden for the most excellent music you provide for us! now while leslie is still drooling, as we speak I utterly concur, but not with Powerslave, only Rime of the ancient mariner and big tits make me drool

Comment by Nomad (Anonymous) - Sunday, May 23, 2004

Great album. enough said 9/10 fav: aces high

Comment by Chris (Anonymous) - Thursday, June 17, 2004

Kick-ass album. Aces High is definitely my favorite song on there.

Comment by Pat (Anonymous) - Sunday, December 12, 2004

It's an overall above average album, but Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is one of the worst songs I've ever heard. Just terrible... and I'm not saying this because of the length, hell, my favorite song's 30 minutes long. But somehow, this one manages to be alot more redundant. Even the lyrics are laughable, I mean I know they had to adapt the poem for the song, but it's just insulting.

Comment by J Leeson (Anonymous) - Monday, January 10, 2005

IRON MAIDEN ARE THE EPITOME OF ALL WHICH HEAVY MEATL STAND FOR!!! they have not and will never be matched by any other band EVER. my god, i love this band. UP THE IRONS!! \m/

Comment by J Leeson (Anonymous) - Monday, January 10, 2005

yea ok - i meant to say metal, ill say it now before some other wise guy atempts to undermine me.

Comment by im man (Anonymous) - Tuesday, February 8, 2005

fot those who diss Rime otam get a little culture, pick up a book and start your fucking brain.

Comment by rh (Anonymous) - Wednesday, February 16, 2005

the mariner rules all and if you disagree go fuck yourself!!

Comment by ashley (Anonymous) - Monday, April 18, 2005

personally i think this album is one of the most overated that maiden have done. up until this release everything maiden was producing was laden with classic sound, but here too many fillers begin to pop up with the likes of the duelists, los for words, and to a lesser extent back in the village. also i think the sound is a lot tamer on this release, the raw drive of previous songs like revelations and number of the beast seems lost here. and rime of the ancient mariner, well yeah its well put together, but as a sheer musical epic personally i'd go for seventh son of a seventh son. sorry guys, i know you're gonna disagree, but i gotta say this album just don't cut it for me.

Comment by ashley (Anonymous) - Friday, May 6, 2005

thinking about it i may have been a bit harsh on powerslave, there's only really two mediocre songs on the album in the form of los fer words and the duellists, other than that its got two outstanding tracks (two minutes to midnight, aces high) one very good track (powerslave) two not bad tracks (flash of the blade, back in the village) and one very well done epic (rime of the ancient mariner) even if the latter is a little too overlong and requires a bit of getting in to, though i still gotta say i personally dont think its in the same league as other efforts. its at its best after a few listens

Comment by COOKIE FOOL (Anonymous) - Friday, May 20, 2005

THIS IS MAIDENS BEST! PERIOD! NUMBER OF THE BEAST IS THE WORST! TOO IMMATURE! EVEN BLACK PEOPLE WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM!

Comment by Manitou (Anonymous) - Monday, May 30, 2005

it's really 2nd best CD ever (with B.Dickison) the 1st is Number of the Beast. The 1st 2 CDs are supperior also. But never the less it deserves 9.9 points. Manitou Portugal

Comment by Jumblee (Anonymous) - Thursday, July 28, 2005

Powerslave Pros-Aces High, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Powerslave, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Cons-Losfer Words, Flash Of The Blade, The Duellists, Back In The Village 7/10

Comment by EDDY (Anonymous) - Monday, April 17, 2006

i know music is a matter of personal taste.... but if you dont like this album...there is really something wrong with you !!! Rime of the Ancient Mariner has to be one of the best songs is the history of music EVER !!!!! This song alone is worth buying the album. Its so good it cant be described ... you must listen to it !!

Comment by HAGEN OF VALHALLA (Anonymous) - Friday, June 16, 2006

HEHEHE GREAT REVIEW PAL AND I ABSOLUTLY AGREE WITH THIS ALBUM IS A MASTERPIECE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, AND I OFTEN THINK THAT WE DON'T DESERVE IT TOO, AMAZING SONGS IN THIS RECORD NO FAILURE ALL GREAT. ACES HIGH ITS A INCREDIBLE FAST SONG VERY POWERFUL, THE TITLE SONG ITS AMAZING AND STEVE HARRIS ON THIS ONE KICK SOME SERIUS ASSES , TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT MY DEAR GODS WHAT A SONG, AND THE MIGHTY RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. THERE IS NO BAND THAT CAN MATCH THIS SONG YET. THIRTEEN MINUTES OF GREAT MUSIC. FOR THOSE BASSPLAYER I RECOMEND YOU TO HEAR STEVE "GOD" HARRIS'S PERFORMANCE ON THIS ALBUM AND GET YOUR ASSES KICKED BY HIM (FLASH OF THE BLADE IS A EXAMPLE OF GOOD ASS KICKING) WELL I GOT NOTHING MORE O SAY I AM ACTUALLY HEARING POWERSLAVE WHILE I'M WRITING THIS AND I AM GETTING MY ASS KICKED TOO BY THIS POWERFUL SONGS, SO GO OUT ANG GET THIS RECORD IF YOU CONSIDER AN IRON MAIDEN FAN. 10/10 UP THE IRONS

Comment by notrap (Member) - Monday, December 1, 2008

View Profile Comments: 55 Ratings: 66 Everybody who where into metal in the middle 80's heard this album over and over. I still remember the day I bought Powerslave back in 88. I already had Live After Death, Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. In my opinion this Album is Maiden's best. It combines the early days attitude with a more complex song approach that ended in the "progressive" Seventh Son. This tour "World Slavery" was probably their all time best. The Egyptian's concept of the stage mixed with the fantastic playlist of their first 5 releases showed the world the most important and inspired Heavy Metal band of the 80's. (sorry Lars..) Aces High is probably their speediest song ever. Rime of The Ancient Mariner is such a Masterpiece..I've heard it live for the first time this year in their last tour and it really blow me away..what a powerful song.. It's really difficult to do better than this. We can put "Machine Head, Iron Maiden, Number of The Beast, Piece of Mind, Seventh Son, Master of Puppets, Painkiller, Peace Sells or Reign in Blood" in the same bag, but I believe it's impossible to say with 100% certainty that any other album is better than Powerslave (only in a very subjective point of view). I believe we must all thanks this band for delivering us all such a Masterpiece. Thank You. 10/10..of course Up the Irons! Posted by notrap Monday, December 1, 2008