Enslaving All The Powers. Review on Powerslave - Iron Maiden

Thank god that I am 20..... This album was released when I was barely 1 (1984 according to the calendar)... being brought up in some corner of India... Now if I were dead (of course I will join Dickinson and co. in Hell ;-)) I wouldve despised this more than any punishment in hell... This album was released at a point when Iron Maiden had already rose to immense popularity(To say they got carried away by the achievements of the predecessor albums like Piece of Mind(hey incidentally the Windows Media Player 9 shows that this album was released on ma birthday...) n the NOTB was a great achievement applaudable in itself)... This album has some really great songs that have become Maiden epics (joinin' their elder pals like To Tame A Land, Hallowed..., Phantom etc.)

Here's the review of the songs in the order that they appear in the 1999 remastered edition of the album...

ACES HIGH: Aces High continues the tradition of combat songs that Maiden began (Invaders and The Trooper). It's a fighter-pilot's view of a defence against a bombing raid, probably during the Battle Of Britain. It's also another excellent album opener, and has one of Maiden's best choruses. Also not to forget it is a staple at any Maiden Live Concert... (9 / 10)

Two Minutes To Midnight: About the politics of war and destruction, 2 Minutes To Midnight makes a meaningful statement about the morality of warmongers and politicians. (they suck bigtime dont they)

As Dickinson puts it:

As the madmen play on words

And make us all dance to their song

To the tune of starving millions

To make a better kind of gun

The title refers to the Doomsday Clock, one of the most chilling and best known symbols of the nuclear age, representing how close humanity is to the brink of nuclear holocaust (midnight). The clock reached 2 minutes to midnight in September 1953, after the Soviets successfully detonated an awesomely powerful thermonuclear device. Today the clock stands at 9 minutes to midnight, five minutes closer since our and our worthy neighbour's nuclear tests. Getting bak to the song....in addition to it's excellent lyrics, 2 Minutes To Midnight has a great chorus and instrumental section, making it one of Maiden's most memorable songs. (9/10)

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra): This is Iron Maiden's fourth fully instrumental song. I don't think it is as good as the earlier ones...(though it's difficult to explain why)... It just seems to be lacking feeling and emotion (sigh :( ).... For anyone who might not be too familiar with English, the title simply means ''loss for words'', or more simply ''don't know what to say''. '''Orra'' is ''or a'', which might be stuttered by someone who was having trouble finding words. (3.5/10) (the only song in the album or probably Maiden as a whole to get that kinda rating from me)

Flash of The Blade: This is a swordsman's song, undoubtedly inspired by Dickinson's love of fencing. The lyrics hint of a young swordsman in training, so that he can avenge the murder of his family (typical Hindi flick take esp. Sanju Baba is proficient in these and not to forget Vijay Dinanath Chauhan). It's a good song with a very catchy intro, but for some reason it hasn't been played live in concert. (I would love it in concert... To add I really miss that I havent been to any Maiden concert to date... hope I have a chance in the near future....!!!!) (8.5/10)

The Duellists: The Duellists is another fencing song, inspired by the 1978 movie of the same name... (Da movie is based on The Duel by Joseph Conrad, about a life-long feud between two French officers during the Napoleonic period... heard about this film .... still to watch it....) This is another song that has not been played live in concert, which is a terrible shame since it is one of the best songs on the album, with powerful emotion and a brilliant instrumental section. (9.5/10)

Back in the Village: Like it's predecessor (The Prisoner from NOTB)... this song is about the British TV series The Prisoner. ''The Village'' is the name of the mysterious place which is the setting for the story.... Although this song has decent guitar solos (Murray jus doesnt seem 2 tire...), I don't really care for it. It suffers from a horrible chorus (really horrible...) where Dickinson seems to be more shouting than singing, and the vague uninspiring lyrics just don't resonate with me. There is a neat thing where Bruce sings ''...I see sixes all the way...''. Superimposed on this is a whisper saying six six six. (Remember NOTB...) (6/10)

Powerslave: As much as this is the title song, this is the climax of the album, a song about a dying Egyptian Pharaoh lamenting the limits of his power. The Egyptian mythology and imagery sets the mood for the album(perfectly matched by the album cover and pictures). It is somehow related to Revelations (Harris doesnt seem to grow out of the OMEN hangover...) although the connection isn't completely clear. My own personal theory is that Revelations is about the conception and birth of the Pharaoh, while Powerslave is about his death. This is a powerful song, and has one of Maiden's best instrumental sections, which begins with a slow and beautiful solo followed by two brilliant guitar solos separated by a bass part. It's so good that the guy next door must be wondering if I am mad already (when the sems are next month ie.!!!!! ;-)) (9.5/10)

And lo and behold............... Harris isnt done yet .... he unveils ...

RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER:

(10/10)

Based on the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (though when this was in our course back in VIII or something if do remember right..... it used to be the longest and most boring poem in some olden day english.....), this is Maiden's greatest epic ballad. With a length of over 13 and a half minutes, it's also their longest song. Although the song's lyrics are an excellent summary of the story, they cannot do complete justice to this epic poem, and I highly recommend reading the original (now that I have read it right...). Nevertheless, it is among the very best of Maiden's material, and a testament to Steve Harris' brilliant song writing.

Awaiting comments...

All my life is in brackets...

Imperious but not immortal...