Iron Maiden- two words, one huge legend! After revealing my favorite albums from great names like Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne in previous articles, I thought it was time to pay my tribute to the band which in my opinion represents the essence of heavy metal, a band so big that, even if it were the only heavy metal act in the world, it would make this amazing genre of music immortal. It took me quite a while to make up my mind on which albums to include in this chart, but eventually I did it, although I could easily change my mind after listening again to a few albums which aren’t included in this top 5. Anyway, these are my favorite Maiden albums at the moment(only studio albums included):
5.FEAR OF THE DARK(1992)
I have to admit that there are a few weak tracks on this album,but there also some of my favorite tunes not only from the Iron Maiden discography, but from the entire spectrum of heavy metal: the majestic seven-minute anthem “Fear Of The Dark’’ and the amazing “Afraid To Shoot Strangers’’ with its incredible guitar solos, a true anti war song, are the best for me,but I also appreciate the fast and furious “Be Quick Or Be Dead” and even the ballad “Wasting Love’’, a moment of melancholy which can’t be found very often in their music.
4.POWERSLAVE(1984)
Maiden’s fifth studio album includes some truly outstanding songs, the best known being “Aces High’, a tune inspired by the heroism of British pilots in World War II, and “2 Minutes To Midnight’’, a very catchy and popular tune as well which deals with the everpresent threat of a nuclear disaster. There are also two complex and epic songs which make this album great:the title track, ”Powerslave”, and “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’’, a 13-minute epic inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem with the same name, and some less known, but equally exciting tunes like "Flash of the Blade"; thanks to all of them "Powerslave" has became one of the many classic heavy metal albums from the 80s.
3.BRAVE NEW WORLD (2000)
The album which marked the return of charismatic front man Bruce Dickinson after a seven-year absence is a true masterpiece for me because it managed to have a modern sound and at the same time blend it with the traditional Maiden style to create an album which showed that the British rockers were not stuck in the glorious past, on the contrary, they were able to evolve. The highlights of this album are
the incredibly catchy “The Wicker Man’’, the science fiction-inspired tunes “Brave New World’’ and “Out of the Silent Planet’’ and the lengthy and progressive “Dream of Mirrors.’’
2.PIECE OF MIND(1983)
Many people claim that Iron Maiden’s best decade was by far the eighties and after listening to the outstanding “Piece Of Mind’’ I can’t argue with them. The greatest song is undoubtedly “ The Trooper”, one of those essential Maiden anthems I could listen to many times without getting bored, followed closely by by “Revelations’’, a mid-tempo classic which sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to it, particularly in these hard times we all have to deal with, and of course I can’t forget the remarkable “Flight Of Icarus”, a track which really makes me dream of flying.
1.THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST(1982)
It’s considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all times and it’s one of those albums which made me love heavy metal when I discovered it. Besides straight-forward metal anthems like the title track and “Run To The Hills’’, the first album made with Bruce Dickinson contains what I consider to be the best heavy metal song of all the times, the brilliant “Hallowed Be Thy Name’’ ,an extremely dramatic masterpiece which combines unbelievable musicianship with philosophical lyrics describing the mental torments of a man convicted to death by hanging.
So these are my options; whether you agree or not with them, it’s obviously a matter of taste, but one thing can’t be denied: there can’t be heavy metal, at least traditional one, without Iron Maiden, and metal fans will keep on listening to this legendary band long after it ends its career. Long live Maiden and heavy metal!
