Entertainment
Every Iron Maiden Studio Album Released in the 80s, Ranked
Iron Maiden is one of the most important heavy metal acts to emanate from the 80s. The British group created a deeply influential catalog of melodic-based metal balanced with incredible guitar riffs, meaningful lyrics, soaring vocals and a musicality that other groups in the genre lacked. They made history with thrilling, epic and haunting songs featuring galloping rhythms, a memorable dual guitar attack, powerful lyrics and an elite rhythm section.
Iron Maiden redefined heavy metal culture with a lasting visual legacy, including their zombie mascot “Eddie,” with some of the greatest album cover art of the decade with haunting imagery that still resonates today. While the band has gone through many lineup changes, they never stopped creating music and have sold over 130 million albums to date and continue to sell out stadiums and arenas around the world. The long-running outfit will rightfully be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November. Focusing on the 80s, here are Iron Maiden’s studio albums, ranked by musicianship, songwriting and lasting influence.
7
‘Iron Maiden’ (1980)
Iron Maiden’s debut album is a raw and electric guitar-driven heavy metal effort with some punk influences. Released in 1980, it features Paul Di’Anno on vocals, Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton on guitar, Steve Harris on bass and Clive Burr on drums. The album has some great moments, including Steve Harris’ iconic bass arpeggio lead “Remember Tomorrow,” the epic riff-rocker “Phantom of the Opera,” and the catchy sing-along-classic “Running Free.”
The release also spawned the group’s self-titled concert staple “Iron Maiden,” inspired by the medieval torture device, and the ripping instrumental “Transylvania,” the first of many for the group. “Prowler” makes a statement right off the bat with its wah-wah infused guitar riff. The band would go through some major changes over the next couple of albums until they settled on the lineup that would catapult Iron Maiden to international stardom. The album introduces the band’s mascot “Eddie,” who appears on every album cover the band has released.
6
‘Killers’ (1981)
Killers is the final Iron Maiden album with Paul Di’Anno on vocals and is also the first to feature Adrian Smith on guitar. Slightly more sophisticated than the debut in sound and scope, Killers is the first of many Iron Maiden albums produced by Martin Birch, who would go on to helm the quintet’s next eight albums. The album opens with the blazing instrumental “The Ides of March,” and features their concert staple “Wrathchild.”
The album’s title track begins with a moody Steve Harris bass line and is punctuated by stellar guitar work from both Smith and Murray. “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” was inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem and the energetic instrumental “Genghis Khan,” both highlight the band’s fascination with poetry and history. “Another Life” and “Drifter” still stand out in Iron Maiden’s vast catalog.
5
‘The Number of the Beast’ (1982)
The Number of the Beast marks the band’s first album with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and the last with drummer Clive Burr. It was the group’s most successful album at the time and topped the U.K. album charts and cracked the top 40 on the Billboard album chart. The lead single “Run to the Hills” was a success for the group and showcased their new vocalist. Dickenson’s voice adds a radiant musicality and depth to the band’s sound evident in “Children of the Damned,” the seven-minute fan favorite “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “The Number of the Beast.”
The band took inspiration from film and television for lyrics and thematic elements. “Children of the Damned” was inspired by the 1964 film, the catchy track “The Prisoner” was inspired by the late 60s British TV show and “The Number of the Beast” was written after Steve Harris watched Damien: The Omen II, it features Dickinson’s legendary and haunting scream at the beginning. “22 Acacia Avenue” is a sequel to “Charlotte the Harlot,” off the band’s debut album.
4
‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’ (1988)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the band’s best sounding album of the decade and their first effort to feature keyboards and synthesizers. It has a warmer and more robust sound than earlier EPs, thanks to the layering of guitars and keyboards, as well as producer Martin Birch’s steady hands. The band’s seventh LP is a concept album inspired by Orson Scott Card‘s novel Seventh Son, which tells the story of a seventh son of a seventh son, who is born with special powers that make him the target of a dark force.
It continues the quintet’s progressive metal trajectory with the six-minute “Infinite Dreams” and the nearly 10-minute title track, packed with musical interludes and intricate guitar harmonies. The band also gets a bit more reflective and melodic on “Can I Play With Madness,” “The Evil That Men Do” and “The Clairvoyant.” The album debuted at number one in the U.K., marking the group’s first number one in their homeland since their 1982 album The Number of The Beast.
3
‘Powerslave’ (1984)
The band’s fifth album, Powerslave, was its first with the same consecutive lineup. The album captures Iron Maiden hitting its stride with a perfect storm of head-banging riffs, evocative lyrics and more progressive and complex musicality, leading to huge success and worldwide recognition. Powerslave has an iconic cover, a futuristic nod to Ancient Egypt, musically explored on the album’s seven-plus minute title track.
“Aces High,” inspired by the Battle of Britain and “2 Minutes to Midnight,” written about the doomsday clock at the height of the Cold War, were the big singles, but the album also features the underrated instrumental “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra),” “Flash of the Blade,” written about Bruck Dickinson’s love of fencing and the 13-minute epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” inspired by the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It tells the story of a mariner who interrupts a wedding to tell a tale of a long sea voyage, during which he kills an albatross, leading to the death of his crew and his own supernatural torment. The band recorded the majority of its iconic 1985 album Live After Death on the Powerslave Tour.
2
‘Piece of Mind’ (1983)
Piece of Mind is the first album with the most potent Iron Maiden lineup. With Bruce Dickinson on vocals with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on guitars, Steve Harris on bass and Nicko McBrain on drums, the band took a massive leap forward musically and lyrically. They drew inspiration from Greek myth, “The Flight of Icarus,” the Bible, “Revelations,” samurai legend Miyamoto Musashi, “Sun and Steel,” the 1968 Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton film Where Eagles Dare, and Frank Herbert‘s sci-fi novel Dune in the seven-minute epic “To Tame a Land.”
The 1983 album was a success, climbing as high as number three on the U.K. charts and scoring a radio hit with “The Trooper,” which helped the band’s cult following in the U.S. grow. The double guitar intro to both “Die with your Boots On” and “The Trooper” are iconic. “Where Eagles Dare” kicks off the album with McBrain’s drum fill making a statement that this album is much different from their previous three efforts. Piece of Mind is a classic Iron Maiden album that launches the band’s most successful era. The ensuing World Peace Tour was their biggest outing to date and saw them headlining arenas in the U.S.
1
‘Somewhere in Time’ (1986)
Iron Maiden began to use guitar synthesizers to push their sound forward for 1986’s Somewhere in Time. The effort also sees the band continuing with a futuristic vibe, marching towards a more progressive feel with a lot of tempo and time shifts and instrumental interludes. It’s a great sounding, well-conceived and concise album with memorable choruses, that is well-produced by Martin Birch. The Blade Runner-esque cover art on Somewhere in Time is full of Easter eggs, including the Aces High Hotel, a pyramid from the Powerslave cover, a clock that reads 11:58 (“Two Minutes to Midnight”), the Phantom Opera House, The Ancient Mariner Seafood Restaurant and a digital scroll indicating the results of a Premiere League soccer match with Steve Harris’ favorite team West Ham beating Arsenal seven to three.
“Caught Somewhere in Time” majestically kicks off the album with a synth and the iconic double guitar harmony before launching into the galloping and head-banging verse. Guitarist Adrian Smith wrote the band’s celebrated tracks “Wasted Years,” “Sea of Madness” and “Stranger in a Strange Land,” inspired by the 1959 Robert Heinlein novel. “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” is an epic Steve Harris-penned track based on the 1962 film and takes the listener on a melodic journey. The album also spawned “Heaven Can Wait,” “Déjà vu,” and the nearly nine-minute opus “Alexander the Great (356-323 BC),” which all have their place in Iron Maiden lore. Each track of Somewhere in Time tells a story and captures Iron Maiden at a creative sonic peak.
Iron Maiden: Live After Death
- Release Date
-
October 23, 1985
- Runtime
-
90 minutes
- Director
-
James Yukich
Cast
-
Steve Harris
Bass/Backing Vocals
-
-
Adrian Smith
Guitar/Backing Vocals
-
Bruce Dickinson
Lead Vocal
You must be logged in to post a comment Login