In an exclusive chapter-long excerpt from the newly updated edition of Martin Popoff’s Iron Maiden: Album by Album, Mike Portnoy, Nita Strauss and Blaze Bayley analyze the group’s Powerslave album.
Released in September of 1984, the album was home to the classic tracks “Aces High” and ‘2 Minutes to Midnight,’ as well as the nearly 14-minute historic epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
You can read the chapter below.
“Powerslave is the pinnacle of my love for Iron Maiden,” declares Portnoy. “I think for the original classic period of the band, they took everything as far at they could possible to; to me, this is the most progressive album. Alice Cooper Band and solo guitarist Strauss, a former member of the all-female tribute band the Iron Maidens, called it “the one album we could’ve done from start to finish. We used to do every single song in our set, so I had a great appreciation for the lesser-known tracks.”
Read More: How Iron Maiden Wrote ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’
Iron Maiden: Album by Album (Updated Edition) is available for pre-order at all major retailers. In addition to exclusive interviews, the book contains live and off-stage photos, as well as pictures of rare memorabilia from every era of the band’s history.
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When ranking Iron Maiden albums, perhaps the most striking thing is that they succeeded despite changing lead singers on three separate occasions.
Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia