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Good Review Marty. A good album from the boys and an 86 is identical to how I would rate this. I like this one better than DOD. Equal to BNW IMO.

There are some who will only like the 80's years period but I think since Dickinson returned they have been very relevant and I for one am glad Maiden is still putting out quality albums! I don't mind the live sound as it actually sounds pretty good.

The only beef I have and usually have with Maiden are the guitars being too low in the mix. I really wish Steve would allow the guitars to be louder in the mix? It's not like you wouldn't be able to hear his bass or something!

Peace...

I've always liked Iron Maidens sound and the guarantee that every album sounds exactly the same, but this is just too much. I need something fresh from these fellas.

An album in the 80s for sure. A very strong effort from Maiden

I actually really like the last two tracks, if i remember correctly Lord Of Light has the best solo of the album and i love the build-up of the legacy (The more fast paced ending to that song is also great).

That was a really well written review.

Personally however, I think Brave New World is still their best "Dickinson/Harris is back!" album. Though I've only heard Dance of Death 2 or 3 times it still didnt grab me all that much.

I understand what they were going for with the production mastering thing, but I have to say that I dont like it. The volume is just to low and it is a huge nuisance when Im listening to something else with this album as I have to adjust.

I'd give AMOLAD a solid 82/100.

Haven't heard this, might buy it and DoD is teh pwn.

Ken, WTF! 50 do you really think it's that horrible or do you not really like IM?

Think it's both. Dont think he's much into Maiden. Regarding the review, a very good one. Out Of The Shadows reminds me more of Wasting Love than Revelations or Children Of The Damned. As for the album, I have yet to give it it's fair share of listens. To me, Maiden albums were never the kind that I could just play in the background, it DEMANDS my full attention. Haven't been able to do that. So far, I still find The Longest Day and Out Of The Shadows (although it would be better if the chorus wasn't repeated that many times) to be the most appealing and Different Worlds reminds me of some boy band, dunno why. Maybe the tune is like that. I would say it is as good/bad as Wildest dreams. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg is slowly growing on me and am starting to like that track. The main riff reminds me of a Led Zeppelin track, dont remember the name. Guess have to listen to Zep a little more. This album sounds more like a progression from X Factor. As another poster mentioned, it would be interesting to know how Blaze would sound on some/all of the tracks.

After a couple of listens definitely more than a 50 for me too.

My rating would be somewhere around 85-90 (or 80-90 in the Iron Maiden scale). Much better than many of their later works but I can't help feeling that it could be improved. I'm not digging the "live" sound much and I feel that when groups do that they feel uncomfortable about their sound and are trying to hide something. Still, Iron Maiden pull this off remarkably well and I'm impressed as always by their sound. My 2 main complains would be: firstly the lenght of the songs with most of them being too long and secondly (and people are gonna call me crazy about this) Dickinson's voice which is rougher and screamier than what I would expect from a singer of his caliber.To be honest, I've been slightly disappointed from his singing because I know it could be much better. I'd say Nicko McBrain does the album's best performance, he has always been good but this time the drums are more prominent and more complex and straight-in-your-face than ever before.
Ok that was my opinion in as fewer words as possible. 88/100

The last two tracks are the best on the album. So go figure.

Nice review. I definitely plan on checking this album out shortly (may be listen to it on AOL Music this weekend) since I really liked Dance Of Death despite its "cheesy 80s feel."

On a side note, I would LOVE to hear a Maiden album where the guitars are tuned down half a step.

I would too think that would be interesting as fuck. Chemical Wedding was heavy and down-tuned, and the music was beyond anything you'd think Bruce could achieve by himself. Just mindblowingly awesome.

Epic Iron Maiden all the way, as there are some very interesting and classic melodies featured throughout. I probably like 'Brighter Than A Thousand Suns' the best overall. The post-chorus interlude in 'The Pilgrim' is just amazing.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The great problem with this album is lack of energy and speed, it's too much progressive oriented. In the other hand I found "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" to be one of the most interesting songs the band has made in last 18 years.

My score: 80/100

What I find amazingly interesting and surprising is that everyone has a different "favorite" song for his own reasons. I think that's always a sign of a good album. Maybe that's what Iron Maiden wanted from the start, to make an album that is versatile and can appeal to different ears and people with various influnces.
The result might not seem to be so robust and killer-album but those are usually the albums that grow on yourself slowly and you discover little things after every spin.

I was thinking the other day, how it would be if Iron Maiden released another Powerslave or anything like the 80s and I realized that I wouldn't like that. They would sound so out-dated that it would be embarassing for both them and their listeners. A band has to progress and develop. Keeping your sound and albums similar to each other and still as concrete is a very risky thing to do and few bands that tried it were actually successful.

To conclude, I welcome and accept the Iron Maiden the way they are and I like very much that despite their progression and change, they remain true to their goals and fulfil their followers' expectations. (Unlike four confused guys and a certain angry saint that I know of...)

As post-reunion albums go, I'd put MOLAD ahead of BNW, but still behind DOD, which sits in my personal Maiden top 5.

Why would a new powerslave type of album sound outdated?
When I listen to it, I feel energy. Their most recent album is good but it lacks energy

This is a good question and I'm afraid I don't have a definite answer rather than just a feeling that everything has a "better" time and place. But still if I try to give an answer I would say it's because as years pass music changes dynamically, being influenced by the whole of metal groups as a multi-directional pressure as well as from the leaders and innovators of each separate field (of metal in our case). Things that have changed in metal during the last 20 years include not only production methods, new technologies, advanced instruments-amplifiers-recording methods (all of which ofcourse play a very important role) but also song architecture, riff and solo structure, innovative techniques, instrument weight of presence and many more. I think that if a band keeps half of those in the past then they're in the risk zone.
Ofcourse I would never say that Powerslave is a bad album - that would be sacrilege! But what I say is that if they made another Powerslave or Piece of Mind, exactly as the one before, then it would not be so influencial or appropriate for today's metal followers.