During the horrifying year of 2020, I turned to heavy metal and rock ‘n’ roll to cure my anger at the world; it was better than yelling at the TV. Once I started my CD collection, I knew that I needed an Iron Maiden album, so I headed for the Book Off at Pearlridge. I... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Made a Comeback with ‘Brave New World’ | Album Review
The year 2000 saw new releases like AC/DC’s Stiff Upper Lip (2000), Bon Jovi’s Crush (2000), Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue (2000), and Iron Maiden’s Brave New World (2000). The latter marked the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson (he left in 1993) and guitarist Adrian Smith (he left in 1990). Brave New World is also... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s ‘Somewhere in Time’ is Mostly Filled with Awesomeness | Album Review
From Piece of Mind (1983), we’re going to flash forward to 1986. It was another great year for new music with Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Metallica’s Master of Puppets, Van Halen’s 5150, Megadeth’s Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?, Queen’s A Kind of Magic, and Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time. The latter was the second Iron... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind’ is Overhyped! | Album Review
Goodbye Clive Burr, hello Nicko McBrian! After tackling The Number of the Beast (1982), we are moving onto Piece of Mind (1983), the first with McBrain on drums. Man, 1983 was a good year for new music; there was Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All (1983), The Police’s Synchronicity (1983), Dio’s Holy Diver (1983), AC/DC’s Flick of... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Soared to Greatness on ‘The Number of the Beast’ | Album Review
If you haven’t read my review for Iron Maiden's last studio album with Paul Di’Anno, Killers (1981), feel free to check that out! For now, we are moving onto the band’s next album and it’s a big one, The Number of the Beast (1982); it marks the first album with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and the... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Avoided the Sophomore Slump with ‘Killers’ | Album Review
If you haven’t read my review for Iron Maiden’s debut album, feel free to check it out! For now, we are moving onto the band’s second album, Killers (1981). It marked the first album with guitarist Adrian Smith, who replaced Dennis Stratton, and the last with vocalist Paul Di’Anno. Killers was also the first Maiden... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s Debut Album Showed the Band’s Potential | Album Review
I’m not doing an entire series where I review Iron Maiden’s studio albums because I don’t have all of them, but I have some of them, so might as well review what I have, right? First up is Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album, which was released in 1980. The record store I bought the debut... Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Lock Up the Wolves’ is Pretty Bada**! | Album Review
We are finally down to the last album in the first five Dio album review series, Lock Up the Wolves (1990). The album saw a dramatic change in the line-up including Rowan Robertson on guitar, Jens Johansson on keyboards, Teddy Cook on bass, and Simon Wright (the name sounds familiar) on drums. If you haven’t... Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Dream Evil’ Lacks Consistency! | Album Review
And just like that, we’re onto album number four! If you haven’t read my review for Sacred Heart, feel free to check it out. The next album on the agenda is Dream Evil (1987). It was the last record to feature Vinny Appice on drums until Strange Highways (1993), the last to feature Jimmy Bain... Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Sacred Heart’ is a Beast! | Album Review
Wow, these Dio album reviews are going by fast because we’re already on album number three. If you haven’t read my review for The Last in Line, feel free to check it out. For now, we’re moving onto Sacred Heart (1985), the last Dio album to feature Vivian Campbell on guitar. First things first, I’m... Continue Reading →