Iron Maiden - Live After Death

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Free Music Notes for Live After Death

Free Music Review: One of the greatest recordings ever released
Hit: 5 Stars

In my opinion this is one of the greatest releases ever, not just by Iron Maiden, but by any band, metal or otherwise. The musicianship is incredible, the songwriting is impeccable, the passion is fierce and the musical bond that Maiden have when playing together is rivaled by so few other bands. I have been a fan for four years now and whenever I realise I haven't listened to them for some time I simply put this album on and remember why they are my favourite band.

If you haven't heard Maiden before, then I couldn't think of a better place to start. Don't know what they sound like? Think melodic interplay and crunching heaviness between guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith (without a doubt the greatest guitar duo ever), driving bass from Steve Harris and a variety of tempos. Some songs are fast paced while others are more mid-paced, not to mention the ballads such as Revelations and Children Of The Damned. Don't forget that Maiden aren't a cheap soft metal band (I'll refrain from name-dropping) - they know their music. If it wasn't for the bad image that 80s metal has then maybe thay would be given the credit of the great musicians and songwriters that they are. It saddens me that some non-metal fans are so narrow-minded (not narrow-minded because they don't like metal, but simply because some people feel metal is somehow inferior to whatever they listen to) will not accept that fact. Some of the songs here are very epic (Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is a whopping 13 minutes, while Phantom Of The Opera and Powerslave are over 7 each) and their intricacies and technicalities are clearly not the work of talentless morons.

The live performances are also great. Not all of these are quite as good as the studio, but in my opinion some (Powerslave in particular) surpass the original studio recordings. Bruce isn't so good live, but he's not terrible and he's also a very good frontman. What I will say though is that sometimes it is his live vocals that prevent some of these songs from being quite as good as the originals. Nonetheless, the passion is there, as is the sheer energy of the entire band. That can't be created simply from good musicianship - it takes true talent and genuine feeling.

If I had any complaints, thenthere would be two. Firstly, the aforemention vocals of Dickinson (don't get me wrong - in the studio he's one of the greatest vocalists ever). Secondly, I feel that there could have been a bit more from Iron Maiden and Killers. Killers in particular only had 1 song on this album. And I'd have liked to have heard Where Eagles Dare. Still, setlists are really a personal thing so I won't dwell on it or drop marks because of it. I mean, I personally, despite being a huge fan, didn't think that highly of Piece Of Mind, despite many fans feeling it was their greatest. So really, what songs should have been included is the difference between Pepsi and Coke.

In conclusion, I recommend this to any metal fan. Music has changed since, and I doubt we'll ever see a band quite like this again. Buy this and listen to one of the greatest bands of all time at their peak.

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