This Limited version features vinyl replica packaging.

This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. The Enhanced portion includes music videos for "2 Minutes To Midnight" and "Aces High."

Iron Maiden: Bruce Dickinson (vocals); Dave Murray, Adrian Smith (guitar); Steve Harris (bass); Nicko McBrain (drums).

Recorded at Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas.

Digitally remastered by Simon Heyworth (Chop 'Em Out).

This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. The Enhanced portion includes music videos for "2 Minutes To Midnight" and "Aces High."

Iron Maiden: Bruce Dickinson (vocals); Dave Murray, Adrian Smith (guitar); Steve Harris (bass); Nicko McBrain (drums).

Recorded at Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas.

Digitally remastered by Simon Heyworth (Chop 'Em Out).

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Iron Maiden: Steve Harris (bass guitar); Dave Murray , Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain, Bruce Dickinson .

Personnel: Adrian Smith (vocals, guitar); Steve Harris , Bruce Dickinson (vocals); Dave Murray (guitar); Nicko McBrain (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Simon Heyworth.

Recording information: Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas.

Photographers: Ross Halfin; Moshe Brakha.

Iron Maiden issued its fifth release, POWERSLAVE, in 1984. It was a time in which the band had become a worldwide arena-headlining sensation. The album was also the first to not have been marked by a lineup change, helping Maiden produce another metal classic.

While most other metal bands of the era were still singing about partying, Maiden continued to tackle some serious, thought-provoking subject matter. The band addresses the threat of nuclear war on "2 Minutes to Midnight," World War II-era fighter pilots in the album-opening "Aces High," and the demise of an Egyptian king in the title track. But the true highlight is the long and winding 13-and-a-half-minute epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a track that does a great job of recreating the haunting imagery of the Samuel Taylor Coleridge tale. Once POWERSLAVE was released, Maiden undertook one of the longest rock tours in history, playing from August 1984 through July 1985.

Iron Maiden's music was evolving and growing with each successive release in the '80s; each album outsold its predecessor and widened the band's fan base. This was never more apparent than on 1984's Powerslave. It was the first Maiden album to feature the same lineup for more than a single record, and with a long tour under their belt, the band's playing on Powerslave was tight and inspired. While other popular metal bands of the day were busy conquering radio with accessible singles, Maiden decided to include several noncommercial extended pieces, a throwback of sorts to their '70s prog rock influences (Jethro Tull, etc.). MTV embraced the album's two singles/videos, the rapid-fire "Aces High" and the complex antiwar tale "2 Minutes to Midnight," but what really made the album stand out as a true heavy metal achievement was the epic compositions. The second side only consists of three songs, including the superb and explosive title track, plus the long and winding 13-and-a-half minute "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (based on the famous Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem). Add to it perhaps Maiden's best instrumental, "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)," and forgotten-yet-strong album cuts like "Flash of the Blade" and "The Duellists," and you have yet another highly recommended, essential Maiden classic. [On all of Iron Maiden's 1998 reissues on Raw Power a multimedia section is featured on the CD, which includes videos, band biographies, tour date history, and photo galleries.] ~ Greg Prato