Powerslave is the fifth studio album by Iron Maiden, released on September 3, 1984 through EMI Records in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in North America. It was re-released by Sanctuary and Columbia Records in the United States in 2002.
The songs “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Aces High” were released as singles. Its cover artwork is notable for its Ancient Egypt theme. That theme, taken from the title track, was carried over to the album’s supporting tour, the World Slavery Tour. This began in Warsaw, Poland, on August 9, 1984; it is widely regarded as being the band’s longest and most arduous tour to date, and led to the live album Live After Death.
The release contains a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge‘s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the lyrics of which include some lines from the poem. At 13 minutes and 45 seconds in length, this was Iron Maiden‘s longest song for over 30 years until it was surpassed by the 18-minute “Empire of the Clouds” from the 2015 album The Book of Souls.
Powerslave is notable as the band’s first album to feature the same personnel as their previous studio release. This lineup would remain intact for two further studio releases. It is also their last album to date to feature an instrumental piece, and the only one until Senjutsu (2021) in which longtime member and guitarist Dave Murray does not have a songwriting credit.
Tracklist:
SIDE ONE
- Aces High (Steve Harris)
- 2 Minutes to Midnight (Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson)
- Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra) (instrumental) (Harris)
- Flash of the Blade (Dickinson)
- The Duellists (Harris)
SIDE TWO
- Back in the Village (Smith, Dickinson)
- Powerslave (Dickinson)
- Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Harris)
Iron Maiden
Bruce Dickinson: vocals
Dave Murray: guitars
Adrian Smith: guitars
Steve Harris: bass guitar
Nicko McBrain: drums
Additional personnel
Martin “Pool Bully” Birch: producer, engineer, mixing
Frank Gibson: assistant engineer
Bruce Buchhalter: assistant engineer
George Marino: mastering
Derek Riggs: sleeve design, sleeve concept, sleeve illustration
Moshe Brakha: photography
Rod Smallwood: sleeve design, sleeve concept
