Iron Maiden – The Decade Of The Beast – British Metal Onslaught Vol. 2: The Final Chapter (The Godfather Box G.R. Box 19)

The Decade Of The Beast – British Metal Onslaught Vol. 2: The Final Chapter (The Godfather Box G.R. Box 19)

You wanted the greatest and you got it, The best damn Metal band of all time….IRON MAIDEN! A slightly different way to start a review but it does grab your attention. Godfather have given the collectors what they wanted, a new Iron Maiden box set is here and is the direct follow up to 2012’s British Metal Onslaught.

Praised for its excellent review of the band’s most fruitful era, the decade of the 1980’s, fans demanded a second volume and we can not only devour the brilliant music found within but we can once again marvel at the glorious packaging. Same concept as the previous box we are treated to three full concerts in stunning sound quality each housed in its own gatefold sleeve and our eyes can gaze upon three tour book reproductions plus a 12 page booklet complete with liner notes and UK tour dates for each of the tours represented.

The cover of the box is wonderful, the white background makes the colors much more striking and the art of Eddie clutching the Seventh Son in front of the British Flag is perfect. Three sides of the box each have a different Eddie to represent each of the three years in question and again the attention to detail is what every fan craves. Again Godfather must be praised, who else is giving collectors comprehensive overviews of the musicians and music we love in wonderful packaging and on silver CDs? Just one. Again, there is a lot of music to absorb as we go Somewhere Back In Time and revisit the glory years of Iron Maiden, lets get started.

 Out In The Night The Fires Burn (The Godfather Box G.R. 19 A/B)

City Hall Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England – October 15, 1986

Disc 1 (60:06) Intro – Blade Runner Theme, Caught Somewhere In Time, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Sea Of Madness, Children Of The Damned, Stranger In A Strange Land, Wasted Years, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Guitar Duel / Walking In The Air, Where Eagles Dare

Disc 2 (53:12) Heaven Can Wait, Phantom Of The Opera, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast, Run To The Hills / Band Introduction, Running Free, Sanctuary

When we last were with the Merry band of Metal Merchants known as Iron Maiden they were riding high on true worldwide success. The Powerslave record and subsequent tour were an incredible success, one that propelled the band to stardom beyond their wildest dreams but also took an incredible toll on its individual members. At tours conclusion a much needed rest was earned and after four months as the beast slowly lumbered to life in mid 1986 not everyone was excited. Bruce Dickinson was quoted as saying the period was a low point for him and found himself immersed in quiet reflective songwriting in an all acoustic vein, one that would not fit in the Maiden sound. Sadly the vocalist would not have a single writing credit on the whole album, thankfully the emergence of Adrian Smith as a song writing powerhouse would help balance the incredible prowess of Steve Harris. The resulting record, titled Somewhere In Time was released in October 86 and was an instant success and remains one of the band’s best and most varied work, one that also found the music having the somewhat common theme of time.

After a short trek to Eastern Europe the band played an extensive trek through the United Kingdom. The band played two nights in Sheffield at the City Hall and the recording featured here is the first of them. The audience recording is almost perfect; the sound is perfectly balanced and at times could pass for a soundboard other than the bass frequencies are sometimes too deep. Where Leicester was just a little thin sounding, this has just a tad too much bass. There is virtually no interference around the taper and they managed an incredible grab that deserves repeated listenings and sounds great loud so turn it up!  As far as I know this is the first release of this show on silver CD.

I love the UK shows from the tour, the band played a great, much fuller set list featuring many songs that would be dropped by the time they made it to American shores where I had the pleasure of seeing them three times. This tour is forever etched in my memory and this concert is a great pleasure to listen to. The recording begins with the Blade Runner music and the pre recorded beginning of “Somewhere In Time” that leads into the band storming the stage. Bruce is in good voice, much better than the next night that would have him sick as a dog. The slight use of echo accents his soaring voice as the music thunders along, if he was disenchanted during this time period you would have never guessed, the guitarists trade solos in great fashion with Murray soloing first followed by Adrian who really sets the pace. Like all great Maiden music the song goes through many twists and turns and is a perfect opener. The pause is instant and the heavy opening riff of “2 Minutes To Midnight” blasts over the punters heads, the Smith penned track is quintessential Maiden at its best and the band turn in a perfect version of the track, Bruce even gets a little help from the crowd, who sound far off in the distance. The fast and furious pace continues as the band follow on its heels with “Sea Of Madness”, a personal favorite from the SIT record. Its spiraling riff is incredible, one of Adrian’s best and musically is a direct follow up to “2 Minutes”. Live versions are great and thankfully we have quite a few that were captured in stunning sound quality.

Finally the band break and Bruce greets the Sheffield crowd, he tells them that both nights in their fair city are completely sold out, a fact that gets a loud cheer as does the next song in the set, one that dates back four years. “Children Of The Damned” is epic in every way, except for its length. Simple and right to the point the song is great on record and incredible live, Bruce has his vocal chords warmed and really turns in a wonderfully powerful yet full of sorry and expression and makes for an excellent version of the song. By now the band is in full stride and the music flows, they go right into “Stranger In A Strange Land” without skipping a beat. Accented by synthesizers, just a little, played by Michael Kenny offstage, they fill out the sound slightly and provide the futuristic sound prevalent in the bands sound on their latest wax opus. The second single from the band, one that featured a great cover pic of a stranger in a futuristic bar. The band, after a nice introduction by Bruce talking about David Bowie, plays the first single from the record, penned by Adrian Smith. “Wasted Years” (not golden years) is probably the bands most commercial song to date and showcases the song writing style Adrian was in during this time. The song is heavier live but does not lose any of its catchiness that makes the song so wonderful and it works amazingly well, the crowd agrees and cheers in approval.

“Enough of new songs” is Bruce’s next statement, one that gets a great cheer as does the song that comes next, one that talks of sea birds and such. One of Steve Harris’ true masterpieces it is made for the concert stage and the fans love every minute of it. Clocking in at over 13 minutes, “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” tells the tale of a doomed voyager who discovers the importance of life. The musical twists and turns is like a sea voyage and by the time the band get to the quiet section the eeriness of the creaking ship boards is wonderfully accented by Harris, Smith, and Murray. The musical interplay between them is perfect, the crowd clap along with the band before Bruce breaks in, by the light of the moon is simply stunning. From the heavy to the ethereal, the song fades into “Walking In The Air” featuring the talents of guitarist Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. While I loved the Dave Murray solos, this solo works so well, the both of them trading licks amid an aural landscape and highlighted by, if memory serves correct, purple lighting and fog. Nicko joins in for a heavy ending and a wonderful compliment to the music. From the ethereal to the thundering bombast of Nicko as he leads the band into “Where Eagles Dare”. When listening this really catches you by surprise and is a wonderful addition to the set list, the songs many twists and turns amid the machine gun blast is a wonderful example of metal at its best.

Somewhere In Time houses one of Steve Harris’ best loved songs, one that like “The Number Of The Beast” is based upon a dream of one being pulled towards their end only to fight back as, “Heaven Can Wait”. A more straight forward rocker the song features a great sing along section that is still popular today. There is no school like the old school, such we get the original trilogy of terror beginning with “Phantom Of The Opera” and while the tempo is not as fast as it was six years prior it retains all its fury and aggression. Bruce wakes the crowd up and they really get into the show and clap along with the group as they play the chunky “Watch Your Step” section. The song is followed non stop with “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, the guitar has a haunting sound that is wonderfully augmented by Nicko’s bell that announces the condemned souls trip to the gallows. Probably one could consider this song as the first of the modern day Harris songs where it all came together, more mature lyrics and enough musical changes to make “Close To The Edge” look like two bar blues. The entire band just lock in and play a perfect version of the song complete with Bruce doing all his “get the crowd into it” antics and he demands “Scream For Me Sheffield !” and they obey.

The violence that is “Iron Maiden” levels the audience, the visuals from this tour are essential, if you have not seen it hunt it down on youtube. At the songs apex Eddie’s ‘ed rises from beneath the drum riser and his arms extend from stage right and left and he encompasses the entire stage in spectacular fashion. The crowd awakens to cheer, I mean demand more from the group, they give out a huge roar when the introduction to “The Number Of The Beast” is blasted over the PA system. The record is a classic and is well represented from this song and its follow up “Run To The Hills”, the band can sense they crowd is on its heels and they proceed to finish ‘em off in spectacular fashion. Bruce introduces the band, to much fan fair and according to Bruce, Nicko is not wearing trousers! “Running Free” is next and, as always, features Bruce’s sing along section with the audience, he works them to the max. The band ends the night on a high note with “Sanctuary”, a superbly played concert in equally superb sound quality.

The gatefold style cover that houses this show is adorned with live pictures of the band from the tour. I love the shot of Bruce on the cover wearing his jacket that had all the lights on it, it was so great seeing him take the stage in that outfit. Of course there are a couple of Eddie graphics to boot, taken from the Somewhere In Time cover and other promotional items.  

 Time To Meet The Maker (The Godfather Box G.R. 19 C/D)

Ice Rink, Whitley Bay, England – November 24, 1988

Disc 3 (56:42) Moonchild, The Evil That Men Do, The Prisoner, Still Life, Die With Your Boots On, Infinite Dreams, Killers, Can I Play With Madness, Heaven Can Wait, Wasted Years

Disc 4 (53:40) The Clairvoyant, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, The Number Of The Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, Run To The Hills, Running Free, Sanctuary

After the very successful Somewhere In Time Tour and a brief vacation the band was back at it, please not the word band. With Bruce back from his drought and all three main writers back at work, the group would compose their greatest achievement of the decade. Speaking to the press around the time Bruce was stated “You shouldn’t feel obliged to write songs, you should feel enthusiastic about it. We had the freedom to relax and experiment”. While the Somewhere In Time record has a theme of time throughout it was no concept record, the follow up would be just that. The mythical Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was thought to have powers beyond those of mere mortals, those of the paranormal as second sight. Of course we mortals fear him and what we fear we ultimately destroy, all this is told in just over 50 minutes of pure Iron Maiden blistering melodic metal. The record would spawn numerous singles, a live VHS tape and see the band headline not only the Castle Donnington but a Monsters Of Rock European tour to boot.

The recording featured here is from later in the tour, during the last leg that covered the United Kingdom. It was taped by Neil D who would also record the band a few days later in Manchester. The audience recording is very good to excellent yet very slightly distant but the music is well balanced with no interference by the taper. Its only fault is that it will phase around from time to time as if he was moving around the mic a little. The recording sounds great at loud volumes and makes its silver CD release, the performance is superb, the band are in fine form and would be recording the next two shows at the Birmingham NEC Arena for what was to become Maiden England.

The recording starts just seconds prior to the Seven deadly sins intro, the enthusiastic crowd recites the lyrics and as the taped portion of “Moonchild” is played as a prelude we hear the sound at its worst, slightly muffled but clears up as the band hits the stage and the taper adjusts his microphone. Bruce is on top of his game and he spews the lyrics of new born infants and scarlet whores as the musical machine is raging behind him, a strong start. The child’s cry gives way to “The Evil That Men Do” and Bruce welcomes the crowd to the “just before Christmas Iron Maiden bash”. Bruce has the crowd help with the chorus, the new music was very popular and the song is the second single from the record and would peak on the charts at #5, such is the albums popularity that upon its release it debuted at #1 and all four singles went top 10.

A return to 1982 and the “Prisoner” is next, I love the audience recordings of this song from this era, the enthusiastic audience shouts along with the Patrick McGoohan spoken word intro. I also think some of the songs popularity is that many metal fans identify the rebellious stance of the song, the audience know it well and sing throughout the song. Adrian plays a note perfect solo to boot. A twin pack of songs from Piece Of Mind commences with “Still Life”, the songs lyric of hearing voices fits in perfectly with the SSOASS music and its haunting quality slows down the proceedings a bit. A thunderous “Die With Your Boots On” follows and gains a head of steam, again it fits so well with the lyrical tale of Nostradamus, one who was believed to see the future. Again it has some nice audience participation as Bruce works his magic with them. My favorite song from the record is next. “Infinite Dreams” was the fourth single (actually it was a live version taken from the Maiden England release). The Dave Murray melodic leads are played perfectly and it comes together as Adrian joins in, the song starts off mellow and some of the weight of the song rests on Dickinson’s pronunciation of the lyrics, he does so perfectly and the song goes to that other worldly place. This is a song I have never heard live and was very hopefully they would play it last summer but sadly they did not. I love the latter part where they break into the fast part and the listener spirals downward as Bruce screams “help me, help me find my true self”. Superb song.

Again the lyric theme keeps in form as the band dust off “Killers”, not heard of for years (dare I say 1981?), the crowd respond and clap along with the descending riff from Dave Murray. Vocally Bruce has no trouble singing the song and puts forth an excellent lyrical interpretation of the song. From murder to madness and the bands highest charting single, “Can I Play With Madness”. Some of the bands best and commercial music is a group effort and this Smith, Dickinson, Harris song is just that. The accapella intro works well live and the song is well fitted for the stage as the band play a superb version (I could keep saying superb after every song, the band is playing so well). Bruce gives a hilarious intro to the songs, taking the part of a BBC official as he takes great enjoyment in the songs popularity much to the chagrin of the powers that be. Again the band uses older material to fill gaps and elaborate on the story. “Heaven Can Wait” is next and has fast become a live favorite and they relish at the chance to sing the Oh oh oohhs as directed by Bruce. Afterwards Adrian plays a smoking solo and locks in the rest of the band to hammer out the last section of the song. “Wasted Years” fits with the Seventh Son concept, as if looking at a life that he knows will be short and possible regrets of days past?  Just prior Bruce sings this ditty that sounds as if he was going to break into a Bugs Bunny thing as he is clearly enjoying himself and intends that we all follow his lead. Like a reunion of old friends the crowd sings along to great effect.

The second disc begins with the opening bass line of “The Clairvoyant” and Bruce introducing Dave Murray as he breaks into the lead. The song is a Maiden classic, the dark lyrics tell the tale of our hero (or villain) beginning to lose his grip and knows the end is near. The audience begins quietly but soon back up Bruce for the chorus to great effect. The two guitarists trade solos effortlessly, it is the guitar playing that is just as important as the lyrics and the song gets a nice ovation. This is the epic track of the night, the title track of the new record clocks in at over 10 minutes on this eve, musically it picks up from where “Alexander The Great” from the previous record stopped. Heavy and very European sounding as if the Gods are watching and trying to manipulate the seventh sons power and future. The addition of the keyboards is present and adds a bit of atmosphere to the music. I love the visual image during this segment, the old wise man Eddie writing in some long forgotten journal by candlelight, while certainly not as impressive as some of his stage appearance it certainly lends well to the mood and music. Again the keyboards have an operatic voice that works to perfection, as it does on the record version. The end of the song is instrumental and ultra heavy, a lot of big riffs and the guitarists wail out solos. Dave Murray kills his and hits you right in the gut, Adrian follows with a shorter one but just as aggressive. The song ends as the intro to “The Number Of The Beast” begins, again with help from our faithful in the audience, the devil has reared his head and the end is soon upon us. Bruce hits us hard with his opening wail, it sets the tempo as the band rip into a super aggressive version of the song. Bruce spits out the words and the audience sings their part making for a strong rendition, “I’ll making f**king Newcastle burn” he screams.  

Our heroes last days are upon him as beautifully illustrated by “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, the song is a high point as it’s played at a very high point live, again Bruce sings the lyrics very aggressively as he has done all evening. “Scream for me Newcastle” is his way cry, the audience is more than happy to respond in spades, again it’s the songs ever twisting time changes at the end that drive one over the edge as Bruce works his magic…no vocals needed. Sadly the song fads out at the end for a tape flip and the very beginning of “Iron Maiden” is also affected, missing just a very small amount of music. The death knell comes from the hands of one Eddie the ‘ed as it should, the song is a frenzy of the band and audience all joined into the bloodbath. Bruce commands the mob and they gladly follow as Eddie appears ala the record cover in elaborate fashion.

The chants of “Maiden…Maiden” are instantaneous and after a quick break draw the band back to the stage, Bruce gives a nice speech talking about the fans support dating back to the NWOBHM days. There is one theme that seems to run through the box set, the encores are all very similar, tonight they start after some nice band introductions. One thing that makes this box as well as the first box special as they both focus on concerts from England where they have a very organic relationship with their audiences and listening to Bruce you would think he is talking to friends. “Run To The Hills” is like a rebirth, a celebration of all things Maiden and gives the sun is out and the sky is blue feeling. “Running Free” keeps the feeling going, it is of course a vehicle for the crowd to get it all out, curiously Bruce tells the audience they are taking a break after this tour but are not breaking up. Well the band did not break up but would never be the same after this tour but we’ll save that for a couple paragraphs down. “Sanctuary” seals the deal and ends the concert in fine form and drains the remaining energy from the audience and band! Within a few weeks Adrian Smith would play his last gig with Maiden for 11 years (not including his joining the band for an encore during their Donnington 1992 gig), this is certainly a superb concert and a definite highlight of this set.

As with all the gatefolds in this box set the sleeve is adorned with record graphics that tie in with the box art as well as live shots. The front picture of Steve in full triumph is nice but my favorite is the rear picture that is a full stage shot taken during “Iron Maiden”, very dramatic.

The Glow Of Leicester, Blood And Tears ((The Godfather Box G.R. 19 E/F)

De Montford Hall, Leicester, England – October 2, 1990

Disc 5 (46:28) Intro, Tailgunner, Public Enema #1, Wrathchild, Die With Your Boots On, Hallowed Be Thy Name, 22 Acacia Avenue, Holy Smoke, The Assassin, No Prayer For The Dying

Disc 6 (56:43) Hooks In You, The Clairvoyant, 2 Minutes To Midnight, The Trooper, Heaven Can Wait, Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast, Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Band Intro, Run To The Hills, Sanctuary

Janick Gers has history with Iron Maiden dating back to the mid 80s when he played on a short lived project called Gog Magog with Paul Di’Anno and other NWOBHM members, not to mention lading the gig as lead guitarist for one Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame. He was Bruce’s first choice to record a song called “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter” for a movie soundtrack. So good was the union that they worked together on Bruce’s first solo record, Tattooed Millionaire and the subsequent tour. When the good ship Maiden came back to court all was not well with Adrian Smith so he and the band sadly parted ways, enter Janick and on the guitarist first jam with the band he was instantly asked to join, and go in the studio immediately. After the polish of Seventh Son , Steve Harris wanted a more stripped down sound, more street as it was called, more of a return the Killers sound period. The result, No Prayer For The Dying released in October 1990 the record was well received by the fans as it went to number 2 on the UK charts but many consider its success overshadowed by the brilliance of the previous record.

The tour that followed was aptly dubbed No Prayer On The Road and found the band stripping the past excesses of large stage sets opting for just simple backdrops of some of Eddie’s best moments. There remains very little bootlegs from this tour, most notable is the soundboard from the December 1990 London show so this show is a welcome treat. The audience recording used is excellent quality, well balanced with the perfect blend of music to audience and is arguably the best audience source from this tour and the best recording in this box set.

Never a band to stand on past victories they play an excellent selection of material from the No Prayer record mixed with the classics, the bands performance is top notch and the season members of the group said how much the new guy had revitalized their live show with his excellent playing and showmanship. The band take the stage with “Tailgunner”, the first song on the new record, the song is a perfect opener as its simple yet fast pace rhythm gets the crowd (and listener) moving. “Public Enema #1” follows quickly, the song was co written Dave Murray, who plays a great solo and is a true testament to greed and power manipulates the environment. “Wrathchild” follows even quicker and we get to hear the new blood on one of the bands best loved classics. Bruce uses some effects on his first big wail that sound interesting and Janick tags a quick stab at a solo, his style certainly influenced by Ritchie Blackmore. The crowd is totally into it and do the songs chorus in fine fashion.

Bruce gives a nice opening speech for “Die With Your Boots On”, the song is played at a non stop tempo as the band seem like they want to keep it fast and furious. Curiously the band slows it down but just for a few minutes and play “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, early in the set! Typically played much later in the set it kind of catches you by surprise, it does not phase the crowd as they sing in all the right parts and it is during this song that Janick proves why he was the only choice to fill the vacant guitar role. The band is extremely tight and if anything adds a certain amount of unpredictable energy into the music. I love the Hendrix style ending to the song that the band adopting during this time period as it adds much to the effect of the song, it fades non stop into “22 Acacia Avenue”. With the new record being just a record it gives the band a chance to do whatever they want with the set and we are treated to gems like this some. Played at marshal tempo the Smith classic is played with renewed vigor. Janick takes an incredible solo at the songs ends, Bruce comments that they will not be looking for a guitarist anytime soon! Having been a band who has been the target of Christian fundamentalist the band take a shot back with “Holy Smoke”, the first single from the record is a quick but feel good rocker and gives a chance for Bruce to spew some of his opinions.

The new songs continue with “The Assassin”, taken from a first hand view of a killer it is aggressive Maiden at its best. The lyric gives Bruce a chance to act it out as he turns a spectacular vocal, again the band is extremely tight and the two guitarists trade solos as if they had been doing so for years. During this time Iron Maiden’s popularity had been slipping in the USA and Bruce addresses it quickly, the band made no bones about America’s loyalty and how they view the general music industry in this country. It leads right into the title track from the new record, “No Prayer For The Dying” was another in a long list of Steve Harris epics. One that seems to be lost to the time unfortunately as it is an excellent song that goes from light to dark in an instant and Bruce does a superb job with the vocals. It has only been played during this tour so it is nice to have another great live version.

The second disc starts with “Hooks In You” and Adrian Smith’s lone contribution to the record, sharing a co writing credit with Bruce Dickinson. A feel good song, can we say that? The lyric is an almost comical look at S&M and tells the story of the singer house hunting and came upon a most proper looking house with a hidden room. Great melodic guitar throughout and again, most of the songs from this record were only played during this tour so it is a pleasure to hear them. Perhaps in response to the thrash metal bands of the day the band choose to not waste time between songs and keep the songs flowing almost non stop as Steve immediately starts the “Clairvoyants” opening lines. The song was then and is now pretty much a concert staple, it has it all and is fun to hear over and over. Curiously the band goes into “2 Minutes To Midnight”, tonight Bruce talks of Nostradamus and what was happening in the Middle East at the time and works perfectly into the song. Janick gets to take a stab at the opening riff Adrian made famous with no issue, albeit a faster tempo that finds the audience singing along with Bruce, so high is the song in the Maiden pantheon. Nicko’s drumming is particularly strong during this song and seems to be giving the rest of the guys a proper kick in the ass. The pummeling continues with “The Trooper”, at the time it had not been heard live for some years so it is no surprise of the audiences excitement and like the previous song they sing along en mass.

With “Hallowed” played early in the set the cumulative weight of the show is on “Heaven Can Wait”, a song that can take the strain, the crowd is still cheering from the ferocious version of “The Trooper” as the beginning of the song floats over them. That is what makes this show such a great listen is the set is just so diverse, usually by this time we are used to songs of impending doom and or destruction but here we are given a song of true optimism. Janick has no trouble acquainting himself with the song and plays a brilliant solo that walks the line of continuation and flat out Blackmore inspired insanity. The main set ends as it should, you guessed it “Iron Maiden”, the song on this eve is like a celebration as Bruce commands them to clap along and they obey and sing with him to boot. Again this all ties in the concept of the box set, these are not just people who paid to be there, Maiden fans are as dedicated the band as no others and the band responds by treating them as family.

The encore pause is short, the opening of “The Number Of The Beast” goes over the PA much to the delight of the crowd. The fans of Leicester must have had singing lessons as youths as they are displaying their talents for the band. The biggest hit, if you can say that as Maiden were never a top 40 band although many of their songs made it high on the charts, on the No Prayer record was most certainly the bands take on Bruce’s “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter”. Who could forget the excellent single sleeve with Eddie with his arm around a red headed lass who looked surprisingly like Roger Rabbits beloved Jessica. Maiden interject a blast of energy into the song, a song that was sadly retired from the set after the Fear Of The Dark tour. The band try and call it a night but the audience is having non of it, the Maiden chants go up and draw the band back for “Run To The Hills” and the “Sanctuary” finale. An excellent concert by the revitalized band and a true joy to listen to.

The tri gatefold sleeve has the promo art like the others that tie the whole box together, the picture that is used for the front is a spectacular live shot that sums up Maiden live. Four of the players in full flight with the Trooper banner in the background in full flight.

At first glace at box sets like this you see some repetitiveness to the sets lists, after repeated listening you gain so much more from these shows. The different eras of the band bring out nuances you regularly don’t catch when listening to individual releases and the bands sound certainly changed tour to tour. This box set is even a more fascinating glimpse into the group, one of triumph and turmoil as they struggled with the fame that they worked so hard for and ultimately would become a stronger band because of it. That is why these box sets by Godfather are so damn good, they just don’t give us incredible music they give all the goodies that go along with it, supplying the total package. I have been listening to Iron Maiden for 30 years, I consider this and the previous box set essential and required listening for anyone who calls themselves a fan of hard rock and or heavy metal.