In 1985 Iron Maiden were at the top: they had just finished their biggest tour, the World Slavery Tour, and already had five successful records. But the exhaustion was great, which is why the band decided to take a six-month break, something they had never done before.
The break did good to guitarist Adrian Smith, who found time to write songs for the next record. For the first time Bruce Dickinson did not write lyrics, and Adrian’s tracks are among the most catchy on the album. The result was «Somewhere in Time», which came out in 1986.
The first difference you hear is the guitar synthesizers, which fit perfectly with the futuristic themes of the record. Otherwise, the recipe is familiar: the fast riffs, the long instrumental sections and the melodies that stick in your mind. The album’s title also makes sense on the cover, which shows the band in a future full of citadels and robots.
«Wasted Years» was the first single and remains one of the band’s most beloved songs. «Caught Somewhere in Time» opens the record with a nice atmosphere, while «Heaven Can Wait» has a refrain that the whole crowd shouts at concerts. «Sea of Madness» and «The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner» also stand out, with the latter read by many as a story about life itself.
«Somewhere in Time» received very good reviews and is considered among the strong points of Iron Maiden’s journey, with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from Sputnikmusic. The anniversary releases of the record have already been presented on our site, and the band remains one of the biggest names of the genre.
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