If you’ve never read one of these “Album by Album” books by Martin Popoff, do your self a favor and give one a go. Popoff is a long tenured rock journalist with a solid background in metal. With almost 8,000 interviews of rock cognoscenti, he knows a thing or two about the subject matter.
“Iron Maiden:Album By Album” is an insightful treatise on all 16 Maiden albums and with commentary by other insiders and peers. Blaze Bayley, Maiden lead singer for a couple efforts, puts in his two cents. As do Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenalin Mob), Matt Heafy (Trivium), and Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (Overkill). Chris Jericho, WWE wrestler and metal enthusiast, is along for the ride as well among other industry names.
I first read Popoff’s “Queen: Album by Album”, and as I am a huge Queen fan, found myself agreeing with the commentary in some places, disagreeing on others but as I’m pretty comfortable discussing deep tracks, I related to all of it. I can have the discussion with just about anyone as to why “March of the Black Queen” is an integral part of the Queen II album.
Here, with Maiden, I get out of my comfort zone after the Powerslave album and rely on the commentary to understand some of each album’s dynamics. The resulting discourse is truly enlightening and enjoyable. I found myself scouring eBay looking for bargains on those later CDs, or at least a cheap greatest hits package from those later years.
If you are an Iron Maiden hardcore fan or even a casual fan, this book really brings you back into the now for all things Maiden. The roundtable, track by track discussion for all 16 records is both passionate and intelligent. The photos Popoff uses throughout the book are also great to look at and appreciate.
In summary, a wonderful book about a metal legend.
5 out of 5 stars.