Review of the Album Somewhere in Time by British Heavy Metal Band Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden’s album called Somewhere in Time stands out to me as their best album or at least it has for a long time. This is their peak musically as a band. I would even say that this album is one of the best heavy metal albums of 1986. However, their 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is also excellent, featuring memorable songs such as The Evil That Men Do and The Prophecy. We are now in 2020 and I’m writing about this more than 34 years later. Following their excellent 1984 album Powerslave, Iron Maiden takes their creativity one step higher. The bass lines by Steve Harris are audible and great as usual. The album has eight songs. It provides over 51 minutes of listening enjoyment for heavy metal fans everywhere.

Note: as of 2020, it is a tough call to say with absolute certainty whether Somewhere in Time represents the peak of musical greatness for Iron Maiden. A case could be made that the peak of their musical greatness occurred between the period of 1983 to 1988 more or less.

1. Caught Somewhere in Time

2. Wasted Years

3. Sea of Madness

4. Heaven Can Wait

5. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

6. Stranger in a Strange Land

7. Déjà Vu

8. Alexander the Great

The opening song called Caught Somewhere in Time is about someone who is being given a choice to go somewhere. However, it seems like he would be tempted by some evil force. Even though that voice says that whoever comes with them will be safe, the context of the song suggests that it is probably not a good idea to trust this force that is tempting us to follow it. The song contains all the elements that make a very elite Iron Maiden song. Wasted Years is about someone who travels across the world. He gets homesick thinking about his home. He feels as if he wasted much time with what he has done. I would say that traveling opens up our minds and allows us to explore what is out there. This vast world has so many beautiful things to see. Take advantage of it! Sea of Madness was always one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs when I was younger. This one is a major highlight in the album due to its melody and bass guitar work. Heaven Can Wait is about someone who is looking down at his body below. He has never felt this way before. It is like he is dreaming. He feels that his time on Earth is done and that he will go to Heaven when he is ready to. He sees a glimpse of the tunnel and rays of light. He also sees all of the good people standing before him, yet he thinks that the experience is a nightmare. Death is something that we all have to face at some point. We should strive to enjoy our time on Earth as much as possible.

The second half of the album begins with the melodic and amazing song called The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. It is about a person that is trying to complete a long distance race in spite of the fact that there is wind and rain beating down on his back. He is halfway there yet the miles never seem to end. It feels like it is a race that keeps dragging on and on. Yet he must do whatever it takes to win the race. It seems like his attempts are futile but he will get to the finish line eventually. The last minute of the song has one of the most terrific melodies that you will hear in your life. It is very catchy and sound like a dual guitar sound. This is a song that fitness enthusiasts can listen to while getting that great workout!

The incredible nature of the album continues with the excellent song called Déjà Vu. You feel as if you have been to certain places or you remember certain faces but you are not sure where they are from. But you feel like you have talked to someone and you know what is going to happen next. It feels like that conversation was pre-arranged. The melodies in this song were always memorable for me. The album ends with the over eight minute long song called Alexander the Great. It is about Alexander’s rise to power and domination. However, in spite of his journeys and conquests, he would die of a fever in Babylon in 323 B.C. Overall, I have thought for years that this may be Iron Maiden’s peak as a band. Along with Master of Puppets, Somewhere in Time is easily one of the best albums of 1986. The best songs are Caught Somewhere in Time, Sea of Madness, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, and Déjà Vu. This album gets a 90 points out of 100 from this writer.

Iron Maiden would finish out the decade of the 1980’s in excellent fashion. They have been playing for over 40 years and they are one of the best British bands of all time. Bruce Dickinson has such power in his voice and he has been the band’s best vocalist also. This album is worth having for sure! Just like Metallica’s St. Anger is a revolutionary album because of the raw, heavy aggressive sound, Somewhere in Time is one of the best heavy metal albums of the 1980’s and it showed that Iron Maiden could be melodic, creative, fast, and exciting!