Writer & Editor
Few bands besides KISS and Iron Maiden are known more for their iconography than their music.
KISS may have transformed their fans’ nostalgia into big bucks, but as Maiden show on Dance of Death, they seem to want to prove their fans right in thinking they are still relevant.
Regular visitors to As You Were may have noticed a new badge or two on the site — the ones from Alltop.com. I’m happy to say after seeing Alltop recommended as an aggregator of web content, I submitted As You Were to Alltop’s discerning editors in the categories of “heavy metal” and “werewolves.” They got back to me a number of weeks ago to tell me As You Were had been approved in the “heavy metal” category, and it’s now listed under that topic on their site.
Note: this review of Iron Maiden’s 2002 greatest hits collection was written before the band’s reemergence as a touring dynamo in the early 21st century (at least in North America; Brazil always seemed to know they put on a great show, as you can hear on Maiden’s live album Rock in Rio.)
What? Don’t these guys know they’re has-beens? Apparently not; or maybe Bruce Dickinson and crew are old enough to know that what goes around, comes around. A greatest hits album for a band never big on hit singles may seem incongruous, but given the road-testing of their material over the years, Iron Maiden and their cheerfully macabre mascot Eddie have put together an astute collection.
Note: I don’t think anyone’s asking anymore why we need another Iron Maiden album, given their output and touring since this review of Rock in Rio was originally published — but given the band’s high standard for live albums set with Live After Death, you might wonder whether Rock in Rio is worth it. Short answer: yes.
You could be excused for asking, “Why do we need another Iron Maiden album?” If you’re actually interested in an answer, listen to Rock in Rio.
