The increased use of synths creates an interesting dynamic here, for while Harris' bass is as plunky (perhaps too plunky) as ever, the guitars and keys are forced to complement one another within the highly melodic atmosphere. For this reason, I'd consider it one of the 'least heavy' of Maiden's efforts, but that's not really a major issue, since the music generally delivers the goods. Of course, coming after a masterpiece like Somewhere in Time, there is bound to be some disappointment. Here it's just that I felt a few of the songs were lacking, with some less than spectacular, phoned in lead work. But Dickinson compensates with a full force performance, both manic and melodic. Believe it or not though, this is the first album where I can remember feeling that Maiden were becoming 'old'. Not in a bad way, mind ye, but when you had bands like Helloween or Fates Warning taking this newly defined 'power metal' to new speeds and energetic heights unheard of by the originators (Maiden, Priest, Accept, and Dio-era Sabbath), it was growing increasingly hard to think of Maiden on the precipice where they once sat proudly. But with this aging has come acceptance.
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