5/5 Iron Maiden live in their early 80s prime.
  by John McClung (Freehold, NY USA)
In every year from 1980 - 84, Iron Maiden released a new album. Most of these albums are considered to be classics and were influential to the thrash metal bands of the 80s, such as Slayer and Metallica. In fact, Slayer was first discovered by a talent scout performing the Maiden song Phantom Of The Opera. Iron Maiden may not have invented heavy metal, but they are very important in the history of the genre. The main feature on this DVD is live concert footage recorded on 35mm film at the Long Beach Arena in L.A. on the 1985 Powerslave world tour. The setlist features music from all 5 aforementioned albums, with the exception of Killers. The show opens with Aces High, which is similar in title and message to Motorhead's Ace Of Spades, followed by 2 Minutes To Midnight. The third song is The Trooper, a song about war with an amazing vocalization by Bruce Dickinson as the chorus, which is a highlight of the show. Next is Revelations, a multi-layered song that is both heavy and gentle, followed by Flight Of Icarus, which tells the story of an ancient Greek myth. Next comes Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, my favorite song by Iron Maiden, which turns Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem into an epic song. It is over 13 minutes long and is performed in its' entirety, complete with a misty fog on the stage during the spoken-word section. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is about mutiny on a ship in the sea, and features the ironic lyric "water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink". The next song is Powerslave, followed by the more well-known Number Of The Beast, a song all about evil and the number 666, which starts with a reading from the book of Revelations. However, earlier in the show Dickinson makes it clear that Iron Maiden is not a Satanic band. The next song, Hallowed Be Thy Name, is also from The Number Of The Beast album, followed by a song simply called Iron Maiden because it warns you that "Iron Maiden's gonna get you, no matter how far". The second-to-last performance on the setlist is perhaps Maiden's best-known song, Run To The Hills. This classic sympathizes with the Native Americans whose land was stolen by European settlers. This song, too, features great vocals that hit lots of high notes. The last two songs, Running Free and Sanctuary, are both from Iron Maiden's self-titled debut album, and both feature less intelligent lyrics than those heard on later songs like Flight Of Icarus and Ancient Mariner. They are very good songs, however, and they bring the concert to a perfect close, despite the fact that there were no performances of some of my favorites such as Charlotte The Harlot, Children Of The Damned, and Die With Your Boots On. This concert is chock-full of early Maiden classics and has many memorable moments (such as a man wearing an Eddie mask onstage during one song), and it may have been filmed almost 25 years ago, but the sound and picture quality is considerably clear. This DVD also features 15 additional performances, mainly songs from the L.A. setlist, with the exception of 22 Acacia Avenue (the sequel to Charlotte The Harlot), plus part 2 of the History Of Iron Maiden documentary and various galleries and promotional clips. Iron Maiden's Life After Death is essential for all serious Maiden fans.

1/5 Now I know why I hated the 80's
  by G. Hakala (Mpls, USA)
Now don't get me wrong, 666 is a wonderful DVD, but this one is a dud.

This DVD is hideous. First off the main show was filmed in 35mm. What these producers didn't tell us is, they just copied the film from a VHS master tape. The video quality is bootlegish. 35mm film should transfer into wonderful 16:9 1080p quality. Now I know why I sold my audio gear in the early 80's and left the scene for 25 years. The 80's were the dark ages of R&R music. Those costumes are repulsive and the music was lost, just a shadow of what it was in the 60's and early 70's.....

We had this metal music and disco. What a sad era in music it was. Get yourself some Blue Cheer.

Get this on CD and listen to the music. Forget the rest.




5/5 powerslave live
  by MRT
no matter what year .no matter what songs, maiden will always be one of the best live bands on the planet

5/5 Best Live Heavy Metal DVD Ever
  by Rexomus (Chicago)
In support of "Powerslave," Iron Maiden hit the road and realized that they were firing on all cylinders, and that if they ever really wanted to capture their true sound and nature they would have to record a live album and video. With the over-the-top stage set and large catalogue of epic songs they had in tow, now was the time to do it and do it right.

I am NOT a fan of live albums. I usually like a band's studio- produced work, because to me a live album is kind of like taking a picture of an artist's work at the museum. You can't see all the details the artist intended. However, some bands' true sound and vibe just can't be captured in a studio and Iron Maiden happens to be one of those bands.

Their records are amazing, but for some reason they don't justifiably hold the true essence that makes Maiden so good and unique: that being the well-oiled-machine sound and theatre-like quality Maiden produce live.

"Live After Death" caught Maiden at a wonderful moment in their career and is a very clear representation of their genuine talent. I am sure the audience reading this review agrees that many acts today just don't have the authentic talent that bands like Maiden do.

Also included on this DVD are Rock in Rio '85, Behind the Iron Curtain Poland '85, some Piece of Mind tour footage, and part two of Maiden's in-depth documentary. The second part of the documentary only covers the Powerslave era and doesn't go beyond that. I can't wait to see the next few parts of this very insightful documentary. This DVD is spectacular. Where most bands would make 4 or 5 different DVD's to produce more profit Maiden takes the fan into consideration and jam packs as much material on a single DVD set and sells it for $15. These guys are awesome and don't take people for granted.

I highly recommend this DVD to any Metal/Rock fan.


5/5 iron maiden live after death concert dvds
  by S. Parker (Grand Rapids MI)
As a fan of the band for many years (as well as being in live bands myself), when I was discovering all the best heavy rock during the mid eighties, Iron Maiden was always one of my favorites. My musical tastes have changed, but I still listen frequently to the bands that were always my favorites. I haven't been able to watch my VHS version of Live after Death in years(who still has a VCR?!!). I couldn't beleive it took so long to put this DVD out...but I'm glad it's here!! The audio and video quality is superb and I'm thankful for all the goodies on disc two...particularly the excellent documentary! I would HIGHLY recommend this to any fan of hard rock and/or quality concert DVDs. If you were a fan years ago and haven't listened to your old Iron Maiden records in awhile, after watching this DVD you'll remember why they were a top concert draw since the mid eighties!