Somewhere Back In Time

After a career of more than 30 years, Iron Maiden are as much a band as a brand. Which helps explain the official wine stopper, shoelaces, and fridge magnets at their online store — as well as the release of their fourth hits collection since 1996.

Billed as a younger fans' introduction to the veteran metal act, 'Somewhere Back In Time' is merely something else to flog during the band's nostalgia-heavy tour that already coincides with the DVD release of 'Live After Death'. Recreating the Egyptian-themed staging featured n that 1985 concert film, the current global traipse is dominated by the band's '80s repertoire. Unsurprisingly, so is this compilation.

With songs drawn exclusively from the band's glory days — before they lost their way in the '90s; long before the return of prodigal sons Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith — it ignores the Blaze Bayley era and the recent return-to-form offering. That leaves you with solid gold.

1982's breakthrough 'Number of the Beast' is represented here by four tracks — the flaming title track, relentless gallop of 'Run To The Hills', epic battle march 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', operatic death procession 'Children Of The Damned', — that hit home why the record is still considered a genre classic. Almost as highly regarded, 1988's 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son' is a landmark metal concept recording, thanks to the likes of effortlessly energetic 'Can I Play With Madness' and equally muscular 'The Evil That Men Do'.

Although the three studio albums that came between the two career highlights were a bit hit and miss, Steve Harris and the boys still delivered the goods from time to time. For good reason, battle anthem 'The Trooper' remains a live staple, 'Two Minutes To Midnight' is easily on their top ten list, and beneath those guitars 'Wasted Years' hides a killer pop melody. All the usual suspects, then.

And what would a Maiden compilation be without live recordings. This time culled from (where else?) 'Live After Death' they're again used to represent the fan favourites originally recorded with singer Paul Di'Anno. The overblown 'Phantom Of The Opera', ragged 'Wrathchild' and call to arms 'Iron Maiden' all get their expected airings. In fact, the only real surprise here is that the current tour's showstopper 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' is lost at sea.