CoC : Various - Call To Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden : Review

Various - _Call To Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden_
(Dwell Records, 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)

Just by glancing over the track listing and seeing the bands participating in this much deserved tribute record, it was quite easy to be excited about this compilation. Bands like Vital Remains ("The Trooper"), Morgion ("To Tame a Land") and Absu ("Transylvania") doing Iron Maiden numbers -- what a cool concept. With eleven Maiden tracks covered, I'll have to say I was pleased with about eight of them. And the reason being? Well... I felt that some of Iron Maiden's more well-known hits (i.e. "Flight of Icarus" and "Number of the Beast") were ignored, opting for more defined Maiden numbers like "Remember Tomorrow", "Strange World" and "Ides Of March / Purgatory"). But then again, I'm not the band covering my favorite Iron Maiden number, am I? Standouts on this compilation include Ancient Wisdom's killer "Powerslave", Morgion's "To Tame A Land" and Opera IX doing the classic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Some cool covers, some a little weak, but what do you expect when you're competing against the masters of metal? This tribute goes to show the power and influence that Maiden held so tight in the 80s, something the chaps are lacking as we head into the year 2000. I'm praying Steve Harris and the boys check this one out and realize that they don't write metal music like this anymore.

(article published 7/6/1998)

ALBUMS
6/5/2012	J Carbon	7	16 - Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds
16/1/1999	A Bromley	9	16 - Scott Case