Iron Maiden’s Powerslave Is Turning 42
Iron Maiden’s Powerslave turns 42 this September, and to this day, it’s still known as one of the best heavy metal albums to date.
Released on 3 September 1984, the band’s fifth studio album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with producer Martin Birch, and mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York.
The album itself is known for its Ancient Egyptian theme. This is displayed with Derek Riggs’ iconic cover artwork and Bruce Dickinson’s lyrics from the title track.
The Success
Powerslave reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and number 21 in the US Billboard 200 during its release. It also went platinum in the US and gold in the UK, with the singles “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Aces High” both becoming staples behind the band’s live set.
The supporting World Slavery Tour sent the band across 26 different countries and ran for 11 months. While on tour, they created their legendary Live After Death concert film, which is actually rated a 9.1 out of 10 on IMDb with over 1,600 reviews.
Egyptian-Themed
The album’s Egyptian theme came directly from the title tracks. In this track, Bruce Dickinson’s lyrics tell a story of a Pharaoh facing mortality despite his godlike status.
Derek Riggs developed the artwork around these exact themes. Uniquely, he managed to design the band’s mascot, Eddie (also known as Edward the Head), among the pyramid hieroglyphs.
During this time, Iron Maiden weren’t the only ones inspired by Ancient Egypt. The Mummy film franchise, which was first filmed in 1932 and then redeveloped in 1999, was directly tied to Ancient Egypt and was a massive box office hit.
Earth, Wind, & Fire’s 1977 album, All ‘n All, leaned on Egyptian iconography in its artwork for the album and also stage shows. We imagine a lot of this Iron Maiden inspiration came from this album, as it came out 7 years later.
It even moved into the entertainment sector. Reel Time Gaming’s Eye of Horus slot draws directly from the same ancient symbolism and Egyptian funerary imagery – very similar to what Iron Maiden did for their Powerslave album.
42 Years Later and Still Going
Despite this being their fifth album release 42 years ago, the band is still going and going strong.
Their Run for Your Lives World Tour, which is celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary, began on 27 May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary, and is set to finish on 25 November 2026 in Yokohama, Japan.
The tour itself features 91 confirmed shows, which are spread out across Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. Supporting them are bands like Megadeth, Anthrax, Halestorm, Alter Bridge, and Trivium, across various legs.
For the setlist, it draws quite heavily on the first nine albums, with Powerslave the song being featured alongside other classics like “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” “Run to the Hills,” and “2 Minutes to Midnight”.
Funny enough, Bruce Dickinson describes the tour as “a 50th birthday party”, confirming it’ll be an event fans won’t want to miss.