Wheeler said:
Solos should enhance songs and, in my opinion
Solos should above all be integral and functional parts of songs, not just random embellishments. I'm saying this as a non-musician who has some theoretical idea about music and is quite passionate about a good solo (as many people here, of course).
To me, a good solo is not perfunctory but somehow corresponds to the musical/lyrical ideas of the song. Extreme Maiden examples: 'Can I Play With Madness' and 'Paschendale'. In the first case the solos are schematic and feel compulsory, while in the war song, along with the fabulous build-up, Dave and Adrian make you feel in your bones a fraction of what combat must have been about.
Apart from that, a solo expresses the attitude of a good musician who wants to show off his qualities. In Maiden, I also love 'teamwork', when the boys take turns in soloing, picking up on each other.
On 'A Matter Of Life And Death', my favourite solo moments are as follows:
Dave -
'Lord Of Light' and
'The Longest Day' (nice, almost dance-like curls)
Adrian -
'Different World' (good movement and attitude) and
'Out Of The Shadows' (wonderful feeling)
Janick -
'For The Greater Good Of God' (his best solo yet, for me) and
'The Legacy' (great build up and the whole section afterwards, with my favourite instrumental moment of the album, the 6:30-ish part - played by whom?
)
Which brings me to expressing my admiration for Forostar's ability to tell who plays what.