Flash of the Blade

How good is Flash of the Blade on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    16
I didn't care for this song upon first listen. It felt like filler. It gets better with each listen and has grown on me. The fencing theme is pretty cool too. One of Bruce's many hobbies.
The vocals by Bruce make this song so magnificent. He belts it so high and I love it. From a 5 or 6 to a 9/10.
 
This song has the guitar interplay and the band energy that are so lacking in the latest albums.Love it.
 
Cool riff, an okay verse, but I don't like the chorus that much. It's nowhere near the greatness of Aces High or 2 Minutes To Midnight. The guitar harmonies in the middle are well done but kind of boring to me. Still an okay song thou and this should have been at track 3 instead of Losfer Words.

6/10
 
7/10. This one is pretty good, but nothing special and I never go out of my way to listen to it. The chorus is my favorite part of the song and I feel it saves the song. The riff is pretty cool and unique too.
 
There's a lot to dislike about this song. I'm not a fan of the opening, I don't care much for the vocals on the chorus, some of the high-pitched guitar parts grate on my ears a bit. But I keep coming back to listen to it. Why? I'm not really sure, but it means for all its weaknesses I'll give it a...

7/10
 
9/10. The musicianship on display here is awesome. This isn't a performance many bands could pull off. I love all the contrapuntal intricacies, and Bruce shows off his full vocal range. Damn shame it never got played live. I can understand leaving this beast off the regular rotation, but I'd love to hear it on a live album.
 
7/10. I find the intro riff sightly annoying, to be honest, but it's an earworm. Once it's in my head, it sticks around quite firmly. Bruce's enthusiasm for these lyrics is as intense as it is on Empire of the Clouds, which is saying quite a lot if you ask me.
 
7. A fun song with some very cool guitar parts.


Ranking:

Rankings:

Previous Albums:

1980 - Iron Maiden - 6.67

8 - Prowler
6 - Sanctuary
7 - Remember Tomorrow
6 - Running Free
9 - Phantom Of The Opera
7 - Transylvania
4 - Strange World
6 - Charlotte The Harlot
7 - Iron Maiden

1981 - Killers - 5.91

6 - The Ides Of March
6 - Wrathchild
6 - Murders In The Rue Morgue
5 - Another Life
5 - Genghis Khan
5 - Innocent Exile
8 - Killers
5 - Prodigal Son
8 - Purgatory
6 - Twilight Zone
5 - Drifter

1982 - The Number Of The Beast - 7.56

6 - Invaders
7 - Children Of The Damned
8 - The Prisoner
7 - 22 Acacia Avenue
9 - The Number Of The Beast
10 - Run To The Hills
6 - Gangland
5 - Total Eclipse
10 - Hallowed Be Thy Name

1983 - Piece Of Mind - 7.44

8 - Where Eagles Dare
9 - Revelations
9 - Flight Of Icarus
7 - Die With Your Boots On
8 - The Trooper
7 - Still Life
6 - Quest For Fire
6 - Sun And Steel
7 - To Tame A Land

1984 - Powerslave

8 - Aces High
7 - 2 Minutes To Midnight
3 - Loss Fer Words
7 - Flash Of The Blade
 
8/10

Flash of the Blade is the first of two songs inspired by sword fighting, a subject Bruce knows quite a bit about. The chorus falls victim to a happy, singsongy melody (a problem experienced by many early Maiden tracks), but it is still rousing and enjoyable. Murray and Smith’s unison lines are on-point, though, especially during the harmonized section before the final chorus.
 
Now we're really digging deep into the album. I love Bruce's sinister delivery of the vocals and the chorus on this one. What really makes this song stand out though is the crazy guitar harmonies in the middle. It will be a huge missed opportunity if the band never perform this with the current lineup of three guitarists. This song was made for that. If they ever decide to break out a song that has never been played live, this is the one to do. Not Alex. It has a very baroque flavor to it and was probably a huge influence to the symphonic/power metal guys.
I also love the way the bass interacts with the guitar during the second time through the intro. Steve's bass in general is really great on this track, as always.
In retrospect, the instrumental section on this was totally a precursor to IESF. You can really tell Bruce wrote both songs. Neither songs feature a guitar solo, but really intricate guitar melodies instead.

10

Btw, a lot of people hate this band but I was really thrilled to hear Avenged Sevenfold cover this song. It was cool seeing a more mainstream (at least in the US) band bring attention to an old Maiden gem. I'd like to think it turned a lot of fans on to Powerslave.
 
The main opening riff is spectacular and...it pretty much peaks there.

I had to relisten to it several times to get any appreciation for what I always thought was a dud. I don't like the vocals really but it does grow on you. A bit

6
 
I love this song, awesome guitar intro and build up, the typical Bruce lyrics and verses, and a very cool chorus and guitar harmonies and solos makes this one of my favorite Maiden songs

10/10
 
This suddenly clicked with me. I already liked the intro but hadn't paid enough attention to that amazing middle section. Maybe not the very best in terms of lyrics but Bruce sings it with a lot of emotion. A shame they seem to have never played this live.
9/10
 
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Strange track. I find the guitar work on this one a bit annoying. I'm also not a big fan of the strange chorus.

A filler.
6/10
 
One of the most underrated Maiden songs. It's a brilliant track, and... I want to say a highlight, but almost everything is a highlight in Powerslave, am I right? :D A solid song that deserves a solid 9.
 
I think this song is quite underrated. I love the intro and the instrumental section. They really should have tried it live in my opinion. 9/10
 
Didn't pay much attention to this one when I was young but enjoy it a lot nowadays, a bit of a hidden gem for me. Love the intro guitars.
 
The intro riff... the instrumental segment... damn are these two boys flaming. Bruce is killing it too. 10/10.
 
A simple but cutting guitar lead is joined by drums and power chords before giving way to a strong verse. Bruce sounds a little odd and uneven here. This breaks into a great soaring chorus with some nice vocal harmonies and awesome bass fills.

Another round of intro riff, verse, and chorus, and the song breaks into a fantastic neoclassical section. This leads into a nice harmonized interlude with more great bass fills, then cuts back into more neoclassical awesomeness before returning to the chorus and an intro riff reprise to end the song.

The verse is a little weak, but the chorus is great and the instrumental section in the middle is absolutely fantastic. Gotta give this one a 9/10.
 
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