Purgatory

How good is Purgatory on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    30
I like this one. Especially that pre chorus "O, another time, another place". Great feeling on this one. The solo feels a little misplaced but it works. Paul sounds good on this one also!

8/10
 
Maiden's fastest song! The main riff and harmonies are excellent, and Paul also gives a great performance with his delivery of some catchy vocal lines.
This one is so fast, in fact, that it's over before you know it. One of Maiden's best rockers for sure.

8/10
 
Here's a song where I think I disagree with the majority. It's a furious performance, but the song itself isn't as interesting. 6/10
 
This song is jam-packed full of energy, and the band do a great job packing it all in a three and a half minute package. It's one I always come back to, and it does its sole purpose well. Not much meat to it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a track like this.

7/10

RTC's Maiden Ranking:
1: Phantom Of The Opera:
9/10
2: Killers: 9/10
3: Remember Tomorrow: 8/10
4: Murders In The Rue Morgue: 8/10
5: Purgatory: 7/10
6: Wrathchild: 7/10
7: Transylvania: 7/10
8: Prodigal Son: 6/10
9: Strange World: 6/10
10: Sanctuary: 6/10
11: Another Life: 6/10
12: Prowler: 6/10
13: Genghis Khan: 5/10
14: Iron Maiden: 5/10
15: Charlotte The Harlot: 5/10
16: Running Free: 4/10
17: Innocent Exile: 4/10
18: The Ides Of March: 2/10
 
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I do not understand the love for this song. It's fast. Yes, it's fast. Shall we all go listen to Dragonforce now? Paul sounds out of place, the guitar sound wouldn't be out of place on the debut album, and "all my love's inside of you". Ew. No.

4/10.
 
9/10 for me. For the longest time it was my favorite of the whole album. This is one I wish they would re-record or do live.
 
6/10

Purgatory kicks into high gear with a main riff that foreshadows some of the work off of Powerslave. The chorus is simple and infectious, but the verses fall victim to Steve’s copy and paste practice and Paul unsuccessfully attempts more Halford wails.
 
  • Perhaps the most energetic track on an album that thrives on energy.
  • I loathe the way Di'Anno sings on the verses. Awful. The chorus is very nice, though.
  • The part that comes after the solos (the one that ends the song as well) is brilliant, except for Di'Anno cringeworthy high pitched scream at the end.
  • This is the Di'Anno track that I wonder how it'd be with Bruce on the vocals. The music has great potential but the vocals are awful.
7/10, closer to 6 than it is to 8.
 
A little bit too fast for Paul. The guitar work is awesome, but the song could have benefited from Bruce.
9/10
 
For a long time this was my absolute favorite maiden song, the speed, the energy, the melodies and the melancholic feeling in the chorus. Still disappointed they didn't bring it back on the early days tour and slightly confused that quite a few people don't seem to like it at all. Even if I do have a crush on it, I think it lacks a bit in complexity for a 10, but a 9 it most certainly is.
9/10
 
And for my final review today, we come to the superspeedy Purgatory. The guitar work here is absolutely fantastic, getting in more riffs in three minutes than some bands do in entire albums. Paul also gives a great performance, fast but really fits this song.

There was a time where this song was among my absolute favourite Iron Maiden songs. It's not an top 10 song anymore but it still ranks pretty high.

Is that enough incentive for a 10/10?
 
A lot to like about this song, with the "take me away" part after the solos being a particular highlight. Almost an 8, but not quite, so I'll give it a 7/10.
 
Is this the fastest Maiden track? :) Epic guitars. Easy 8.
 
This song was actually my introduction to the Paul era. I was aware of albums before NOTB but they weren't in my dad's collection so I didn't really know much about them. The first observation obviously was that it was a different singer. I remember Paul's voice sounding weird at first and it took me a long time to appreciate him. I think his singing is great on this now though and I don't think Bruce really did it justice. I still wish they'd play it live more. I always thought it was crazy how this song could be so fast and aggressive, yet so melodic at the same time. One of the hallmarks of Maiden.

10
 
I'll be danged.
I agree with Bruce not making it justice, probably one of my least favorite versions of Bruce singing Di'Anno... (on a first listen that is)
 
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