Maiden's sixth album arrived on Sept. 29, 1986, reaching No. 3 on the U.K. chart and giving the band its first double-platinum album in the U.S. But opinions on its merits have grown increasingly muddled over the years, to the point that it's often seen as a weak link in an otherwise victorious decade.
No such qualms assail the first five Iron Maiden albums (though, to be fair, critics weren't entirely sold on 1981's
Killers either), and certainly not
Somewhere in Time's predecessor, 1984's
Powerslave, which had signified their true arrival in the States, and taken them around the world for the record-breaking World Slavery Tour.
...most fans paid little mind to these gradual advancements, embracing
Somewhere in Time as they had the previous Iron Maiden albums. It wasn't until a few years later, with the band's even more popular next album,
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, that more mixed emotions started to emerge about
Time. But even if it lacks the unanimous support enjoyed by most of the band's '80s records,
Somewhere in Time remains an important chapter in its history.
