Smply brilliant!

Leaving Def Leppard aside, Iron Maiden are the real success story of the NWOBHM movement. With global album sales counted in hundreds of millions, whenever a Maiden show comes to town, it's a spectacular extravaganza and the very definition of "an event". They've just come to the end of a two year run in support of the massively successful 'The Book Of Souls' album – me and the missus caught up with them in Sheffield earlier this year – but for anyone who didn't manage to grab one of the hottest tickets around, this latest live release (recorded at various dates) will at least provide some insight into why the band has been on top of the game for more than three decades.

Unlike many of their contemporaries who seem content to peddle the same old "Greatest Hits" set year after year, Iron Maiden approach each and every tour with their latest work front and centre – 'The Book Of Souls' is well represented here with no less than six tracks, all delivered with the same gusto and relish as firm fan favourites from the past. Shutting my eyes as I listen, I can see the vivid imagery of their stage show unfolding before my eyes, but even without that, the music really does do the talking and then some!

Kicking off with the kinetically charged pairing of 'If Eternity Should Fail' and 'Speed Of Light', the intention is clear from the get go; the thunderous triple guitar wall of sound attack topped off with that inimitable Bruce Dickinson vocal unleashing a torrent of controlled fury on an a truly ecstatic audience. Talking of Dickinson, following his health issues a couple of years ago, he's now back to his energetic best, an embattled general leading his troops to glory on his own terms without fear or compromise.

With such an incredible back catalogue to their name, Maiden could fill ten two hour sets with ease, so there are bound to be individual fan favourites conspicuous by their absence. That said, a steady stream of world class anthems like 'The Number Of The Beast', the brilliant 'Powerslave', ribald 'The Trooper' and 'Children Of The Damned' more than make up for any fleeting disappointments. Honed to perfection and delivered with all the energy of a band less than half their age, the Iron Maiden machine rolls on without equal... this is simply brilliant!

Dave Cockett