1 Overlooked Gem Song From Every Iron Maiden Album
12. Alexander The Great - Somewhere In Time
Not so much so during their early years, but Iron Maiden have become synonymous with the 7-10 minute, sometimes longer epic songs. When you think of the band, you often go straight to the slow intro before building into a tempo changed, galloping masterpiece, and there are certain songs that spring to mind.
It is utterly criminal that of these songs, 'Alexander the Great' is rarely ever among them. At 8-and-a-half minutes it certainly falls into this category, and is a track that you could easily start from the beginning again as soon as it's finished.
The song tells a very specific story through its lyrics to the background of an incredibly dynamic composition filled with changes in tempo, tone, and even time signature. No other band could bring to the table something like this.
With 'Somewhere in Time', Iron Maiden produced an album completely unlike anything they had put out before, leaning heavily into the synth sounds of the era, but 'Alexander the Great' was something that still kept them connected to the true Iron Maiden sound. A strange combination of the two for which 'epic' would almost be an understatement.