Piece of Mind by Iron Maiden

Piece of Mind, Iron Maiden's fourth studio album, landed on 16 May 1983, on EMI in Britain and Capitol in the States, and it's the record where the classic lineup clicked into place. Nicko McBrain, who had just quit Trust, made his debut behind the kit, alongside founder and chief songwriter Steve Harris on bass, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on guitars, and Bruce Dickinson, on his second album with the band, howling up front like an opera singer who wandered into a pub brawl.

Martin Birch produced it at Compass Point Studios, and the whole thing gallops. Harris's bass drives like a cavalry charge, the twin guitars wheel and dive around each other, and McBrain brings a busier, swinging punch to "Where Eagles Dare" and "Die With Your Boots On". Critics and buyers both bit: it climbed to number three in the UK and went platinum there and in North America.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.