This tribute album followed A Call To Irons and shares the same inconsistencies with the first volume. Some covers are brilliant while others are average at the most. It is interesting to note that, most of the time, it is the vocals that actually ruin the songs, may they be too extreme or too soppy, whereas the musicianship is usually pretty good. Yet another album for those who are either curious or mad collectors of all Maiden items.
ENGRAVE
– Invaders (Harris)
"Invaders" never was one of the greatest songs of Iron Maiden and this cover does not improve it at all. Although the instrumental performance is fairly close to the original, once again the vocals are more laughable than anything else.
Steel Prophet already did a pretty nice cover of "The Ides Of March / Purgatory" on the previous volume of A Call To Irons and they deliver here a good version of "Gangland". The original song was not exactly fantastic and the cover, as good as it is, is not really better. The choice of another song might have been more appropriate.
FROM
THE
DEPTHS
– Iron Maiden (Harris)
From The Depths was an overtly "anti-christian" Black Metal band that existed only from 1994 to 2000. There again, the vocals ruin what could otherwise have been a decent cover. The original song being quite average too, it doesn't really matter though.
TERROR
– Total Eclipse (Harris, Murray, Burr)
"Total Eclipse" is yet another Maiden song that was far from outstanding to start with. This cover does it justice, but is not exactly fantastic either, although the little instrumental part with an acoustic guitar makes it a bit more interesting – but not quite enough to transform it into a memorable tune!
ACHERON
– Wrathchild (Harris)
Acheron is a real satanist band that released quite a few albums since 1988. Instrumentally, this cover is quite brilliant and the guitar work is extremely well done, adding a new dimension to the song as compared to the original. Unfortunately, the growls ruin it, like it is the case with too many Maiden covers by Death Metal bands. This track can also be found on Acheron's 2003 album, A Tribute To The Devil`s Music.
POSSESSION
– Revelations (Dickinson)
Possession is a band that seems to have died quite some time ago. Some may say that, if their own compositions were as good as this cover, this is no real surprise. This is by no means the worst cover on the album, though.
Ion Vein is a pretty decent Progressive Metal band that delivers a reasonably good cover of "Killers", although the aggression of the original version is quite annoyingly lacking. The voice doesn't quite match the lyrics like Di'Anno's does (the man was perfect for the job) and the singer would probably be more apt to sing about the birds and the bees than about a bloodthirsty murderer who lurks in the dark alleys of the East End.
MYSTIC
FORCE
– Where Eagles Dare (Harris)
This is another pretty good cover by a Progressive/Power Metal band. Not much else to say about it except that it is one of the best songs on this album.
DECEASED
– 2 Minutes to Midnight (Smith, Dickinson)
Deceased is one of two bands led by drummer/vocalist King Fowley, the other one being October 31, which also appears on this tribute album. Although the intro of their cover of "2 Minutes To Midnight" sounds quite promising, the vocals are unfortunately quite disappointing.
OCTOBER
31
– Public Enema Number One (Murray, Dickinson)
The other band of drummer/vocalist King Fowley, October 31 delivers a decent version of a rarely – if ever – covered Iron Maiden song. Like the cover of "2 Minutes To Midnight" by Deceased, the musicianship is excellent, but the weak vocals quite sadly ruin the whole feel.
PROTOTYPE
– Sea Of Madness (Smith)
This Progressive Metal band delivers here what is probably the best cover on this album, both musically and because they chose a song that is not one of the re-hashed "great classic" – although an excellent song in its own rights. The drumming is fantastic and the singer has what it takes to cover Iron Maiden efficiently.
"Children Of The Damned" is undeniably a masterpiece, and Diesel Machine – despite having a Nu-Metal-sounding name – really does it justice. The interpretation, instrumental and vocal, is absolutely flawless and makes it, along with the cover of "Sea Of Madness" by Prototype, one of the best covers on this album.
ABATTOIR
– Sanctuary (Harris, Di'Anno, Murray)
Although this cover musically retains the original Punk-like aggression of Maiden's song, the vocals seem too weak and once again spoil what could otherwise have been a very good cover.
