Iron Maiden - The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg

The enticing twin guitar tease that has opened so many Maiden classics tempts us in, but fails to kick into gear early enough, and instead introduces an off-puttingly prog Bruce whispering gibberish for a minute before the drums finally make themselves known. Try as he might, at seven minutes long, Dickinson's octave acrobatics can't seem to carry the clunky riffage anywhere exciting. This has all the ingredients a fan would want, without the key element that has secured the status of other singles: there's no Run To The Hills 'ba bad a ba-bum!', no Fear of the Dark 'ooh-oohh-oohh-oh-oohh-oh-ohh'. Not a let down, but not an instant favourite. [Caroline Hurley]