Iron Maiden helped shape the sound of heavy metal decades ago, and while many of its peers from that era have long since broken up or stopped making music, the British rock band is far from done. The legendary act still produces new work, and it also regularly sees older efforts be rediscovered by fans, both new and longtime. That’s exactly what’s happening again this week in the United Kingdom, where two classic albums from Iron Maiden’s discography surge back onto the charts.
Iron Maiden Returns Two Albums to Several Charts
Iron Maiden pushes both Powerslave and Somewhere in Time to a number of U.K. charts. Both full-lengths are back on four different tallies, which is a major comeback. For a group that’s been around for more than 40 years, appearing on multiple lists at once with not one but a pair of decades-old titles is a huge accomplishment — one that most artists from that era can only dream of.
Powerslave Outperforms its Companion
Between the two comeback collections, Powerslave is the better performer. The set manages to climb back into the top 10 on the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart, landing right at No. 10.
The same effort also earns top 40 placements on two other rosters – the Official Vinyl Albums list, where it comes in at No. 17, and the Official Physical Albums chart, where it returns at No. 49.
While just shy of a top 40 appearance, Powerslave does manage to reenter at No. 45 on the Official Albums Sales chart.
Somewhere in Time Follows Behind
Somewhere in Time isn’t quite as successful as Powerslave, but it still manages to settle on four rankings this week – and it’s living inside the top 40 on two of them. The project returns to the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart at No. 14, and reappears on the Official Vinyl Albums list at No. 34.
The heavy metal offering falls just outside that range on the remaining two tallies on which it can be found presently, settling at No. 68 on the Official Physical Albums ranking and No. 73 on the Official Albums Sales chart.
Powerslave Has a Greater Chart History
Looking back historically, Powerslave has enjoyed greater overall chart success than Somewhere in Time. The earlier release between the two has reached the top 10 on all four of the charts it’s back on this frame. It even peaked as high as No. 2 on both the Rock & Metal and Vinyl Albums lists.
Somewhere in Time should also be noted for its healthy performances across a number of rankings, though it’s only ever broken into the top 10 on the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart and peaked inside the top 40 on the vinyl ranking. The set missed that mark on both the physical and albums sales lists.
Sales Appear to Bring Iron Maiden Back
These comebacks appear to be largely driven by recent sales and special offers. Both Powerslave and Somewhere in Time were discounted and offered in collectible vinyl editions on Amazon U.K., which may have prompted fans to snap them up in large enough numbers to turn them into chart successes once more.
Iron Maiden’s Successful Run in the 1980s
Powerslave originally dropped in September 1984 and marked Iron Maiden’s fifth full-length studio effort. Somewhere in Time followed two years later in 1986 as the band’s sixth. Both albums were commercial hits upon arrival, with the former reaching No. 2 and the latter peaking at No. 3 on the U.K. Albums chart, just barely missing out on being the biggest projects in that nation for a time.