While the cover art depicts ghoulish mascot Eddie in chains, confined to a padded cell, the music evokes feelings of unbridled freedom, as a supremely confident Maiden blazes across sweeping vistas of sound. Steve Harris’ sprinting bass-runs anchor a band that also sports a singer and two guitarists all hell-bent on soaring like hawks. Inspired by poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, heavy metal standard “The Trooper” stands as one of the genre’s great war epics. Grab your musket and prepare for battle.