Monday the 25th of March is the official release date for Maiden England ’88. Watch the Wasted Years clip, listen to the 8 track teaser and read our thoughts on it all right here.

In this Best & Worst feature, we discuss the pros and cons of Maiden’s previous concert DVD’s, including the original version of Maiden England. Next Monday will see the release of the restored and expanded version Maiden England ’88. Apart from the bonus features, are we in for a big change?

Judging by the video teaser of Wasted Years, it’s hard to say too much about the picture quality as it’s streamed online and will naturally suffer from the reduced resolution.

The interesting bit in this case is the audio part. The original mix was a bit odd at best. It lacked low end and the bass was too “clanky”. Put it simple, it sounded thin. What now, then? I’m happy to tell you that so far it sounds like a massive improvement. The mix has more room and the bass sound is a lot heavier. More power all over, something that makes the fantastic interplay between Nicko McBrain and Steve Harris a lot more audible.

There has been rumored that some of the reason for leaving out the encores Run to the Hills, Running Free and Sanctuary on the original release, was that Bruce’s voice was shot at that point in the concert. No need to worry. He’s not in top form in Run to the Hills, but it’s no major crisis.

The big surprise is Running Free and Sanctuary. I thought that I could never be terribly excited about those songs anymore, but in fact these are one of the best renditions I’ve heard of the two. The band is absolutely on fire and you can really tell that months of touring really pays of. They sound tight and playful – in fact Maiden England might be Nicko’s finest moment with the band, he really plays his ass of. More cowbell! Have a listen!

We’ll be back with more write ups when we have the final product in our hands. Enjoy!