While most other metal bands of the era were still singing about partying, Maiden continued to tackle some serious, thought-provoking subject matter. The band addresses the threat of nuclear war on "2 Minutes to Midnight," World War II-era fighter pilots in the album-opening "Aces High," and the demise of an Egyptian king in the title track. But the true highlight is the long and winding 13-and-a-half-minute epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a track that does a great job of recreating the haunting imagery of the Samuel Taylor Coleridge tale. Once POWERSLAVE was released, Maiden undertook one of the longest rock tours in history, playing from August 1984 through July 1985.