Iron Maiden’s fourth studio album, “Powerslave,” celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. I neglected to do a Throwback Thursday last week simply because I was enjoying Rubblebucket’s Save Charlie EP too much. Sinful? Perhaps.

When I heard “Powerslave,” the first album I ever owned, for the first time in my life, I decided no other album would ever generate energy within me so effectively. I’ve listened to quite a few great albums over the years (many of which are even better than “Powerslave”) but all have failed to electrify me the same way. Megadeth, Helloween, Anthrax — they’ve all crafted magnificent metal classics, and they’ve all fallen short of matching Maiden’s vigor.

I was around 13 when “Aces High,” the first song in the album, played in my Discman. Back then, I could have barely told my history teacher who fought in World War II, let alone realize that the song’s lyrics narrate an aerial battle.

Yet, I felt it.

The rush of jumping into an aircraft and subsequently drifting through clouds filled my entire body. I sensed action, danger and freedom all at once, along with an irrevocable notion of hopelessness.

Eight years later, my friends and I found ourselves at a metal bar in Peru on New Year’s Eve. A relatively quiet night considering the occasion, the owners limited themselves to playing the cheesiest, most abhorrent glam rock ever composed. The bartender, who takes requests from acquaintances and regulars, frowned as I approached him. As it turns out, he wasn’t particularly fond of our little clique.

“Hey, can you play ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ next?” I asked. The second track on the aforementioned album remains a fan favorite — I’ve heard of instances in which a select group of individuals attempts to boo Maiden off the stage if they refuse to play it. They never succeed.

“How original,” he replied. The the rest of the night was plagued by Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls,” among other abominations.

I have consequently reimagined the night — what if the bartender had played the song? Several times I asked myself whether the other patrons would have controlled themselves. I could picture them pounding on the table with manic rage, shortly before standing up on the tables, and throwing their glasses in whichever way they thought would cause harm.

I concluded that “2 Minutes to Midnight” allows people to bring out one’s true self, however briefly, as a form of release.

“Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” serves as the album’s trademark instrumental. Though Maiden features marvelous, talented musicians such as bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Dave Murray, their music benefits a great deal from Bruce Dickinson’s vocal range. While this piece doesn’t shine, it remains a solid effort.

I recalled hearing “Flash of the Blade” in Argento’s “Phenomena,” a horror film about a telepath who communicates with bugs and investigates gruesome murders at a boarding school in Switzerland while fighting deformed psychopathic children; the song plays as she runs away from the killer. It fits perfectly within the film because it triggers a sense of paranoia and anxiety within the listener — the opening alone startled me once.

“The Duelists,” “Back to the Village” and the title track are all underrated, mostly-forgotten Maiden tunes that sport the unmistakable Maiden sound.

Even though they fail to add anything new to the table, the album’s spirit and effervescence stays active. Had Steve Harris decided to include any of them as the first track, their popularity could have experienced considerable growth.

I hate to admit it, but the 13-minute long “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” surpasses all previous songs in terms of quality without much difficulty. “Aces High” might encompass adrenaline, and “2 Minutes to Midnight” may send people into a frenzy, yet “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” tells a story with a little help from Sam Taylor’s poem of the same name. Reported to be the band’s favorite song to play at shows, it manages to take listeners on a musical journey, as if the Ancient Mariner himself materialized and grabbed one by the hand, as one witnesses the atrocities of a voyage gone wrong.

Even if this is not Iron Maiden’s most accessible album, the enthusiasm put into it should suffice to catch one’s attention from the start.