Albatross the albatrosses by Linnaeus, references the mythical metamorphosis of the companions of the Greek warrior Diomedes into birds. Finally, the name for the order, Procellariiformes, comes from the Latin word "procella" meaning "a violent wind" or "a storm". Albatrosses have been described as "the most legendary of all birds". An albatross is a central emblem in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; a captive albatross is also a metaphor for the "poète maudit "in a poem by Charles Baudelaire. The albatross metaphor is derived from the Coleridge poem; someone bearing a burden or facing an obstacle
Empire of the Clouds the cover artwork. The single's B-side features an interview with Dickinson and McBrain, entitled "Maiden Voyage", in which they recount the song's creation. The song received critical acclaim. PopMatters called it a "masterpiece" and "every bit as spellbinding as 1984’s 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' [from 1984's Powerslave]", while AllMusic described it as "a heavy metal suite, unlike anything in their catalogue". While Blabbermouth.net and "NME" did not agree that it matches "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", the former stated that it is "worth every single minute as a cinematic-sounding encapsulation of the band's career", and the latter called it