Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988) - Full Album

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• published: 18 Sep 2015
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Setlist: 00:00 Moonchild 05:40 Infinite Dreams 11:49 Can I Play With Madness 15:20 The Evil That Men Do 19:55 Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son 29:48 The Prophecy 34:53 The Clairvoyant 39:20 Only The Good Die Young Throughout their first decade, Maiden went through many changes. Starting out in the early 80s as a raw and youthful NWOBHM group, they would get a new singer, drummer, and guitarist. Not only this, but they would also transitition to more progressive and intelligent sounding metal music. This would start with Piece of Mind and progress over the years. By 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Maiden would sound more like metal's answer to Marillion than the group who did songs such as “Running Free”, “Wrathchild”, and “Invaders”. That being said, this isn't a bad thing. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son tells the story of the legend that the seventh son of a seventh son has the supernatural ability to be either extremely good or extremely evil. It is his choice. What better way to hear this story than through the voice of Bruce Dickinson? While the insane high notes of The Number of the Beast aren't present, the sheer power and force of Dickinson's voice is enough. This is a guy who truly sings his heart out every time he opens his mouth, much like his hero Ian Gillan of Deep Purple. To accompany Dickinson's voice is some of the most top notch musicianship put to tape. While all of the members are Maiden are virtuosos on their respective instruments, it is when they are put together that they are at their finest. Iron Maiden could be argued as the tightest band unit of all time, or at least second to Rush. The complex and technical guitar solos and bass lines with the ever changing tempos (especially on the title track) is enough to amaze anyone who gives a listen. Many (if not all) rock and metal groups experimented with synthesizers in the 80s. For most, it was a detriment to their sound and ability. In Iron Maiden's case, it was the exact opposite. The creepy and gothic sounding synthesizers couldn't fit in better with Maiden's new progressive rock/metal sound. All one has to do is listen to the title track, “Moonchild”, and “Can I Play with Madness” to know this. In conclusion, I would have to give this a 100% rating considering the circumstances of what would happen next. Following the release of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Maiden would fall apart at the seams so to speak. After two more records with Dickinson which recieved mixed reviews and did not hold up creatively to their 80s work, Dickinson would embark on a solo career while Maiden would continue on with former Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley. Eventually, they would reunite with Dickinson, but no effort has measured up to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son since then. Bruce Dickinson - (Vocal) Steve Harris - (Bass) Dave Murray - (Guitar) Adrian Smith - (Guitar) Nicko McBrain - (Drums)