IRON MAIDEN — Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (review)

IRON MAIDEN — Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album cover Album · 1988 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Pekka
As much as I love Somewhere in Time, the award of my #1 Maiden album goes without question to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Like its predecessor, it was a very difficult album to get into at the time that I finally managed to hunt it down in a tiny record shop in Helsinki, a big distant city in those days, but again like its predecessor it's an album I eventually completely fell in love with.

Seventh Son is the first and only Iron Maiden concept album, the story being based on an old tale by the same name, set in mystical and magical times, through its protagonist dealing with basic questions like good versus evil. I haven't delved deep into the lyrics, but they fit the music perfectly and make the album feel more unified. When it comes to lyrics I'm usually not after some big storyline, but single effective lines will do the trick to me, from this album a part that's frequently stuck in my head is the whole "even though it's reached new heighths, I rather like the restless nights..." two verse section in Infinite Dreams. Brilliant atmosphere there, one of my favourite parts of the album.

Moonchild might be my preferred Maiden album opener ever, especially live it's a killer moment. Just today morning I was listening to the Donington '88 part from the BBC Archives album and got mad goosebumps when the band came crashing in after the "seven deadly sins" intro and the synth build-up. While we're ranking like this, I'll go and say that the aforementioned Infinite Dreams in its entirety is perhaps my favourite second track on any Maiden album. Wonder why nobody ever makes top lists from this stuff? Can I Play With Madness? and The Evil That Men Do are two tracks that have sticked around in Maiden's live set, but the first of them is the album's weakest number, or let's say least great, in its simple rocking feel. Very enjoyable nevertheless, but in a tad too strong company to shine.

But what follows is one of Maiden's epic masterpieces, the title track. On this album the band added proper synths to go with their earlier explored guitar synths, and they make great use of them on this track that can only be described as grand and monumental. The long instrumental section ending the track is one of Maiden's boldest moments. After a pair of just as impressive numbers, The Prophecy and one of my early Maiden favourites, the Clairvoyant, Maiden does something they hadn't done since the first album and closes the record with a relatively short uptempo number. Only the Good Die Young is for some incomprehensible reason a track that has never appeared live in concert, as it is one hell of a treat of speed, melody and yes, a bass solo.

The most consistently brilliant Maiden record ever, get it if you don't have it.
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