Re:Visiting … Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988)

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is considered a landmark release for Iron Maiden, one of their best, and one of the most important in the timeline of their phenomenal 45+ years in Heavy Metal. Released 11th April 1988 by EMI in the UK and Capitol Records in America. the seminal record and its resulting world tour would mark the end of their eighties hey-day era. It was the final album to feature guitarist Adrian Smith (prior to his return to the band over ten years later), and really sits as a culmination of everything Maiden had creatively worked towards during their vintage first decade.

It would mark the return of singer Bruce Dickinson contributing to the song-writing on a Maiden album, after his ideas had been rejected by band-leader and bassist Steve Harris on Somewhere In Time (1986). In fact the creation of the album very much renewed Dickinson’s interest in his role in Maiden, after he had started to become disillusioned with life as the front-man in one of the world’s leading Metal bands during their mammoth World Slavery Tour in support of 1984’s Powerslave. And perhaps aware of the growing distance between them, it was Dickinson that Steve Harris first went to with his idea for the concept of their seventh album.

Harris was inspired by reading Orson Scott Card’s 1987 fantasy novel; Seventh Son, in which the Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is born with magical powers. After speaking with Dickinson the idea soon developed, and the theme of Maiden’s seventh album was born. The song-writing on the record is largely a collaborative affair, with the astute Dickinson-Smith partnership prominent in a number of the album tracks alongside Harris. And the concept of the story – based on Card’s work – gels the songs together in a way that Maiden had never quite experimented so deeply with before.

Musically, Iron Maiden would produce a record that perfectly follows on from the slight gear-shift in sound they had delivered on Somewhere In Time – with the added use of keyboards and synthesisers. Adrian Smith and Steve Harris would predominantly play these in the studio, with the instruments adding a certain richness to the Maiden sound. Following the release of the record, Iron Maiden would embark on the Seventh Tour Of A Seventh Tour, yet another monumental world-tour which would see them play live to over two million people – while also headlining the 1988 Monsters Of Rock at Donnington Park in the UK.

The album opens with Dickinson crooning the prophecy of the Seventh Son over a gentle strumming guitar, before launching into the Smith-Dickinson penned ‘Moonchild’ – a mystical sounding song which builds towards an incredibly infectious chorus. ‘Infinite Dreams’ – written by Steve Harris – opens with melodic guitars, and has a real stripped back feel for Maiden with a truly captivating vocal performance from Bruce Dickinson. Two songs then follow which see a collaboration between Smith-Dickinson-Harris, the first big single of the album; ‘Can I Play With Madness’ – followed by an absolute live favourite and arguably one of Iron Maiden’s greatest songs from the era; ‘The Evil That Men Do.’

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is often thought of as being Iron Maiden’s ‘progressive’ album. But it really is only the title track which falls into that catagory, as Maiden weave an intoxicating journey across nine and half minutes with a style that would not have sounded out of place on their earlier Powerslave record. The song has a long and meandering instrumental / spoken word break, which perfectly captures the overall mystical tone of the record. Maiden’s virtuoso lead-guitarist Dave Murray’s only credited song-writing contribution then comes on ‘The Prophecy,’ before the record finishes strong with ‘The Clairvoyant,’ and another live favourite; ‘Only The Good Die Young.’

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son really does deliver everything a fan of the eighties-era of Maiden has grown to love and expect from the band. Galloping riffs and exquisite duel lead-guitar solos’s from Murray and Smith. Intricate drumming from Nicko McBrain, soaring vocals … and incredibly catchy songs. For many the album is in conversation as one of their very best, and it certainly represents a unique period in their illustrious career. The nineties were just around the corner, and this was an era that is often thought of as Maiden’s career low point as they battled the emerging popularity of first Grunge, and then Nu-Metal. But as the pinnacle record of their vintage era …. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son can be considered somewhat of a masterpiece of its time. KZ

Words by Abstrakt_Soul