Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son review
| Band: | Iron Maiden |
| Album: | Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son |
| Style: | New wave of British heavy metal |
| Release date: | April 11, 1988 |
| A review by: | Pierre Tombale |
Disc I
01. Moonchild
02. Infinite Dreams
03. Can I Play With Madness
04. The Evil That Men Do
05. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
06. The Prophecy
07. The Clairvoyant
08. Only The Good Die Young
Disc II [1995 reissue bonus CD]
01. Black Bart Blues
02. Massacre
03. Prowler 88
04. Charlotte The Harlot 88
05. Infinite Dreams [live]
06. The Clairvoyant [live]
07. The Prisoner [live]
08. Killers [live]
09. Still Life [live]
Among Iron Maiden's studio albums 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son' to me is the second best. It has the most famous songs of the band on one album. Of most albums you might know (if you're not a fan!) two or three songs, this album contains at least 6 songs that you should know, if not you have never lived.
Talking about a very special limited edition here we go with disc one, the original studio album 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son', as mentioned above with the most famous tracks on it, because of being played live more often than other 'not so famous' songs on other albums. Everybody knows 'Moonchild' and 'Infinite Dreams', 'Can I Play With Madness' and 'The Evil That Men Do', 'The Clairvoyant' and maybe 'Only The Good Die Young'. All these make the albue outstanding and thus it should be considered as one of the best among all of Iron Maiden's records, which is quite hard to tell because they made so many great ones! To me it's number two in my personal ranking right behind 'Somewhere In Time'. If I had to decide which is my favorite track among these great songs I'd surely pick 'The Evil That Men Do', which makes my favorite Iron Maiden song together with 'Wasted Years', my all time favorite Maiden tunes. The title track is of epic length, close to ten minutes, and yes I know there have been longer songs recorded by Maiden, thinking of 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner', but believe me 10 minutes is long enough on af album that runs only 44 minutes.
Summing it up, because telling it for each song in detail is quite hard because of a certain complexity, S.S.O.A.S.S. is much deeper in sound than other Maiden albums, the Keyboards and synthesizer effects create a deep atmosphere (i.e. Infinite Dreams, has a special sound that makes you think of real dreams in which feelings are mixed and pictures from different things flow into each other) and make it very diverse and special. This is already worth the full 10 points.
Now to the bonus disc:
Can I Play With Madness? Yes you can! I can gladly say that I'm the mad fan who bought all the rare (and of course official!) remastered limited edition double cd albums in 1995/96! Yes, bacause that way I got me an 88 minutes instead of 44 minutes 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'. In fact disc 2 is quite an album itself consisting of 9 tracks, 4 studio and 5 live tracks. Yeeha, here's a tracklist for it:
01) Black Bart Blues
02) Massacre
03) Prowler '88
04) Charlotte The Harlot '88
05) Infinite Dreams (Live at Birmingham NEC '88)
06) The Clairvoyant (Live at Donington '88)
07) The Prisoner (Live at Donington '88)
08) Killers (Live at Birmingham NEC '88)
09) Still Life (Live at Birmingham NEC '88)
Track one is an overlenght, but not too good track made for the purpose of being funny, a bit of music ' The black bart blues' and lots of blah blah? So the real album begins with song number two 'Massacre' a great cover of the Thin Lizzy original, next are the '88 versions of songs originally recorded with Paul Di'Anno, now with Bruce on the mic, really really nice. The five live tracks were all recorded during the tour to the 'S.S.O.A.S.S.' album, even featuring the rarely live played 'Still Life'. All live songs have an outstanding quality. This is already worth 10 points, but regarding the fact that it's only disc 2 that enhances a 10 points-worth album I'd say I'd have give it a 20/10! Haha?
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
You're probably wondering why I wrote a review of an almost twenty year old album; the answer is quite simple: because it is my absolute favourite album and one of the best Heavy-Metal-albums of all time. "Seventh Son..." was the last album that was recorded with Adrian Smith until 2000's "Brave New World." It's a concept album telling the story of a gifted child, a so called "seventh son of a seventh son," and how his gift carries with it many burdens and problems. The concept itself is not what carries the album but it adds a different touch to the lyrics and surely the music as well. Read more ›› |
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
What is there to say about Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son? It's my absolute favourite album ever made. In fact, it's the only album I personally consider flawless. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.9
8.9
|
Rating: 8.9 |
Seeing the 80s and the band's golden era out, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is a high note to go out on. The band took a tighter embrace of their progressive tendencies but managed to balance this with their pennant for creating catchy tunes like they had for the decade up until then. Iron Maiden find a golden ratio that they have spent much of the rest of their career trying to replicate. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 25
Visited by: 243 users
| SiLenTShadoW Account deleted |
|
| Valar IndianSteel Posts: 828  |
One of best Metal albums of all times. It is because of albums like this one Maiden gets all the respect and admiration and rightly so. Up The Irons!! P.S - Great Review!!
---- "It's a dangerous business, going out of your door, You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." - J.R.R. Tolkien, "Three Is Company," The Lord of the Rings
Loading...
|
| marillionfan Account deleted |
|
| eximius Posts: 139  |
My favourite Album , it's not possible anyone not to love it UP TE IRONS!!!
Loading...
|
| LethargyMan Posts: 336  |
Gratuitous keyboard ain't my cup o' tea.
---- Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem.
By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.
Loading...
|
| homas Account deleted |
|
| xVovax Posts: 12 |
|
| Guib Thrash Talker Posts: 3220  |
Well ... In my opinion SOASS is just.. FUCKING AWESOME ! holy smoke.. one of maiden's best. but i gotta admit, they did better. Just looking at Piece of Mind and Powerslave. But this one is still a great classic.. brought to us all by Maiden again  My rating 10/10 
---- - Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff - Guib's List Of Essential Albums - Also Thrash Paradise Thrash Here
Loading...
|
| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
What can you do to Seventh Son of the Seventh Son but adore... probably listen to it every day as sacred ritual...
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
Loading...
|
| Ph0eNiX Fire from Above Posts: 418  |
This is Iron Maiden's best album. The only thing I gotta say is that Bruce should have been asked to sing a studio recording of Killers on the b-sides.
---- 
Loading...
|
| thewall30 Posts: 349  |
Amazing album, no doubt one of their best! Its just a timeless album that never gets old! 
---- 
Loading...
|
| MetalEyez Posts: 11  |
This album is one of my very best album really , great work and album for Imortal .
Loading...
|
| Bolverk Posts: 7 |
|
| Cuca Beludo Account deleted |
|
| Mattybu Posts: 2589  |
Written by [user id=114505] on 24.06.2011 at 02:15 The only two albums I think get any worse than that are The X Factor and Vitual XI Anyways, this is a great album, but for me not as good as Powerslave, Number of the Beast, or Somewhere in Time. The songs are just less memorable for me, although certain ones like Only the Good Die Young and the title track are standouts. Other than that a solid album the whole way through.
Loading...
|
| Cuca Beludo Account deleted |
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted Written by Mattybu on 22.07.2011 at 05:22 Well, i agree that Virtua XI and X Factor are crappy, but fear of the dark... Is just Amazing! EVERY song is cool, and doesn't soundlike others maiden songs.
Loading...
|
| Mattybu Posts: 2589 |
Written by [user id=114505] on 23.07.2011 at 05:48 There's a couple good songs on Fear of the Dark, for me. The first and last are really all that "float my boat", so to speak. I do agree that no other Maiden album really sounds like it. I suppose it's kind of a matter of taste, it's just not among my favourite Maiden albums. Certainly doesn't compare to any of their 80's albums for me. It's not terrible, though.
Loading...
|
| Cuca Beludo Account deleted |
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted Written by Mattybu on 23.07.2011 at 16:13 When you began to listen Iron Maiden? If you listen for a long time (80-90), "certainly" you will like more their old works. I listen Iron Maiden for only 2~1 year(s), so, its more likely i will be addicted to more modern songs!  But of course i like old Iron Maiden albuns!
Loading...
|
| Vikcen Metálico Posts: 971  |
Written by [user id=114505] on 24.06.2011 at 02:15 Fear Of The Dark is also my favorite album from Maiden, the best! .
Loading...
|
| Mattybu Posts: 2589 |
Written by [user id=114505] on 24.07.2011 at 02:08 I started listening to them probably about 3 or 4 years ago. The first songs I heard were Number of the Beast and Aces High, and I always liked the 80's material best after that. A lot of bands I like their older stuff much more than newer (Metallica, Megadeth, Morbid Angel lol).
Loading...
|
| Cuca Beludo Account deleted |
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted Written by Mattybu on 25.07.2011 at 00:27 I Like New stuff from older bands (Bathory). For tell the truth, I don't know what I like! I search for good songs, but the epic songs came in times that I am not searching.Oh, and the first song that I've heard from maiden is (Wanna Guess?) Fear Of The Dark.
Loading...
|
| mojo Posts: 93  |
This was their first really shit album. There, I said it. Don't feel bad though - Iron Maiden are just one of several well-known metal bands who were huge in the 1980s but who seemed to lose their way come 1990 or so. This album (1988) led the charge into rubbishness. I will add that till this point they had been one of my favourite bands and their output prior to this piece of crap still blows me away.
---- Yeah. No. Wait, what was the question?
Loading...
|
| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by mojo on 03.09.2013 at 13:00 I would say their first shit album was Somewhere In Time, this one is better than that one, but after Seventh Son they have only released shit.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
Loading...
|
| angel. Evil Butterfly Posts: 2419  |
There is no shit like No Prayer For The Dying.
---- The Fangirl.
Loading...
|
| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 03.09.2013 at 13:13 I totally disagree on "Somewhere In Time" but I completely agree with the other part.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
Loading...
|
Hits total: 8494 | This month: 9