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Iron Maiden: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1998 Reissue) Heavy Metal, NWOBHM EMI Records April 11th, 1988
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Review
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is one of those releases that some consider a masterpiece or a classic, while others will scoff and call it highly overrated. While it's true this album isn't quite Iron Maiden's strongest release, it's easily one of their most laid back albums, which is where some people have problems with it, which is sad since this album has some really great tracks on it that have stood the test of time. The music on this release may not have a real kick to it most of the time, and kicks off with a rather light, laid back feel, until the track "Can I Play With Madness?" kicks in. While this track isn't really that much heavier, ther guitar work on the track is tight and adds a nice kick to the song, especially with the solo. The same can be said for the heavier and faster paced "The Evil That Men Do" as far the vocal performances go, but this is really the only track that has a real bite to it. The title track, "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" clocks in at nearly ten minutes and, for some it may be a lot, but there's just so much going on in the song, both musically and lyrically, that it should easily hold your attention from start to finish. The only song on here that really just doesn't seem to do anything would be "The Prophecy", which really doesn't have much of an impact and comes off bland. The end of the album is actually a good way to pull it off, since the album starts off with an acoustic moment with lyrics concentrating around seven, it ends after the catchy as hell "Only The Good Die Young" with the first few chords and lines that were performed in "Moonchild" at the very end of this track. The only problem is that it happens so suddenly without any real bridge that it actually hits you out of nowhere and just all around feels out of place. 1998 Reissue: This reissue of this release is actually set up nicely, it includes audio snippets from various other releases, as well as music videos, a biography of the band, some photos and all that fun stuff. Unfortunately, the material on the disc was unable to be read by the computer being used, but it's nice to know that this material is there if a computer that can actually run it is available. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is a great album for what it is, with two classic songs, and a number of other tracks that will make you just want to kick back and enjoy the ride, no matter how long the song lasts. The problem with those songs is that, regardless of how laid back you'll feel, there's no real bite to them and could have had a little more edge to them. Though Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son won't lie dormant forward on your shelves, you'll probably grow tired of some of the tracks on repeat listens to close to each other. Aside that, this is a well crafted album from Iron Maiden, and one worth checking out.
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