IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Fear of the Dark (LP, EMI, 1992)

RATING: ***

Though it’s fair to say that “No Prayer for the Dying” turned out to be the lowest point in Iron Maiden’s career by that time, treat it as a disastrous misstep or even a serious setback for the band’s fortunes would be a significant exaggeration. “Bring Your Daughter… To the Slaughter” remains the group’s sole number 1 single in the UK to this day, and the tour to support the album (with a surprisingly stripped-down and basic stage set and lightning rig) amassed over 120 shows and over 2 million tickets sold, so it’s safe to say that the lackluster results of the record should be seen as more of a scratch rather than any major blow to the band’s reputation. The notion of Iron Maiden as a band that could do no wrong was tarnished, there’s little doubt about that, but it wasn’t that much of a big deal anyway, and the heavy metal scene sure wanted to hear whatever music the lads would come up with next.

Now I must admit I never fully made up my mind on “Fear of the Dark”, the 1992 effort that signaled an important end of the line for the band, as it would be the group’s last studio record with Bruce Dickinson for a while. It’s an obvious improvement over its rather disappointing predecessor, and nearly half the songs on it are top-drawer Maiden stuff, which would be more than enough to make it a worthwhile investment for any dedicated metal fan. But it also struggles with some questionable songwriting in places (though new man Janick Gers does a pretty commendable contribution most of the time around here), and its lack of cohesion is something of a harbinger of bad days to come, both for the band themselves and for the heavy metal scene as a whole. Yeah, the 1990s were truly confusing times for metal with a lot of misfires, and though “Fear of the Dark” is actually quite a decent album when compared to what most of their competition would release at roughly the same time, it’s still not a winner by any stretch, and surely not a match to anything they released in the 1980s.

The band kept most of the back-on-the-streets aesthetics of “No Prayer for the Dying” intact, with all that leather-jackets-and-Levi-jeans, unshaved-men-with-long-hair looks and stuff, and I must say it works markedly better this time around, as the package holds better songs to give credence to the whole thing. The production is fairly basic, but doesn’t lack in energy or bite, and the world-conscious lyrics on most songs have a much stronger grip on reality, being far more interesting than the rather perfunctory drivel of “Public Enema Number One” or “Fates Warning”, to name a few. I also like Bruce’s vocals a bit more this time around: granted, he is no longer singing as he used to on “Piece of Mind” or “Powerslave”, but his raspy variation sounds more on point here, maybe because he’s a bit more confident about how and when to use it to the fullest extent. Opening track “Be Quick or be Dead” showcases it beautifully, with a surprisingly aggressive, but still highly skilled and layered vocal performance. The song as a whole kicks serious ass BTW, a fast and furious tirade on stock market’s recklessness and avarice that brings some surprising heaviness to the table, not to mention one of the most intense guitar riffs the band ever penned (congratulations, Janick Gers). Despite its undeniable merits, I guess it’s actually little surprising that the band dropped this tune from their setlists as soon as the original tour was over, as I’m sure it is a truly demanding song to play live. What a great opening tune, and if you’re not hyped about the album after listening to it, I guess you should really question if metal is your thing after all.

The CD keeps on doing fine right afterwards, with “From Here to Eternity” being a hard-rockish, good-time tune about Charlotte the Harlot and the Devil himself having a meeting on the road to Hell, or something. The lyrics are pretty inconsequential, and hardly anyone will list it as one of Maiden’s undisputed classics, but it’s all quite funny and engaging nonetheless, and I tend to think that this is the precise kind of track “No Prayer for the Dying” needed to fulfill its own promises. It came a little too late for that album, but better late than never, I guess. “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” is also quite good, a meditative epic about the Gulf War with heartfelt lyrics and trademark Maiden instrumentation. Some have pointed out how similar it is to “Infinite Dreams” in terms of both structure and guitar melodies, and I think the critics might have a point, but it’s a far more somber track when compared to its supposed twin brother, and I think that’s OK that bands sound a bit self-referential from time to time, as long as they don’t slide to self parody, which is surely not the case here.

It’s when “Fear is the Key” comes out of the speakers that the problems begin to appear. I know some fans really enjoy it, a few even regarding it as an underrated classic of some sort, but I beg to differ: it’s confusing, its parts poorly sewn together, with lyrics (supposed to be about AIDS) that hardly make sense and some metal-meets-jazz semi-improvisations that are frankly cringeworthy, if truth be told. I’m not unamenable to some experimentation, you see, but this particular track simply doesn’t work, and it ruins the flow of the record to a great extent.

The ride gets quite bumpy from this point onwards, with some seriously great tracks being paired with substandard tunes that hardly add to the album’s strength. “Wasting Love” is a truly excellent ballad with simple, but very effective guitar work and a stellar performance from Bruce, while “Judas Be My Guide” is a short-and-sweet heavy rocker that does everything right and easily could have made its way into the band’s live set on occasion. On the other hand, songs like “The Fugitive”, “Chains of Misery” and “Childhood’s End”, though decent enough, lack the necessary features to become really memorable, whereas “Weekend Warrior” is actually quite alright, but perhaps too hard-rocking for its own good, sounding more like a solo track or a B-side rather than a pure-blood Maiden Metal tune. And “The Apparition” is honestly a very poor track, one of the most disappointing songs ever penned by the band, and it shocks me that it actually made it into the finished product, as it has the feel of an impromptu recording rather than a proper effort in songwriting. Fortunately, the final spins come to the rescue, as “Fear of the Dark” is easily one of the most memorable songs ever recorded by Maiden, a truly engaging rumination about, well, being afraid of the dark that has all the hooks to become an all-time heavy metal classic. Some naysayers complaint about the fact that nearly every setlist ever since has "Fear of the Dark" on it, but how many bands out there can claim to have recorded an undisputed metal classic so late in their careers? Outstanding, really, and I can't help but feel humbled by Maiden's enduring mastery of their craft.

All things considered, “Fear of the Dark” may be an uneven listen, but it’s a good enough album nonetheless, and there’s little doubt that anyone familiar with the way Iron Maiden does things will find a lot of things to enjoy on that record. Just don’t keep your expectations too high and you will be fine, I guess. Unfortunately, things weren’t going that well in the Maiden camp already back then, and soon some internal friction would result in some pretty drastic changes. But there’s no less than three live albums to go through before we get to the next studio record, so let’s save all the commotion around the departure of Bruce Dickinson for the next installments, shall we?

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D).

01. Be Quick Or Be Dead (Dickinson, Gers) 3:21

02. From Here to Eternity (Harris) 3:35

03. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Harris) 6:52

04. Fear is the Key (Dickinson, Gers) 5:30

05. Childhood's End (Harris) 4:37

06. Wasting Love (Dickinson, Gers) 5:46

07. The Fugitive (Harris) 4:52

08. Chains of Misery (Dickinson, Murray) 3:33

09. The Apparition (Harris, Gers) 3:53

10. Judas Be My Guide (Dickinson, Murray) 3:06

11. Weekend Warrior (Harris, Gers) 5:37

12. Fear of the Dark (Harris) 7:16

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!