TYGA MYRA (UK) - Deliverance (LP, Ebony, 1986)

RATING: ***

Though obviously developed to allow a better understanding of a crucial period in the history of heavy rock music, the whole "post-NWOBHM" concept, if not used sparingly, can easily make things even more confusing. I mean, how do we draw a line between NWOBHM and post-NWOBHM - which also means to ask, how clear is the line between pre-NWOBHM and the 'bonafide' NWOBHM acts? Some consider that the whole NWOBHM thing quietly started sometime in the mid-1970's and grew from there; is there any evidence cast in stone to say it's wrong? Similarly, some people concerned with the matter tend to think that the NWOBHM did not end abruptly sometime in 1983 or thereabouts, but that it slowly fizzled out throughtout the decade - being perfectly possible, if you agree with that basis, to say that there was some residual NWOBHM happening in the late '80s, or perhaps even into the early '90s. I personally don't think like that, really: for me, the NWOBHM era roughly runs from 1979 to 1984, making little sense (apart from some notable exceptions, such as Blitzkrieg's "A Time of Changes" and the two singles from Urchin) to use the much-famous acronym before or after that timeframe. Of course, all this rumination is little more than an introduction to Tyga Myra's "Deliverance" LP from 1986 - a record whose appreciation really welcomes such questions, as it stands with one foot on each side, if that makes any sense to you.

The entity we came to know as Tyga Myra (a bizarre name, that, apparently related to serial killer Myra Hindley, dubbed "the most evil woman in Britain") were doing the rounds in the West Midlands area since at least 1984 (and possibly earlier), originally using the non-remotely-original moniker Vixen. Curiously, there's a strong connection with Cynic (the one who released the "Suicide" single in 1983), as bassist Barry Pedlingham was a regular fixture in Tyga Myra - though, bizarrely, he chose to rename himself as Randy Lingham, for reasons known only by himself. After seemingly dozens of line-up changes (and a now esoteric demo from 1985, from which I personally don't know of anyone claiming to possess a copy), a more stable formation seems to have been achieved early in 1986, with the presence of a few respectable members of the local scene - namely Teggi, who once played guitar for Savage (and also seem to have taken to himself the lion's share of songwriting), and Steve Dean, who used to pound the skins with local hopefuls Steeler - plus vocalist/guitarist Mike Jurgens, who probably also had some previous connections I'm not aware of at present. They seem to have had some good friends in the business, as they managed to sign the dotted line with Ebony (not an astounding feat, I'll give you that) and to enjoy the mentoring of Grim Reaper's guitarist/songwriter Nick Bowcott, who acted as something of a guest producer for the band's debut LP.

Now, I can almost hear you asking me, is "Deliverance" a post-NWOBHM record? It depends on how you look at it, you know. There's a lot of NWOBHM within the grooves, and tracks like "Right Through the Night" and "Never Givin' Up" even veer towards the more mid-tempo, heavy-rocking side of the spectrum; on the other hand, songs like "Deliverance (Last Rites)" and "Dead Zone" sure point to a more forceful, fast-and-furious direction.  While many Great Britain-based bands were sailing across more chart-friendly, keyboard-tinged waters, Tyga Myra's sole LP is a good representant of another sort of transition, incorporating the more hard-hitting influences from mainland Europe and the USA to create something of a British interpretation for the power/speed metal bandwagon. Think Tröjan, Preyer and, more loosely, Pariah and you'll have a good picture of what ground Tyga Myra were trying to tread. If I had to call any bands post-NWOBHM, a band like Tyga Myra would damn sure be on the list. And it was a work in progress, as "Deliverance" audibly demonstrates.

In fact, I sincerely think the lads were at their best when playing fast, twin-guitar oriented assaults rather than reworking already well-worn NWOBHM stereotypes. The opening with the aformentioned "Deliverance (Last Rites)" is quite good, with a bombastic, demonic intro that really sets the mood nicely (though I think they repeat the main riff a bit too much), while "Ain't Got Long to Go" presents some very muscular, highly engaging guitar interplay. "Rodeo" (an early-demo survivor) is also nice, though perhaps a bit more simplistic than its counterparts. But I still think "Dead Zone" is the best of the lot, a galloping mixture of semi-thrashy riffage and Iron Maiden-esque guitar histrionics that works beautifully. Elsewhere, maybe "Never Givin' Up" may be mentioned as a minor highlight - but I must admit I didn't care that much for "Ride Through the Night" (some unexpected Wrathchild vibes around here) and "Lightning Never Strikes Twice", whereas "Future Vision" is mostly decent, but not the track I would choose to close my debut album with a bang, if you know what I mean. In fact, the energy of the more aggressive tunes, by contrast, kinda emphasizes the middle-of-the-road spirit of the less forceful compositions, something surely not helped by the bare-bones, one-dimensional production - a problem that plagues many Ebony releases, but shows itself particularly bad on this one. It seems Nick Bowcott didn't put that much effort on his studio tutoring after all...

All things considered, "Deliverance" is an interesting album for both NWOBHM aficionados and those interested in the early manifestations of what we now know as both power and speed metal. It's a somewhat uneven ride, but with more than enough good things going to make it worthwhile. Maybe it would be even better if they had taken a few more months to write some extra tracks on a faster style, but that's life. The band seem to have hold some high hopes about the record at first, with a show booked for London's Marquee club in July 1986 (did it happen? I'm not sure) and plans for tours in both England and America being made in advance - but, considering that Mike Jurgens (under the stage name Embo) was hard on work with a new venture named Wreckage in as early as 1987 is strong indication that Tyga Myra was gone - or, at least, in serious disarray - little more than a year after their sole slice of vinyl came out. 

In fact, it transpires that Wreckage was something of an offshoot from Tyga Myra themselves, many of the previous band's scenesters having a level of involvemente with the newly-assembled combo. Wreckage released a few demos, and got as far as contributing to the thrash-oriented "A Taste of Armageddon" compilation from 1989 (with a track, named "Dogs of War", that sounds remarkably in keeping with Tyga Myra's harder edge), but seemingly gave up their self-penned-material aspirations in the early '90s, opting to metamorphose into a more crowd-pleasing, covers-based entity. I'm not sure for how long they actually lasted, but Jurgens later resurfaced with a Ozzy Osbourne tribute band named Wizards of Oz, assuming the role of the Madman himself and with the help of a few Wreckage survivors as his backing band. On the other hand, Teggi got involved with Fair Warning (the Swindon-based band): though seemingly not taking part in the "Rocking At the Speed of Light" 12'' single from 1987, he got as far as writing material for a full-length release that never saw the light of day, due to the untimely demise of bass player Phil Peters. I know Randy Lingham have been playing with Stone Cold Killers and Us, and Teggi (now living in Australia) also seems to be up for something interesting at present, though no firm info has surfaced as of yet. Tyga Myra have active pages in both Facebook and YouTube, anyway, and plans for official reissues and/or compilations are surely on the cards, so let's hope at least some of it comes to fruition in the near future. All the best, lads.

Many thanks to Heavy Metal Rarities forum and Discogs for picture sleeve / label scans!

Mike Jurgens (V/G), Teggi (G), Randy Lingham (B), Steve Dean (D). All tracks by Reeves, except 04 and 08 by Reeves/Jurgens.

01. Deliverance (Last Rites) 5:44
02. Lightning Never Strikes Twice 4:29
03. Right Through the Night 5:59
04. Ain't Got Long to Go 2:50
05. Rodeo 3:58
06. Never Givin' Up 4:24
07. Dead Zone 4:07
08. Future Vision 3:49

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! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Live At Donington (2 CD, EMI, 1993)

RATING: ****

In a sense, every live album from Iron Maiden since "Live After Death" is an exercise in redundance: no matter how good some of such releases turned out to be (and some of them are actually pretty bloody good), the fact is the band's ultimate live document, with the definitive line-up and all that, had already made its way to every self-respecting heavy metal fan's collection worldwide - and how can you expect to leave an even stronger impression when your definitive statement had already been made? To their credit, they never tried to sell the "Live at Donington" package as something to rival "Live After Death" in terms of relevance - the original release actually been presented and advertised as something of an official bootleg, two CDs housed in a fat box with tracklist, a few production details and not much else. Though recorded during their high profile appearance at 1992's Castle Donnington festival, Iron Maiden clearly didn't wanted to make such a big deal of the album's release - a stance in keeping with the more straighforward, back-on-the-streets approach explored since 1990's "No Prayer for the Dying", and also understandable in terms of business, as both "A Real Live One" and "A Real Dead One" had been released only a few months previously - in the case of the latter, actually, a mere 21 days back (I kid you not).

Now, I don't want to pretend this is something of an underrated classic or anything, but I have no doubt this is actually way better than the two live albums that preceded it, and perhaps one of the most enjoyable on-stage recordings from Iron Maiden's entire discography! For starters, it's clear for all to hear that the band sure delivered a powerful performance that night - something that, to be point-blank honest, wasn't really a usual occurrence during the truly confusing, often very tense days of 1992-1993. I'm sure the prospect of playing such a high-profile gig in their homeland, in front of nearly 80.000 fans, was more than enough for the band members to call a truce and focus all their collective abilities into delivering a strong performance, which was clearly the case that night. The instrumentation is muscular and tight, Bruce Dickinson signs quite well throughout, and everything flows remarkably well from start to end: nothing seems to drag along or overstay its welcome (even "Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter", a song that hardly ever works out fine in the live environment IMO, sounds pretty decent around here), and you'll hardly notice that nearly two hours had passed when the album is over, believe me on that. And there's even a (barely noticeable, to be honest) appearance from Adrian Smith himself, this being the (often forgotten) very first time the six-piece line-up we're all used to ever graced a stage, which surely adds a bit of curiosity value to the whole thing.

The setlist brings a good mix of old and new, including only the very best tunes from "Fear of the Dark" in such a way that it doesn't sound at all out of place among the undisputed classics from the past. The opening with "Be Quick or Be Dead" is actually one of the least impressive moments from the whole set - granted, they get away with it well enough, but it seems to me they never felt really comfortable playing such a phisically demanding song live - but things quickly recover with "The Number of the Beast", and it's all top notch from this point onwards. In fact, songs like "Tailgunner" and "Heaven Can Wait" greatly benefit from the live environment, sounding way more engaging than its studio incarnations. The decision to privilege shorter, punchier songs in the setlist also works remarkably well; in fact, if one had only this live record as evidence, would probably be inclined to conclude that Maiden were ready to remain strong well through the 90s, as this gritty edge sure had its place among the Painkillers and Cowboys From Hell from that era.

I personally tend to think that the most important quality a live record needs to offer is to sound like the real deal - I mean, it has to make a listener feel like being there. It doesn't really matter if it's full of overdubs or not, you know: albums like "Unleashed in the East" and "Live and Dangerous" are mostly re-recorded in a studio, but still they sound right, as they create the illusion one wants to feel when listening to a live record - something that many real-to-reel recordings simply doesn't capture to any enjoyable extent. It's hard to define, really: when it's there, you know it, and that's all. "Live After Death" has it in spades; "Live at Donington" may not be as bombastic, but it sure does have a fair bit of real live fire within its grooves. A good one to have in your collection to kick off a saturday evening, I'd say. And don't be too disheartened if you can't locate a copy from the 1st edition (or if you don't feel like paying good money on such a spartan package), as the 1998 reissue looks quite nice (with the original artwork from the festival's poster) and is improved by a remastered sound and some interesting multimedia material in the enhanced CD version.

As we all know by now, Bruce Dickinson's departure would be quite a traumatic one (his very poor performances during most of the 1993's European tour sure having a lot to do with that), and there was no love lost between the singer and the rest of the band when the final stand took place on August 28, 1993 - a special performance on Pinewood Studios, London that would be broadcast live on pay-per-view and later become the "Raising Hell" video from 1994. It's a fun watch if you're a fan, though far from being a particularly passionate delivery, and the tongue-in-cheek magic tricks (such as "amputating" Dave Murray's hands and "executing" Bruce in an iron maiden torture device), though cheesy as hell, are amusing enough to make for good entertainment. Whatever the case, I guess you'll excuse me for not writing a review, as it never received any audio-only treatment (and understandably so, as it was all tailored for TV in the first place), and this small corner of the internet is meant for discography-related releases only. Anyway, when it was over, it was clearly over - with some heavy words said by Nicko McBrain and Steve Harris giving strong indication that hell would have to freeze over in order for Bruce to be readmited. We all know how it turned out to be less than a decade later, but let's not rush things...

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D). Guest appearance: Adrian Smith (G).

01. Be Quick or Be Dead (Dickinson/Gers) 3:53
02. The Number of the Beast (Harris) 4:53
03. Wrathchild (Harris) 2:54
04. From Here to Eternity (Harris) 4:44
05. Can I Play With Madness (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 3:33
06. Wasting Love (Dickinson/Gers) 5:36
07. Tailgunner (Harris/Dickinson) 4:07
08. The Evil that Men Do (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 7:51
09. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Harris) 6:59
10. Fear of the Dark (Harris) 7:08
11. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter (Dickinson) 6:12
12. The Clairvoyant (Harris) 4:21
13. Heaven Can Wait (Harris) 7:20
14. Run to the Hills (Harris) 4:16
15. 2 Minutes to Midnight (Smith/Dickinson) 5:42
16. Iron Maiden (Harris) 8:14
17. Hallowed Be Thy Name (Harris) 7:27
18. The Trooper (Harris) 3:52
19. Sanctuary (Harris/Murray/Di'Anno) 5:18
20. Running Free (Harris/Di'Anno) 7:56

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! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - A Real Live One (LP, EMI, 1993) plus A Real Dead One (LP, EMI, 1993)

RATING: ***

I guess a bit of clarification is needed here. Though the "A Real Live Dead One" have been showcased as one live package since the late 1990's, the fact is that these recordings originally came out as two different sets, "A Real Live One" (released in March 1993) and "A Real Dead One" (October 1993) - and it's actually very relevant to bear them in mind as sepparate entities, as the "Dead" part contain songs from the infamous 1993's 'farewell tour' with Bruce Dickinson, while the "Live" album has only tracks that were recorded during the jaunts to promote "Fear of the Dark". Still (and I know it may sound contradictory), I don't see much of a point on reviewing the two parts sepparately, as they were meant to exist together pretty much from the start, as a two-album set rather than your usual double CD, and it would be hopelessly pedantic to pretend we're back in 1993, when you didn't knew what was coming for you and had to wait seven frickin' months to get the other one. Let's just write a single review for both records, then - if anything, it will allow us to get through this (to be frank) pretty mediocre batch of songs all too sooner, so we can focus our attentions on more pleasant-looking pastures.

Not that the "A Real Live Dead One" is devoid of interesting features, mind you. Historically speaking, it illustrates a very important period of the band: the departure of Bruce Dickinson, made known to the public in the early days of 1993. It was a long time coming in a sense, though the metal community would be taken by surprise nonetheless; in later interviews, Bruce would describe his increasing feeling of alienation and creative disconnection with the whole thing. The split was meant to be peaceful at first, and the fulfillment of some final European dates in the summer of '93 should have had a more light-hearted, good-humored outlook, something like a last hurrah for the much-loved vocalist - but that's not how it turned out to be, as we all know: the whole tour gone south very quickly, with bitter accusations that Bruce was deliberately under-performing at several concerts, saving his best performance for the high-profile dates. Bruce was always adamant that it wasn't the case, his lack of enthusiasm being a reaction to the bad vibes around the tour - but I did hear some bootlegs from the period, and his singing needed some serious improvement in order to reach sub-par status, if you know what I mean. 

None of this truly dreadful performances made its way into this particular package, fortunately, but trained ears can easily detect the dwindling enthusiasm between the grooves - and I don't mean just vocally, you see. It's nice to have the chance to hear live renditions of tracks such as "Prowler", "Remember Tomorrow", "Where Eagles Dare" and "Transylvania" (some nuggets offered by "A Real Dead One" that seldom, if ever, made way into the band repertoires ever since), but none are carried along with any great degree of enthusiasm, unfortunately - something that sure has a lot to do with Bruce Dickinson uninspired singing, but is also noticeable in the surprisingly loose, restrained instrumentation. I suppose it's understandable that a bad atmosphere and a crumbling line-up will result in less-than-memorable performances, but the wisdom of using such recordings for a live release can be seriously called into question. More common inclusions such as "The Number of the Beast" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" have nothing too spectacular going on either (though I actually like this particular rendition of "2 Minutes to Midnight" quite a lot), so I think it's safe to conclude that "A Real Dead One" is one for Maiden fanatics, being of little real benefit for anyone less obsessed about the band. 

Curiously, though comprising only tracks from the 1986-1992 period, "A Real Live One" is actually way more worthy a listen than its rather lackluster (though initially promising) counterpart. There's nothing truly remarkable going on, mind you, but it's interesting to hear tracks such as "Tailgunner", "From Here to Eternity", "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and "Wasting Love" faring pretty well in the live environment, the entire band seeming a way more interested (and interesting) unit during those tracks (it's no surprise most of these were recorded early in the tour supporting "Fear of the Dark"). There's a sense of coherence and intention around "A Real Live One" that is sorely missing on its "Dead" twin, the former sounding more like an album rather than a haphazard compilation of live recordings. I would surely have enjoyed a few different tracks around here ("Wasted Years" is a glaring absence, and "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" just drags along without any perceivable merit), but it's all pretty decent overall, and I'm sure most fans will be listening to CD 2 way more often than CD 1 (not that any of it will be spinning on your turntable on a daily basis, but I'm sure you'd catch my drift).

Both "A Real Live One" and "A Real Dead One" sold well enough at the time, and I guess the whole project served its purpose both as a souvenir of the period and a way to keep things going while assessing the difficult task of finding a substitute for Bruce Dickinson. I wouldn't say the discs sound dated nowadays or anything, but it's clear for me that "A Real Live Dead One" is a product of its time, so deeply connected with the events surrounding it that it's almost impossible to remove it from its context while giving it a listen. I don't think you really need it, but it's OK to have it if you have the chance, and you may even enjoy listening to it from time to time. Just don't overestimate it, and you'll be fine. 

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

A Real Live One (CD 2 of 'A Real Live Dead One')

01. Be Quick Or Be Dead (Dickinson, Gers) 3:15
02. From Here to Eternity (Harris) 4:19
03. Can I Play With Madness (Smith, Dickinson, Harris) 4:42
04. Wasting Love (Dickinson, Gers) 5:47
05. Tailgunner (Harris, Dickinson) 4:09
06. The Evil that Men Do (Smith, Dickinson, Harris) 5:25
07. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Harris) 6:47
08. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter (Dickinson) 5:17
09. Heaven Can Wait (Harris) 7:28
10. The Clairvoyant (Harris) 4:29
11. Fear of the Dark (Harris) 7:11

A Real Dead One (CD 1 of 'A Real Live Dead One')

01. The Number of the Beast (Harris) 4:54
02. The Trooper (Harris) 3:55
03. Prowler (Harris) 4:15
04. Transylvania (Harris) 4:25
05. Remember Tomorrow (Harris, Di'Anno) 5:52
06. Where Eagles Dare (Harris) 4:49
07. Sanctuary (Harris, Murray, Di'Anno) 4:53
08. Running Free (Harris, Di'Anno) 3:48
09. Run to the Hills (Harris) 3:57
10. 2 Minutes to Midnight (Smith, Dickinson) 5:37
11. Iron Maiden (Harris) 5:24
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name (Harris) 7:51

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! 

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! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - No Prayer for the Dying (LP, EMI, 1990)

RATING: **

I'm sure it seemed to be a good idea at first: a back-to-basics approach to Iron Maiden, moving away from the increasingly progressive overtones of the three previous albums in order to rejuvenate the band and plant the seeds for new and exciting things to come. Instead of fully metamorphosing into a metallic answer to Pink Floyd (some may say it happened eventually, but let's not rush things), their collective option would be to reconnect with their denim-and-leather looks and street-level attitude from the early 1980's, not to mention less artsy, way more aggressive lyrical subjects. While the whole pop-meets-metal thing was rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and with the advent of caustic variants such as death metal and even black metal, the turn of the decade seemed to suggest a collective move towards heavier, more straight-to-the-point waters - and bands like Judas Priest (always the trendsetters), Metallica and Pantera were already testing the water for some exciting developments ahead. Iron Maiden thought they could do the same by recapturing some of the magic from their "Killers" days as a new starting line, and I honestly don't see anything fundamentally wrong about that; in fact, I stongly think that 1990's "No Prayer for the Dying" LP could have been a hell of a great record under different circumstances. But the road to hell is full of good intentions, as Bruce Dickinson himself would state in later years, and the resulting album never really threatened to take the world by storm, instead becoming the opening act for a whole decade of confusion and instabilities (not to mention a handful of painfully poor songs to match).

Well, maybe we should all have seen it coming when Adrian Smith announced his departure in January 1990, with the dreaded artistic differences playing a major role in such decision. In fact, after recording a pretty decent (but ultimately unsuccessful) solo album under the name ASAP - which explored the same progressive avenues of previous Maiden records, though going to some decidedly different directions - the guitarist felt the idea of a stripped-down Iron Maiden was a step backwards and something of a non-starter, his preference being towards an even more adventurous, prog-oriented sound. Unable to bring substantial creative contributions to the table, and feeling increasingly unattached to the whole Maiden thing, Smith decided to pack his bags and take something of a sabbathical, being very much of a family man for  number of years. The thing is, Adrian had been one of the band's main songwriters since his arrival in 1980, and his absence meant that much of what made Iron Maiden such a powerplant of metal classics simply wouldn't be there for a full decade. With new axeman Janick Gers (ex-White Spirit/Gillan, and a colleague of Bruce Dickinson in his solo effort "Tattooed Millionaire") still being too shy to contribute to songwriting just yet, the group had little usable ideas to work with for their new record - and it shows, unfortunately. I won't delve into the stylistic differences between Smith and Gers right now, as it's my intention to give it a proper analysis in later reviews, but let's just say that Adrian Smith is missed, and the group would continue to have a hard time without him in later years.

The decision to keep things raw and simple resulted in at least two other significant changes - both not coming for the best, IMHO. First, singer Bruce Dickinson decided to adapt his vocal delivery to the new decade, leaving his operatic intonations behind in order to pursue a raspier, aggressive sound. Now, I know some Maiden fans love it to death, but I'm generally less charitable about it, and I tend to think it marks a significant low point in Dickinson's career. It's not at all atrocious, and it sounds good enough on record, but it was surely the less impressive Bruce The Air Raid Siren ever sounded upon a stage, and some of his performances (available in a number of bootleg recordings from 1990-1993) are simply not good enough for such a enormous entity like Iron Maiden. Similarly, the decision to record in Barnyard Studios (basically, a Rolling Stones Mobile Studio parked in a farm owned by Steve Harris in Essex) must be seriously called into question, as it resulted in a thin, generic sound that doesn't add any fuel to the fire, if you know what I mean. I'm sure Martin Birch did his best, but a quick comparison with the stellar results from albums like "Killers" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" show in no uncertain terms how the whole let's-record-it-at-home-and-in-a-very-relaxed-manner thing was a mistake.

Though not an unmitigated disaster, fact is that "No Prayer for the Dying" is easily the least enjoyable album released by Maiden up to this point, and still ranks as one of the lesser points in the band's discography. And it doesn't take a masters degree to understand why: the songwriting simply wasn't there. Let's take opening track "Tailgunner" as an example: though a pretty decent song in its own right (in fact, it's one of the best tracks on display around here), it's honestly little more than a restrained, less intense rehashing of "Aces High" (the subject matter is very similar, and the song structure is pretty much the same), and it simply doesn't hold enough fire in itself to be a suitable opening number. The fact that it is followed by "Holy Smoke" (easily my favorite here, with tons of energy and funny, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about televangelism) sure help matters to a considerable extent, but it's still not enough to really get the party started. And it doesn't get better, believe me - in fact, we have just passed through the highlights, and it's mostly a struggle from this point onwards.

The title track is a more laid back, highly melodic tune with guitar harmonies that bear more than a passing resemblance to "Infinite Dreams" - it's not bad, really, just lacking the ingenuity and bite to make it genuinely interesting. Songs like "Fates Warning" and "Run Silent Run Deep" are plagued by the same lack of imagination, with weak choruses and melodies that one will forget as soon as the songs are over; "Public Enema Number One" is a bit better, admitedly, but suffers from the same hindrances for the most part. "Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter" is the hit single from the LP, and arguably the most memorable tune from the entire package, but I don't think it stood that well the test of time, as it's so cheesy that you need to appreciate its unintentional humor in order to really enjoy it. And don't get me started on "Mother Russia", a weak pastiche of former epics that is pretty much a clumsily edited version of "Alexander the Great" (c'mon, even the atmospheric part in the instrumental section is near identical!). I love you, Steve, but this one is embarassing, easily one of the worse songs ever penned by band. 

I wouldn't really list these as standouts, mind you, but I tend to consider "Hooks in You" (nice, hard-rocking riffing, and some vocal lines you can sing along with without much effort) and "The Assassin" (nice twists and turns in instrumentation, and I like the "better watch out" part in the chorus, though Bruce's rendition is perhaps too over-the-top for my liking) as decent songs for Maiden's standards, both adding some depth and color to the proceedings - just never compare it to previous records and you will be fine, I guess. Still, it's too little to save "No Prayer for the Dying" from its fate: let's face it, the whole back-to-street-level thing just didn't work out as planned, and the resulting album clearly shows Maiden in a descending curve, for the first time in their glorious career. It still wasn't enough to really tarnish the band's reputation, you know, and the tour to support the album was a great success for the most part, but the heroes were no longer invincible, and the lackluster results of the record were something of a bad sign of things to come. As for the album itself, you'll probably like it if you're a fan, but newcomers must be warned that there's not a single brilliant song on sight, and more casual listeners will have a hard time trying to listen to it without skipping.

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

01. Tailgunner (Harris/Dickinson) 4:13
02. Holy Smoke (Harris/Dickinson) 3:47
03. No Prayer for the Dying (Harris) 4:22
04. Public Enema Number One (Murray/Dickinson) 4:03
05. Fates Warning (Murray/Harris) 4:09
06. The Assassin (Harris) 4:16
07. Run Silent Run Deep (Harris/Dickinson) 4:34
08. Hooks in You (Dickinson/Smith) 4:06
09. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter (Dickinson) 4:42
10. Mother Russia (Harris) 5:30

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! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (LP, EMI, 1988)

RATING: *****

Let's get straight to it: for me, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" is the best album ever recorded by Iron Maiden. It's not my personal favorite (as of today, that would go to "Powerslave"), and surely not their most influential and/or groundbreaking (you can either pick the eponymous debut or "The Number of the Beast" and you won't go wrong with any of these); I wouldn't even say that it's an underappreciated turning point in the group's career, or words to that effect (that would have to be "The X Factor", but let's not rush things). But I strongly tend to think it's the only Maiden album with not a single filler and/or perceivably minor song in sight (maybe only the 1980's self-titled LP would give it a fight on that regard), and the one who best encapsule all the elements associated with Maiden's sound, balancing the epic and ambitious aspect of the band's personality with the usual catchiness and dynamism we all learned to love and admire. It's a huge improvement to the somewhat lacklustre "Somewhere in Time" (though most of its many admirers will never agree with me on that), and it comes as a culmination to what is undeniably one of the very best runs ever experienced by a rock band, regardless of genres. If you somehow happen to not have a copy in your collection, the only thing I have to say is that you're quite a lucky person indeed, as you still can enjoy the extremely rewarding experience of listening to it for the first time. 

After pretty much keeping the show on the road and not much else with the competent (but mostly unimpressive) "Somewhere in Time", Iron Maiden found themselves in something of a crossroads: they could either rest on their laurels and re-record the same album every two years in order to make a (very respectable and wealthy) living, or else they could, well, take some risks and try something different this time around. Fortunately, they picked the second option. After reading Orson Scott Card's "Seventh Son" novel, Steve Harris felt that exploring the paranormal gifts of a child destined to be the chosen one would be quite a fitting storyline for a concept album - and the prospect of writing and recording such a project seems to have invigorated the whole band, most of all Bruce Dickinson. He is undoubtedly one of the highest points on "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son": his soul and energy were pretty much absent on "Somewhere in Time", but he's surely back with a vengeance here, co-writing over half the songs and delivering some of the most inspired performances from his career. Take "The Evil that Men Do" as an example: it's a way more difficult song to sing than it seems to be at first, and the man moves from a truly expressive low register to gloriously soaring belts and high notes that many singers out there would sell their mothers to reach - all in a seemingly effortless manner that is genuinely impressive, to say the least.

Some may argue (like Dickinson himself did in later years) that "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" is not a full-blown conceptual album, being more a collection of songs loosely connected by a central subject. But I feel such criticism kind of misses the point, you know: Iron Maiden is not trying to draw conclusions or defending a thesis about good and evil, but rather taking the artistic quest started on "Piece of Mind" (and, to some extent, hinted on classic songs like "Phantom of the Opera") to its logical conclusion, stretching their storytelling abilities and instrumental dexterity to the limits of a full LP. It's more of a challenge they set for themselves, let's put it that way, and the resulting album sounds truly cohesive and engaging, perhaps the most well-rounded record Iron Maiden ever did - maybe not like you're moving from chapter to chapter while reading a book or something, but with a consistent flow that never stumbles and keeps the listener's attention from start to end. The storyline may demand an extra bit of imagination from the listener in places, but still it makes perfect sense: the first 4 songs (the A side, that is) tells us the story of the seventh son, who is tormented by dreams and visions he can hardly understand, while songs 5 to 7 are about the seventh son of the seventh son (surprising, heh?), who can predict his village's doom but cannot foresee his own demise. Track 8 is there to round things off, more like a meditation about good and evil rather than bringing any moral to the tale.

The keyboards, although with quite simple arrangements most of the time, are a markedly improvement on the rather tepid synths from the previous record, as they're now a very significant element on many songs (most of all during the opening tune "Moonchild" and the title track). To some, it gives the record a slightly dated vibe, as a strong reminiscent of the sugar-coated production jobs many metal artists received during the mid-to-late 1980's, but once again I beg to differ: it has a lot more to do with the atmospheric use of the instrument by prog rock bands from the 1970's and early next decade, something done to create open, slightly otherworldly landscapes rather than make songs more palatable. And it connects emotionally with the lyrical subjects quite well: though Maiden were never a philosophical band per se, songs like "Infinite Dreams", "The Clairvoyant" and "Only the Good Die Young" easily rank among the most thought-provoking ever written by the group up to this point, or ever since. 

All songs herein are great, and it's remarkable how the group managed to write such dissimilar tunes while still keeping a feeling of connection and coherence between them. Nothing is interchangeable around here: the furious (and brilliant) "Moonchild" doesn't sound at all like the catchy (and brilliant) "Can I Play with Madness", which is also totally different from the surprisingly convoluted (and also brilliant) "The Prophecy" and so on. Everything is right into place, nothing sounds excessive, no tune could be substituted by anything else - and everything kicks serious ass, believe me. As personal favorites, I would pick the bombastic "The Evil that Men Do" (one of the most memorable songs the band ever written, no less), the immensely epic "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", and the radio-friendly "Can I Play with Madness" (aah, if all rock-oriented radio would play only awesome songs like that) - but it's entirely subjective of my part really, as all songs are great and full of positive features. Maybe "Only the Good Die Young" is a slightly less impressive track in comparison with the rest, but still is a hell of a good song in its own right, and it works perfectly well as an album closer, with a powerful, triumphant vibe that definitely round things off with a bang. All individual performances are impeckable as well, and the resulting record is truly a joy to listen to.

Not that Iron Maiden was in need of a definitive record or anything (they already had a handful of those under their belts), but it's fair (and perhaps necessary) to say that "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" was something of a career-defining achievement for the band: they wanted to prove they could conceive an album as an artistic statement, and oh man did they succeed or what. In light of that, it's somewhat surprising to verify that it was something of a last hurrah, rather than the beginning of a new, glorious chapter. The back-to-basics approach they would adopt on next album "No Prayer for the Dying", though not an unmitigated disaster, would turn out to be a failure - and it didn't cost only the presence of Adrian Smith, but also headed the band's vessel towards some very troubled waters, with a diminishing profile within the metal world coming as a result. I would call it 'the difficult '90s', and God knows how difficult the whole ride indeed was for Iron Maiden, but let's save such polemics for a new entry, where the subject can be developed in greater detail.

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Adrian Smith (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko Mc'Brain (D).

01. Moonchild (Smith/Dickinson) 5:38
02. Infinite Dreams (Harris) 6:08
03. Can I Play with Madness (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 3:30
04. The Evil that Men Do (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 4:33
05. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (Harris) 9:52
06. The Prophecy (Murray/Harris) 5:04
07. The Clairvoyant (Harris) 4:26
08. Only the Good Die Young (Harris/Dickinson) 4:40

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! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Somewhere in Time (LP, EMI, 1986)

RATING: ****

To say that the World Slavery Tour was exhausting would be a glaring understatement. In fact, the Iron Maiden camp were totally drained when the seemingly never-ending jaunt finally folded in July 1985, to such an extent that an extended break was granted so everyone (including the almost-unsung heroes from the road crew) could get themselves together before working on a new album. Releasing the (remarkably enjoyable) 2-LP live set "Live After Death" proved to be a wise move actually, not only to immortalise an immensely sucessful tour, but also to have something to sell while the band enjoyed a much-needed vacation. 

From the musicians involved, Bruce Dickinson seems to have been the most burned-out of all; he famously commented that, towards the end of the tour, he felt like he was "a piece of machinery, a part of the lightning rig", and it transpires that the vocalist seriously contemplated quitting the music scene altogether, questioning himself if the gruelling touring schedule would be a life worth living after all. Fortunately, his decision was to keep playing the game - which is not to say he was immediately back with all guns blazing, mind you, as no contributions from his part made it into "Somewhere in Time", Maiden's sixth studio LP released in September 1986. It seems that Bruce wrote a handful of semi-acoustic tunes, trying to take the whole venture towards a different direction - something that would hardly have been a wise move for a band that had just conquered the world by playing uncompromising, highly focused heavy metal, so I guess the fact that this particular batch of songs never saw the light of day in its original form was all for the best, really.

Now please allow me to make myself clear: "Somewhere in Time" is undoubtedly a very good record. I'm aware that many people actually pick it as a personal favorite, a decision that is perfectly understandable in a sense: it's a more progressive-leaning, instrumentally-driven album, and those who love Iron Maiden's ambitious instrumental sections (and who doesn't?) will get quite a kick out of listening to this LP (I know I do, for instance). Still, after long deliberation, I have to be honest with myself: this is perhaps the weakest Maiden album from the 80s (as I consider "No Prayer for the Dying" to be a 90s album in both sound and spirit, even if we could argue about the year 1990 being technically part of the 80s and so on), and the band sounds tired - in fact, very tired - and a bit unfocused throughout. Bruce Dickinson may have been the one who suffered the most, being the frontman and all, but there's no doubt in my mind that the entire band were still trying to catch their breath by this juncture. And it shows.

Let's start by taking a closer look to the choruses, for instance. Only "Wasted Years" and "Sea of Madness" present something more thoughtful and ellaborate: the rest are rather unimaginatively centered around the song titles, or else simply repeating a phrase or motif to no end (c'mon, "feel like I've been here before" four times in a row may be one of the less inventive choruses ever penned in major-league metal). The lyrics mostly suffer from a dip in quality as well, being less interesting in both craft and topics when compared to previous efforts: I mean, they used to write thought-provoking lyrics about the doomsday clock or the final moments of a man about to be hanged, and now they're resorting to commentary about feeling a deja-vu or running a marathon. "Alexander the Great" is a good example when it comes to this particular shortcoming: where previous epics like "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" cruised with amazing storytelling, "Alexander the Great" stumbles while giving something real close to a history lecture, with a list of dates, battles and occurences that fail to create any emotional connection with the figure the song sings about. It's clear to me that Steve Harris did his research before writing about Alexander III of Macedon, so let's give him credit where is due - but he's a songwriter, not a teacher, and the lyrics he came up with are seriously lacking in artistry, being rather bland as a result.

In fact, maybe the overall lack of imagination is "Somewhere in Time" undoing. The instrumentation is great, and some particular moments are close to brilliant, though the piece of experimentation with synth guitars/bass doesn't really add much to the band's sound. But it's hard to pick a song that is flawless from start to end: maybe only "Wasted Years" could have been part of "Powerslave" without being perceivably weaker than the rest, and I seriously doubt that "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" or "Deja-Vu" would have been more than B-sides on any of their previous records, you know. "Caught Somewhere in Time" is perhaps a perfect opening number for this particular LP: it's pretty nice in places, and quite engaging as a whole if you're in the right frame of mind, but there's no real inspiration going on (apart from Adrian Smith's truly impressive solo), just a hugely talented bunch of musicians getting their job done on autopilot. Iron Maiden by the numbers are leagues ahead of 99% of their competition, but it's still by the numbers, if you know what I mean.

Not all is lost, though - and, in the case of "Somewhere in Time", not all is lost at all. It's the record that finally consolidated Adrian Smith as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to songwriting; with the band seemingly in a shortage of usable ideas, he came up with what is easily the best song around here, "Wasted Years" - a heartfelt commentary about life on the road that still ranks as one of the most memorable songs from Maiden's entire repertoire. He also contributed with "Stranger in a Strange Land", a song that would have benefit from a little more variation in places, but that tells a moving story about an explorer lost in the Antarctic and is also one of my personal favorites from the album. OK, "Sea of Madness" sounds a bit too half-baked for its own good, but at least it's miles better than the self-parody of "Deja-Vu" (I really don't like this one, in case you didn't notice), so kudos for trying something different, Adrian. From the four songs penned by Steve Harris, I'd say that "Heaven Can Wait" is the best of the lot: despite a repetitive chorus that really annoys me after a while, it's a very cohesive, entertaining (and not overly ambitious) tune about a near-death experience that successfully delivers all of its promises. On a more conceptual level, it's commendable that the five-piece kept things going without compromising the drive and heavy edge of their sound, in a time when many metal champions were seduced by pop-rockish flirtations and the keyboard-coated aesthetics of the era. And oh well, it's 80s Maiden, and Iron Maiden were nearly invincible throughout the 80s, so you can all rest assured that great music will come out of your speakers when you press 'play'. It's a 4-star rating, because it's still a bloody good record, and you should definitely give it a few listens if (God knows how) you haven't done so until now.

Still - and it pains me to say so, because I really enjoy listening to it - the fact is clear for any inquisitive ears to hear: "Somewhere in Time" is not as good an album as you may think it is, and it did not stood that well the test of time. For the first time in Maiden's glorious history, they sound predictable and slightly contrived, like they were trying to please rather than being natural leaders of the heavy metal pack. The band were tired, and "Somewhere in Time" is undoubtedly a tired (though very decent) record from a tired band. Maybe it's a natural development after a band gets so huge: some sort of stagnation starts to settle in, and you may need one or two unimpressive releases (or perhaps dozens) before you're really able to shake it off. They would really top all expectations next time around though, releasing what is arguably their only 100/100 album, so I'd say that "Somewhere in Time" didn't cause their fortunes any perceivable harm, being more of a hiccup rather than an ominous sign of things to come. Still totally worth buying, though.

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

01. Caught Somewhere in Time (Harris) 7:22
02. Wasted Years (Smith) 5:06
03. Sea of Madness (Smith) 5:42
04. Heaven Can Wait (Harris) 7:24
05. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Harris) 6:31
06. Stranger in a Strange Land (Smith) 5:43
07. Deja-Vu (Murray, Harris) 4:55
08. Alexander the Great (Harris) 8:35

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!