Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

The original version of their 1988 EMI album, unavailable inthe U.S. Eight tracks, including 'Can I Play With Madness','The Evil That Men Do' and 'The Clairvoyant'. Album Description

My favorite IM album.

At first, in the early 90s upon first listen around 13-14 years old, I sort of passed this album off as good but didn't listen much.

Then, back in the early 2000s, I dowloaded again. As a musician, suddenly this album was a different experience at 23 than 13. I never understood the ties the songs had, the clever underlying synth work.

This is one of the all-time great metal albums for the mature listener. Some have been referencing pop music, and yes there are some hooks here and poppy sounds, but it's metal. Pop-metal, sure in places, but this IS heavy metal through and through.

The Clairvoyant, Infinite Dreams, and 7th Son are 3 of the 10 best maiden songs ever.

Buy this album, steal it if you must if you are into progressive, yet poppy metal that has highly skilled musicians performing at the peak of their careers. July 5, 2008

Playing with madness

I have never been a HUGE MAiden fan, I mean, I like them but they aren't a band I overly got into. This is the first Maiden album in my collection. I do like their sound, just never got around to buying their albums. But this is a classic album. The album is a great album song for song. There isn't a bad track on it. If you want to take a trip down nostalgia lane, and hear what metal music is supposed to sound like, pick this up. June 5, 2008

Farewell To The Decade

This was Iron Maiden's last studio album of the 80s, a decade they ruled the metal scene with their classic string of albums. The golden years of Maiden would end with this album, as guitarist Adrian Smith would jump ship, Bruce Dickinson would begin to change his voice slightly, and the bands overall songwriting would begin to dip.

This is, possibly, Iron Maiden's best album. However, those 1st seven albums are all fantastic, and I really don't have a favorite. It depends on what kind of mood I am in.

This album has a remarkable feel to it. They keyboards and music go along perfectly to the storyline. Oh yeah, this is Maiden's great and only concept record, and it stands as one of the best metal concept albums ever. Highlights are basically every song. The lyrics are fantastic (just read the lyrics to "The Evil That Men Do") and Dickinson really belts it on this one.

This was a fantastic way to close the decade for the band. The 90s would prove difficult for Maiden, going through the dark age of metal and the departure of Dickinson. They would make one truly great album in that entire decade (The X Factor) and then Bruce and Adrian would return, going into the 2000s as they were in the 80s: GODS.

Go buy this one. You will be doing yourself a favor. June 1, 2008

Almost perfect

A lot has been debated about this album, and the prior release, Somewhere in Time. Many felt Iron Maiden experimented far too much and weren't as metal as they were on their first 5 albums. But I'm here to tell you about 7th Son, an album I consider Iron Maidens best. First up is Moonchild, a scorcher of an opener that not only sends the adrenaline pumping, but lyrically sets the concept in motion. In typical Iron Maiden form at this point, the opener gets your attention. We then dive into Infinite Dreams, one of my all time favorites. A slow burner with great lyrics such as "It can't be all coincidence/Too many things are evident/You tell me you're an unbeliever/Spiritualist?/ Well me I'm neither/But wouldn't you like to know the truth/Of what's out there/ to have the proof/And find out just which side you're on/Where would you end?/ In Heaven or In Hell?"

It's a masterpiece, no doubt about it. Next up we have Can I Play With Madness? At the time of release a bit of contention surrounded this song. For me, the song fits into the album perfectly, but for many, this was Maidens "Enter Sandman", a song that introduced mainstream Mtvers, and even some radio listeners to Maiden. It's a very good song, and great to sing along to. However It's the weakest on the disc. But me even saying that is misleading since it's still great, and more importantly fits into the album concept. The Evil That Men Do is a phenomenal live song, and a rip roaring track on this cd. Also, the lyrics shine here with verses like "Circle of fire my baptism of joy at an end it seems/The seventh lamb slain, the book of life opens before me/And I will pray for you, someday I may return/Don't you cry for me, beyond is where I learn/"

Breaking from tradition we have the title track, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. I say breaking from tradition because it's the longest track at close to ten minutes, and usually those cuts were saved for the last slot on the album. This song is once again among Maidens best. By this point you get the message...and perhaps can even gloss some of the story from my admittedly quick impressions. But the final three songs are where the entire concept comes together with The Prophecy, The Clairvoyant and Only The Good Die Young. The Prophecy is so good from first line to last that most people say this and Infinite Dreams are the first immediate classics upon first listen. Here's the first verse, and you'll see why: "Now that I know that the right time has come/My prediction will surely be true/The impending disaster it looms/And the whole of the village is doomed/Why won't you listen to me/is it so hard to understand/That I am the real seventh son/Your life or death on me depends/"

As you can see, there are people who refuse to believe in his prophecy. After this, The Clairavoyant expands upon the idea and shows that he has died. And the cd ends with Only The Good Die Young, which is a great capper to a great concept album.

Overall I fluctuate on my favorite Maiden Albums. However, I know this much: If we are to combine quality of music, lyrics and subject matter, then Seventh Son stands at the top of the list. You can't go wrong with this album. May 14, 2008

The End of Maiden

This is pretty much where Iron Maiden stops being Maiden in my book and I would think that I would be the last to say this as a dedicated Maiden fan since Number of the Beast came out. Compared to what they had produced before, this album is simply the pits. Aaargh! Just horrible in every department; lyrically and musically. The synthesized sound is just overdone and was already overdone in Somewhere in Time. 'Moonchild', 'Evil That Men Do', and 'Only the Good Die Young' are the best songs on this album. 'Infinite Dreams' is also fairly decent. The rest is pretty bad by Maiden standards and the lyrics are just bland. 'Can I Play With Madness?' Please; it sounds like a kid asking if he can play on the swing for a couple of more minutes. Just awful! April 3, 2008

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