There have been hundreds of reviews of Seventh Son, not only at the time of release but also 10, 20 or 30 years later so here, alongside my views on the album, I will focus on the relationship between myself and the music including my thoughts from 35 years ago.
Every serious listener of music can point to moments, concerts, songs and albums that had a substantial, enduring impact on the direction their fandom has taken. For me, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden was one of the most significant, certainly in terms of my relationship with metal music over the past 35 years.
At the time, I was already a fan of bands such as Marillion, Magnum, Genesis and Queen - a good foundation for the budding rock fan and basis for enjoying a band such as Maiden, who at the time were heading in a more progressive direction. I was certainly aware of Iron Maiden and their status within the music industry but at the beginning of 1988 (I was fifteen at the time), I had yet to fully plunge into the heavier side of music – it is a journey that I continue to this day as a confirmed metalhead.
In those days, Kerrang! (who gave the album 5 Ks) was still one of the go-to magazines for rock and metal fans (it caters for a slightly different area of metal music these days) and it was during the first months of 1988 that I began to read about the upcoming new album by Iron Maiden. Positivity abounded around it and I began to read everything I could about the music that they were due to release. I also began to listen to more of their music and obtained Live After Death (on cassette!)- a double live album seemed to be the perfect place to begin to devour a decent amount of the band’s back catalogue. Although it does not contain any songs from Somewhere in Time (now one of my favourite Maiden albums and the stepping- stone between Powerslave and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son), Live After Death was the perfect introduction to Maiden. During those first listens, I probably did not appreciate the true standing of that album and the songs it contained in the history of the band .
Fast forward to the mid-March 1988 and my purchase (on release day) of the first single from the album – Can I Play With Madness on 7” vinyl. Holding that first piece of Maiden vinyl (and buying their first new piece of music since becoming interested in the band) felt incredibly special. While I was unaware of it, cocooned as I was in my own thoughts (and lack of knowledge) about the band, many long-time fans simply did not like the new direction with the introduction of even more synths and even keyboards to the band’s sound. However, my current musical interests meant that I was more than open to keyboards and rich, lush synths. As the needle dropped and the opening scream rang out and Steve Harris’s galloping bass kicked in, I was already hooked. The three and half minutes rushed by and I immediately played it again – one of probably twenty plays that day. Everything about the single was perfect: the song, its sound, the lyrics and the artwork. It was to become Maiden’s highest charting single (making number 3) in the UK up to that point and knowing I had played a part in that was rewarding to say the least. The singles chart meant so much more in the eighties and I enjoyed the fact that most albums were only proceeded by one single. To this day, if bands release music ahead of the album, I may listen to the first track released but try to avoid more as experiencing albums as a whole still means as much to me as it ever did. Much as I enjoyed and still enjoy the song, a month later it was to be completely overshadowed by many other tracks on the album, which make Seventh Son the masterpiece I believe it to be.
Those few weeks between buying Can I Play With Madness and the release of the album seemed lengthy and by the time it was out I had expanded my collection to include Powerslave.
It was with some excitement that I picked up the vinyl from Our Price in Kettering (my hometown) on the day of release. Upon returning home, I first took in the amazing cover art (another inspired piece of work by Derek Riggs – stark and cold compared to the grand, imposing Egyptian setting of Powerslave or the bustling metropolis of Somewhere in Time) and the evocative picture of Eddie (a haunting hooded grim reaper-like figure behind him) on the inlay sleeve.
Safe to say that almost all Iron Maiden fans did not expect the acoustic opening to the album, setting the scene for the overall concept that weaves it way through many of the tracks. Following this, the opening to Moonchild builds commandingly and majestically - it is still one of their finest opening tracks. Lyrically, the track is even more hypnotic than Can I Play With Madness. While the album embedded itself deep into my brain, I knew that I had to find a way to see this band play. That dream was to eventually come true when I attended the first of the nights at the NEC during November 1988. It was my first ever gig and Moonchild the first song I ever saw them play live in the flesh – quite a start to a life of concert going.
One of the key strengths of the album is that it truly feels like Maiden working as a team again and Bruce, who was not involved in any of the tracks that made up Somewhere in Time (and was questioning his future in the band) is once again at the top of his song writing game. His writing with Adrian Smith is something that the band sorely missed during their absence from the band. Dave Murray does not write many songs but those he has been involved with over time have all been excellent. The Prophecy is the most under-mentioned and under-appreciated track on the album. The outro is a thing of beauty - if such a thing exists on any Iron Maiden album.
My one disappointment in relation to the album is that during the Maiden England tour of 2012 – 2014, the band did not take the opportunity to play the album in its entirety and thus treat fans to the first live outings of The Prophecy and the almost forgotten track, Only The Good Die Young. Regrettably, Infinite Dreams was also omitted from that tour but it remains one of my top ten Iron Maiden tracks. The slow-paced, almost peaceful, opening belying the full-on metal headbanger it becomes. Live, this was my favourite song of that first experience of Iron Maiden at full tilt as they changed rhythms and dynamics at will.
The two other singles, The Evil That Men Do (with the outstanding Living on a razor’s edge lead into one of the best sing-along-choruses the band ever produced) and The Clairvoyant are both melodic and even, dare I say it, catchy - more gems amongst the never ending stream of highlights the album has to offer.
In many ways the centrepiece of the album is the epic title track. It is a progressive metal tour-de-force. Tying up some of the loose ends of the concept , it is loaded with atmosphere and in some sections the most ethereal Maiden song of them all. Powerful yet emotional, the title track fully deserves its place amongst a list of the greatest longer songs by the band.
Looking back, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son cemented by status as a fan of Iron Maiden and I have followed the band ever since. While they have written many incredible songs since, it could be questioned if they have released another album as cohesive and completely engaging. Not a moment is wasted on Seventh Son. CDs had yet to fully told take hold as the main medium for music so every second committed to an album had to justify its place and it can be argued that the one thing Maiden have lacked in more recent times is a producer that says ‘enough.’
Some fans of the band bemoaned the change in direction on this album (and its predecessor) and it is never truer to say that this album was the perfect Maiden album for me at the perfect time. How often that is the case with music? Albums stick with us for many reasons and sometimes it is those initial moments with a band that live deep within us.
Now, albums such as Powerslave and The Number of the Beast are as engrained in my soul as Seventh Son but Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is my most played Maiden album and for me, they have never been better. It comfortably sits in my top ten albums of all time and it launched my journey as a fan of metal. Seven ways to win indeed…..
Watch the video (featuring the late, great Graham Chapman) of Can I Play With Madness below.
Written April 2023