Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is a concept album on which Iron Maiden, while keeping traditional speed, takes in rich keyboard textures and continuous narrative. Around a story of the “seventh son” who inherits a prophet’s blood, Steve Harris’s bass powerfully pushes the songs, and the guitars create a fantastical, grand expanse. It further deepens the sonic color gained on the previous album. From the dramatic introduction of the opener “Moonchild” and the catchiness of the hit single “Can I Play with Madness” to the speed of “The Evil That Men Do” and the grand title track “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” each song has an independent strength while, as a whole, forming one grand world, and a cut like “The Clairvoyant” heightens its narrative. Its value as a peak lies in binding weighty playing and rich imagination at extremely high density. Its polish as a concept album is among the finest in the band’s career. Capping Iron Maiden’s golden era, it is a lyrical, grand masterpiece concept album.