Iron Maiden
No Prayer For The Dying
Review by Greg Olma
Iron Maiden ushered in the 1990s with an album that many fans felt was lackluster and uninspired, but I disagree. No Prayer For The Dying was a shift back to a more stripped down sound after toying with the synth and keyboards elements on their two previous efforts. Another change was that Janick Gers came in to replace Adrian Smith, who was unhappy with the direction of the new material. Speaking of material, the songs are more straight-forward and less grandiose or conceptual. It’s as if they made a concerted effort to adapt to the current musical landscape that would usher in grunge and leave behind the bloated material of their latter output. I find the production to be a bit muddy, but it has a good full sound While I liked Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, this record has the band returning more to their roots. I will agree that there are less memorable moments throughout the record than many of their releases, it still has a lot to offer and has aged well.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021 Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.
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