In the
days of yore, when pop music meant something, it was filled with nourishing
musical ideas and showed the tides of progress.
But then something happened, the ability for it to fill our soul has
nearly vanished, and the masses are starved on good music. There’s the occasional quality track that
stays good after multiple spins, but it has gotten to the moment where even
good pop music gets stale. We live in a
white-bread world in mainstream music.
However, there’s salvation from the drek that the masses need to know
about. In the words of Marie Antoinette,
or more accurately The Rods quoting her: “LET THEM EAT METAL!”
Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to
show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV,
anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream like an air raid siren in
rage or frustration.
This series is
dedicated to the best that heavy metal can offer. As you will read, I will take you on a
journey though the annals of heavy metal’s storied history from its beginning
in early 70s, its crystallization in the late 70s and early 80s, its
breakthrough into mainstream conscience in the early to mid-80s, its maturation
in the late 80s and 90s, its dominance (sort of) in the 2000s and even today,
and the rare moments that very few talk about unless in the company of
like-minded fans. Not in that order, but
I’ll be looking at the footnotes oh metal history in the order I desire. In short, this new series is about metal,
plain and simple.
Today, we dive into
the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, one of the most important movements, if
not the most important, in heavy metal’s storied history. As a result of poverty ravaging Britain in
the late 70s, many young males were destitute, ostracized by political
corruption, and had the sense that they’d never amount to anything in
life. Due to this, punk rock and heavy
metal became popular with them, and at some point, they mixed, leading to
punk’s energy and DIY values being used to make technical, melodic, and
ultimately escapist music that allowed the people of London and other towns
ravaged by recession to have a creative outlet.
What ended up happening was a music movement driven by guitars, drums,
shrieking, the occult, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, comics, cartoons, anime, manga,
art, comedy, and so on; effectively geek rock as a last resort due to poverty,
a style driven by nostalgia, curiosity, and college education and
experimentation. Technically, the NWOBHM
would count as the first nerdy heavy metal movement as well as the first major
movement in general, due to its sense of companionship, brotherhood, and
inclusiveness (as far as the 80s could go) as well as the zines, publications,
and meetings that occurred as a result.
There are many sources that I can find detailing this, but I can say
that if this happened today as it did in late 70s and early 80s, then you’d see
comic and anime conventions booking White Wizzard, Enforcer, Cauldron, Skull
Fist, Stryker, Steelwing, Holy Grail, and other bands that emulate Judas
Priest, Accept, Saxon, Diamond Head, Motörhead, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Venom,
early Def Leppard, and today’s band, Iron Maiden.
Iron Maiden, named
after the torture device thanks to bassist/founder Steve Harris saw the film
version of the book The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas, formed in the
late 70s with Harris and guitarist Dave Murray being the only members of the
prototypical lineup at the time. In
1980, with singer Paul Di’Anno, guitarist Dennis Stratton, and drummer Clive
Burr, they released their eponymous debut album Iron Maiden, featuring songs
like “Running Free,” “Prowler,” “Sanctuary,” and “Phantom of the Opera.” A year later (and replacing Dennis Stratton
with long-time guitarist Adrian Smith), they released Killers, which featured
“Wrathchild,” “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” and “Purgatory,” and was ultimately
their last album with Di’Anno. After
that, and to pursue different directions that their previous singer couldn’t go
(plus drugs affecting his stage presence), they hired Bruce Dickinson as
singer, and the result what The Number of the Beast.
There’s a funny story
with this album for me. Beforehand, my
true first exposure to Iron Maiden was Guitar Hero, like Judas Priest, but the
entry was Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (the first one I made sure to get,
and the first I got for my Nintendo Wii), and that’s where I first truly heard
the title track while trying to beat it (I can play it in Expert Mode in that
and in Rock Band, if you’re wondering).
After that, it would be almost a year and a half before I bought the
album. That time was when I got Guitar
Hero Metallica, and that was also after first using Amazon.com to get albums
(Holy Diver by Dio, Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue, Nevermind by Nirvana, and All
Hope is Gone by Slipknot were the first).
Due to the game, I was so impressed with Metallica’s work outside of the
hits from their 80s work that I decided to buy them consciously (not Kill Em’
All at the time, due to having more interest in the other three due to some of
those hits, like “One”, “Fade to Black”, and “Master of Puppets”, the very
first Metallica album was a senior year present in high school from one of my
teachers). Alongside Ride The Lightning,
Master of Puppets, and …And Justice For All was this rocker, and I got into
trouble with family members over it after the fact. That was the only con. Why?
The albums were great. My first
Metallica album was Death Magnetic, and those three blew it out of the water
completely. As for The Number of the
Beast, it was also an ass-kicker, but I, like most listeners, graduated to the
title track, “Run to the Hills”, and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” as the songs played
the most, but I have listened to it back to back at points.
How will that affect
my review of the album? Let’s see for
later. However, let me point out
beforehand that this album is considered the third greatest heavy metal album
by IGN and the second greatest by Metal-Rules.com (Links here: http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/20/top-25-metal-albums?page=7,
http://metal-rules.com/polls/index.php?id=6). Keep that in mind until the end.
Here’s the album
review, track by track based on the 1998 version I got from Amazon.com that
time, then a summary of the rituals that have taken place over the time on this
album:
1.
Invaders:
Let’s get this out of
the way: it’s not any of the iconic songs on the album. What I mean is that most people tend to
ignore this track, as well as the first 4 due to certain factors, such as the
first few tracks not being not as strong as the rest of the album (with one
exception). However, this starts with a
bang, starting with a pummeling opening before entering a song about the
invasion of early, Saxon-filled, England by the mighty Vikings. The verses include lines that come out of a
bloody historical action movie and portray the invading Norsemen as savages
(not sure if Sean Rankin will approve of this).
Also, there are key changes throughout this song, with the pre-chorus
and chorus being at different keys from the verses, and the guitar solo played
in two different keys. Overall, it’s a
good start to a legendary album, but the biggest critics of this track include
two groups: RazorFist and Iron Maiden themselves, the latter feeling that they
didn’t put enough effort into it.
Wait a sec, a song
about Vikings invading England in the time-period, and the band doesn’t like
it? It’s not as if they’re nerds or
anything, right? Right!?
Well, very few rockers
can do an epic song on kazoo.
2.
Children of the
Damned:
Going from aggression
to showing their softer side, Iron Maiden march on with “Children of the
Damned.” As a result, I feel obliged to
make the following reference:
Yes, I’m sure you’re
asking what rocket chairs have to do with British metal. Well, in an earlier episode of that series,
Iwasawa wrote a ballad that she planned to play during the latest Girl Dead
Monster show at that moment, and if I went further, someone reading this will
start crying. This is not a serious blog
until I discuss darker lyrics (wait for that), this is supposed to be fun. Like that clip.
However, it’s weird to
go from “Invaders” to this. With its
acoustic intro interspaced with melodic guitar lines and Bruce Dickinson’s
vocal delivery, this gives off a sort of mournful feelings towards the titular
children, and it isn’t until Bruce sings the title before the songs starts to
sound more metal. If there’s another
song this sounds like, it’s “Children of the Sea” by Black Sabbath, with the
similar tones in the beginning. Then
after the second chorus, the song picks up in speed, aggression, and leads up
to a melodic heavy guitar solo that showcases Dave Murray’s and Adrian Smith’s
guitar techniques and talents. In short,
the song gets heavier as it goes on, getting more aggressive while continuing
the sorrowful tone of the beginning. Is
it perfect? Not really, but it is a
great tribute to the movie of the same name.
Wait a sec. So their tribute to “Children of the Sea” by
Black Sabbath is based on the movie of the same name and its prequel Village of the Damned? Two movies that were adapted from The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham?! And I thought I was a dweeb.
3.
The Prisoner:
If you’re not sure
what’s going on here, here’s a hint:
Starting with an
audial sampling from the TV show of the same name, this epic rocker (in that
it’s a little over 6 minutes long) begins its defiant assault on the musical
landscape of 1982. Based on the same
show, the lyrics detail the escape of a man from his captors and his desire to
stay a free man rather than a number (it makes sense if you’re British). As a result, the riffs are straightforward
and aggressive, the drums from Clive Burr are equaling pounding, and the guitar
intro before the solo is the kind of rocking that Iron Maiden excels at. You may not realize it initially, but the heaviness
comes from Steve Harris’ bass playing while Dave Murray and Adrian Smith go for
more melodic guitar work, even in the riffs.
This is an excellent example of that.
Also, Bruce Dickinson sings really well here.
An epic metal anthem
with progressive arrangements that’s named after a British TV series? I know that’s not as nerdy as the other tunes
they’ve done, and even later, but for international audiences, this is geeky.
4.
22 Acadia Avenue:
Another 6-minute
rocker! This time, instead of history or
literature, Iron Maiden continue the “Charlotte the Harlot” saga. With a pummeling guitar riff, loaded with
palm muting and power chords, a thick bass line, and pounding drums, it sets up
Bruce Dickinson’s musical storytelling, telling the listener where to go for a
good time, or in this case, a one-night stand with the other major character
they created alongside Eddie the Head. Said
person Bruce is singing to may in fact by Charlotte, detailing how her life is
turning to sex-crazed debauchery that’s leading to ruin, and how her life will
lead to regret, shame, and disease. Included
in his performance is lower singing, shouting, high melodic singing, and
ear-curdling screams. There’s also a
guitar solo that showcases the melodicism of the guitarists playing in the
band, but I get this sort of feeling that this is definitely primarily an
Adrian Smith solo based on the notes.
Like I’ve mentioned,
this is a sequel to “Charlotte the Harlot” from their first album and continues
that tale. You know there’s a lot of
people that take continuity seriously, and they aren’t usually casual music
fans.
5.
The Number of the
Beast:
You know your song is
terrifying when it’s written by your key songwriter after a dream like this:
Except it was
influenced by Damien: Omen II and Tam o’Shanter by Robert Burns, and the
nightmare went more like this:
As for the bone-chilling
scream that would come from any nightmare, it’s in the song. Technically, it’s more of a frustrated “you
have got to be kidding me” high-pitched wail that kicks this song into
overdrive. It’s the result of all the
buildup created from Bruce Dickinson’s lover, then high, vocal delivery paired
with a distinctive intro riff that’s effectively part of metal-riffing 101 for
guitarists everywhere. When that scream
ends, the rest of the song becomes a hard and heavy trip through hell and back,
detailing the story of a man witnessing a Satanic ritual, but being too
terrified to do anything until it’s too late, when even he decides to join the
twisted madness. Hell, EVERY riff in
this song is awesome, and there’s two guitar solos that are just awe-inspiring
in their technique and crafted to melt faces.
In short, I could go on, but it’s a classic that has been talked about
to death already.
But everything about
this song, including the Vincent Price-esque narration, and its video,
featuring Nosferatu and Gojira, screams horror fanboys in my opinion.
6.
Run to the Hills:
Do I have to also go
into depth about this song as well? I
really don’t due to how legendary it is.
But for the purposes of this review, I have to. As for the song itself, it begins with
probably one of the most iconic guitar licks ever recorded. During this, we get a verse from the point of
view of Native Americans seeing the European (and White American, we’re
definitely NOT innocent here) settlers invading their homeland and attacking
them. The next two verses are from the
other perspective, the settlers attacking the natives, and they paint a
gruesome and horrifying tale about the atrocities towards another group of
people with lyrics that highlights the savagery of the attackers (gee, I wonder
why “Invaders” felt redundant despite being on the same album and NOT being
about aliens). The second verse and
onwards are based around a galloping rhythm, fitting the thematic nature of the
song and giving the song a faster feel once takes us from the victims to the
attackers, emphasizing their cruelity.
All of this leads to one of the most iconic choruses in heavy metal:
“Run to the hills/Run for your life” repeated as if the natives need to adopt
the Joestar Secret Technique due to what their up against. Plus the guitar solo and the vocal delivery
in the bridge also help elevate the song from great to legendary. I can say more, but it’s the whole package as
far as 80s metal goes in pure quality, accessibility, and status.
Despite slightly more
universal lyrics, the song’s music video does have me questioning how seriously
they take things outside of scary music.
It would make them look like film nerds if they actually intended to use
Buster Keaton movies for a music video.
7.
Gangland:
Here’s Tulio to sum up
the album at this point:
If you’re wondering, this
track is the latter. It starts off as
generic punk-tinged metal that’s typical of the NWOBHM, but not any of the good
stuff. The drums the only good thing
here, but the guitars and bass are lacking and basic compared to the last 6
songs, Bruce doesn’t sound good here, and the lyrics are pretty mediocre
compared to, again, the last 6 songs.
Plus, any chorus from a metal band that has “dead men tell no tales” and
does not either strike up a fun image, an image of piracy, or both is a
crime. And it makes the band look nerdy
in the worst way possible. Plus the
guitar solo is surprisingly bland from IRON FRIGGIN’ MAIDEN! The worst part was that Adrian Smith wrote
this with Clive Burr; he should play better on his own songs. Apparently this was chosen over the next
track to put on the album due to time constraints. That’s the worst part, and even the band
hates this track.
So the band doesn’t like
this track, too? So do I. Thankfully, the next track is MUCH better.
8.
Total Eclipse:
If you went with the
1998 version of the album, this succeeds “Gangland” but precedes “Hallowed By
Thy Name.” The original version omitted
this, and the badly thought-out “Gangland” goes into “Hallowed be Thy
Name.” Before I talk about that legend,
here’s “Total Eclipse,” the lost track.
Compared to the mediocre track chosen over it, it starts with a guitar
and drum intro that better suits its epic feel.
After that is a tale of probably the absolute worst solar eclipse that
can possibly occur according to these guys.
Unlike normal eclipses, the sun is not just blocked, it just
vanished! It’s as if the bad future of
The Matrix has occurred and is leading to essentially the Apocalypse. One that has elements of an Ice Age, but, in
this song, we’re completely screwed.
This. Is. Awesome.
Heavy. METAL! Plus the performances from everyone, from
Bruce Dickinson’s vocal delivery, Bruce Murray and Bruce Smith’s guitar riffs
and solo, Bruce Harris’ basslines, and Bruce Burr’s drum work, are absolute
gold and not the painful, agonizing failure that was the previous dud, and
proof that… I need to improve my understanding of philosophy. Excuse me for a sec:
(Plus, I’m aware that
Iron Maiden are not even from Brisbane or Melbourne or Sydney).
9.
Hallowed Be Thy Name:
If I listened to the
1982 version of this classic, then this would have succeeded “Gangland,” and
the contrast in quality would have caused whiplash. As for this review, remember the scene in
Angel Beats! I was referring to? This is
like that, except from the point of view of a man on death row about to be
executed. Yeah, it’s that kind of
song. To start, we have an acoustic
intro that includes bells in the background, Bruce Dickinson singing in his
lower register, and giving off this sense that this man know he’s going to die
that day. Then the rest of the band
kicks in when the first verse ends, and the acoustic line becomes a harmonized
guitar lick before entering one of the many melodic riffs in this track. Then Bruce sings the next verse with more
ferocity, creating the feeling that the man is completely terrified, feels like
he’s having a serious nightmare, and doesn’t know what to do. Then the riff from earlier is modified into a
beautiful harmonized guitar line. Next,
the final verse is about being on the gallows, accepting that you’re ultimately
screwed, and probably laughing, crying, or both, about how life is some weird
joke on you (it can go further with you being a barnacle in the next
life). After that ends, the guitar line
from earlier returns, a new one is played, then the riff that goes into the
amazing guitar solo kicks in. After that
ends, we get a harmonized version of the first riff, and we end with Bruce
Dickinson wailing the title of the song twice.
At that moment, the center of the story was finally executed, and we end
with a big rock ending. Bam! That’s the song. A true classic of heavy metal.
An amazing song to cap
off their foray of bookish, progressive, and terrifying heavy metal
mastery. How is everyone doing after all
the reveals and writing I’ve made about this?
Don’t get me wrong,
this is effectively a heavy geek rock album. Not to say that it’s bad (me
and RazorFist are two different people with different tastes), I think it earns
its classic status due to how bold it was. The imagery associated with
the album is both nerdy and taboo. The cover is the stuff of legends and
the kind of imagery that Derek Riggs is famous for, with the Devil in control
of Eddie the Head, but Eddie is the true puppet master with the hellfire in his
hand. The production from Martin Birch walks the apealling line between
clean and raw, clear and aggressive, commercial and niche. The musical
elements, the talent that went in, the technicality, and the discovery of Bruce
Dickinson as a powerhouse vocalist at the time are to behold, even on the lesser
tracks. And for the lyrics, there is nothing wrong with being kitsch and
geeky, metal is inherently a music genre made of nerds. They fit each
song well. This is an album that all walks of life can enjoy, after
they’ve developed a strong appreciation, love, or understanding of heavy metal
(I’d recommend Piece of Mind, Powerslave, or Somewhere In Time if you’re a
virgin to Iron Maiden). If there are any best tracks, “Children of the
Damned,” “The Prisoner,” and “22 Acadia Avenue” are worth checking out, while
“Total Eclipse” is a good song, but the winners are the title track, “Run to
the Hills,” and the epic “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” Those three are
essential metal anthems for a reason. For the worst, “Invaders” is meh,
but that’s no issue as the album goes on, but “Gangland” is enough to keep this
from being the best metal album of all time, and why Metallica’s ode to loss of
control Master of Puppets beats it for the top spot on most lists (and why
Piece of Mind would rank higher on my personal list of best albums of all
time). However, I respect this album and understand its appeal thanks to
when it initially came out (that’s another bag of worms for another day).
Also, Rest In Peace
Clive Burr (1957-2013), you kicked ass on this album and anything you did with
these bookish Brits. May you rock hard in hallowed halls of Valhalla.
Final Rating: 8/10 (A
flawed heavy metal classic, but a classic for a reason).
Next time on Let Them
Eat Metal: Hall of the Mountain King by Savatage
Until next time, this
is the Rock Otaku. Live Loud, Play Hard, and Eat Metal.
All used references
are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators.
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