Back in 1995 I was still new to the world of Iron Maiden. I was turning 19 that year and the previous year I had borrowed a friend’s copy of A Read Dead which was my introduction to the band and I had seen the music video for The Number of the Beast, which had made me curious about the band. So just after my birthday I had bought to IM albums which converted me into a big time fan – one of them was Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son!
From the opening to Moon Child I felt a bone tingling chill go up and down my spine – the album was like experiencing one of the best 70s or 80s horror movies with evil figures walking about, ghosts and goblins and old witches with a cackling laugh, who could tell your fortune using their magic, a young man on a journey that could prove deadly and on the road ahead lies werewolves and other monsters out to get him. Things slow down a bit with Infinite Dreams, an atmospheric beginning before going into that galloping style we all know and love from Maiden. A real joy is Can I Play With Madness, which I can see on the soundtrack of a horror-comedy film. The song is the sixteenth single released by the band and hit number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
My fav track on this album is The Evil That Men Do which is a mid-tempo rocker and probably one of the best ever. The title track is up next with it’s ominous sounding intro and verses before going more furious into the chorus. Slowing down just a tad is The Prophecy, which is also a great tune. Another awesome song is The Clairvoyant, which is the band’s nineteenth single and the third from the album. It peaked at number six in the British charts. The albums ends with Only The Good Die Young which to me seems like a sister song of The Evil That Men Do – it just feels like the to songs can be played one after the other and we know that they belong. All great or really good songs, this really is one epic album for me.