{"id":327453,"date":"2025-12-21T02:33:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T02:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/327453\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T02:33:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T02:33:16","slug":"the-epic-story-behind-iron-maidens-seventh-son-of-a-seventh-son-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/327453\/","title":{"rendered":"The epic story behind Iron Maiden\u2019s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album"},"content":{"rendered":"

On November 5, 1987, Iron Maiden<\/a> finally reached the end of extensive touring in support of their sixth studio album, Somewhere In Time<\/a>. Firmly established as the biggest heavy metal<\/a> band on the planet by this point, their next move was clearly going to be a hugely important one. No one could have predicted what happened next, least of all famous British \u2018psychic\u2019 Doris Stokes, whose death in May 1987 proved to be the unlikely starting point for Maiden\u2019s seventh and most impactful album yet.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI just had a thought: \u2018I wonder if she could foresee her own death?\u2019\u201d stated Steve Harris<\/a>, in 2013\u2019s Maiden England \u201988 documentary. \u201cWho knows? So I started off with that sort of idea. I wrote The Clairvoyant and then went to Bruce with it and basically he said, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s a great idea!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI started then having an idea for a song, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, because supposedly if you were born the seventh son of a seventh son you had the powers of a clairvoyant. So I had those two ideas and Bruce went, \u2018You know what? We should do a concept album about this…\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Iron\n<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden in 1987: (from left) Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray (Image credit: Ross Marino\/Getty)<\/p>\n

It might seem silly to suggest that Maiden had anything to prove by 1988, but there was a sense that 1986\u2019s Somewhere In Time had been difficult for the band to make. Famously, Bruce Dickinson<\/a> had come to Steve Harris proposing some more acoustic-based, prog-tinged material for the record but had been briskly turned down. The album that then emerged was full of great material, not least three songs written in their entirety by guitarist Adrian Smith, but it didn\u2019t seem to have the same phenomenal impact that Powerslave had had two years earlier.<\/p>\n

As a result, as Maiden plunged into a ridiculously intense period of writing and recording, there was a huge amount of pressure on them to deliver something special. Partly inspired by Seventh Son, a fantasy novel by author Orson Scott Card, Steve\u2019s nascent Concept soon blossomed into something more substantial, aided by Bruce\u2019s return as a songwriter.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce had something to prove,\u201d says Mick Wall, Hammer alumnus and author of Run To The Hills, the official Iron Maiden biography. \u201cHe hadn\u2019t had a song on a Maiden album for four years. Steve upped his game, too, and Adrian was in a wonderful purple patch, where he was knocking out meaningful, cool songs. It was a confluence of all of that and it turned into a hugely significant moment for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Iron\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Brian Rasic\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, in February and March 1988, with long-time producer Martin Birch once again at the controls, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son took shape at an insane pace, largely due to the fact that the band\u2019s next world tour was already booked and due to kick off at the end of that April.<\/p>\n

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Given how the album turned out, and you may struggle to find a diehard metalhead who doesn\u2019t love Seventh Son\u2026, it\u2019s plain that Maiden were on the strongest collective form of their careers to date, working harmoniously and revelling in each other\u2019s creativity \u2013 even if the much-discussed concept underpinning the album was not quite as coherent or precise as the band may originally have intended.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike most things, it got about halfway down the track and then sort of veered off at a tangent,\u201d Bruce noted in Maiden England \u201988. \u201cBecause whenever we\u2019ve done concept albums in Maiden, we\u2019ve never followed the plot slavishly. We\u2019ve got to about halfway through and then done a song about Battersea Dogs Home in the middle of it\u2026 or something. You think, \u2018Why is that on there?\u2019 Just \u2019cos it is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden – Can I Play With Madness (Official Video) – YouTube
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Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

An explosive taster for the album to come, first single Can I Play With Madness was released in March \u201988 and rocketed straight into the UK singles charts at No.3. Undeniably given a boost by the song\u2019s daft but great video, which featured a cameo from legendary comic actor Graham Chapman, a member of iconic British comedy troupe Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus, it was by far the catchiest and most direct song that Maiden had released at that point.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSupposedly if you were born the seventh son of a seventh son you had the powers of a clairvoyant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Harris<\/p>\n

Despite having had numerous chart successes in the past, the band had never made any effort to become pop stars, but pop stars they were clearly becoming. This time round, mainstream radio and TV simply couldn\u2019t ignore them.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmediately you got a sense that this could be the album that you didn\u2019t have to be a solid Iron Maiden fan to appreciate,\u201d says Mick Wall. \u201cCan I Play With Madness was a huge hit for them. It wasn\u2019t something they\u2019d been bothered about before. It had always been about the album and rightly so, but in the end they had several hits from Seventh Son\u2026 They did a lot more TV, radio and all that stuff. If you\u2019re at No.3, then of course they want you on [kids\u2019 tv show] Going Live! with Phillip Schofield!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Iron\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Alamy \/ dpa picture alliance)<\/p>\n

As if to emphasise their status as commercial heavyweights, Iron Maiden launched Seventh Son\u2026 by hosting a boozy promotional event at the epic Castle Schnellenberg in Attendorn, Germany. Journalists and TV folk from across the globe flew in to interview the band about their new magnum opus in surroundings befitting of its musical opulence. A lot of time and money was being thrown at Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, and understandably so: this was an album that seemed to be causing a stir even beyond the usual rock\u2019n\u2019roll world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had all the media from Europe and America come in for a long weekend of interviews, drinks, playbacks, drinks, photos, drinks\u2026\u201d Maiden manager Rod Smallwood recalled in Maiden England \u201988. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been a corporate band, but at that time [sports clothing company] Puma came along and said, \u2018Would you like some free kit?\u2019 So, we said, \u2018Yes, of course we do!\u2019 Puma was a great deal but the band insisted on wearing the bloody tracksuits all the time, so the photos from that time look appalling! You know, they\u2019re almost in shellsuits\u2026 I mean, really not very metal!\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite such sartorial calamities, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was released on April 11, 1988. As hinted at by the preceding single\u2019s success, it roared to the top of the UK album charts amid near-universal acclaim and a particularly ecstatic reaction from Maiden\u2019s fanbase.<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Iron<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Everything about Seventh Son\u2026 seemed right. In one sense it was a brave, adventurous and musically challenging affair: from Bruce\u2019s spinetingling atmospheric intro, to Moonchild and Infinite Dreams\u2019 sophisticated dynamics and blistering solos, to the extravagant prog metal voyage of the nine-minute title track and the triumphant, skewed catchiness of The Clairvoyant, Seventh Son\u2026 was the sound of Maiden stretching out.<\/p>\n

\u201cPuma said, \u2018Would you like some free kit?\u2019 The band insisted on wearing the bloody tracksuits all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rod Smallwood<\/p>\n

But it was also an album of punchy, perfectly constructed metal anthems: Can I Play With Madness, The Evil That Men Do, Only The Good Die Young… unforgettable gems, one and all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Somewhere In Time was a Claymation figure, it wouldn\u2019t quite be painted yet. It would have the eyes, the arms, and the bits\u2019n\u2019bobs and you\u2019d say, \u2018Yeah\u2026 I can see where you\u2019re going there!\u2019 you know?\u201d Bruce noted in 2013. \u201cBut what you get with Seventh Son\u2026 is a much more recognisable definitive statement. Right, boom, here\u2019s the whole thing, all in one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there was any dissent upon Seventh Son\u2026\u2019s release, it was focused on the fact that Maiden\u2019s seventh album saw them fully embracing the use of keyboards for the first time. As ridiculous as it now seems, it was a genuinely controversial move for a metal band in 1988.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Goedefroit Music\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess some people were unhappy, but in the right place, keyboards can be really cool,\u201d says Markus Grosskopf, bassist with Helloween, who toured extensively with Maiden during the late 80s. \u201cThey created a special mood on that record. Listen to the harmonies and the melodies. It takes you to another world and it\u2019s very much Maiden\u2019s style and theirs alone. The whole album is full of great moments, great guitar playing, great singing and amazing arrangements. It touches you and you have to go with it. The atmosphere was so strong. It\u2019s only eight tracks, but they\u2019re all great tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Helloween in particular, Iron Maiden\u2019s ongoing dominance of the metal scene was a solid good omen. By 1988, the Germans were being described as \u201cthe next Maiden\u201d or \u201cthe German Iron Maiden\u201d, partly because hugely successful records like that same year\u2019s Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II clearly owed a significant debt to Maiden\u2019s strident, melodic sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked up to them, for sure,\u201d Markus states. \u201cThe first Iron Maiden album was the record that introduced me to heavy metal and hard rock, because I was a punk before that, ha ha! It was the way they used harmonies over this fast, aggressive music \u2013 that really touched me. In Helloween, we have always wanted to do our own thing and we have our own sound, our own style, but of course Maiden are a big influence. When we started touring with them, it was a special thing. Playing with them made it possible for us to dream about getting out there and doing it on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams (Live) – YouTube
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Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTheir show was epic! We were huge fans and we were definitely shitting our pants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russ Dwarf<\/p>\n

With their new album flying off the shelves in the UK, across Europe and beyond, Iron Maiden hit the road for the Seventh Tour Of A Seventh Tour, kicking off in Germany on April 28 and powering their way through the next eight months, armed with their most spectacular stage show to date. With physical manifestations of Derek Riggs\u2019 extraordinary Seventh Son\u2026 cover art, replete with giant icebergs and a huge, floating Eddie, it was an eye-frazzling spectacle, even by Maiden\u2019s lofty standards. Blessed with the opportunity to support Maiden during a run of US dates and the climactic UK run of the tour, Canadian hard rockers Killer Dwarfs could hardly believe their luck.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big deal for us on a big-deal album for Maiden,\u201d recalls frontman Russ Dwarf. \u201cTheir show was fucking epic! We were huge fans and we were definitely shitting our pants. We knew our place, we weren\u2019t cocky assholes, but they treated us like equals. Guns N\u2019 Roses had supported them on the tour, too, so we knew it was a big deal. Maiden are so loved and everyone was there for the same reason. They\u2019re such a passionate band. It was like theatre! We were just kids and our minds were blown. Playing at Hammersmith and Wembley when Maiden were at their absolute peak? It doesn\u2019t get better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Iron\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Alamy \/ dpa picture alliance)<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think it is a really strong album. I think it\u2019s stood the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Harris<\/p>\n

\u201cTouring with Maiden was always good and that tour was a really great one,\u201d adds Markus Grosskopf. \u201cWe had everything we needed, including plenty of space on stage, even though they had lots of Eddies and big mountains and ice and all of that stuff. The stages must\u2019ve been really big, ha ha ha!\u201d<\/p>\n

The story of Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is primarily one of creative and commercial success, as an already potent force gained momentum and dragged the world along with them. On August 20 1988, Iron Maiden headlined the prestigious Monsters Of Rock one-day festival at Castle Donington for the first time. If proof were needed that Maiden had hit a new level of popularity, the staggering size of the crowd that came to see the band \u2013 alongside Helloween, Megadeth, David Lee Roth, Guns N\u2019 Roses and Kiss \u2013 was the clincher. An estimated 107,000 people marched through the mud that day, making it the biggest Monsters Of Rock yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we had an outstanding success,\u201d states Tim Parsons, the legendary promoter who booked the 1988 bill. \u201cPeople were walking across fields, having abandoned their cars. The aerial photographs made the crowds look like crop circles! Eventually we ran out of tickets and were selling raffle tickets, so if anyone still has one of those it could fetch quite a bit on eBay. It was Maiden\u2019s big day and they were a delight to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden – The Clairvoyant (Donington ’88) – YouTube
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Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Hammer scribe (and Maiden devotee) Dave Ling was also present on that unforgettable day and remembers the occasion as a unique milestone in Maiden history.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a fan who\u2019d followed them since the club days, it really felt as though they had stepped into the big time,\u201d he says. \u201cThe management had wisely kept the band away from Donington until they were able to do the event full justice. To go there and put on a stupendous show, in front of an audience that will never be surpassed in terms of size, felt like a complete vindication of that strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe excitement in the crowd was unbelievable. In those days there was, of course, only one stage and all 107,000 people had their attention focused onto that area of space. I can still remember the chills when the intro tape began. With hindsight I\u2019m not sure I saw them any better, certainly not before Bruce left and re-joined. If the band felt any nerves they simply didn\u2019t show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, what should have been Iron Maiden\u2019s ultimate moment of glory would be irrevocably marred by tragedy, as two young Scottish metal fans \u2013 Alan Dick and Landon Siggers \u2013 lost their lives as the sodden ground gave way during Guns N\u2019 Roses set. Unaware of the deaths, Maiden powered through their headline set with customary flare and delivered the milestone performance that their ongoing rise demanded. But as Tim Parsons admits, there was no denying that the shine on Maiden\u2019s triumph had been brutally wiped away.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: MPIRock\/MediaPunch via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took our responsibilities seriously but we could never have foreseen the set of circumstances that led to those fatalities that day,\u201d he notes. \u201cIt was just hideous. It was awful for Maiden, to hear what had happened after their show, amid all that euphoria. But with very few exceptions, I wouldn\u2019t have wanted anyone else to be the headliner on that day. It was comforting, because we didn\u2019t have to worry about them. They were utterly professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be inaccurate to say that the Donington tragedy precipitated Maiden\u2019s mild commercial decline in the 90s, but it\u2019s hard to deny that nothing was ever quite the same again. Within a year, Adrian Smith had quit. The classic line-up that had achieved so much during that first, fiery decade began to fall apart, Seventh Son\u2026 its immaculate, seminal epitaph.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a huge moment for Maiden,\u201d concludes Mick Wall. \u201cIt was Maiden\u2019s Dark Side Of The Moon or their Led Zep IV! Ninety-nine percent of bands don\u2019t get to make one masterpiece. If you make one, you\u2019re in the club, and Seventh Son\u2026 is Maiden\u2019s masterpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think it is a really strong album,\u201d Steve Harris concluded during Maiden England \u201988. \u201cI think it\u2019s stood the test of time, and I think if we do any of those songs off that album live, I think they will still stand up against anything that we\u2019ve done, before or afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 307<\/p>\n

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