IRON MAIDEN — No Prayer For The Dying (review)

IRON MAIDEN — No Prayer For The Dying album cover

Album · 1990 · Heavy Metal

3.5/5 · 2015-09-11
siLLy puPPy

NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING, the much loathed 8th album by the legendary IRON MAIDEN was truly the band’s first great fumble after a decade of ruling the world and becoming the equivalent of The Beatles in metal with one masterpiece best-selling album after another. There are many things that make this album much different than any other from their canon but the most obvious is the departure of Adrian Smith, the main songwriter and second half of the classic twin guitar attack that gave the band that satisfying melodic edge. Smith was unsatisfied with the band’s sudden 180 from the progressively themed and executed albums they were cranking out and went on to form his own projects such as ASAP and Psycho Motel. Meanwhile crisis management attempted to repair the damage by asking Janick Gers to join the party. He was recruited by Bruce Dickinson after playing on his debut solo album “Tattooed Millionaire.”

This album seems to mark the point where like many a successful band, bad decisions emerge from simply being out of touch with the world which inspired them in the first place. After a decade of unfathomable success the band just seemed to start making all the wrong decisions. The most hilarious of these ideas is the fact that this album was recorded in Steve Harris’ barn. Apparently the band was fearing the continuation of their ever growing progressive tendencies and got cold feet and made an attempt to regain their “street creds” of their early years. What a backfire. This caused Smith to leave and the fans to peg this as the biggest faux pas that a successful band could possibly make. Well, there are always worse things (Blaze Bailey anyone?). Despite all the negative press about NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING, it still debuted on the charts quite successfully and actually produced a number one hit in their native UK with “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter” despite being banned by the BBC.

While the lyrics stray away from the literary and fantastical and delve into the contemporary social issues such as religious zealotry and other social ills, the music isn’t too far off the cuff from early MAIDEN releases, in fact the hooks and melodies are quite enjoyable and the salvation of this album which i personally don’t find to be as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Certainly a step down from previous efforts especially coming after the string of brilliance that peaked with “7th” but certainly not a flop that deserves to walk the plank. There is no doubt that this album despite several strong tracks evokes a sort of disappointment. It almost seems like a tribute to the good old days that ended with “7th Son.” Even the title infers a decline. I dunno. Certainly not as good as every other release before, yet this album still blows away a good portion of other melodic metal albums that came out in 1990. I still find myself listening to this one despite the mountain of masterpieces that eclipse its very existence.

While my favorite tracks are “Tailgunner,” “Holy Smoke,” “Mother Russia” and the title track, there are really no horrible tracks here but as we all know, when a favorite band reaches great heights and falls down a few notches we take it out on them with cutting critique and infra digs. Agreed that this effort is not their day in the sun, but neither is it the worst thing ever to grace the metal kingdom. Personally i find this to contain rather well written MAIDEN tracks that would have fit well in their earlier years but if you listen to this after “7th Son” then you will surely be for a let down. While the dying may have no prayer left, at least there’s still a pulse on this release.

more than 2 years ago
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siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Even here on MMA this album is rated lower than X Factor. Likewise on RYM

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well, I suppose I don't hang out with many other metalheads, except online, and the subject hasn't come up recently.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Not in my experience, Vim. This one seems to be universally hated as much as the Bailey years. I don't get it. Maybe everyone really liked that Cliff Richard song and never got over it

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

The first para is a bit harsh. Calling it "much loathed" is pretty strong. I'd reserve that for Virtual XI. Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter was the Christmas number 1 in the UK for 1990, which is a big deal there. Knocked off Cliff Richard apparently...

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I used to think Fear of the Dark was quite a weak album but it's grown on me a fair bit over the years since I bought it. That one and this one are quite close to each other in my personal ranking of their discography.

The 90's is IMO definitely the weakest decade for Iron Maiden though.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Great review, I like this one but I personally prefer Fear of the Dark.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Good review. The best 90's Maiden for me.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I don´t think this is as bad as a lot of other people seem t think. At least it´s better than Fear of the Dark or anything that came after it. But yeah it was the sign of Iron Maiden leaving the king´s seat.