BEAST IN THE MAZE

      It's an exciting one this week on Beast in the Maze  as we discuss a one-of-a-kind album in Iron Maiden's 1988 concept album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son .  Based upon folk tales wherein the seventh son has special powers, the album takes on the theme of what happens to an innocent person when they're given power and fought over by both good and evil.     It also marks the completion of the sonic shift that Maiden began in their previous album, 1986's Somewhere in Time,  where they first began to toy with synth guitar. On Seventh Son,  Maiden brings actual keyboards into play - heresy, in the opinion of many metal fans - and they're not only present but often fairly front-and-center. Despite that though, the album contains some of the harder-hitting solos and musical sections of the Maiden catalogue up to that time.      This album represents Maiden at their most high-concept, progressive stage, just before the band gave ...

 Coming Monday on Beast in the Maze , we're taking on Iron Maiden's concept album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.  The last album with the "classic" Dickinson/Smith/Harris/McBrain/Murray lineup, it is sonically unique among Maiden albums, and to many, it represented a high-water mark in what Maiden could achieve.  Music aside, though, it also represents some of the greatest and most surreal work that artist Derek Riggs ever did for the band, envisioning floating Eddie heads and half-bodies against a blue icy background, as well as the "Magus Eddie" as he's later referred to in the Legacy of the Beast  game. He'd go on to do the art for the subsequent album No Prayer for the Dying , with an Eddie bursting from the grave, as well as a pretty cool "Tailgunner" Eddie, but the Seventh Son  stuff was truly unique. Here's some of the artwork (Note that Beast in the Maze  does not own the copyright for these images, which presumably belong to th...

 We're back in Phish territory this week, and we are focusing on their first official release, 1989's Junta . Originally released on cassette, it also clocks in as their longest studio effort to date. Join us as we discuss bad places for papercuts, how to say "Golgi" and what it is/does, and songs where the lyrics set one tone while the music sets an entirely different one. Some quick links for you -  Wikipedia article ,  YouTube playlist , and Brian's live pick, "Fluffhead" from March 6, 2009 . As always you can find the most recent episode of the podcast inte built-in player on this site, or on any major podcast platform. Enjoy!