BEAST IN THE MAZE

       Next week on the podcast, the guys from Beast in the Maze  discuss the unofficial concept album The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday . Composed and submitted as an assignment at Goddard College, many of the songs on the album would remain in live rotation for more than a decade.      The album itself was recorded in a DIY manner by the band, and for our discussion of the album, we've decided to listen to the original recording rather than the more polished later performances. Specifically, we used this version on YouTube .      Perhaps a concept album, perhaps a fairy-tale, and maybe a commentary on society (Trey refers to it as a "musical"), all of the songs from the album present a narrative set in the fantasy world of Gamehendge, where the peaceful Lizards are ruled by the tyrant king Wilson, and the events that take place when someone from our time journeys into that world.      Join us as we discuss the album, and if you like, check out this link to Trey's t

      This week, we're taking on a Maiden album which is divisive to say the least. The First album of theirs to feature guitarist Janick Gers, No Prayer for the Dying  represented the beginning of what many fans would consider a dark age for not only Iron Maiden, but for heavy metal in general. Join ys as we take it apart track by track and discuss aerial/maritime warfare, televangelism, and the uncomfortable undertones of Nightmare on Elm Street. Also on the episode, we reveal which album we'll be looking at next, when we revert back to Phish mode.     If you haven't heard No Prayer for the Dying , our previous post does a quick summary of the album. In addition, here are a few helpful links: 1. The YouTube playlist - all the tracks from the studio version of the record. 2. The Wikipedia article - all the basic-level facts 3. No Prayer on the Road '90/'91 - an interesting 38 minute documentary about the album and tour with band interviews and a handful of live

      Coming up on the podcast, we'll be taking a look at the beginning of a controversial period for Iron Maiden - and metal in general - the 1990's. Iron Maiden kicked off the decade with the release of their eighth album, No Prayer for the Dying .  Coming off the heels of their complex concept album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , the band decided to take a step backwards, and simplify things, stripping away much of the production and the higher-brow approach to songwriting, the move was controversial, both within the band and without.     While it's true that many original fans didn't quite know how to digest Maiden's late 80's records due to the addition of things like guitar synth and keyboards, time and the critical community have vindicated Seventh Son, which is almost universally considered a classic of metal. No Prayer,  though, is a different record.     While it's possible the approach to the album came out of a simple desire to revert to a "

     With the release of Iron Maiden's eighth studio album  No Prayer for the Dying , Artist Derek Riggs had drawn his final studio album cover for the band. Originally, the cover art for the album featured Eddie bursting from the grave yet again and throttling a man holding a lantern, presumably a groundskeeper/gravedigger (pictured above). The plaque on the lid of Eddie's coffin is blank, because Riggs wanted the band to be able to come up with their own inscription, though it seems they never bothered!     The story goes that band manager Rod Smallwood wasn't happy with the cover art (and the resemblance of the "victim" on the cover to himself) and when the album was re-released in 1998, he asked Riggs to remove the character from the cover, which resulted in the version pictured below:      With some vinyl reissues reverting to the original cover, there are many editions out there with or without the "Rod Smallwood"-esque character. This isn't th

     This week on Beast in the Maze , we're discussing Phish's third studio album, A Picture of Nectar . We talk about a variety of topics, and deal with confusion surrounding what is and isn't a part of the Gamehendge universe, as well as what part of a shoe the mouth is. Join us as we go track by track, as Brian provides a fan perspective, and Matt weighs in as someone giving the album a listen for the first time.         As always, at the end we rank the albums we've talked about so far, and reveal what we have coming up on the next episode when we switch bands.     Also, if you go back to our previous post which previewed the episode, you can find some links to a couple of live picks from the album as well as your basic youtube/wikipedia links. As always, we  encourage you to get involved in the discussion by emailing, tweeting at us (@beast_maze), or leaving comments. We hope you enjoy!

     Coming up Monday on Beast in the Maze , we're taking a look at Phish's third studio album, A Picture of Nectar . Released in 1992, this album represents a somewhat tighter and concise version of the band as compared to Junta  and Lawn Boy , and contains many Phish staples, including "Tweezer," which often spans 20-30 minutes live, and is still close to nine minutes in length in the studio.     If you'd like to get a head start (or a refresher), you can head to the playlist  or read some of the basic background information on  Wikipedia . Brian has also selected a couple of live picks: First, "Chalkdust Torture" from Camden, NJ in July of 1999 , and second, the Bomb Factory "Tweezer" from Dallas, TX in May of 1994 .      We hope you enjoy the listen, and the episode! See you Monday ✌