Bruce Dickinson--The Chemical Wedding (1998/CMC)
Rating--9.0
The Book of Thel--RealAudio The Tower--RealAudio
Overall this disc is not quite as wide-ranged as 'Accident of Birth,' but in no way is it a letdown. The distortion is murkier
and more bottom-heavy, and the crunch and chug are even deeper than before. Bruce continues to be a golden-voiced wunderkind,
as the comback from his early-decade stumble continues. He also astounds listeners lyrically as he tackles themes born of the poetry of William
Blake.
"King in Crimson" starts out with solid crunch and runs, and
is matched in power by the unavoidable thickness of "Machine Man" and the grungy rapid riff of "Trumpets of Jericho".
The flowing chorus and overall song structure of "The Tower" reminds of the purest of melodic '80s Maiden---probably circa '7th Son,' but much heavier.
"Jerusalem" has similar flavorings, and while lighter is just as powerful.
The chunky power flow of "Killing Floor" is admirable,
but the disc's top highlight has to be "Book of Thel," which begins with a tooling bass intro before giving way to a mega-roll
drive. This one is a chord-induced, non-stop power ride throughout.
If metal is going to continue to re-assert itself, it's albums like
this one which will be at the front of the torch-carrying procession. Crank it up...
TRACK LIST: King of Crimson/Chemical Wedding/The Tower/Killing Floor/Book of Thel/Gates of Urizen/Jerusalem/Trumpets
of Jericho/Machine Men/The Alchemist
Back to Discography