The Chemical Wedding
Bruce Dickinson

• KING IN CRIMSON
• CHEMICAL WEDDING
• THE TOWER
• KILLING FLOOR
• THE BOOK OF THEL
• GATES OF URIZEN
• JERUSALEM
• TRUMPETS OF JERICHO
• MACHINE MEN
• THE ALCHEMIST

Band: Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Roy Z, Eddie Casillas, Dave Ingraham
Produced by Roy Z

This is Bruce Dickinson's fifth solo album and his fourth since leaving Iron Maiden.Like Accident at Birth before it Adrian Smith returns for guitar duties (they obvious get along as they've both re-joined IM - see other page). And I have to say it, this on is a belter.

Sounding modern and yet retro at the same time the album combines music originality with thumping heaviness. It was rumoured that the guitars were detuned so much that some strings had to be replaced by bass ones!. The album is a concept album and lyrically draws heavily on the poetry and work of William Blake. The opening Cathedralesque grinding groove of King in Crimson sets up for a less speedy but just as intense remainder of tracks from the harmonic title track to the Zeppelin-like hymn cover (!) Jerusalem this album simply oozes quality.

Drums, Bass and guitars simply cannot be faulted on this album and that fact applies to the vocals also. Bruce in my opinion sounds better on this album than he has for years (not that he has ever sounded bad, this performance is just class) especially on Trumpets of Jericho and The Chemical Wedding. A guest appearance by veteren 60s rocker Arthur Brown is also an inspired move. Although Arthur doesn't sing he has a powerful voice for prose and it certainly sends a chill to the bone during his utterances.

The album rounds off nicely with the final track The Alchemist subtly metamophosising into The Chemical Wedding track at the end. A technique which I can't remember happening on an album since Pink Floyd's The Wall.

I though Accident of Birth was a brilliant album also but was definately classic Maiden with a hint of Sabbath. This one just has a niche all of it's own. Although you can hear little bits of Thin Lizzy , Led Zeppelin, Sabbath and Iron Maiden in places, this album definately speaks with a voice of its own. And its voice is clear.

One of the best new albums I've bought in a long time. Bar none. This should bode well for Bruce and Adrians current antics in the Maiden. Bruce says another album will come but he is going to have one hell of a task to top this.

9/10
As Bruce said himself "An album whose heart and soul is in the 70s but the body and bollocks are well and truly in the nineties" - I'm paraphrasing a little but I simply can't top that statement. Our favourite warbling fencer has done it - again.

Coagulus / Rob

That good I could probably have just called this a classic album spot. Yeehar.