Bruce Dickinson
Accident Of Birth

THE REVIEW

1997: fans of Iron Maiden had long been waiting for an album that returned to the glorious sounds of the '80s, but their idols didn't satisfy them with "Virtual XI"; the masterstroke was delivered by Bruce Dickinson, their former singer. Bruce was coming from a couple of unsuccessful albums in terms of sales: indeed, despite "Balls To Picasso" and especially "Skunkworks" seeking sounds different from traditional metal, commercially speaking they were failures. However, Bruce puts together a perfect band: there are Roy Z (guitar), Andy Casillas (bass), Dave Ingraham (drums) of the band Tribe of Gypsies and finally (drum roll!!!!!!!) Adrian Smith as the second guitar.

The new album is a true '80s heavy rock, hard and pure—the best from Bruce up to that moment. It is produced by Roy Z himself, and the sound is aggressive, heavier than the contemporary Irons. It starts with "Freak," very hard, in which Bruce is inspired by a friend of Roy. Next is "Toltec 7 Arrival," 37 instrumental seconds that precede "Starchildren," not as good as the first, which speaks of contact with aliens, but the alien in question is death. These sci-fi themes will frequently appear in other songs on the album. Then it's the turn of "Taking The Queen," a semi-ballad in which a dying queen must remain a virgin to survive, but she falls in love with a young man. Then comes "Darkside Of Aquarius," the best song on the album, dark, with a slow start abruptly interrupted by powerful guitar riffs, referring to the Apocalypse. Among the best songs in Bruce's entire solo production, it becomes a concert classic where the audience sings along with Bruce the long final tail. The sixth track is "Road To Hell," which brings us back to a more direct, powerful, and fast heavy metal. The lyrics talk about what went through Jesus's mind while he was dying. Then it's time for "Man of Sorrows," a slow and sad song, beautifully sung by Bruce, which talks about the youth of Aleister Crowley and what he became, of which unfortunately we have no testimonies in the official lives "Accident in Brazil" and "Scream for me Brazil".
Here is the title track, one of the hardest episodes of the entire album, also very present in concerts. Then there is "The Magician," faster, also based on Crowley. After the dark but not memorable "Welcome to the Pit," it's the turn of "Omega," similar to "Tears of the Dragon" in structure: slow, subtle start, and after the second chorus there's a sudden acceleration with a masterful solo. The lyrics foresee an apocalyptic future, with the explosion of the sun that also destroys the Earth. It closes with "Arc Of Space," a sad ballad about those who look at aliens as a religion. In the bonus disc there are demo versions of "Accident Of Birth," "Starchildren," "Taking The Queen," "Arc Of Space" and "Darkside Of Aquarius," "Ghost of Cain," another unreleased track that appeared on the B-side of the single "Accident of Birth" and three different versions of "Man of Sorrows," one of which is in Spanish. Stuff for aficionados, but nonetheless, they are interesting.

From a musical point of view, it's a great album, a return to the roots that will also bear fruit commercially (it will sell more than the contemporary "Virtual XI" by Iron Maiden). Sound similar to that of the Iron Maiden, but as good as the best times. As for the lyrics, they are dark, tough, and not at all superficial. In short, an album I'd recommend to anyone who loves the Irons and metal in general!