Bruce Dickinson
Scream For Me Brazil

THE REVIEW

On this site there's quite a bit of talk about Iron Maiden, judging by the sheer number of reviews available, but it's surprising to see that their singer as a solo artist doesn't get much attention. And to think he's written some great tracks in his career...

This live comes at a particular moment in Bruce's solo career: just back with the Maiden, he realizes that for a while he'll have to set it aside, and decides to release this live album. And, lucky for us, the Air Raid Siren is definitely in shape and produces a really great product. The packaging is nice, except for the cover. The booklet has quite a few photos, the image printed on the CD is very live... and the packaging doesn't matter much to you, right? But in any case, the packaging is what differentiates a burned CD from an original one, and when you see some that are sparse, you feel like throwing the CD out the window... so a decent package is welcome. But let's move on to the music!

A siren opens the concert, interrupted by the definitely less delicate sound of the guitars, VERY powerful and well-played. It's "Trumpets Of Jericho" that opens the dances, and immediately you jump like crazy! The blonde is in shape, the supporting musicians pump like madmen, and the track is strong and heavy. The first part of the concert is entirely dedicated to the new 'The Chemical Wedding': after the opener we hear the "King in Crimson", the dark "Chemical Wedding", then move on to the sad "Gates of Urizen" (the singer's extraordinary interpretation), the hectic Killing Floor and the long "Book of Thel". The first roar comes with the first dive into the past: the beautiful ballad "Tears of the Dragon" is reprised in a splendid version, even better than the studio version. Faster and heavier is the version here present of "Laughing in the Hiding Bush", which appears a thousand times more convincing than its studio version.

In the finale Bruce leaves the pearls of the discography: "Accident of Birth" live is an attack on the coronary arteries, such is the power expressed by the instruments and so explosive the voice. The digressions during "The Tower" are fun, with the beginning presenting a call and response between Bruce and the audience, a bit like Freddie Mercury: the song quite recalls the atmospheres of 'Piece of Mind'. Extraordinary is the long "Darkside of Aquarius", perhaps the best piece ever written by Bruce solo, complex and, again, very powerful. It closes with "Road to Hell", perhaps not perfect as a closure but nonetheless pleasant.

In short, while not reaching perfection, this live contains very valid tracks played and sung very well. It doesn't aspire to the Olympus of metal live albums, surely, but I think it's a great way to discover the "metal" side of Bruce's discography. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on musical tastes) the albums prior to 'Skunkworks' are left aside, except for two tracks... but you can't have it all!