Although the definition of epic style in metal music is something different; the solid rhythm of Iron Maiden music is somehow epic by term definition, particularly when it is accompanied by epic lyrics. From the second album, Iron Maiden have reserved a constant position for their characteristic epic songs in every album, which are usually long tracks with operatic lyrics.
As a part of the Steve Harris leadership, almost all of these operatic tracks have been solely written by Steve Harris. These songs are usually placed as the last track of the album.
Iron Maiden (1980): Phantom of the Opera, a French novel by Gaston Leroux, was the basis of many musical works, and even the famous rock opera of Andrew Llyod Webber with the same name. Although the track, Phantom of the Opera, is also an operatic song; the characteristic operatic songs were recorded with Bruce Dickinson.
Bruce Dickinson Vocals
Probably, one of the reasons for the band interest in this kind of operatic songs was the flexibility of Bruce Dickinson vocals for this purpose. On the other hand, strong bass rhythm could provide a solid background for an epic rock opera. It should be a natural tendency towards epic opera when performing a rock opera in the realms of heavy metal.
The Number of the Beast (1982): The last track, Hallowed Be Thy Name, is the story of a man condemned to execution, as he narrates his feeling in such a strange situation.
Piece of Mind (1983): To Tame a Land, which was inspired by the classic science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert, is about a “true leader of men”.
Powerslave (1984): as the track title suggests, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, based on a poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (written in 1978), is a story about a journey of an ancient mariner across the seas.
Somewhere in Time (1986): Alexander the Great is a historical story of the Macedonian king, and how he got the power and died in fever.
A Perfect Rock Opera in Heavy Metal Style
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988): The title track is a great rock opera; but as a matter of fact, the whole album is a complete rock opera, and indeed one of the best rock operas among heavy metal records.
The story is based on an ancient belief as the seventh son of a seventh son has a magical power. This album is a tragic opera about the life and death of a seven son of a seventh son. Although it is a concept album and several conceptual songs are not directly part of the story (having no strong operatic tune), the seventh son of a seventh son born in the first track Moonchild and dies in the last track Only Good Die Young.
Weaker Operatic Songs
No Prayer for the Dying (1990): Mother Russia is about the fall of Tsars empire in Russia.
Fear of the Dark (1992): The title track is one of the most popular songs by Iron Maiden; although there is no operatic story, the musical composition is identical to the long operatic tracks of Iron Maiden.
The X Factor (1995): For the first time, the long operatic song was the first track in the album. The Sign of the Cross is somehow operatic song with characteristic features, but hardly comparable with other operatic songs of Iron Maiden.
Virtual XI (1998): The overall structure of the album includes long songs, but hardly can consider a track as an operatic song.
A New Era with Three Guitarists
Brave New World (2000): The Thin Line Between Love and Hate is musically an operatic track comparable with other examples, but lyrically there is no operatic story.
Dance of Death (2003): The title song is a perfect operatic track, as an “unknown” narrator tells a story about his unexpected death and coming back to life. In this track, Janick Gers is a co-songwriter in addition to Steve Harris.
A Matter of Life and Death (2006): The Legacy is another characteristic operatic track by Iron Maiden, though the story is not straight-forward. Once again, Janick Gers is a co-songwriter.
An Overview of the Operatic Tracks
In conclusion, only two of the operatic tracks, viz. Hallowed Be Thy Name and Fear of the Dark are among the Iron Maiden popular songs in live performances.
The operatic tracks recorded from 1982 to 1988 are perfect rock opera, and also influential works in the realms of heavy metal.
With the album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Iron Maiden showed that have incredible talents and creativity for composing a complete album with rock opera structure, while heavy metal is known to have less flexibility for rock opera.
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