by Greg Prato

In 1988, harsh thrash metal and radio-friendly glam rock were the two chief heavy metal styles. Instead of aligning themselves to either camp, Iron Maiden stuck to their guns and issued a concept album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Concept albums had spelled disaster for other metal bands in the past, but this proved not to be the case with Maiden, resulting in what many fans consider their last true classic album (and the last with guitarist Adrian Smith, until their late-'90s reunion). Although the songs are all lyrically tied together by the story of a prophet who tries (unsuccessfully) to warn a village of an impending holocaust, they don't have to be listened to in succession to be enjoyed -- one of the main reasons the album worked so well. A total of four singles were issued in the U.K. (all Top Tens) -- "Can I Play with Madness?," "The Evil That Men Do," "The Clairvoyant," and "Infinite Dreams" -- which all prove to be the album's best cuts. But like earlier Maiden albums, this is a complete album -- while "Moonchild," "The Prophecy," "Only the Good Die Young," and the epic title track are not as well-known as the singles, they are just as noteworthy. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son marked the end of a golden era for one of metal's all-time best bands.