OK, where do I start? "Maiden's worst album", "Low point of their career", "Boring, predictable, weak Vocals". All these arguments are hitting on the wrong record. Why? Do Maiden have to sound like a progressive Rock Band? I cannot appreciate the return to their roots enough! Why is "Holy Smoke" a bad song? Because it doesn't sound like Genesis? Because it has no Synth Guitars? Because it's a plain rockin', straightforward song? Hell, it's actually one of my favorite Maiden songs!

It seems that most people where upset because Maiden didn't continiue the way they stopped at "Seven Son". And thank god they didn't. "Seventh Son" was not only one of Maiden's weakest albums, it was also their most commercial and softened up record ever. Anyone else annoyed about the Top-30 refrain of "Can I play with Madness"?. Markted as a "concept-album" to gain more credibility, to proove that heavy metal musicans can have intellect too? Be serious, Seventh Son was far from the Maiden I know and love.

"No Prayer for the Dying" is a great album, pure and simple. How can you NOT see the fact, that "Tailgunner", "Holy Smoke", "Fates Warning", "Run silent, run deep", "No Prayer for the dying" and "Mother Russia" are ten million times more Maiden than the overblown conceptual "Seventh Son" ever was. If you're looking for Genesis, don't buy this album! If you're looking for IRON MAIDEN, this album has all you need. I love it, I love Maiden for what they are.

Sure, their historical meaning and their line of legendary albums was ended with POWERSLAVE, no discussion about that. But let me make an awful comparision that will make all you "True-Metallers" want to kill me: Pearl Jam's first two albums saw them on top of the world, writing music histroy. Their last album was hated left and right, not because it was bad, because it didn't move as much as the first two did. Does that make BINAURAL an awful album? I think not! You can't reproduce the feeling a band like Maiden had in their prime time. And you can't help that matter by writing "progressive-complex" albums like "Seventh Son".

"No Prayer for the Dying" is Maiden as I know and love it, and I'm not ashamed to say. Anybody that loves Maiden for the reasons I do will love this album. All the others can stick with "Seventh Son", Dream Theater, Spock's Beard or whatever else sounds "Progressive". Maiden are Maiden and nothing else on this album. 4 Stars from me and always one of my favorite Maiden Records.

I gave this album another listen the other day, and I remembered why this is my least favorite Maiden album. While albums like Piece of Mind and Powerslave offered intelligent, imaginative lyrics, Maiden often resorts to cliche here. Subject matter varies from the atypical heavy metal attack on televangelists ("Holy Smoke") to an uninspired song about aerial combat ("Tailgunner"). By the way, "Tailgunner" is a carbon copy of "Aces High" from Powerlave. "Mother Russia" is Maiden's inevitable attempt at a history lesson. It is even more formulaic than "Alexander the Great" from the Somewhere in Time album (another stinker), and is definitely tacked on. They are not nearly as musically ambitious as they were on past efforts. It used to be that Maiden kept you guessing, but the music on No Prayer for the Dying is so predictable it is depressing. This album lacks hooks, melody, and Bruce Dickinson's formidable vocal range is never even challenged. The only reason to buy this album is to fill out a collection. If you are looking for great music, get Piece of Mind, Powerslave, or Live After Death. Listen to Maiden in its glory, and you will realize why this album is so embarassing.

THE BAND: Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Janick Gers (guitar), Steve Harris (bass), Nicko McBrain (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1990) 10 tracks clocking in at just over 44 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet that contains band pictures, song credits/titles, song lyrics, and thank you's. Recorded at Steve Harris' Barn somewhere in England on the Rolling Stone Mobile. Cover art by Derek Riggs. Label - Epic. *The digitally remastered version (on Sanctuary Maiden label) released in 2002 offers more in the way of liner notes and videos for your PC.

COMMENTS: It's hard for me to write this review, since I've been a fan of Iron Maiden from the beginning. I have their entire collection on disc - Iron Maiden has so many great releases. Some of those ("Number Of The Beast", "Powerslave", and "Piece Of Mind" to name a few) are all-time British metal classics... as well as all-time heavy metal classics. However, there are so many things wrong with "No Prayer For The Dying". What the heck happened after 1988's "7th Son Of A 7th Son" (less than 2 years prior)? The sound (production) is flat. Much different from previous albums - Steve Harris' Barn and the Rolling Stone Mobile I'm sure has something to do with it. This was a first for the band recording here (most of their classic 80's material was recorded in the Bahamas or France). Guitar wizard Adrian Smith is gone... working on solo projects and beckoning Dickinson to join him (a few years later he got his wish). For the most part, the melodies are forgettable. And most importantly, the lyrics are silly, or don't fit with the song. Several reviews here trash Dickinson's vocals. I disagree - I think he sounds fine, but the lyrics just don't go with the guitar licks and melodies... leaving an awkward feel to most of this album. "No Prayer For The Dying" is also missing a trademark epic song. It doesn't have to be a 13-minute "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", but something lengthier than "Mother Russia" (the longest song on the album at 5:31) would have been nice. Steve Harris is an amazing bassist, but the questionable bass playing on "Run Silent Run Deep" simply baffles me. The original album cover artwork features Eddie reaching out and choking a man... on the remastered edition, the man is gone and (background) colors are slightly changed. The band's most recent "live" albums ("Death On The Road" and "Rock In Rio") feature NO songs from "No Prayer For The Dying"... what's that tell you! On the plus side, the songs "Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter" made it to their "Essential" (2005) and "Edward The Great" (2002) best-of compilations. The latter of the two also made it to "Best Of The Beast" (1996). While these two songs are easily the best songs on the disc, that's not saying much... they're both weak compared to anything the band did in the 80's. The 3rd best song is "Tailgunner" - good tune with unconforming lyrics. I've kept the original disc and opted not to trade in for the remastered version - even with better sound quality, it's still an album I won't listen to much. In my opinion, Iron Maiden really struggled in the 90's... two sub par albums with Bruce ("Fear Of The Dark" was the other one), and two with sad replacement singer Blaze Bailey ("X Factor" and "Virtual Xi"). I've tried repeatedly to get "into" this album over the years... and I simply can't do it (2.5 stars).

Bruce is at the helm, Steve and Nico are providing the power, and Dave just rocks! What more do you want? Sure this may not represent Maidens best effort but it's no slouch either. I particularly found "Holy Smoke" to an excellent jab at televangelists (as you may remember, the Album "The Number of the Beast" drew a lot of criticism from those types, as they claimed Maiden to be Satanic, god help us). Another stand out is "Public Enema" which harkens back to the Powerslave era (Scream "Fall to your Knees again"). Tailgunner (Another song about air-to-air combat) is well crafted and sails smoothly. Even the silly titled "bring your daughter to the slaughter" is catchy, and if you can get beyond the questionable lyrics, it's a good aural romp. This entire album is pretty darn good. As a Maiden fan from way back, I can proudly give my stamp of approval.

I remember the day this CD came out... I ran to my local record shack and picked it up... popped it into my stereo... and felt my heart sink... the songs lacked imagination. "Tailgunner" is a VERY good opening track, reminiscent of "Aces High"(in spirit if not in songwriting). "Holy Smoke" is different, but enjoyable. "No Prayer for the Dying" is downright haunting. Then, it all goes downhill from there. "Public Enema Number One" is a song that strains to reach the old Maiden sound, but makes you WISH for the old Maiden sound (not what they were trying to accomplish). The next track "Fates Warning", just plain stinks; again, trying to sound like classic Maiden, but failing miserably. "Assassin" is OK, but the main riff is ripped off of "To Tame a Land". "Run Silent, Run Deep" stinks, and it rips a riff off of "Deja Vu" (hhhmmm... do we see a pattern forming here?)... "Hooks in You" sounds like something Bruce Bruce would have done on "Tattooed Millionaire"..."Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" should have been left on the "Nightmare on Elm Street 5" soundtrack (the soundtrack bombed miserably; recycling a song off of it doesn't exactly make great business sense). "Mother Russia" tries to get the epic feel of "Alexander the Great" & "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son but, um, doesn't. Some folks will say that this is one of Maiden's best efforts, but I have been following the band for over a decade and will say this: Why subject yourself to an album where they TRY to sound like the old Maiden when you can just as easily get the old stuff and bypass this trash? Bruce Bruce sounds hoarse (no surprise, as he went into the studio right after wrapping up his "Tattooed Millionare" tour), Dave Murray sounds lost without Adrian Smith, Janick Gers is a poor replacement for Adrian Smith, and Nicko McBrain sounds like he has not learned any new beats since "Peace of Mind". The only saving grace? Steve Harris' bass playing is as thunderous as ever, but a weak producing effort (the first of 'arry's failed attempts at producing) doom this disc when it could have been so much more...