IRON MAIDEN - INFINITE DREAMS

INFINITE DREAMS

IRON MAIDEN

SONGWRITER: STEPHEN PERCY HARRIS

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVEN

LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS

GENRE: HEAVY METAL

YEAR: 1988

 

         Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to 41 albums, including 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations. They have also released 47 singles and 20 video albums. Two electronic games have been released with Iron Maiden soundtracks, and the band's music is featured in a number of other video games.

           As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several line-up changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Powerslave, 1985's live release Live After Death, 1986's Somewhere in Time, 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1990's No Prayer for the Dying, and 1992's Fear of the Dark. In 1982 the band released its álbum The Number of the Beast, the first with Bruce Dickinson, who replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. This was a turning point in their career, helping establish Iron Maiden as one of the most important heavy metal artists in history. By 2010, more than 14 million copies of the album had been sold worldwide. Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band has undergone a resurgence in popularity, with a series of new albums and highly successful tours. Their 2010 album, The Final Frontier, peaked at Nº 1 in 28 countries and received widespread critical acclaim. The sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, was released on 4 September 2015 to similar success, debuting at number one in the album charts of 24 countries with physical sales and summary in 43 territories with physical and digital sales. The seventeenth studio album Senjutsu was released on 3 September 2021 and eventually reached Nº 1 in 23 countries.

         By 2017, Iron Maiden had sold well over 100 million copies of their albums worldwide, despite little radio or television support. According to MD Daily Record by 2021 all audio-visual releases of the band have sold in over 200 million copies worldwide, including regular albums, singles, VHS', DVDs and all compilations. Iron Maiden have become one of the most influential and revered rock bands of all time and helped spawn an entire genre of music. According to many critics the band elevated heavy metal to an art form, proving that academic and musical inspirations can coexist.

        The band and its musicians have received multiple nominations, honours and awards including Grammy Awards and equivalents awards in many countries, Brit Awards, Silver Clef Award, ECHO Awards, Juno Awards, Emma-Gaala Awards, Nordoff-Robbins Award(International Achievement 2002), Ivor Novello Awards, Guinness Book of World Records, Public Choice International, Online Music Awards Germany, The Rocks Awards, Metal Hammer Awards, Kerrang! Awards, Burrn! Awards, Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, Honorary Doctorates, State Prizes, some of the biggest music festivals' honours and sales recognition awards. Iron Maiden were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk, BPI Hall of Fame and Kerrang! Hall of Fame. The Band was hailed as the most successful British metal group on British Channel 4. In 2012 The Number of the Beast was voted as Best British Album Ever in the public poll related to Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. In April 2021, the ex-members of the band were inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame. The band is also a part of permanent exhibitions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, British Music Experience and Wacken Open Air Hall of Fame.

         Iron Maiden's lyrics cover such topics as history, literature, war, mythology, society and religion. Many of their songs are based on history, classic literature and film. As of October 2019, the band have played some 2500 live shows, performing for tens of millions of fans. For over 40 years, the musicians have been supported by their famous mascot, "Eddie", who has appeared on almost all of their album and single covers, videos and merchandise. Originally designed by Derek Riggs, Eddie became the main attraction of Iron Maiden live shows, which feature theatrical elements like coloured backdrops, inflatables, pyrotechnics, elaborate lighting rigs, props and stage sets.

       Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 11 April 1988 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast(1982) and later Fear of the Dark(1992), The Final Frontier(2010), and The Book of Souls(2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Can I Play with Madness" was also a commercial success, peaking at Nº 3 in the UK Singles Chart.

             A concept album inspired by the novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, the record incorporates elements of progressive rock, seen in the length and complex structure of the title track. It was also the first Iron Maiden album to feature keyboards, after the band had introduced non-keyboard synth effects on their previous LP, Somewhere in Time(1986).

       After his contributions were rejected for Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son features several songs co-written by lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who states that his enthusiasm for the band was renewed during the album's production stages. It was Iron Maiden's last studio record to feature the Piece of Mind-era lineup until 2000's Brave New World, with guitarist Adrian Smith leaving the band in January 1990 after he did not approve of the direction the band were aiming for on their next album No Prayer for the Dying.

      Following the album's release, the band embarked on the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour in which Derek Riggs' cover artwork was recreated on stage. The band played over 100 shows, including the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park, and recorded the Maiden England video at Birmingham's NEC. From 2012-2014, the band revisited the Seventh Son era on their Maiden England World Tour.

Infinite dreams, I can't deny them

Infinity is hard to comprehend

I couldn't hear those screams

Even in my wildest dreams

 

Suffocation, waking in a sweat

Scared to fall asleep again

In case the dream begins again

Someone chasing, I cannot move

Standing rigid, a nightmare's statue

What a dream, when will it end?

And will I transcend?

 

Restless sleep, the mind's in turmoil

One nightmare ends, another fertile

It's getting to me, so scared to sleep

But scared to wake now, in too deep

 

Even though its reached new heights

I rather like the restless nights

It makes me wonder, makes me think

There's more to this, I'm on the brink

It's not the fear of what's beyond

It's just that I might not respond

I have an interest, almost craving

But would I like to get too far in?

 

It can't be all coincidence

Too many things are evident

You tell me you're an unbeliever

Spiritualist? Well, me I'm neither

But wouldn't you like to know the truth?

Of what's out there, to have the proof?

And find out just which side you're on

Where would you end in Heaven or in Hell?

 

Yeah, oh

 

Help me

Help me to find my true self without seeing the future

Save me

Save me from torturing myself even within my dreams, ow

 

There's got to be

Just more to it than this

Or tell me, why do we exist?

I'd like to think that when I die

I'd get a chance, another time

And to return and live again

Reincarnate, play the game

Again and again and again and again.