All good things must come to an end; Seventh Son represents the last horrah for the classic 80’s Maiden. It isn’t that their subsequent releases were poor, it’s just that this one is so damned good.

If you can find me a synth-metal album better than this, I’ll eat my hat. Building on the firm grounding of the heavily synthesized Somewhere In Time, this release is crammed full of seminal metal epics. The title track, ‘The Evil That Men Do’, ‘Moonchild’, they’re all essential Maiden cuts, and they share the company of an astounding lack of filler.

For many die-hards, this is Iron Maiden at their best. Whether or not Seventh Son has aged as well as Powerslave or The Number of the Beast is debatable. What isn’t, is that this should be part of every metal collection.

4.5/5