The popular euphemism is that this is ‘stripped back’ and certainly the majority of the synths and keyboards that were a more major part of both of the previous albums are not present here. Given that this is more the direction that Adrian was heading for (anyone who has heard his album Silver and Gold that came out soon after his departure will know this to be true) it is not terribly surprising he decided to not be involved at that point.
The best tracks are great. The opening salvo of “Tailgunner” comes at you with fire and speed, Bruce spitting his lyrics at you in a true historical sense, bringing back memories of “Aces High” in both its lyrical and even musical sense. Everything about the song is a winner, and it kick starts the album the way it should. Its follow up is “Holy Smoke”, and its humorous portrayal of serious events mirrors a number of other songs from the era that also gave their take on the evangelical sordidness that was occurring. Bruce hams it up nicely in his vocals, and the energy of the song continues the drive of the opening of the album.
The core of the album is where some doubts are raised about what is happening in the new decade of Maiden. There are serious issues – political, wordly – being raised in the lyrics of the songs, not something that is completely foreign to the band, and still in the mix of those songs that the band usually writes, the ones based on movies or literature and the sort. It just feels a tad more morbid than perhaps they usually are, and it’s the music that tends to drag it in that direction. The title track “No Prayer for the Dying” I can still sing along to today, but it does have the distinction of being the first ever Iron Maiden song that I would not automatically look at putting on a mixed tape if I was making one. I would pass over it and look for the next song. Mind you, that applies to this album in general. There are four or five songs in that category which is a telling aspect of the change that has come so quickly between albums. “Public Enema Number One” also joins that category. I can still sing every word of the song such is the constant airplay I gave this album when it was first released, but I would NEVER consider just putting it on at home out of the blue. Ditto “Fates Warning”. Why? I think in essence the answer is… its boring! The energy doesn’t appear to be coming from the band at all, the songs feel like they are plodding along instead of bursting the seams of your speakers. Bruce is singing along but not really driving the songs themselves.
Side Two starts with something akin to enjoyable without fully restoring order or faith. “The Assassin” juggles its momentum by sharp stops and starts and changes in pace throughout, which messes with its ability to be adoringly taken on board. “Run Silent Run Deep” for me is where the album comes out of the doldrums and starts to pick up again. Bruce feels like he’s back in the groove, and the clear run of the music brings back that smooth transition that is required.
“Hooks in You” is a winner, and not just because it was Adrian’s sole contribution to the writing for the album before his departure. Another song to add to the Charlotte Saga, this is a fun song with double entendre and innuendo thrown around with Bruce obviously enjoying himself. This is followed by “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter”, an anthem so strong it had to be banned, blocked and re-recorded to make it the hit it is. Bruce had originally recorded it for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child soundtrack with Janick, and when Steve Harris heard it he loved it so much he had the original version suppressed so that Maiden could re-record it and add it to this album. It’s loud, it’s fun and it has energy and drive. It may not be Maiden’s greatest song, but on this album it is the shining moment. The closing track “Mother Russia” is meant to be the epic finisher, drenched in the history of the changing face of politics through Europe. Again, I don’t mind the song, but I really don’t see it as a classic that only this band could perform.
When this album was released I played it over and over and over. For months. I spent lunchtimes in the car listening to it. I drove home longer from places in order to fit it all in. I had it playing on my tape deck and my record player and eventually my CD player. It was Iron Maiden after all, and despite the changes I couldn’t get enough of it. Even then I knew it wasn’t the same as what had come before, but I literally didn’t care. It probably wasn’t until the release of Brave New World, and the re-fusing of Adrian and Bruce back into the band, that I truly understood the flaws that this album has. On reflection over the years, it was the first Maiden album that showed that no band can continue forever to produce albums of such spectacular material that you can rate it as nothing else but full marks. Music was changing, and even bands as huge and synonymous as Iron Maiden felt the need to adapt to what was happening. For me, and for many, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son was the end of that line. What we have here with No Prayer for the Dying is an album that is better than most, because of the band and the writers and performers in that band. Compared to what had come before however, there is a slight dip in quality.
Rating: “I’ve got the keys to view at Number 22, behind my green door there’s nothing to see”. 3.5/5
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