Track Listing

1. King in Crimson
2. Chemical Wedding
3. Tower
4. Killing Floor
5. Book of Thel
6. Gates of Urizen
7. Jerusalem
8. Trumpets of Jericho
9. Machine Men
10. Alchemist

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #197854 in Music
• Released on: 1998-09-15
• Number of discs: 1

Album Details
Former Lead Singer of Iron Maiden and Hi Powered Record Exec Emerges with his New Label and his Sixth Solo LP. Features Adrian Smith on Guitar (Also of Iron Maiden) and Arthur Brown ("Fire") Reciting Poetry Between the Tracks. A Big Step Beyond.

Amazon.com
Keeping with his career-long pattern of working history and mythology into his lyrics (and adding science to the mix), former Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson collaborates with axeman Roy Z on The Chemical Wedding. Their union bears some tasty fruit. Former Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith also continues to work with Dickinson on this, the singer's sixth solo album, co-writing two numbers. Chock full of epic arrangements and snarling riffs, this collection towers over recent Maiden catastrophes, serving up traditional metal that's majestic and melodic--proving, along with so many mid-to-late-'90s releases by Judus Priest, Helloween, and others, that good music transcends trends. Dickinson and his bandmates understand the need to diversify their sonic portfolio, as evidenced by the psychedelic coloring of the title track, the electric tranquillity of "Gates of Urizen," and the folksy passages on "Jerusalem." And, as a bonus, rock madman Arthur Brown recites William Blake's poetry on two tracks. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews

A work of genius
While Iron Maiden was being faced with mixed results with their non-Bruce albums, Bruce Dickinson was enjoying a lucrative solo career that proved proved he was not only a tremendous heavy metal vocalist, but a solid songwriter as well. That said, Chemical Wedding is the peak of his career as both occupations. Bruce's vocals have matured considerably over the years, and have reached a more dynamic state while not sacrificing his youthful intensity. Lyrically, the album is an evocative, thought-provoking concept album that proves to be incredibly rewarding once its theme is revealed.

By comparison, this album is heavier sonically than any of Bruce's other work or any of Iron Maiden's discs. Whether this was a conscious decision or a natural progression given the subject matter of the album, it works incredibly well. Roy Z and Adrian Smith are one hell of a duo, and if Bruce's vocals weren't so dazzling, they'd steal the show. Clean solos slice through the mix, and poignant riffs are ceaselessly launched at the listener in wave after wave of heavy melody. Guitar interplay weaves and merges in an engaging mannner, made all the more enjoyable by the clean, heavy production.

But while the guitars are excellent, they never take focus away from Bruce. Never before has his adopted a broader sense of dynamics as with this album. Listen to the sinister verses in "Book of Thel", or the soaring octaves in the chorus of "Trumpets of Jericho", or the constantly shifting dynamics of "The Alchemist." As always, the vocals are etched with Bruce's trademark intensity and vigor. Over the years, Bruce's voice has been refined to an ideal timber, and in my opinion he sounds better than ever.

The album is a (non-story) concept album that deals with man's relationship with God (at least that's my interpretation of it). Ultimately, the meaning of the lyrics are one of the album's best points, but less lyric-oriented listeners will enjoy the lyrics from a superficial level as well (stuff about the devil, mythology, religious stories, etc). Still, understanding the lyrics is an important, rewarding part of this disc, so I encourage all listeners to think about it for a while. (To understand what Bruce was trying to say, only the relationship between tracks 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10 must be understood.) The only problem with this album is that the chorus of "Killing Floor" is the most unlistenable thing I've ever heard. But it's a minor complaint, as I enjoy the rest of the song.

I regard this as one of the best metal albums of the 90s. Even this year's hailed and laudable Maiden album "Brave New World" (which I enjoy) has nothing on the power, originality, and brilliance of The Chemical Wedding. I encourage any heavy metal fan to pick this one up.

One of the best heavy metal albums ever made
Korn--move over. Post-Black Album Metallica--take a back seat. Limp Bizkit? Clear the building. Make way for the almighty Air Raid Siren himself, Bruce Dickinson. In an age where the airwaves are starved for good music, Bruce has kept the muse of metal alive, striking hard and furious with one of the heaviest recordings of the decade. Make no mistake; this is no industrial or pseudo-funk rap-metalism; this is old-school heavy metal, Maiden and Sabbath style. Armed with ex-Iron Maiden axeman Adrian Smith and Tribe of Gypsies guitarist/producer Roy Z, Dickinson delivers a 10-track masterpiece that ranges from trademark Maidenesque thunder(King in Crimson, Trumpets of Jehrico, The Tower, the Killing Floor, Machine Men) to progressive metal suites (Book of Thel) to Gaelic/folk-inflected mandolin-metal reels (Jerusalem) to soul-haunting power ballads (title track, the Alchemist, Gates of Urizen). Fans of Dickinson's other work will likely find this release superior to Balls to Picasso, seeing as it stays true to the metal genre rather than foraying into hard rock. Musically, Dickinson's sidemen are EXCELLENT--Adrian Smith, being one of the best things about Maiden CDs, turns in some of his most ripping solo work while still maintaining his emotive, spell-binding soul that is his trademark. Roy Z is no slouch either--his songwriting craft provides the perfect backdrop for Dickinson's gothic lyrics, and his stellar lead work could give Vai/Satriani a run for their money. The rhythm section borrowed from Tribe of Gypsies, bassist Eddie Casillas and drummer Dave Ingraham, are as solid as any in metal and propel the music with muscular drive that hearkens to the halcyon days of the Geezer Butler/Bill Ward thunder duo in Sabbath.

Lyrically, this album is filled with Dickinson's trademark evocative style, drawing upon medieval mythology, theology, and history to create his gothic, stomach-turning imagery. He seems very much a poet and word-painter--the lyrics evoke images and emotions, rather than specific plotlines or concepts. Having said that, it provides the perfect lyrical frame to his thunderous, hellish backing band. Included are various musings on war, gnosticism/alchemy, the fear of the Devil, the evils of industrial society, crises of faith, fantasy, and sorrow--all tied together with a tribute to the great Romantic poet William Blake. Dickinson's album is bleak, prophetic, poetic, triumphant, frightening, powerful, shocking, and 100% magic--one of the best metal CDs of the 90s. Dickinson, both with his solo career and his new triumph with the second coming of Maiden, seemingly resolves to take popular music by the throat and drag it, kicking and screaming, back down to hell with him.

Wage the War Against Musical Incompetence.

UP THE IRONS!

On the wavelength to eternity
Bruce Dickinson, former and new frontman of Iron Maiden, brings his solo career to a close with quite a gem. "The Chemical Wedding" is in the lyrical vein of "Infinite Dreams" where lines like : "I couldn't hear those screams, even in my wildest dreams" make you pause to ponder what the meaning is. Songs like "Jerusalem", "The Tower", and "The Alchemist" have a richly texture sound that is simply inspiring, and the vocals by Bruce are complimented nicely by the guitar rythmns of Roy-z, and the bluesy style of Adrian Smith whom is another cohort from Maiden. Listening to the tracks the touch of Adrian's stringing becomes very apparent as his departure from Maiden meant an end to songs like the "The Prisoner" that require a well paced style of play. Janick Gers is good but any true Maiden fan would know that he butchers Adrian's solos from previous albums to death. He simply plays too fast. Ah, the "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner". Anyway, this is one well executed album from top to bottom. The Band is really just Bruce and Adrain because everyone else, Roy-Z is independent and works as a producer, Dave Casselle (I think)and sorry for not knowing the rest are really the band: Tribe of Gypsies minus some key members. Bruce loves to borrow this band to do albums such as:"Balls To Picasso", "Accident of Birth", and now "The Chemical Wedding" with them. I have to admit tHIS ALBUM PRESENTS A NEW MUSICAL DIRECTION FOR ALL OF METAL. While new groups deal with techno beats, heavy guitar rythmns, blasting drums, hip-hop lirisism, appearance and other stuff that has caught the old guard off guard, Bruce sticks to being nothing more than a metal artists whom has released a master work that will no doubt end up being mention as an inspiration for future great axemen of the gendre. Take the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I just saw one of their new videos where they're playing on a red stage with an aluminum cover structure, and the song they play ends on a solo routine that just sounds a lot like the strings for "The Tower". Whether or not they listen to Bruce's album, aspiring metal axemen should check this album out because it shows how important overlooked releases are to the art form. Here your imaginatiuon will fly so set down any preconceived notions of what to expect from an album and listen to music that is fresh, new, somehow familiar, and overall a very fine experience. Long live Bruce, Long live Adrian, long live Roy-Z, and long live those who care about the music.