No Prayer for the Dying: individual album judgement by yours truly

For some reason I got nostalgic for this album today and listened to it, it kicked ass. It's funny how opinions can shift throughout the years. I distinctly remember thinking some of the subject matter is stupid, the raspy singing is bad, and the I hated the fact they went less progressive instead of more. It was definitely the second worst Maiden album for me for years.

I'm sure if I listened to it when it first came out (2 years before I was born), I would've been sad at H leaving and the singing and the other stuff, but after 33 years have passed, I can look at it with fresh eyes instead.

After more than 10 years since I first listened to it, I changed my mind and I can see the value in the experiment. I really like how it sounds and the whole philosophy, especially since Maiden got more and more progressive since the reunion era. I guess I don't take the music as seriously as I did as a teenager so I can enjoy the more lighthearted and fun songs for what they are. Hooks in You and Bring Your Daughter are the weakest links for me, but others like NPFTD, Fates Warning, The Assassin, Run silent run deep, Mother Russia: all bangers.

Janick's solos still feel exciting and fresh and Dave seems to also have a lot of energy here, and he also has a lot of writing contributions which I love. Overall I think it's a really strong album. Probably still Maiden's second worst in my eyes, but it's still much better than a lot of bands best album IMO.


Maiden have so many albums, and I love how I can choose to appreciate any of them for what they are and what they bring to the table, in the grand scheme of the band's legacy.
 
Yeah, taking it out of the usual comparative context really makes No Prayer for the Dying feel much better album. While some songs are on the weaker side, it's quite an easy and pleasant listen overall and looking at it as a metal album, there isn't really that much wrong with it. It's just not particularly strong. Some songs are very good, some less so.

A lot of people often wish/suggest some of the songs to be played live again and I wouldn't mind that, but it's also easy to see why they've got so little setlist representation afterwards: basically all of those cuts compete for the setlist spots that already have lots of superior candidates in line for it. Looking at some of the more recent tours, for example, I can't really blame the band for picking Aces High, Where Eagles Dare, The Evil That Men Do or The Wicker Man over Tailgunner.
 
I think NPFTD and TXF was the right way to go. Maiden wasn't popular in the 90's, but they would have been absolutley killed if they continued writing about pyramids and time travels. NPFTD was a band growing up and TXF was a mature album!
 
Randalf said:
Yeah, taking it out of the usual comparative context really makes No Prayer for the Dying feel much better album. While some songs are on the weaker side, it's quite an easy and pleasant listen overall and looking at it as a metal album, there isn't really that much wrong with it. It's just not particularly strong. Some songs are very good, some less so.

A lot of people often wish/suggest some of the songs to be played live again and I wouldn't mind that, but it's also easy to see why they've got so little setlist representation afterwards: basically all of those cuts compete for the setlist spots that already have lots of superior candidates in line for it. Looking at some of the more recent tours, for example, I can't really blame the band for picking Aces High, Where Eagles Dare, The Evil That Men Do or The Wicker Man over Tailgunner.
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I can’t believe that the title track and Tailgunner haven’t made a reappearance during the 6-piece era. This is the only album I haven’t seen Maiden perform songs from :(

I have always enjoyed the album. I wouldn’t call it top tier Maiden, but it still a fun listen (except for Mother Russia!).
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
I can’t believe that the title track and Tailgunner haven’t made a reappearance during the 6-piece era. This is the only album I haven’t seen Maiden perform songs from :(

I have always enjoyed the album. I wouldn’t call it top tier Maiden, but it still a fun listen (except for Mother Russia!).
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Given the amount of songs in their career they haven't played live, and the demands of the fans regarding them (and the usual demand for classics), I don't think they will ever play unplayed songs from the 90's live. Not even if they do a 90's themed tour (which I don't think they ever will).
 
Mega said:
Given the amount of songs in their career they haven't played live, and the demands of the fans regarding them (and the usual demand for classics), I don't think they will ever play unplayed songs from the 90's live. Not even if they do a 90's themed tour (which I don't think they ever will).
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But they have played Tailgunner and No Prayer for the Dying before. I am just surprised that neither song has made an appearance. Taigunner could have fit into the LOTB tour and No Prayer could have easily slotted into either the Maiden England, GMETID, DOD or Final Frontier Tour.
 
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