Review Summary: A poetic metal odyssee evoking the dark romantic atmosphere of William Blake. One of Bruce Dickinson's finest albums ever.
It is hard to review an album like this. The events leading to the formation of the Bruce Dickinson solo project, the release of the first albums and all the facts related to this specific album are well known and belong to metal history. It is also not easy, because this album speaks for itself. Any additional explanation in words seems needless. All musicians are very good, the production (though a bit muddy and fuzzy) is ok, Dickinson is in top shape and both guitar players show talent and inspiration. And the main factor: the compositions are excellent and convincing. So maybe it's interesting to make a small side step, to focus on the album as a
Gesamtkunstwerk (A Complete Work of Art): the music, lyrics, atmosphere and art work form a cohesive concept, that adds to the appreciation of the album. The main source of inspiration consists of some allusions to the works of the genius romantic artist William Blake. His visionary, dark, proto-expressionist art and poetry have been an inspiration for more musicians, notably Jim Morrison and Bob Dylan. What attracted them was the rendering of the
sublime, the evocation of artistic
grandeur. Blake's ideas are on a large scale, comprehensive and impressive. This preference for dark romantic poetry and predilection of grand effects is to be found on The Chemical Wedding.
The Book of Thel,
Gates of Urizen and
Jerusalem are based upon Blake's poetry, while other songs indirectly refer to his works. The overall impression of this album, it's very heavy sound and Dickinson's powerful singing style fits the Sublime Blakean atmosphere well.
the songs
There really is no song on this album that is substandard or uninspired.
The Killing Floor and
Machine Men perhaps are the least appealing (in my opinion), because they tend to be repetitive. The remainder are very good, and three songs especially are absolutely fabulous. The title track, after the overwhelmingly heavy and passionate opener
King in Crimson is a very ingenious, melodic and thrilling song. Dickinson's voice is full of emotion and power, the dark, pounding riff is superb. Worth noting is the beautifully phrased, varied and almost neo-classical guitar solo. Adrian Smith sounds relieved, relaxed and self-assured on this album. The lyrics of the song are beautiful, but unintelligible, which is a characteristic of true poetry.
Gates of Urizen starts with a lucid clean arpeggio and spoken words. Then the song builds towards a monumental, melancholy composition with a beautiful chorus. This song is as mighty and sublime as William Blake's poetry.
Jerusalem is another outstanding highlight, a recast old song, constructed around a celtic melody that reminds me of Jimmy Page. This is a grandiose song in the vein of Jethro Tull (but of course better). The guitar solo's are memorable. The composition is cyclic: it ends the way it started. The sad and dark voice of Arthur Brown declaiming Blake's poetry ends this impressive song. For me the highlight of the album is the closing
The Alchemist which mirrors the title track. This is a doomy, melodic, droning, poetic, almost religious song. The multi layered, fuzzy composition, the power of Dickinson's voice, the heavy sound create pure bliss. The song culminates in an emotional reprise, a late echo of the Chemical Wedding theme, before leaving you numb and overpowered.
conclusion
Some albums you do not have to explain or analyse in the history of the genre to which it belongs. They provide something bigger, compassing or inexplicable. The Chemical Wedding is of such a sublime categorie. If you are into classic heavy metal, progressive metal or melodic doom metal, you're gonna love this cd. In my opinion Bruce Dickinson is almost a genius, he is a multi-talented, a bit complacent, but inspiring artist. In this sense he resembles his admired model William Blake.
