Artist: IRON MAIDEN
Album: NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING REMASTERED (CD)

Year: 1990/ 1998
EAN/UPS: 724349686502
Media type: CD

No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the first album recorded following the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith who left the band during the pre-production phase of the album. Smith does have one co-writing credit on this album, for "Hooks in You", the third installment of the ongoing story of Charlotte the Harlot. The album ushered in a change of vocal style for Bruce Dickinson from the operatic sound of the '80s to a raspier way of singing, and also produced Maiden's only number one single to date, "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", originally written and recorded by Dickinson alone for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack. The version that appears on No Prayer for the Dying was rerecorded by the band as a whole.


Adrian Smith was replaced by Janick Gers who had assisted Bruce in the recording of his first solo-album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Fish and Gillan, among others.

No Prayer for the Dying is the only Iron Maiden studio album to date without a song exceeding six minutes in length. Excluding the closing song "Mother Russia", every song on this album is shorter than the shortest song ("Dйjа Vu") on their past album Somewhere in Time, and shorter than all but one song on their future albums The X Factor ("Man on the Edge"), Virtual XI ("Futureal"), and A Matter of Life and Death ("Different World").

"Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" were released as singles, with the latter reaching the #1 position in the UK charts.

Following Bruce Dickinson's departure from Iron Maiden in 1993, songs off of "No Prayer for the Dying" have been largely ignored at live performances. Only "Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter" has survived in concerts since, but it was only included on a nightly basis in setlists from May-July 2003.

Two versions of the cover exist. The original 1990 version has Eddie burst from his grave and grab the grave-digger by the neck. The cover was altered for the 1998 re-release. In this version the gravedigger is absent; the original cover can still be seen on the disc's label, however. Additionally an inscription was added to the plaque on the tomb, which reads After the Daylight, The Night of Pain, That is not Dead, Which Can Rise Again.

TRACKLIST:

01 "Tailgunner" (Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris) – 4:15
02 "Holy Smoke" (Dickinson, Harris) – 3:49
03 "No Prayer for the Dying" (Harris) – 4:23
04 "Public Enema Number One" (Dickinson, Dave Murray) – 4:13
05 "Fates Warning" (Harris, Murray) – 4:12
06 "The Assassin" (Harris) – 4:35
07 "Run Silent Run Deep" (Dickinson, Harris) – 4:35
08 "Hooks in You" (Dickinson, Adrian Smith) – 4:08
09 "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (Dickinson) – 4:45
10 "Mother Russia" (Harris) – 5:32

LINE-UP:

Bruce Dickinson – vocals
Dave Murray – guitar
Janick Gers – guitar
Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
Nicko McBrain – drums

with
Michael Kenney - Keyboards