Iron Maiden?

So I happened to look at Book Of Souls lyrics

I saw only about 3 songs and man were they very Spiritual type stuff.
I mean their are "Christian" bands that don't even have as good of Biblically based lyrics.

I was just impressed, anyone else have any thoughts?

(Waiting for Kerrick )

I am by no means a Maiden expert, but I believe Nicko McBrain is a Christian. Like you said, Kerrick will know more.

Iron Maiden is definitely not a Christian band hahaha...  Metaldude is right though, Nicko is very outspoken about his faith in Christ.  Bruce and Steve have very un-Christian beliefs (not anti-Christian though, that I'm aware of).  Check out some of Steve Harris' solo material's lyrics for more info on that.  What I found surprising though is the cross that Adrian has worn in the more recent photos of the band.



As someone who's pretty conservative when it comes to lyrics, Maiden has always been fine in my books.  They've got some somewhat risque lyrics earlier on (Charlotte The Harlot, etc.) but nothing obscene IMO.  Bruce has a bit of a potty mouth when singing live, but whatever.  God willing I ever have kids, they'll be allowed to listen to Maiden.  Truth is, they won't have a choice...  

metaldude wrote:I am by no means a Maiden expert, but I believe Nicko McBrain is a Christian. Like you said, Kerrick will know more.

I knew one members was, and yes he does

Kerrick wrote:Iron Maiden is definitely not a Christian band hahaha...  Metaldude is right though, Nicko is very outspoken about his faith in Christ.
God willing I ever have kids, they'll be allowed to listen to Maiden.  Truth is, they won't have a choice...  

Ik they are not but they have more Christian type lyrics than a lot of other bands

And that will be a beautiful thing

Hahaha when that time comes, I'll be sure to put this on the registry for the baby shower:

Kerrick wrote:Hahaha when that time comes, I'll be sure to put this on the registry for the baby shower:

Thats about as metal as it gets

I Hardcore Christian wrote:

Kerrick wrote:Hahaha when that time comes, I'll be sure to put this on the registry for the baby shower:

Thats about as metal as it gets

If we have any more kids, the next offspring WILL wear one of these:

If only I'd have known about that 6 years ago!  The Pooper would have been bought!

LOL @ the pooper if only my wife would consent.........

Hardcore Christian wrote:So I happened to look at Book Of Souls lyrics

I saw only about 3 songs and man were they very Christian type stuff.
I mean their are "Christian" bands that don't even have as good of Biblically based lyrics.

I was just impressed, anyone else have any thoughts?

(Waiting for Kerrick )

Ok, first thought was....this is a sad commentary for " christian " metal then.

After given a quick look at just the lyrics to The Book of Souls..

.....very cryptic....but not very consistent with a Biblical theology.

I don't really mean to dissent or be a killjoy, but sometimes we see what we want to see.

.....just another perspective.

...yes !.....THE POOPER

Hardcore Christian wrote:So I happened to look at Book Of Souls lyrics

I saw only about 3 songs and man were they very Christian type stuff.
I mean their are "Christian" bands that don't even have as good of Biblically based lyrics.

I was just impressed, anyone else have any thoughts?

(Waiting for Kerrick )

I read through the lyrics, and personally I don't see very much Christian stuff in it.  There are a few things here and there that talk about biblical things, and maybe even some biblical truths, but that doesn't automatically mean it is Christian persay.  Sometimes words can be said, that are Christian sounding, but actually are not used in that context.

As an example, Bruce Dickinson wrote a song "Man of Sorrows" on his Accident of Birth solo album.  Normally in Christianity, Jesus is the Man of Sorrows.  However, Bruce has mentioned in interviews that this song is about one of the most anti-Christian persons in recent history - Aleister Crowley.

Bruce Dickinson's The Chemical Wedding solo album also has lots of biblical imagery or references.  However that doesn't mean it is coming from a Christian perspective.  For example, Bruce says the following about one of the songs on The Chemical Wedding: "For example, one of the songs is about failure and the song is called "The Trumpets of Jericho". In the story of the trumpets of Jericho in the Bible, the walls fall down when the tribes of Israel walk around the city and blow their trumpets. Except in this song they don't, it doesn't work. You've done everything right, everything's cool but the wall's still standing. And what do you do? How do you face up to that fact? And it's all part of the whole alchemy thing. What were the alchemists trying to do? They were trying to achieve something that was virtually impossible, they spent their whole lives trying to do it, and all of them failed, or pretty damn near all of them failed." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chemical_Wedding_(Bruce_Dickinson_album)

Also Bruce says the following about The Chemical Wedding in an interview:

RB: "Did you do research in the Bible or in any alchemy book?"

Bruce: "Yes, I've researched things that I didn't know very well. I have a small library at home and I used those books to research - principally a German book about occultism."

RB: "You used some illustrations in the album. Did you have to study occultism too?"

Bruce: "Yes. Look, alchemy has a huge way to define it. And for sure it has a bit of occultism too. This whole thing together helps us to understand the universe that we live in. Aleister Crowley studied it a lot. I admire it."
http://maidenfans.com/index.php?ACT=module&name=rwarticles&show=95

The Chemical Wedding, while having quite a few biblical references, is ultimately about alchemy, William Blake's poetry (who was also into alchemy) and is derived/inspired out of the occult.  Aleister Crowley was a very dedicated occultist who referred to himself as the Great Beast 666.  He singlehandedly promoted and did more for getting people into the occult than probably anybody else in recent history.

Obviously these examples are not from The Book of Souls, but I am just using them to show that just because there is biblical imagery or things said, it doesn't necessarily mean they are using it in a Christian way.  I remember back in the day when I was reading the lyrics from The Chemical Wedding, I thought similar things - that the lyrics were impressively Christian.  Then when I started to look into it a bit more, I realized this was actually not the case, but it was actually about alchemy and the occult - self-admitted by Bruce himself.  In a sense, I wanted it to be Christian, and I was interpreting it through my own Christian lens to be so.  Is The Book of Souls in a similar boat?  I don't know.  However, I personally saw limited stuff in the lyrics that would be Christian in nature, and not just using a bit of biblical imagery or general references in a couple songs.  Other songs mentioned non-Christian things such as other gods, shamans, etc.

Just my opinion. 

sentient 6 wrote:After given a quick look at just the lyrics to The Book of Souls..

.....very cryptic....but not very consistent with a Biblical theology.

I don't really mean to dissent or be a killjoy, but sometimes we see what we want to see.

.....just another perspective.

I only looked at about 3 songs and what I saw was more "Christian" looking then a lot of bands. As in references in a power metal type way.

Like here from If Eternity Should Fail:

We are strange believers, all of us
There are stranger truths, immortal lust
We rise from slumber, he calls our name
Recalls our number, abide with pain

From When The River Runs Deep:

Look for something that is hard to find
Searching somewhere deep inside your mind
Hope you find just what you're looking for
Heaven's waiting with an open door

From Shadows Of The Valley:

Listen closely to the raven’s call
Praying hard for our world not to end
Try as might to make sense of it all
Will it be for the penance of men
Follow north for the call of the wild
Look all out for a small wayward child
Lay in fear as the dark raven crows
Look for guidance from the one who knows
He lived on this earth for a time and a half
Playing a tune to the old man’s laugh
The fear that’s inside the men of the oath
In the script of the book that He wrote

Later:

Into the valley of death fear no evil
We will go forward no matter the cost
Into the valley of death follow me now
Bring me your souls and I’ll make it our last

And dont make this theological, Im just stating the lyrics that stand out as having a deeper meaning than the standard Maiden song.
To me this is way more "Christian" than quite a few bands

but thats just my opinion

Devon Hill wrote:As an example, Bruce Dickinson wrote a song "Man of Sorrows" on his Accident of Birth solo album.

Bruce Dickinson's The Chemical Wedding solo album also has lots of biblical imagery or references.

Also Bruce says the following about The Chemical Wedding in an interview:

Bruce: "Yes, I've researched things that I didn't know very well. I have a small library at home and I used those books to research - principally a German book about occultism."

Bruce: "Yes. Look, alchemy has a huge way to define it. And for sure it has a bit of occultism too. This whole thing together helps us to understand the universe that we live in. Aleister Crowley studied it a lot. I admire it."

But Bruce is not a Christian remember?

[Hehe I'm listening to Maiden's new album as I type. ]

Maiden has had spiritual themes since pretty much the get-go in their lyrics, but as Devon said, I wouldn't consider them to be "Christian" necessarily.  Nicko wrote one song on the Dance Of Death album which had some Christian themes, but even that was relatively cryptic.

However, some of their most overt "Christian" lyrics came from the Blaze era of the 90's.  (Sorry for the spelling/grammar errors; I pulled these straight off of The Metal Archives.)  But even these could be interpreted in different ways, as they're more questioning faith rather than embracing it completely.

The Sign Of The Cross:

Judgment Of Heaven:

The Unbeliever:

The Angel And The Gambler:

The Educated Fool:

I am not sure why you guys like the word cryptic so much but to me if a band that said, " hey we are a Christian band" had these lyrics on a album to me that would be pretty good. All I meant with this thread was pointing out the obvious Spiritual themes from Nicko's influence on the lyrics and band.

Noncryptically speaking, the cryptical nature of your cryptosystem has far too much crypticity to discern in a noncryptical manner. 

But yes, Maiden does have some spiritual and even Christian themes, though they are by no stretch of the imagination a "Christian band."  One might say the best band ever though...  

Kerrick wrote:Noncryptically speaking, the cryptical nature of your cryptosystem has far too much crypticity to discern in a noncryptical manner. 

One might say the best band ever though...  

I cant wait to see your children some day from what I have seen in this thread

Kerrick wrote: One might say the best band ever though...

Or not...

Hardcore Christian wrote:

Kerrick wrote:Noncryptically speaking, the cryptical nature of your cryptosystem has far too much crypticity to discern in a noncryptical manner. 

One might say the best band ever though...  

I cant wait to see your children some day from what I have seen in this thread

Yeah God help my poor future children...  They're gonna need it! 

metaldude wrote:

Kerrick wrote:One might say the best band ever though...

Or not...    

Well, I did say "ONE might say"... so... I guess we know who that one person is haha.

Nicko has never really had much influence on the lyrics though. The only song he contributed lyrics to AFAIK was New Frontier (which was about how human cloning and genetically created humans was "playing God").

Hardcore Christian wrote:

I only looked at about 3 songs and what I saw was more "Christian" looking then a lot of bands. As in references in a power metal type way.

Like here from If Eternity Should Fail:

We are strange believers, all of us
There are stranger truths, immortal lust
We rise from slumber, he calls our name
Recalls our number, abide with pain

From When The River Runs Deep:

Look for something that is hard to find
Searching somewhere deep inside your mind
Hope you find just what you're looking for
Heaven's waiting with an open door

From Shadows Of The Valley:

Listen closely to the raven’s call
Praying hard for our world not to end
Try as might to make sense of it all
Will it be for the penance of men
Follow north for the call of the wild
Look all out for a small wayward child
Lay in fear as the dark raven crows
Look for guidance from the one who knows
He lived on this earth for a time and a half
Playing a tune to the old man’s laugh
The fear that’s inside the men of the oath
In the script of the book that He wrote

Later:

Into the valley of death fear no evil
We will go forward no matter the cost
Into the valley of death follow me now
Bring me your souls and I’ll make it our last

And dont make this theological, Im just stating the lyrics that stand out as having a deeper meaning than the standard Maiden song.
To me this is way more "Christian" than quite a few bands

but thats just my opinion

I guess you'd have to tell me what you think those songs are saying too you that lead you to believe that they are communicating some kind of Christian truth. Because I just don't see it. Is  Christian truth that unclear were cannot recognize mystical philosopy in its place ?

Like I said before, if you believe these are more biblical that many " christian " bands, I think that is a sad commentary on the state of christian metal.


In a nutshell, I don't see anything in those lyrics that would cause conern for your average garden variety atheist ( or satan for that matter ).

Hardcore Christian wrote:I am not sure why you guys like the word cryptic so much but to me if a band that said, " hey we are a Christian band" had these lyrics on a album to me that would be pretty good. All I meant with this thread was pointing out the obvious Spiritual themes from Nicko's influence on the lyrics and band.

I think something is " cryptic I guess when I can't tell what the heck the songs are about.

Now HCC, I think you should test all things that appear " spiritual " against the Word of God if want to be sure that they line up with Christian belief. Thats the safest bet.

Is vague a better word. I don't get much "christian" from the lyrics. They throw in a few catch phrases like valley of death and a man who lived a time and a half and that makes it Biblical?Not saying not to listen either.

One cool thing about Maiden (among MANY cool things haha) is that they don't/rarely preach at the listener.  Their songs are either based on history, literature, or the like... or they're more open-ended and allow the listener to arrive at their own conclusions.