For My Sunday Song #394, we see Mike continue his Japanese Edition Bonus Tracks with “Return of the King” by Bruce Dickinson. The song is off his 1998 album ‘The Chemical Wedding’. The song was written by Bruce Dickinson and his Iron Maiden bandmate Adrian Smith. Now, don’t think you can only get this on a Japanese Edition as that is not the case anymore. It is on the Expanded Edition of the album and you can stream it on Apple Music and probably any streaming service and you should.
The song is partially about Stonehenge or maybe the Beltany Stone Circle as referenced by the Beltane Fires. It talks about how long it took to build and the mysteries behind it. It also talks about Uther Pendragon the legendary King of the Britons and father to King Arthur. This is one reason I’ve never listened to Bruce or Maiden as it makes you think and learn history. I just want to rock out.
However, the song does kick ass. Bruce’s vocals are really incredible as they soar to amazing heights and are perfectly suited fo heavy metal. He is one of the best in the business. The song to me feels more like Iron Maiden then I expected, to be honest. I figured this was a solo album, it would be his own thing, but I guess with Adrian also in on the writing, the Maiden connection makes sense. It is a is rocking track and some great guitar work and the drums are immense and powerful. A really cool song I will admit.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 