VARIOUS ARTISTS
Numbers from the Beast: An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden
Restless Records 2005
www.rykodisc.com

Featuring: Robin McAuley, Michael Schenker, Tony Franklin, Brian Tichy, Dee Snider, George Lynch, Bob Kulick, Jeff Pilson, Jason Bonham, Paul Di’Anno, Alex Skolnick, Frank Bello, John Tempesta, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Doug Aldrich, Jimmy Bain, Chuck Billy, Craig Goldy, Rickie Phillips, Mikey Dee, Lemmy Kilmister, Chuck Wright, Jeff Scott Soto, Nuno Bettencourt, Billy Sheehan, Vinnie Appice, Joe Lynn Turner, Richie Kotzen, Mark Slaughter, Marco Mendoza, Aynsley Dunbar, Chris Jericho, Paul Gilbert, Mike Inez, John Bush, Scott Ian, and more!

What’s the 4-1-1?
Bob Kulick calls up his brothers in rock for another tribute album, this time it honors the new wave of British heavy metal titans, Iron Maiden.

Genre
Heavy metal / hard rock

The Good
McAuley (MSG) and Schenker (MSG) reunite for their cover of “Run to the Hills”. Robin is in great voice, and you have to wonder why he isn’t using it elsewhere. Michael’s improve runs really define the track. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) tackles “Wasted Years” with George Lynch (Dokken). Dee can hang on the verses, but when it’s time for the chorus, he can’t nail it. Lynch is one fire as always. Ripper Owens (Iced Earth) comes closest to duplicating the high-pitched wails of Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson on “Flight of Icarus”, although it comes off sounding like a Judas Priest cover (wonder why that is?).

Chucky Billy’s (Testament) vocals delivery on “Fear of the Dark” is pure evil. Anytime Lemmy (Motorhead) does a cover song, it truly becomes his own. That’s all I can really say about “The Trooper”. One of my favorite vocalists, Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen) nails the highs and the lows that make up “Aces High”. For someone that wanted to run away from the whole metal scene, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) is unstoppable during his guitar solos. Wow! I never thought I’d hear Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow) covering Iron Maiden. He can’t hit the high parts, but adds his own brand of bluesy tones to the chorus. Ritchie Kotzen (Poison) gives the Iron Maiden axmen a run for their money during his showcase here.

It’s no surprise that Chris Jericho (Fozzy) is on this album, most of his original Fozzy material sounds like Maiden stuff. He’s paired with Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) who is quite impressive. John Bush (Armored Saint) and Scott Ian (Anthrax) decide to cover a more contemporary track from the group, “The Wicker Man”. John’s another great vocalist that doesn’t get half the credit he deserves.

The Bad
All-star tribute? I think they left out “80’s”. Mark Slaughter’s (Slaughter) version of “Can I Play with Madness” is crap. I didn’t know he was still around. For crying out loud, Paul Di’Anno (ex-Iron Maiden) really needs to go on with his life and put his two album career with Iron Maiden to bed. I can’t believe he’s covering himself with “Wrathchild”. Paul, maybe you could team up with Neil Turbin (ex-Anthrax) and Al Atkins (ex-Judas Preist) and tour on the 1 or 2 albums you had with bands that became big after you were dumped from them?

The Verdict
Usually these Bob Kulick tribute albums are crap, but in recent years they’ve come a long way. I mean, he’s still spelling wrong wrong, but the quality is much better. Iron Maiden and most heavy metal fans would be proud of this one.

Did You Know?
Bob Kulick plays guitar in Meatloaf’s band.

Rating: out of 5

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Various Artists - Spin the Bottle: An All Star Tribute to Kiss

--George Dionne