Review by Tobias on April 16, 2002.

As a dedicated listener of Maiden since the early to mid-eighties, when a new tribute album pops up, I get pretty excited to hear the fresh takes of musicians influenced by the kings. The ”Tribute to The Beast” from Nuclear Blast doesn’t disappoint.

Whether I like it or not, Maiden has influenced and incited power metal bands the world over. Bands like these I tend to avoid (or chastise) with a furious energy, however somehow the words and music of Maiden manages to get even an anti-power diehard like me listening.

But surprisingly, the album is fairly well distributed among bands with varied styles. From the gurgling death stylings of Six Feet Under to the light and airy fashioning of Sonata Arctica, one tune after another seeks to entertain in the melodic metal Maiden style.

In my opinion, a tribute album is made great when the songs are relatively faithful to the original, but something new and unique to the covering band is infused with the music. Because of this, my biggest disappointment was Darkane’s ‘Powerslave’. That isn’t to say that the cover isn’t well done, because it certainly is, but I expected more personalization from such a unique band doing one of the greatest metal anthems of all time.

My favorites by far were Dark Tranquillity’s ‘22 Acacia Avenue’ and Cradle of Filth’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’. These bands did exactly as I’d hoped, bringing their own style to the songs and making it a new and exciting experience.

Of course, no tribute album can be complete without a couple of lemons, such as Tierra Santa’s ‘Flight of Icarus’ and the unexpected mess that Therion made out of ‘Children of the Damned’. So, as with just about every tribute album I’ve come across, the quality ranges from uninspired-copies to fantastic reinterpretations.

Bottom Line: It’s a good one for fans of Maiden and metal. Don’t expect a revelation, but have a blast!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Overall: 6

Rating: 6.8 of 10