Rhythm of the Beast

Nicko McBrain's instrumental single ''Rhythm of the Beast'' is an interesting collector's item for Iron Maiden fans. It includes two songs with a total running time slightly below ten minutes that are supposed to show the technical abilities of the drummer.

Even though Nicko McBrain's drum play is unpretentious yet technically versatile and always dynamic, some other elements are actually stealing his show. The ecstatic big band sounds in the title song, the vintage organ sounds and the great guitar solo by colleague Dave Murray are all much more impressive in my book than the drum play. Instead of promoting Nicko McBrain's undeniable skills, this instrumental tune should have made it onto a regular Iron Maiden record and would have rated a rather average release like ''No Prayer for the Dying'' up. Overall, this tune makes me think of a classic Deep Purple song from the seventies or eighties. ''Beehive Boogie'' focuses a little bit more on a diversified drum play and sounds like a hard rock track from the seventies but it's less unique and diversified than the title song. Once again, the melodic guitar play is equally great and even the bass guitar marks a few points. Instead of showcasing Nicko McBrain's skills, this song rather sounds like the promising debut of a skilled instrumental all-star band. It's sad that this song didn't lead to the formation of an actual band. Some limited editions replace the second tune by a track called ''McBrain Damage'' which is actually also the name of a side project formed in 2004 that though only focuses on covering famous hard rock and heavy metal classics.

In the end, ''Rhythm of the Beast'' is a quite dynamic and entertaining collector's item with two really solid instrumental tunes. It's a pity that this was pretty much a one-off project but it's great for what it is and die-hard fans of Iron Maiden should be familiar with this.