Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs: “Fear Of The Dark” — Iron Maiden (1992)

blgfeardarkWell this one is a HUGE surprise, huh?

I’ve made no attempt at obfuscating my love of Maiden. They’ve been my all-time favorite metal band since 1983, when I bought Piece of Mind on cassette and wore that sucker completely out. That’s all I needed. My brother had The Number of the Beast on vinyl and we listened to that one religiously as well. As a matter of fact, originally this space was going to be taken up by either “The Prisoner” or “Powerslave”. But my friend Takashi suggested the 1992 Maiden classic Fear of the Dark, and I smacked myself in the head wondering how I let this one slip by.

Fear of the Dark is the perfect Halloween metal song. It’s primal, simple, and goes straight for the root of all terror: the fear of the unknown, what lies outside our limited perception. Plus the damn thing freakin’ rocks. I’m not even a fan of the Adrian Smith-less 90’s era of the band, but Fear of the Dark delivers. The 2009 live version from Argentina, even moreso…

Watching horror films the night before
Debating witches and folklore
The unknown troubles on your mind
Maybe your mind is playing tricks
You sense,and suddenly eyes fix
On dancing shadows from behind.

Fear of the dark…

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