Welcome back to Part 2. This chapter will see us diving into some murky waters as we see the departure of Bruce Dickinson and the introduction to the less that sub par replacement Blaze Bayley. This chapter was a pretty painful one but the story does manage to get better! Read on and let me know what you think!
Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
Release Date: May 11, 1992
The Good: Be Quick or Be Dead, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Fear Is The Key, Childhood’s End, Wasting Love, The Apparition, Judas Be My Guide, Fear of the Dark
The Bad: From Here To Eternity, Weekend Warrior
The Indifferent: The Fugitive, Chains of Misery,
“Fear of the Dark” actually sounds like progression of sorts picking up where “No Prayer for the Dying” left off. The only issue here is that it is their most inconsistent album up to this point. The album opens with a bang with “Be Quick or Be Dead” but then takes a nose dive into the Craplantic Ocean with some of the worst written lyrics on “From Here to Eternity.” I think THIS is the Iron Maiden that inspired Jon Leon’s songwriting in White Wizzard. “Chains of Misery” is a song that had some potential but again is ruined by a really corny chorus. “Weekend Warrior” is a song that I wish I could unlisten too while “Judas Be My Guide” just may be in my top 5 all time Maiden songs. “Afraid To Shoot Strangers” is another amazingly written and executed songs while the title track is without a doubt the album’; epic moment. They really managed to capture some serious magic there as the band plays with a lot of fire and Bruce Dickinson sings like it’s his last performance. Little would we all know that it would be his last for five years. “Fear of the Dark” has some really stellar moments that tend to make up for the not so stellar and even down right awful moments. The more I listen to this album, it actually sounds like a band that is breaking at the seams.
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Iron Maiden – The X Factor
Release Date: October 2, 1995
The Good: The Sign of the Cross, Man on the Edge, Fortunes of War, Look for the Truth, The Aftermath, Blood on the World’s Hands, The Unbeliever
The Bad: Lord of the Flies, Judgement of Heaven, 2 am,
The Indifferent: The Edge of Darkness,
Listening to this album 16 years after its release has me still feeling and thinking the same thing. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed as “Sign of the Cross” started up and I loved what I heard. All of the sudden, Blaze’s vocals came on and made me literally make a stank face and not in a good way. Why does he sound like he just had a tablespoon of peanut butter right before he started singing? To be honest, I didn’t love his voice. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. “X Factor” actually sounds like an audition tape more than an album that was supposed to follow up the great Bruce Dickinson. A vast majority of the songs on this album are surprisingly quite good in all honesty. “Man on the Edge” and “Look for the Truth” are both really great songs but what I find odd here is that the majority of these songs are instrumental with just a few verses and choruses. It was almost as if they knew they had to cover up for Blaze’s inability to sing really well. “The Aftermath” is really a stellar song but a good example of how auto tune could’ve made this album a great listening experience. Blaze’s vocals are just always a tad bit flat and with no attempt to even cover it up, some really great songs are pretty painful to listen to. “Blood on the World’s Hands”is a great song but definitely gets the WTF award for that god awful intro. What fuck was that all about? So many of these songs sound like they were written for Bruce Dickinson but sung by his butler or something who can kind of sing. The songs here that listed as “the good” are no reflection of the vocal performance but as a song and the bands performance in general. In some cases, it’s also apparent that Blaze Bayley should be kept away from any kind of writing implements. Just listen to “2 am” if you need proof. Matter of fact, it’s safe to say that from here on out no “good” of these albums has anything to do with Blaze Bayley.
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Iron Maiden – Virtual XI
Release Date: March 23, 1998
The Good:
The Bad: Futureal, The Angel and the Gambler, Lightning Strikes Twice, The Clansman, When Two Worlds Collide, The Educated Fool, Don’t Look To The Eyes of a Stranger, Como Estais Amigo
The Indifferent:
I like to the refer to this album as “The moment Iron Maiden gave up.” It’s like after knowing what a disaster “The X Factor” album and tour was, they just gave up. There isn’t one single well written song on this album. At least on “The X Factor” the songs were good but the singing just wasn’t great. On this one there isn’t one redeeming quality about it. I almost feel like the band recorded all these songs and called Blaze in to do the vocal tracks while the rest of the band went on vacation. I can totally picture ‘arry sitting in the studio and while listening to “Como Estais Amigo” calling Bruce Dickinson on the phone in tears begging him to come back.
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Iron Maiden – Brave New World
Release Date: May 30, 2000
The Good: The Wicker Man, Ghost of the Navigator, Brave New World, Blood Brothers, The Mercenary, Dream of Mirrors,
The Bad:
The Indifferent: The Fallen Ange, The Nomad, Out of the Silent Planet, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
The minute the opening riff of “The Wicker Man” kicked in, I remember thinking, “Fuck yeah! They’re back!” Opening the album with a song written by Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson AND the newly returned Adrian Smith alone made up for the two previous craptastic albums they had put out. “Ghost of the Navigator” was an honest return to form and had Maiden not so much picking up where they left off but progressing forward yet with a timeless and unforgettable familiar sound. The time apart did great things for these guys as Bruce’s vocals were strong yet more reminiscent of his more classic performances more so than his last performances with the band. Bringing Adrian Smith back into the fold just sweetened the deal with him, Dave Murry and Janick Gers now an army of facemelting guitars. Janick Gers once again hits a couple of homers with “The Mercenary” and “Dream of Mirrors” showing that he as much of a clown as he is on stage he is very capable of writing some amazing songs. While starting out strong, “Brave New World” seems to lose steam towards the end with the last four songs leaving me feeling indifferent. They didn’t suck but they just seemed to be tacked onto the end and not really having that energy and drive that the earlier part of the album has. Either way, this was a great way to return to form with Dickinson and Smith back into the fold.
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Iron Maiden – Dance of Death
Release Date: September 8, 2003
The Good: Wildest Dreams, Rainmaker, Montségur, Dance of Death, New Frontier, Paschendale, Face in the Sand, Age of Innocence, Journeyman
The Bad: No More Lies, Gates of Tomorrow,
The Indifferent:
One of the reasons I always hated this album was because of the crappy artwork. I know it’s not right to judge a book by its cover but I guess I just couldn’t get past it back then. Hearing it now is a totally different ball game. It’s amazing how comfortable Iron Maiden sounds on this album. Being only the 2nd album with this line up, it sounds as if they have been doing it this way for years. The quality of the songwriting and even the performances seem to be a step up from “Brave New World” but as always with Maiden, the good is amazing and the bad is down right awful. I won’t even waste my time talking about “No More Lies” and “Gates of Tomorrow” with fear that I may grow nauseous.
The Adrian Smith/Steve Harris penned “Wildest Dreams” is so fucking infectious and fun to listen to as it shows Maiden’s youthful spirit still intact and that they don’t seem to be too far removed from the men they were many years ago. “Dance of Death” is very reminiscent of classic Iron Maiden that very well could’ve been on “Piece of Mind.” I was shocked to learn that Janick Gers co-wrote this one with Steve Harris showing, yet again, that Janick’s roots as a member of Iron Maiden run far more deep than his time in the band. The real highlights of this album lie within the epic Smith/Harris tune”Paschendale”, “Face In The Sand” and album closer “Journeyman.” What I love about “Journeyman” is that the band totally stepped out of their comfort zone, picked up some acoustic guitars and delivered somewhat of a folk inspired number that proved just what a versatile and well rounded band Iron Maiden can be. All in all it’s a forgotten album in my time as a fan of Iron Maiden but one that I will be revisiting many more times to come.
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Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death
Release Date: August 28, 2006
The Good: Different World, These Colours Don’t Run, Brighter Than A Thousand Suns, The Pilgrim, The Longest Day, Out of the Shadows, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, For The Greater Good of God, Lord of Light, The Legacy
The Bad:
The Indifferent:
This album is a goddamn masterpiece without any shadow of a doubt. Maiden really out did themselves on this album by creating, performing and releasing their best piece of work since Powerslave in my opinion. The songs are dark, brooding and haunting and show the bands ability to create an amazing experience. Unfortunately, the mix of this album and the fact that it was never mastered (thanks ‘Arry you bloody wanker) cause the quality of the listening experience to suffer greatly. If this album had been made to sound as sonically good as “Brave New World” it would’ve been a really amazing listening experience. Luckily the songs and the performances are so strong that one can forgive ‘arry for this travesty.
Each song is as strong as the other but it’s songs like “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg”, “The Legacy” and “The Longest Day” that once again beckon back to the classic days to let everyone know that Maiden is a band that will never forget where they came from. Aside from the shitty mix, this is still an absolutely amazing album and up to this point their most consistently stellar albums in many years. I can totally understand why they chose to play this one in its entirety on this tour. Matter of fact, if you can track it down, there’s a great live performance that captures this album being done in its entirety and it sounds far more stellar than the recording. Keep your eyes peeled. Maybe the Brainfart will have a special surprise for you in the not so distant future.
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Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier
Release Date: August 13, 2010
The Good: The Final Frontier, El Dorado, Mother of Mercy, Coming Home, The Alchemist, Isle of Avalon, Starblind, The Talisman, The Man Who Would Be King, Where The Wild Wind Blows
The Bad:
The Indifferent: Satellite 15
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After their “Somewhere Back In Time” tour, rumors were flying around that Maiden was about to pack it in. People were starting to wonder if they had hit a creative wall and were starting to dry up. Just as the rumors started to boil, the band releases the best album they’ve made in 20+ years. I still can’t believe my ears when I listen to this album. It’s almost like as if Maiden got hit with a second wind and delivered some of their best material to date. The opening intro “Satellite 15” is the only thing that kind of bugs me but the opening title track sounds far from a band out of ideas and energy. They sound like 20 years have been shaved off as they play with a youthful hunger and energy that seemed to be somewhat lacking in their previous efforts.
“The Alchemist” and “The Talisman” once again showcase Janick Gers’ ability to be an amazing composer and has yet again solidified his place as a deserving piece of Iron Maiden’s lengthy history and legacy. These songs also show Maiden once again nodding to the days of old as these tunes could’ve been on “Number of the Beast” or “Powerslave” respectively. “Coming Home” is a fresh sounding new classic and is one of Bruce Dickinson’s greatest moments as a singer and writer. “Starblind” and “The Man Who Would Be King” are very reminiscent of the “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album with the dark yet warm production. Iron Maiden has managed to put to rest any idea that they are near the end. With an album this fucking good, they sound like they’ve just begun to show us what they are capable of doing as we move into another chapter.
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