Introduction
Coming back to you with another Album ranking from a legendary (progressive) metal band. These guys never made it to the mainstream (I think “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter” was their highest charting single) but one of the most amazing things about them is even without the mainstream fanfare, metalheads and musicians agree this band transcended their genre and put out pure art. There are few bands as respected in the industry as Iron Maiden. They released their first album in 1980 and have since released 16 more (including one in the 2020s); so they have an extensive catalog, a lot to get through. I admit I haven’t listened to the last few albums nearly as much as their earlier albums so I may be underselling those, but I have to go with what I feel. Lot to get to here so I will jump right into it.
As always, check out my Spotify Playlist here for the Favorite tracks listed in this article.
1. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Some call this a concept album or progressive album whatever they want to call it; I call it their best album. Iron Maiden just set out to show they can be as dynamic as any band and accomplished it perfectly, adapting a bit with the times with more of a synthesized sound. You have Dickenson probably consistently performing the best he has. And even though guitarist Adrian Smith peace’d out after this one, he didn’t phone it in at all, in fact none of them did. You have some of the most inspired riffs pairing with some of the most inspired vocals and each song is just a pleasure to listen to. I mean right off the bat with “Moonchild” and hearing those keyboards you’ve never heard from them; it’s a hell of a keyboard riff extremely catchy.
After that intro alone I was hooked and so glad the rest of the album lived up to it. Awesome chorus with powerful vocals over a masterful riff sequence, its one of their best choruses they’ve written in their entire discography; and there are also other very strong choruses on the album are “The Evil That Men Do” and “Only the Good Die Young” (whose chorus lyrics model the song title). And no, the latter is not a Billy Joel cover; I cannot decide which one is better, both are great and quite different.
I want to highlight “Infinite Dreams” which is one of my favorite songs of theirs; and you wouldn’t think so but an extremely fun song to play on the guitar (and master alternate picking). It pulls you in with softer, clean tone guitar sections, then Dickenson really shows off his lyrical work with the questioning of existence type themes, before the song launches into a riff onslaught. I will share a portion of the this verse:
After the interlude, you got to catch your breath when finally, the vocals come back in; I for one love the journey though. And like the strong chorus streak this album had, it also has a strong journey streak too with “The Prophecy” and “The Clairvoyant” taking you for a ride. The former once again Dickenson is just showing off his vocals in the verses; and don’t sleep on that soft acoustic melody at the end. And then the latter, it’s the riffs taking you for a ride. With an impressive mix of quality index and hit rate, this Album sets the bar for Iron Maiden.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Infinite Dreams”, “Moonchild”, “The Prophecy”
2. Iron Maiden (1980)
Their Debut and Namesake album. I often feel like a band’s first album is usually a bit crude and still finding their sound, but with this one, they were off to a very strong start. The Iron Maiden most people know has Bruce Dickenson and his more falsetto voice ruling the tracks, but their first two albums had recently passed Paul Di’Anno as their vocalist. Unpopular opinion, many times (not always) I actually prefer Di’Anno’s vocal style. Even those who disagree with than generally accept that he was a very good vocalist. His lifestyle didn’t mesh with the band and so he only lasted 2 albums, but they definitely made their mark.
Even though my favorite Di’Anno era song is on Killers, I still give this album the nod over it because there simply just is not a bad track on this album (again super impressive for a debut). With “Charlotte the Harlot” and “Running Free” you got a bit more of that Hard Rock more upbeat sound (Especially the latter) with a lot of Di’Anno’s punky attitude bleeding through. “Prowler” and “Strange World” have those guitar licks slashing through the transitions and rhythm. The latter you get a bit of that psychedelic and groovier feel that you also get on “Remember Tomorrow”.
Of course, “Remember Tomorrow” speeds up into that powerful solo Rhythm (Which I highlight in my Amazing Riffs first Post Here). I honestly think this song is probably the best and most timeless on the album. It has an Epic feel to it (thanks to those strong riffs, and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich stated that the song was “basically the blueprint” for some of Metallica’s epic ballads), as does “Phantom of the Opera” (which is undeniably structured to be an Epic). Speaking of Riffs, Song writer and Bassist Steve Harris really shows off his meddle on the interlude following the first solo in this track (I would love this song for that interlude and the following solo alone). Such a groovy bass line after establishing the guitar lick rhythm;
very unique and almost reverse guitar structure (Lead and Bass kind of switch roles) in that interlude. This Album has a lot to love.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Remember Tomorrow”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Prowler”
3. Somewhere In Time (1986)
This is a great album! My only knock is it is missing that one true all time favorite song, but it makes up for it by having so many great tracks on it. I don’t know if it is because they experimented more with things like Guitar Synthesizers or guitarist Adrian Smith writing more of the songs but there aren’t too many dull moments on this album. The title track to open the album isn’t bad but I will skip to “Wasted Years” as it really has a great tempo to it in both the verse and the chorus. And that intro riff reminds me of “Thunderstruck” a bit (AC/DC released a few years after…) and “Washington Is Next” (Megadeth released many years later)
“Wasted Years” – Iron Maiden
“Thunderstruck” – AC/DC
“Washington Is Next” – Megadeth
Anyways, its really got that single feel to it (which it was a single). “Stranger in a Strange Land” was the other single; it’s got some very under the radar elements, very strong riffs paired with themselves (in the intro and the bridge). Then the interludes are very strong as well, from the transition to the solo to the transition out of the solo with the bridge verse.
They close the album out after that single with 2 songs that a quite decent. “Deja Vu” has a few sneaky great lick riffs throughout which alone is worth the listen to. “Alexander the Great” gives you a history lesson; It’s a pretty long song, sometimes I have gone though phases of being really into this one, and sometimes I get cheesed out by the lyrics. Finally, I do want to go back to “Heaven Can Wait” because that is a great riff. So simple but so refreshing that they can literally repeat it over and over again and it doesn’t get old (can say the same thing about the chorus).
Then I can’t rightfully end without mentioning this interlude with the vocalization and the mini lightly distorted tone solo/riffs under it; I just love that part. All in all, I feel like this album personifies what Iron Maiden transformed into shortly after Number of the Beast and they’d take on this sound for the chronological center of their discography (Yes even No Prayer for the Dying).
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Heaven Can Wait”, “Wasted Years”, “Deja Vu”
4. Fear of the Dark (1992)
I have a love/hate relationship with this album (well really love/meh); some of my favorite tracks are on this one but the rest of the songs are very forgettable to me (and we are talking about a 12-track album here). While there is still some thrashy element songs like the opening “Be Quick or Be Dead”, it’s the more subdued tones that I really dig on this album; both rhythmically and lyrically (bittersweet as it was Dickenson’s last with the band… for a decade at least). They also showed off the transitional scale riffs that I just frankly fell in love with the first time I heard them. All these elements I just mentioned are perfectly exemplified with “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”.
You have that simple arpeggio with Dickenson softly singing over, and then you get hit abruptly with a transitional scale riff that just gets stuck in your head and then even the vocals intensify going into the solo and they just carry that high energy into the outro, the song takes a complete turn and I love it every time.
Then you got 2 tracks a bit later that follow a similar theme. “Childhood’s End” just has an amazing chorus with Dickenson belting out a ballad over the main riff. But where this song gets me headbanging every time is once again, the transitional riff to the solo.
It’s repetitive and just perfect (which is what makes repetitive work) and reminds me a ton of the “Innocent Exile” solo riff on the first album (almost too much… hah). Speaking of ballads, the very next song you have “Wasting Love”. They bring back the arpeggio for the verses; but this song is really about showing off Bruce Dickenson’s vocal talent (which would make sense since it was originally written for his solo project);
he is really pouring his heart and soul into both the verses and the chorus. And don’t sleep on the solo as it is a sneaky banger. Finally, I have to mention the Title Track, “Fear of the Dark” one of their biggest live show staples. This one is pretty fun to play along and sing along with; that is saying a lot without saying a lot, but don’t leave this album without giving that one a good listen to (and consider the live version). That riff between the verses is just a drill into the brain.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Childhood’s End”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, “Wasting Love”
5. Killers (1981)
Very strong follow up to their Debut, in fact several songs were actually written previously and just didn’t make the debut album; I’ll start right away with one of those songs “Prodigal Son”. I LOVE this song, I don’t know how it’s not one of their most famous. It’s one of the first to heavily feature an acoustic guitar, with that beautiful arpeggio to bring you in and then allow the bass to just overlay on top of the intro. The Vocals here really stand out to me too, you can feel more softer urgency in Di’Anno’s voice as he begs out for help. I’ve always been impressed with their essentially first foray into acoustic guitar.
I mean again, that first arpeggio is just so silky smooth. But other tracks on the album certainly reflect the style established on their first album. “Wrathchild” (Probably one of the more popular songs on the album) is certainly a rocker a bit reminding of “Running Free”. “Another Life” and “Purgatory” have those licks that feel a bit throwback to “Prowler”; and do it just as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight two more tracks, and I’ll start with “Innocent Exile”. Bass riffs are again prominent on this one and really stand out, but no more than what I think makes this song so great, the final minute in the half (the Solo section and the Outro). That solo rhythm riff is so simple but so catchy, and then the solo laying on top of it you cannot help but bob your head to that beat.
Then for the Outro they just again establish a simple but genius riff before essentially screaming out. This track deserves more love! Finally, “Killers”, the title track on the album. Right away the bass line just has you running (a bit of a theme of the track). This song also just stretches you out, from that scrapey riff to the licks after each vocal;
I just feel like this song overwhelms and encompasses you. Of course, it then melts you with their solo crashing in; powerful atmosphere created on this track. Definitely check out this album as a pillar to demonstrate they were amazing well before Bruce Dickenson arrived. Also, you cannot argue that album art is just amazing (a strong suit of the band).
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Prodigal Son”, “Killers”, “Innocent Exile”
6. The Number of the Beast (1982)
This one is probably their most lauded album, I would argue it is a bit overrated. Its not bad but I don’t think it is their best. You’ve got a few Iconic tracks and then several good but kind of mid ones that I think hold it back from that upper tier so many hold them in. It is the first album with Bruce Dickenson as the vocalist and sure that means something, especially because he delivers some amazing vocals. I cannot knock it too much because it did produce one of my very favorite Iron Maiden songs, but I will get to that one in the end. The Album starts out fine with “Invaders” and “Children of the Damned”; The Latter especially kind of gets off to a more subdued start before it really hits its groove in that second half blast off; that’s seriously where I am like ok this album will be good.
However, the first song I say is just “Wow” is the title track “The Number of the Beast”. This one is great, it is such a fun intro riff, to hear and to play. And don’t look now, they may one-up it with the transition riff.
Don’t sleep on the vocals either, I mean Dickenson just gets it going off the bat with that intro poem-like verse followed by the iconic scream to follow that up. (Of course I am referring to Dickenson’s verse, not the spoken intro who apparently, they went to Vincent Price first who famously introed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” before he asked for too much money). They follow up that track with one of their most famous singles “Run to the Hills”. Like the album I think this is a good song but overrated one. I mean you got a great galloping rhythm that is well executed, the lauded solo though… I feel like they have so many better ones. The transition out of it is a great section though I’ll give them that.
“Hallowed Be Thy Name” … This track is an absolute masterpiece; from the first note (not exaggerating, that bell tone pulls you right in immediately and that riff after is just so dark). The slow intro poem verse (I’ll re-use that term) is just the perfect build up to what comes next.
The way Dickenson stretches lyric “LOWWWW” across that rhythm change (and acceleration) and eventually he intensifies the lyric just makes my skin breakout in goosebumps every time! Then they give you that quick glimpse into their riff they essentially structure several parts of the song before again hitting you with another Iconic part of the song (the first main verse); there they just cut out the rhythm and have Dickenson spit over it with such abrupt power. The lyrics in this verse alone are just so well written. In just 2 minutes (of the 7-minute song) they’ve already thrown such genius elements at you. And 7 minutes used to be long, even for Iron Maiden (used to, now compared to their last few albums, those are sprints); so they really needed to captivate you the entire time and they pull it off. I can keep writing about this one, maybe I’ll break it down further in another article, but just give it a listen, quite possibly their magnum opus. And after that song (and album) you couldn’t deny Iron Maiden would be a staple of metal for decades to come.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Number of the Beast”, “Children of the Damned”
7. Dance of Death (2003)
Iron Maiden follows an album I think is slightly overrated (Brave New World) to one I believe is slightly underrated. Maybe start to finish not as complete as one would like but the good songs on this album are Really good. I appreciate the cleaner toned rhythm more prevalent here than the other albums, I think they accomplish it really well and produce some pleasant melodies for sure. That all gets started with the title track “Dance of Death”, one of the longer tracks on the album, it begins with those softer tones before turning into a heavier song in the middle; In that regard to accomplishes a great build up. In this section the main riff also sounds a bit like a Piano treble roll (I think I completely made that term up but bear with me) which gives the song that ritualistic dance feel the title suggests.
Speaking of build ups, Iron Maiden wasn’t done. “Face in the Sand” has a 2-minute intro which features the only double bass pedal section in all of Iron Maiden’s discography (a technique that is relatively common in the metal community).
This subdued start really gives way into a pretty intense song, both verses and chorus have a lot of energy! Quick shout out to “Age of Innocence” as the intro riff/licks are very under the radar but really extraordinary (Almost hear a hint of Megadeth in there). The rest of the song is pretty good too, including a face melting solo. Finally, you have “Journeyman” which is a fully acoustic song. They do it quite well, executing a strong intro build up with acoustic guitars is no small feat. Besides that, though I really love how Dickenson sings on this one;
removing some of the falsetto for the verses for a more melodic feel, until he starts belting out the chorus that is.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Journeyman”, “Face in the Sand”, “Dance of Death”
8. Piece of Mind (1983)
Iron Maiden followed up their first Dickenson album with another one that gets a lot of fanfare. This one is the first one with their highly skilled drummer Nicko McBrain. I feel like this album is where Iron Maiden really cemented their signature sound found on many of their middling tracks (middling for them is still a good song but just not the cream of the crop); the power chord structures in two parts before getting to verses with Dickenson going high during those verses; things like that, I can just feel it a bit more. You hear it right away on “Where Eagles Dare” which is the first track on the album. “Sun and Steel” is also a good middling track with a catchy solo. “To Tame a Land” gets you a good lick riff right from the start to go into a rhythm riff that just has a ton of attitude,
it reminds me of their first two albums just with more suppressed licks. It’s also got a pretty good interlude bass riff, sneaky good song to end the album. (Fun Fact this song was inspired by the book Dune).
But for me this album is defined by two songs, I’ll start with “The Trooper”. Probably the most popular song off the album, it’s got that iconic intro riff which melds with the higher octave riff right after;
it’s a very heavy hammer-on pull-off riff but sounds pretty good. I love the first lyric just to set the war tone immediately “You take my life, but I’ll take yours too!” then the chorus is essentially a vocalization. It’s a fun song but ultimately probably a little overrated as a track start to finish in my opinion. Now though to the best song on the album in my opinion, “Flight of Icarus”. Little things like the 3 (Power) chord progression to start the songs just elevate the song, and the simplistic chord structure throughout really allow Dickenson to show off and take over with his vocals.
Through those vocals alone he is able to execute an amazing build-up throughout each section of the song; with each section build up culminating with the chorus. I feel like this is almost a grand hair metal chorus and they some how pull it off better than many hair metal songs. Finally, I need to mention the underrated solo, it takes you on a journey for sure and I really appreciate the screaming guitar in the middle part. Finally, what separates this song is a very great outro; Dickenson stretching his vocals especially with the final “Flyyyyy!” lyric and then another quick melting awesome solo. This track will pump you up every time; literally having you fly high.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Flight of Icarus”, “The Trooper”, “To Tame a Land”
9. The Book of Souls (2015)
Another one I haven’t listened to a ton (like The Final Frontier and Senjutsu) but I was decently impressed with this album especially considering it is late career, and I tend to notice bands late career work takes a dip. That said, these songs are LONG. They had 5 years since the last album, so I guess a ton of time to create but in a way, I think this hurts the album. I can appreciate long songs with the rest of them, but too many on one album is a bit of a turn off. For example “The Red and the Black” is a great song, pumps you up with a good vocalization, strong vocals and chorus, great transitional riffs (that sound inspirational), even the dark intro (outro too) I can get into; but after like 8 minutes I feel like, this song is still going on??? (I could probably re-use this write up for “Empire of the Clouds” … Good song but 18 minutes).
To their credit they do hit you with a shorter run time (just 5 minutes…) with “Speed of Light”. This one is really interesting to me, because to me it sounds more like classic rock, reminds me a bit of Judas Priest;
But this album is 35 years after their first album, and their music never sounded like classic rock, the timing is as I said interesting; but they do it well here. If I could return to another longer song at over 10 minutes, the title track “The Book of Souls”. The one that jumps out at me here is the main riff; it’s just so awesomely crude and raw!
Like a march with attitude. Even the verse riff is stepping it up; love to see Iron Maiden still had that riff writing in them. To me this album bought them several years outside of obscurity.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “The Red and the Black”, “The Book of Souls”, “Speed of Light”
10. Brave New World (2000)
Iron Maiden is back baby. They bring in the new millennium by bringing back their heyday lineup with Bruce Dickenson and Adrian Smith returning (and then proceeded to actually write good songs for their return). Now, excitement is warranted but I have to say I think people get too excited about this album. There are definitely solid tracks here, but many put this one as one of their top few; I just wouldn’t go that far. They did record live in the studio, and I think that does lend it a bit of a spontaneous/collaborative feel. Still, I think Dickenson’s vocals take center stage to a more melded rhythm and a bit less pronounced riff.
For example, “The Wicker Man”, “The Mercenary” and even the title track “Brave New World” are very chorus driven, and with Dickenson’s vocals really driving that chorus.
And I am not knocking those songs at all as they are higher quality songs on the album, nor am I saying they don’t have strong rhythm sections, it’s just Dickenson taking center stage is all; and with the way the album was recorded live, it makes sense that the rhythm would be formed supporting the vocals. In fact, I am not sure this album would’ve been so successful without that approach; his vocals really have you bobbing your head the entire album. They do throw in an epic too with “Dream of Mirrors” and I always forget this one is over 9 minutes long; it really doesn’t start out with the feel of the epic. Now this one doesn’t escape the powerful Dickenson chorus vocals but there is something else going on in this one, a build up that again goes under the radar; you first get hints when the heavier distorted guitar and the drums come in before the first Chorus; and even though it jumped, you’re still in for more progression (and wouldn’t see it coming ordinarily).
Of course it jumps again and you really have quick paced medley thrown at you, and they pull it off tremendously; definitely my pick for the best song on the album.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Dream of Mirrors”, “The Mercenary”, “Brave New World”
11. Powerslave (1984)
From a commercial success standpoint, this album kept the momentum going from the previous 2. Great Album cover and title track helps that a lot. I will say though, in the heart of their heyday (they were releasing albums every year), this one may be my least favorite of that era. A lot of middling songs (or less even) without a song that is a no brainer favorite of mine. “The Duellists” (Adrian Brody’s next Oscar winner???) and “Flash of the Blade” are certainly worth a listen to.
But that is not to say there aren’t very good tracks on this album. Right away they hit you with a good one, “Aces High”. This intro is very well constructed, so much that they actually Introed their tour setlists with it for several tours including the one I saw back in 2006. Chorus carries this song with the vocal progression;
but the Solo is also a pretty good masher. No more on this album do I notice the two lead guitarist solo structure where they switch off. Speaking of which, “Powerslave”; obviously the two solo sections that have their own distinctive style but otherwise, I really love the journey this song takes you on. With that run time I don’t know how it can’t be a journey, but the interlude switches it up where it is still captivating;
Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” I feel has a very similar song structure (they did it a few years after, just sayin’). Speaking of long run times, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”; at the time this one was by far their longest run time song (they’d later dwarf it in their more recent albums). Moreso then “Powerslave” it is impressive how they keep you captivated enough to make it through. Despite an initial feeling of “Ugh” when I see the run-time, I’ve managed to listen to this track dozens of times. Even when they take a few minutes in the middle to slow down like drifting water, I am not skipping; it seems crazy. And that’s how the album ends.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Powerslave”, “Aces High”, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
12. No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
This album is a bit infamous, and I think it’s partially unfair. Yes, it is weaker than the albums that preceded it (and even the one after), but I think that is more of a product of how good those other albums were, and the standard Iron Maiden had established for themselves. In a vacuum this album still has great tracks. The vibes of the album seem a bit less serious, almost punky themes; while it doesn’t sound like the first 2 albums, I feel like the connection to the punky roots is present. I guess all this to say it wasn’t as proggy which is ok though timing wise a bit interesting since the last album was extremely progressive. To the music now because there really are some pretty good tracks here.
The best two tracks are pretty early in the album, “Holy Smoke” and the Title Track “No Prayer for the Dying”. The former has really good pace (following a solid riff driven intro); but it doesn’t take long to get into that punky attitude I was referencing, it may be the closest falsetto Dickenson gets to rapping.
This song is a bit a sprint which I love to see every once in a while in meat era Iron Maiden. Now the Title Track song has a great riff featured throughout as well, though with a bit more of a subdued pace to the Iron Maiden we are used to. While the previous song was a bit rappy in the tones, this one more Dickenson gives us a bit of a ballad try; seemingly practicing for the next album.
I feel this track could’ve easily fit on Fear of the Dark. There are few other songs later in the album that are borderline silly (Especially vocally/lyrically) but I still find them fun. “Mother Russia” is almost like a Soviet march though I will point out has some strong riffs. “The Assassin” has that ridiculous chorus with the backing vocals behind Dickenson just screaming he is an assassin
(which seems counter to what an assassin would proclaim, he maybe says it about as many times as the word “Thunder” in that Imagine Dragons song I think). The most ridiculous of them all may be the highest charting single Iron Maiden ever achieved in “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter”. Originally written for Dickenson’s Solo Project, I guess rhyming in a chorus is enough to carry a song to radio success… not sure what that says about us as consumers.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Holy Smoke”, “No Prayer for the Dying”, “Mother Russia”
13. A Matter of Life or Death (2006)
What I say about BNW being slightly overrated, I would drop the word slightly for this one. It’s not that its bad, but I don’t see how it separates itself from the subsequent 3 albums that get less fanfare. That said it does have some good songs for sure. And it’s a bit heavy comparatively to other Iron Maiden work (which I saw not being “Mastered” also lent itself to that sound). I will give it credit for not having that many “Filler” tracks, but I also don’t feel many truly separate themselves as awesome songs; still there are some good ones here.
Starting with track “Different World”. One notable thing about the song is the transition to the chorus which doesn’t sound like vintage Iron Maiden, it is almost a pop rock sound (Which the whole song isn’t like that for the most part);
its catchy and nice though. “These Colours Don’t Run” has probably the most distinctive riffs on it; the Intro and the distorted same main one. The title lyric during the chorus is also quite memorable and sticks out. I also really like how they do the interlude to the solo where it kind of gets really deliberate with the riff. Finally, my favorite song is probably “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg” which is quite a mouthful. It’s got that subtle intro that sets up really a subtle starting verse before it hits you with a really heavy riff.
I mean yeah, the title is ridiculous, and it is trying to tell a story/saga, but man it’s all about that main riff with the pauses for the verses where Dickenson just rocks them (Can say similar about the Chorus). Worthwhile Album, yes. One of their best, I cannot go that far.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg”, “Different World”, “These Colours Don’t Run”
14. The Final Frontier (2010)
Starting this album to their latest I will admit I haven’t listened to nearly as much as the others. Not because they are particularly bad albums, but I just wasn’t really pulling these up too much; It would be easy to blame the run time but 75+ minutes while long is not that unusual for Iron Maiden (which is insane). I just hope not to shortchange these final 3 albums too much. Anyways with that preface out of the way we have The Final Frontier. The overall melodies of most these songs are a bit softer and subdued than most the other Maiden albums; a bit like Dance of Death and even Seventh Son; however I believe this album is missing that one track that really elevates it; or in other words I am getting a lot of “That’s nice” feelings but not like “AWESOME SONG” vibes. A couple songs do get close though, especially toward the end of the album.
“Isle of Avalon” is probably one of the stronger tracks on the album, perhaps the most epic. The verse and chorus have a good structure and flow and when combined with a rumbling transitional riff that is pretty catchy;
You really start feeling that Iron Maiden sound (at least of the 21st century). They do have some good riffs and decent choruses in “Coming Home” and “Mother of Mercy” as well. “The Alchemist” feels like a throwback song too, sounding like their Late 80s/Early 90s work with a great tagline “Strange Alchemy!” (Which kind of seems like it could be a TV show theme song doesn’t it?). Finally “When the Wild Wind Blows” almost sets up like a bit of a folk song or a softer saga story at first but then gets heavier a la Iron Maiden, and maintains that saga feel; at 11 minutes how can it not, but don’t let that deter you from giving it at least a couple listens.
Favorite 3 Tracks: “Isle of Avalon”, “The Alchemist”, “Coming Home”
15. Senjutsu (2021)
“Stratego” and “The Time Machine” kind of sound a bit like tracks on Brave New World and as I write that it’s a bit crazy because it feels like that album was one of their recent, but it was 21 years before this one! Yes, Iron Maiden reached a mark of 40 years between their 1st and 17th album (Which very well may be their last). Each album is spacing out a bit from before, they went from releasing an album every year in the beginning to now 4, 5, and 6 years between. Even in the 2020’s, “The Writing on the Wall” has that single feel, and almost with a country/western rock main riff which while I doubt was intentional
(Also fun fact the animated music video was created by former Pixar Execs, though I would say it forewarned it isn’t for kids, more of an Anime); they are still evolving!
With this album you once again have really long run times, and inside that solid music, but nothing is really jumping out transcendent and dare I say would stand the test of time. While the band never actually confirmed this, many thought the previous album would actually be the final one, largely due to Bruce Dickenson’s fight with cancer; While it is amazing he overcame that, I am not sure this Album really adds much to their collection. As I referenced in The Book of Souls write up, late career albums tend to sag, and I think this one is a victim of that. Kind of making music for the sake of making music at this point. All that said, it is worth listening to at least once or twice, there are some good tracks here like “Death of the Celts” and “Hell on Earth” which despite 10+ minute run times, offer some really nice innovative melodies (a la The Final Frontier). Give it a listen, it’s still better than the Bayley albums (Sorry dude).
Favorite 3 Tracks: “The Writing on the Wall”, “The Time Machine”, “Hell on Earth”
16. Virtual XI (1998)
The second Blake Bayley Album, I think this one is just slightly better than the one before it (though it didn’t commercially perform like it). This one was one of the last ones Steve Harris took the majority songwriting on, and rightfully the band felt like they should mix it up after (even though a few songs written around this time was actually used on the highly acclaimed subsequent album Brave New World). Still, I think this album has some tracks worth listening to.
The very first one on the album is probably the best song in my opinion, “Futureal”. It has a breakneck pace pushed forward by a notable quick moving riff;
and I think Bayley really shines on this track, believe it or not. Also abruptly jumps into a solo. Being one of their shorter songs in their discography, this one comes and goes before you know it, but it was a strong start despite the rest of the album. I also want to mention “The Clansman”, which is probably the most acclaimed song on the album. The intro sounds a lot like “Infinite Dreams” (not sure if that was on purpose) followed by a riff that sounds like the song “Virus” which wasn’t released on an album but was released 2 years earlier.
“The Clansman” – Both Riffs
“Infinite Dreams” Riff
“Virus” Riff
Overall, this song sounds like it would fit pretty well on one of their later albums like The Final Frontier, but I suppose it was before it’s time. Still, it’s a solid track that stands out.
Favorite Track: “Futureal”, “The Clansman”
17. The X Factor (1995)
Ah the first of the Blaze Bayley years. These two albums get ripped apart by Iron Maiden fans; and they are clearly inferior to their other stuff (before and after), but it wasn’t all because of the change in vocalist; the song writing and rhythm sections are just severely lacking and not at all to the standards Iron Maiden had firmly established. Honestly Blaze sings perfectly well on these albums and you could see why they picked him to replace, they just released two duds under him and frankly did him dirty in that regard.
That said, I want to highlight one song, “Man on the Edge”. Say what you want about the rest of the album, but this one is a great song. It has a great galloping rhythm, and the pace of Bayley’s vocals sets a tone. The simple repeated Chorus lyrics are also catchy as hell.
I mean more than Dickenson being absent, it doesn’t really sound like an Iron Maiden song per se (which makes sense since historically main Iron Maiden song writer Steve Harris was not involved), but I like listening to it every time. At least give this album 4 minutes of your life and listen to this song.
Favorite Track: “Man on the Edge”
Tier Stats by Album:
Just a little content for you stat nerds… Also I was a little stricter on these metrics since Iron Maiden has so many songs really.
Quality Index = B-Tier or Above / Total Songs on Album (Includes Honorable Mention)
Hit Rate: A-Tier or Above / Total Songs on Album
Iron Maiden
Quality Index: 7 Tiered / 9 Total = 78% (Remember Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera, Prowler, Running Free, Strange World, Charlotte the Harlot, Sanctuary)
Hit Rate: 3 S/A-Tiers / 9 Total = 33% (Remember Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera, Prowler)
Killers
Quality Index: 6 / 10 = 60% (Innocent Exile, Killers, Prodigal Son, Wrathchild, Another Life, Purgatory))
Hit Rate: 3 / 10 = 30% (Innocent Exile, Killers, Prodigal Son)
The Number of the Beast
Quality Index: 5 / 8 = 63% (The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Invaders, Children of the Damned, Run to the Hills)
Hit Rate: 2 / 8 = 25% (The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name)
Piece of Mind
Quality Index: 5 / 9 = 56% (Flight of Icarus, The Trooper, Where Eagles Dare, Sun and Steel, To Tame a Land)
Hit Rate: 2 / 9 = 22% (Flight of Icarus, The Trooper)
Powerslave
Quality Index: 4 / 8 = 50% (Aces High, Powerslave, The Duellists, Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Hit Rate: 2 / 8 = 25% (Aces High, Powerslave)
Somewhere in Time
Quality Index: 6 / 8 = 75% (Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, Stranger in a Strange Land, Caught Somewhere in Time, Deja Vu, Alexander the Great)
Hit Rate: 3 / 8 = 38% (Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, Stranger in a Strange Land)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Quality Index: 6 / 8 = 75% (Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, The Prophecy, The Evil That Men Do, The Clairvoyant, Only the Good Die Young)
Hit Rate: 3 / 8 = 38% (Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, The Prophecy)
No Prayer for the Dying
Quality Index: 5 / 10 = 50% (Holy Smoke, No Prayer for the Dying, The Assassin, Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter, Mother Russia)
Hit Rate: 2 / 10 = 20% (Holy Smoke, No Prayer for the Dying)
Fear of the Dark
Quality Index: 5 / 12 = 42% (Afraid to Shoot Strangers, Childhood’s End, Wasting Love, Fear of the Dark, Be Quick or Be Dead)
Hit Rate: 4 / 12 = 33% (Afraid to Shoot Strangers, Childhood’s End, Wasting Love, Fear of the Dark)
The X Factor
Quality Index: 1 / 11 = 9% (Man on the Edge)
Hit Rate: 1 / 11 = 9% (Man on the Edge)
Virtual XI
Quality Index: 2 / 8 = 25% (Futureal, The Clansman)
Hit Rate: 1 / 8 = 13% (Futureal)
Brave New World
Quality Index: 5 / 10 = 50% (Dream of Mirrors, The Wicker Man, Brave New World, The Mercenary, Out of the Silent Planet)
Hit Rate: 1 / 10 = 10% (Dream of Mirrors)
Dance of Death
Quality Index: 5 / 11 = 45% (Dance of Death, Face in the Sand, Journeyman, Paschendale, Age of Innocence)
Hit Rate: 3 / 11 = 27% (Dance of Death, Face in the Sand, Journeyman)
A Matter of Life and Death
Quality Index: 7 / 10 = 70% (The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, Different World, These Colours Don’t Run, The Pilgrim, Out of the Shadows, For the Greater Good of God, The Legacy)
Hit Rate: 1 / 10 = 10% (The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg)
The Final Frontier
Quality Index: 7 / 10 = 70% (The Isle of Avalon, Mother of Mercy, Coming Home, The Alchemist, Starblind, The Talisman, When the Wild Wind Blows)
Hit Rate: 1 / 10 = 10% (The Isle of Avalon)
The Book of Souls
Quality Index: 5 / 11 = 45% (Speed of Light, The Red and the Black, The Book of Souls, Tears of a Clown, Empire of the Clouds)
Hit Rate: 3 / 11 = 27% (Speed of Light, The Red and the Black, The Book of Souls)
Senjutsu
Quality Index: 6 / 10 = 60% (Senjutsu, Stratego, The Writing on the Wall, The Time Machine, Death of the Celts, Hell on Earth)
Hit Rate: 0 / 10 = 0%