Live After Death ('85): ***1/2
Much to the dismay of my brother, this is the earliest Iron Maiden album I have.
I have all the studio albums after this except for "No Prayer for the Dying," so
I got this one to "complete" my Iron Maiden collection. It pretty much has all
the best songs of their first five albums on it, and that's all I really need
from that period. Generally, it's regarded as one of the best live albums of
all time. As I said, it's got all the really good songs on it, the crowds are
terrific, Bruce Dickinson fronts well, and the sound quality is decent.
Definitely a great disc to get for a starter.
Somewhere In Time ('86): ***1/2
Iron Maiden started getting a little more progressive with this album (which
basically means they use a lot of keyboards.) This album has a lot of cool
songs, including "Wasted Years," the most popular Maiden song, "Heaven Can
Wait," the great sing-a-long, "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," the
ultimate cross-country song, and "Alexander the Great," the epic that chose the
topic for my seventh-grade history report. I have the bonus disc version of
this, so it has "Reach Out," the best Iron Maiden cover song, featuring Adrian
Smith on lead vocals. The album cover is really great too, featuring
semi-hidden depictions of popular Iron Maiden songs.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son ('88): ****
While many people will pick another "favorite" Iron Maiden album, this is
indisputably a peak in their history. Everything came together great at the end
of the golden years of Maiden. "Seventh Son" is a concept album, about the
prophecy a man "born of woman the seventh son, and he in turn of a seventh son.
He has the power to heal, he has the gift of the second sight. He is
the chosen one." As you can tell, the story is pretty cool, and a little
different than anything the band has done before. Usually, nearly every Iron
Maiden song is based on a book or a movie, but they go a little further here.
Bruce Dickinson does an excellent job of singing, the last time we'll hear the
true "Air Raid Siren" on an Iron Maiden album. The keyboards are even more
visible as guitarist Adrian Smith really contributes a lot to this disc, his
last with this band.
Fear of the Dark ('92): ***
After "Seventh Son," Adrian Smith left and was replaced by Janick Gers. Janick
finally brings a little showmanship to the guitarist spot, but unfortunately
sacrifices skill for that. Their first album with the new lineup, "No Prayer
for the Dying," is generally regarded as the worst Iron Maiden album, thus, I
don't have it. "Fear of the Dark" is a definite improvement, but they are still
not the Iron Maiden of old. For some reason, Bruce has decided not to sing like
he's capable of anymore. Overall, the songs are a little weak, and they even do
a ballad. But for some reason, I still like it better than their older stuff.
There are a couple of excellent songs though, namely "Afraid to Shoot
Strangers," and "Fear of the Dark." These songs are a sign of what was to come,
and actually fit better on the next album.
The X Factor ('95): ****
After a long layoff, Iron Maiden comes back strong and they have a new singer in
Blaze Bayley. This album is probably marks of the biggest style change the band
has ever made. Blaze's low voice and limited range help make the album very
deep and darker than Maiden's previous works. The rhythm section is very
prominent and the guitars are almost relegated to the background. Most of the
songs start out slow and quiet and then build up. While this may seem boring at
first, it creates a very powerful album. The amazing thing is that all the
power is created without simply being loud. Although Blaze may be no Bruce
Dickinson, he fits in perfectly with this album. Let's hope they can keep this
up.