And by Blaze Years, we mean Blaze Bayley, the English singer who replaced Bruce Dickinson in the mid-to-late-90s. And by "we" I mean myself and my friend and fellow metal-maniac Marshall Mason, with whom I've been journeying through the Maiden discography. See here, here, and here for previous installments. Without further ado:
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| (1995) |
I forgot to mention: Blaze was formerly the singer of Wolfsbane. I sort of remember Wolfsbane from back in the day, but not too well. This was apparently their biggest hit.
More on Blaze’s non-Maiden stuff later.
Side One:
Marshall: 4/5 The chanting at the beginning is mesmerizing. It really lets you know, "we're going to be doing something a bit different from now on." This was the first time I heard Blaze sing, and I was disappointed because I really hoped they would find someone even better than Bruce, but who was I kidding.
Bryan: 3.5/5 Not bad. Becomes something more epic in Bruce's hands. I never tire of telling this story: when I saw Maiden on my birthday in 2000, they set a cross on fire during this song (although it was simulated, not an actual cross-burning, and it was more that they blew one up, not set it ablaze) and then played "The Clansman." That was a fun one to explain to the uninitiated forever after. Probably get me cancelled just relaying it here. Anyway, this song suffers from the album's main problem, which is the opposite of most metal production after a certain point in the 90s (the loudness wars) - the sound mix is just way too murky/ uneven.
Marshall: I also thought it was weird that they put the epic Harris album ender as the very first song. It was too different for me to really appreciate at first, but now I really love this song.
Lord of the Flies
Marshall: 4/5 Not as good as Sign of the Cross, but I love it so much that I cannot in good conscience give it a 3. I guess that's why you use decimals! I've grown to really like what Blaze does on this song.
Bryan: Me, too, and yes, the decimals come in handy. Originally I gave this a 2.75/5 and wrote “Not bad, that ‘Saint and Sinners…’ chorus gets stuck in my head. I’ve been singing it ever since, which led me to a few more spins and bumping it up to 3.25/5.
Bryan: 3.75/5 "Nothing is fair/ just you look arooooooouuuuunnnnd…!" I love that the chorus is the name of the movie, but the name of the song is something else. Who can figure out what Harris is thinking with this stuff. This one has problems, but I can't pretend I don't kind of love it. A bouncy rhythm, some good soloes.
Marshall: 3/5 I like how upbeat this song, and enjoy the song generally. I don't like the lyrics or the chorus. Repeating two words over and over does not a chorus make.
Bryan: We've discussed the line "Once he built missiles, a nation's defense / now he can't even give birthday presents" - one of my favorite awkward-Maiden-lines examples. Man! I think of that literally every time I buy a birthday present, seriously. Falling Down is not a good movie, but it must exist for this song to exist so therefore I must champion it.
Fortunes of War
Marshall: 4/5 After the fast pace of the last song, I really like how this song opens. This is around the point in the album that the listener discovers this is a much darker record than anything they've ever done before, in case the album cover wasn't a dead giveaway of that fact. Man, the lyrics of this song are intense, and Blaze's deep voice suits these lyrics really well. I really like the guitar melody and guitar solos in this song.
Bryan: 2/5 I used to like this one a lot more than I do now, but it brings back memories. More McBiography: that frame shop job I had in 2000 where I bought the BNW cassette was also where my first nine or ten listenings of this album occurred. This one more than others reminds me of that job and the Rhode Island Mall, just the association. I can taste the Sbarro's, hear the whoosh of the air compressor and staple gun, smell the plastic frames and hot glue. These impressions are stronger to me than the actual song. Some good little bass licks here and there, some insight into Harris in the lyrics, but overall, meh.
Look for the Truth
Bryan: 2.5/5 Important to Harris, for sure, but outside the "oh-ohhh-oh-ohhhh!" part, not much here for me.
Marshall: 5/5 My favorite song on the album. I love how it opens. My favorite part is the chorus. Holy cow does Blaze nail the chorus! "Look for the truth, deepest cut of all from you!" It's rare that I give any Maiden song 5 stars that repeats "oh oh oh" over and over, but here we are. This song is BAD ASS.
The Aftermath
Bryan: 1.5/5 Plodding. Except the fast break at the end.
Marshall: 3/5 My favorite part is "I'm just a soldier!" followed by a guitar solo that is just off the hook.
Judgment of Heaven
Marshall: 3/5 I don't like the lyrics. The song is decent.
Bryan: 2/5 Why are these songs so goddamn LONG?
Blood on the World’s Hands
Bryan: 2/5 Adolescent lyrics. No doubt from the heart, just not very interesting. It's easy to picture Bruce singing the last few choruses to a packed arena with all the lights going.
Marshall: 3/5 The best part of this song is that cool bass intro. By repeating "blood on the world's hands" over and over, this song is a preview of Virtual XI.
The Edge of Darkness
Marshall: 3/5 I like the vocals on this song. I really like how Blaze sings "every minute I get weaker" and "what I wanted was a mission"
Bryan: 3/5 Steve really needed a hug on this album. Thankfully he got one. (I would’ve if I’d been there, Steve!) That "I understand why THE GENIUS MUST DIIIIEEE!" always gets a laugh from me, though. I can relate. That line stays with you. Just as a life philosophy.
Bryan: 3.25/5 This is the most successfully realized depression song of the album, I think. The lyrics have weight, the music sketches out the mood. It’s stuck with me over the years.
Marshall: 3/5 The music and singing are pretty good. Lyrics are pretty weak.
Bryan: From the heart, though.
The Unbeliever
Marshall: 3/5 I felt like they were trying too hard on this song to be clever with time signatures and time changes. It sounds difficult to write and perform, which makes it awkward to listen to. The first time the band does the chorus, the guitar comes in just slightly before the drums, and that's always driven me crazy. They probably went through a lot of takes to get this thing recorded. Pretty good song though.
Bryan: 2.75/5 Agreed on the time signatures. I used to like this one more than I do now. Boring end to an unfortunately boring album. I appreciate the revelation and emotional rawness of this and the last song, but can't say they ever land on any Maiden mixes I make.
Final Thoughts
Bryan: Total 29.5 (Avg. 2.68) I want it to have aged better than it has.
Marshall: Total 37 (avg. 3.36) I don't think Blaze's singing works with Iron Maiden's songwriting. Some of it felt like it was written with Blaze's singing style in mind, and those parts work. They were very ambitious on this album, tried changing too much of their formula all at once, hence the name of the album. A lot of people hate this album, but it has seriously grown on me over the years. It's actually one of my favorite Maiden albums now, but I don't listen to it when I'm in the mood for Iron Maiden. I listen to it when I'm in the mood for The X Factor.
Bryan: That’s a good way to put it. It's like Killers in that regard. Kind of interesting non-Bruce symmetry, there.
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| (1988) |
Futureal
Bryan: 3/5 This song isn't so bad, but it's not great. The riff for the verses sounds better in "The Wicker Man." Kinda repetitive.
Marshall: 3/5 I like the energy of this song. The guitar riff is cool but a little bland. I remember how hopeful I was that this album would improve upon The X Factor, and when I first heard this song, I was like, "not bad. Let's see where this goes." Now this song is notable only for how much of a disappointment I'm in for.
The Angel and the Gambler
Bryan: 1/5 I don't get this one at all. Boring riff, boring melody, boring everything.
Marshall: 1/5 This is not very good the begin with, but then it launches into "don't you think I'm a savior" exactly 66 times for 10 minutes. This was when I started realizing what had just happened. Iron Maiden is done. They'd been going downhill ever since Seventh Son, and this was the final nail in the coffin.
Lightning Strikes Twice
Bryan: I’ll stick with Dokken, thanks. 1.5/5
Marshall: 1/5 I can't stand this song. I REALLY can't stand the chorus.
Bryan: That chorus/ descending riff is kind of so dumb you have to salute it. But this isn't Kiss, where such things amuse more than annoy me.
Marshall: 3/5 I'm getting so tired of Maiden songs that start with "the" and stupid choruses like "I am the clansman." Aside from that, this is a pretty good song.
Bryan: 3.75/5 Well... this one is undeniably fun. I mean, you take the broadsword of energy that is Braveheart and throw it in the Maiden Cuisinart; what could go wrong? It's shameless, and I remain shocked they wanted to have a single where a bunch of white kids could be guaranteed to be chanting the chorus in unison, probably saluting the stage. But this appeals to me, too - Maiden was never one to shy away from using a term (correctly, of course) on account of any delicate sensibilities or concern for optics. (Still: I can easily picture someone ignorant of Braveheart - or perhaps seeing it only as Mel Gibson signaling of some kind - trying to cancel this one.) It's a little odd to me, actually, that Blaze didn't make the song more of his signature tune. He does a decent job singing it, but then you hear Bruce sing it, and it's like oh right, obviously THAT is the right way to do this. All the weirder that this is apparently sampled by Brandy.
When Two Worlds Collide
Bryan: 1/5 Lazy.
Marshall: 2/5 Saying "When two worlds collide" over and over in between great guitar solos earns this song 2 stars. Not impressed.
The Educated Fool
Marshall: 2/5 Saying "Time will go, and I will follow" over and over in between great guitar solos earns this song 2 stars. Not impressed.
Bryan: 2/5 Meh.
Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger
Bryan: 2.25/5 Has its moments but meh. Queensryche kinda owns "Eyes of a Stranger" the way Metallica owns "For whom the bell tolls," i.e. sure it's a stock phrase but come on, it's already one band's thing.
Marshall: 1/5 Don't look to/through is repeated 83 times. Then, as if they know they're being insufferable jerks, they have this weird "DON'T LOOK TO THE EYES OF A STRANGER!" one more time really fast right at the very end.
Marshall: 4/5 After that onslaught of awfulness I was just subjected to, this is a surprisingly good song. The intro and chorus are beautiful, and the guitar solo is excellent.
Bryan: 3/5 I don't hate this song. Kind of an odd title for these sentiments, though? I do heat an "Amigos" near the end.
Final Thoughts
Bryan: Total 17.5 (avg 2.19) I feel bad for Blaze going out on such a stinker. I had that Ed Hunter CD-rom, which apparently they were focusing on during the making of this album, but either it didn't work or my laptop in 2004 was incompatible. I've still never played it. I'd like to think this album sounds the way it does because they were distracted by the effort of becoming videogame entrepreneurs. But I don't know if I can.
Marshall: Total 17 (Avg. 2.13) I can't stand this album. By the time I was done listening to it the first time, I said, "yeah, I'm done with Maiden." It was tragic and heartbreaking, but at least I had Dickinson's solo stuff to tide me over. I sold my CD and didn't look back until few years ago, I went and bought it again because I missed it. I knew I would rarely listen to it, but I didn't care. It was part of the catalog and I wanted it.
Bryan: Before we go, Marshall has some nice things to say about at least one of Blaze’s post-Maiden solo records.
Marshall: Out of curiosity and not a small amount of masochism, I listened to one of Blaze Bayley's post-Maiden solo albums, called Promise and Terror. I was expecting to hate it. Not only did I not hate it, I loved it right away. Honestly, it kind of blew me away. Never in a million years did I expect it to become one of my favorite albums, but here we are. I love every single song on this album. It doesn't sound like Iron Maiden at all, which I realized over time is why it is so good. See, Blaze's deep voice just didn't suit Maiden's sound. He also needed more input in the songwriting in order to take best advantage of his singing style. It was really necessary for me to hear Blaze on his own before I could truly understand why he didn't fit in Maiden.
Bryan: I’m at present unfamiliar, but that first song explodes out the speaker and sounds pretty awesome to me.
Here's where the rankings stand so far.
Bryan:
Marshall:
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| Insert poster for the Virtual XI vinyl. (Note for non-English-sports-fans: the eleven, here, is a pun on the band's eleventh album as well as a side's "starting eleven," i.e. any team's best players. It's tough to make out the names of the non-Maiden players in the attached, but they were all members of England's 1998 World Cup team. |
