Good morning folks!
After embarrassingly believing that Phantom of the Opera was on The Number Of The Beast yesterday, I have some #IronMaiden homework todo.
Now, I know Maiden quite OK, but it's not like I know every song on every album. I'll be working on that and will do another A-Z run, another #Metaljourney I guess 🤔
Kicking things off with #IronMaiden's 1980 self titled debut and this killer track:
👉 #Prowler
Iron Maiden closes Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden.
What a track, easily in my Maiden top 10.
Somehow I am a bit sad that we never found out how they would have developed if they'd keep Di'Anno...
The debut album is a 3,5/5.
45 minutes to my next meeting, #Killers is 38 minutes long, so why not listening to #IronMaiden's sophomore release?
Exactely, so here's #Wrathchild
https://song.link/y/qgqVmAyTvIA
I never noticed, but Prodigal Son is an early Queen song sung by Roger Taylor.
#Nowplaying Iron Maiden - Prodigal Son
Here comes the big one: #TheNumberOfTheBeast.
Some say it's their best, some say it only has 3 good songs, the rest is average.
BUT: the 3 songs are The Number Of The Beast, Run To The Hills and Hallowed Be Thy Name. I mean...
#Nowplaying #IronMaiden - Children Of The Damned
#TheNumberOfTheBeast was the first #IronMaiden song I ever heard, soon to be followed by Run To The Hills. And I liked both from the beginning, although I wasn't a metalhead back then. I think I was (already) 16 years old when I first heard these great songs...
Oh, and of course the album marks Bruce Dickinson's entry to the band, but that's common knowledge I guess 😉
#Nowplaying Run To The Hills
Is #HallowedBeThyName my favourite #IronMaiden song? Might as well be...
https://song.link/y/HAQQUDbuudY
Anyhow, after (another) spin of this record, it's time for a rating: To me this is 4,5/5 (masterpiece). Yes, there might be weaker tracks, but the good ones are really really good.
Albums:
1. Beast 4,5
2. Iron Maiden 3,5
3. Killers 3
Songs:
1. Hallowed
2. Iron Maiden
3. Hills
4. Beast
5. Prowler
Continuing my #IronMaiden #Metaljourney with #PieceOfMind, an album I never listened to, except for The Trooper, of course.
#NowPlaying Where Eagles Dare
Somehow Piece Of Mind feels like a before Number Of The Beast album. Like in: they got a new singer, they changed their style a bit, but they're still not there yet.
#NowPlaying Die With Your Boots On
#TheTrooper, of course, is greatness.
Song ranking (up until Piece Of Mind):
1. Hallowed
2.Trooper
3. Iron Maiden
4. Hills
5. Beast
#NowPlaying The Trooper
Nope, I cannot say that I liked #PieceOfMind that much, hence my critical rating: 2/5
(at least some highlights but overall not my cup of tea).
Apart from The Trooper, only Sun And Steel stood out.
#Maiden Album ranking:
1. Beast 4,5
2. Iron Maiden 3,5
3. Killers 3
4. Piece of Mind 2
UPDATE:
I did a re-listen of this album and I have to say that I was an idiot when I did this rating. Piece Of Mind is really good!
Rating goes upt to 3,5/5
After an #IronMaiden album I surprisingly never listened to before, it is time for one I listened to a lot, which is also my favourite of theirs:
Kicking off with #AcesHigh this album is an absolute banger! 🤘
Maiden song ranking:
1. Hallowed
2. Trooper
3. Iron Maiden
4. Aces <--
5. Hills
#NowPlaying Iron Maiden - Aces High
#Powerslave is just so good! It's a 4,5 out of 5 in my book (=masterpiece). I also really love the title track and the atmosphere it transports.
💿 ranking:
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Killers 3
4. Mind 2
🎶 ranking:
1. Hallowed
2. Powerslave
3. Iron Maiden
Next on my #IronMaiden #Metaljourney is an album that was released when I was about to become 2 years old.
#LastFM tells me, that I never listened to this album, except for Wased Years. I cannot believe this, because the album opener sounds so familiar...
Anyhow, here we go:
#NowPlaying Caught Somewhere In Time
The guitars on #WastedYears sound the most "classic" Heavy Metal of all #IronMaiden songs if you ask me. And it is a great tune 🤘
#NowPlaying Wasted Years
https://song.link/y/ULsr-fFVjVs
Wait a minute, I think #LastFM is lying, because I know most of the songs.
I guess most of them are on Live records too, or I listened from a device that didn't support scrobbling 🤷♂️
#NowPlaying #IronMaiden - Heaven Can Wait
Ok, here's a song I never heard before:
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
My instant reaction was "WOW!!!" Why is this song not better known?
#NowPlaying #IronMaiden - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Alexander The Great closes #SomewhereInTime.
Perfect time for a micro review and verdict:
First thing I noticed is the production. This album sounds fantastic, also very 80ish.
Great tunes, great album = 4 out of 5
💿 ranking:
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. Iron Maiden 3,5
5. Killers 3
6. Piece of Mind 2
🎶 ranking:
1. Hallowed
2. Powerslave
3. Iron Maiden
4. Aces
5. Wasted Years
6. Hills
7. Beast
8. Long Distance Runner
9. Prowler
10. Mariner
Some say "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" is #IronMaiden's best album, but that applies to almost all of Maidens 80s albums.
It kicks off with Moooonchild. 🌚
#Nowplaying Moonchild
Yep, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is a great album. I see why it's a favourite for many.
Personally, I enjoy Powerslave and Number Of The Best a tad bit more. And if I'd had to choose, I'd also prefer Somewhere In Time.
But still, #SeventhSonOfASeventhSon is a great album --> 4 out of 5 half rotted Eddies.
💿 ranking (up until SSOASS):
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. Seventh Son 4
5. Iron Maiden 3,5
6. Killers 3
7. Piece of Mind 2
No Prayer For The Dying is the only #IronMaiden album that features a #1 single. It was not Tailgunner.
#Nowplaying Iron Maiden - Tailgunner
I guess you need to be careful using the words "unpopular opinion" when talking about #IronMaiden, but I have one:
#NoPrayerForTheDying would be much much better if The Air Raid Siren would have used his trademark vocal style instead of trying to sound rough. Because that... failed 🫣
Otherwise I like the back to the basic approach.
#NowPlaying Iron Maiden - Public Enema Number One
While Mother Russia closes #NoPrayerForTheDying , time for a verdict:
I like this album, probably better than the common #IronMaiden fan. Nontheless, I don't like Bruce's vocal style on here.
Overall it's a solid album, which means 3 out of 5 Eddies on my scale.
💿 ranking (up until NPFTD):
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. Seventh Son 4
5. Iron Maiden 3,5
6. Killers 3
7. No Prayer 3
8. Piece of Mind 2
...and BTW, here's the #1 hit single:
We are in the ninties and Bruce Dickinson is about to leave #IronMaiden.
But not so fast, there's still #FearOfTheDark on the #Metaljourney agenda before that!
Fast paced Be Quick or Be Dead opens the 58 minute long record.
Bruce still tries to sound raw, I haven't noticed it bevore on this record 🤔
#Nowplaying Iron Maiden - Be Quick or Be Dead
Listening to the #IronMaiden albums back to back, I have to say that #FearOfTheDark sounds more like their post 2000 albums than their 80s records.
#NowPlaying Chains Of Misery
#FearOfTheDark sounds very different compared to its predecessor. Bruce started with raw vocals on this one as well, but at some point during the record he lost that. Hm..
This is a good album. So well produced, it's a treat for the ears. 3,5/5
Title track is top notch.
💿 ranking (until 1992):
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. 7th Son 4
5. Iron Maiden 3,5
6. Fear 3,5 <--
7. Killers 3
8. No Prayer 3
9. Mind 2
🎶 ranking:
1. Hallowed
2. Powerslave
3. Fear <--
With an epic 11 minute Sign Of The Cross of the album #TheXFactor, #IronMaiden start into the #BlazeBayley era, which is very very underrated if you ask me.
Also: did you know that Bruce sent Blaze a pair of yellow house bricks as present after he was announced to be the new lead singer? Now you know, but you'll have to figure out what he meant with that on your own 😜
#Nowplaying Iron Maiden - Sign Of The Cross
Why is #LynyrdSkynyrd's Simple Man on The X Factor???
Oh wait, #IronMaiden just copied the intro for their song Look For The Truth 😂
No shame, #Scorpions did the same. Does anyone in here know which song I am referring to?
#Nowplaying Iron Maiden - Look For The Truth
#TheXFactor is a very melodic and epic album. I don't get why people say it's bad.
Blaze had an impossible job to do and people love Bruce, but that doesn't make this album bad. Honestly it doesn't even sound that different to me...
Solid album, I'll definitely listen to it from time to time: 3/5 yellow brick stones
💿 ranking (until 1995):
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. 7th Son 4
5. Maiden 3,5
6. Fear 3,5
7. Killers 3
8. X Factor 3
9. Prayer 3
10. Mind 2
#VirtualXI is on and a lot of people say that this is #IronMaiden's worst album. Is that true? I never listened to it, except for The Clansman, which is very high up on my favourite Maiden songs list.
We're starting with Futureal, and it sounds... weirdly flat. What happend to #SteveHarris' bass???
#NowPlaying Iron Maiden - Futureal
Ok ok, yes, #VirtualXI is not a strong album, #TheClansman is the only remarkabel song on it.
It's also the only reason why I'll rate it with 2 out of 5. It's not particularly bad, but it's not good either.
I'm looking forward to the albums of the second Dickinson era, because - spoiler 🚨 - I like them a lot!
Ranking (until 1998):
1. Powerslave 4,5
2. Beast 4,5
3. Time 4
4. 7th Son 4
5. Maiden 3,5
6. Fear 3,5
7. Killers 3
8. X Factor 3
9. Prayer 3
10. Mind 2
11. XI
@steffimetal I am glad that the stuff I'm tooting is interesting for some. Interestingly, with this Metaljourney I get the most reactions so far. I guess Iron Maiden concerns everyone :)
haha, well, it's only 31 years old 😂
@derthomas for me it will always be a tie between Fear of the Dark and Seventh Son for best album, but best song is either Hallowed be thy name or The loneliness of the long distance runner.
But it's a tough call, Bring your daughter, Number of the beast, 2 minutes to midnight, the Rime of the ancient mariner. Maiden has been making music since the late seventies and there are so many classics in there that are just really, really great songs.
@derthomas
Powerslave was the soundtrack of my late teens, when a friend bought it on cassette. I never recovered from the title track and Losfer Words. I've listened to it regularly ever since.
(Aside: I love that one song lyrics site has two lines of "lyrics" for the song, and - to my ears at least - gets one line wrong.)
@derthomas
...hey Thomas! Good job your Iron Maiden review!
But:
Don´t talk to strangers - write it down, write it, your review about Iron Maiden! 😉 🤘
Up the Irons! 🤘
Thomas
Chris Fletch
Steffi H
Tim G
Meshuggah Mischell ✅
Metalpoet 
Marty 🇨🇦
Pat Ships
metalbass 🤘🏴☠️