I always thought it was funny that IMC organized the Maiden timeline by listing the Blaze era as a period of "rejuvenation." The website has always been a big defender of the Blaze era, but to me it seemed like a bit disingenuous to describe it as a period of rejuvenation when they were playing to middling audiences in the USA and the two albums were controversial, to say the least. At the same time though, I can see how some fans at the time would have been thrilled to see Maiden moving away from the hard rock/back to roots stylings of the previous two albums and trying some new directions. It's also worth noting that Maiden did see their audiences grow in some markets in the late 90s, primarily in South America. Almost 30 years later, the Blaze era fits pretty awkwardly in the Maiden discography. I'm not sure anyone would've predicted back in 1999 that this new Maiden lineup would go on to produce six more albums. I strongly believe that every time Maiden releases a new album, The X Factor becomes less and less relevant in the grand scheme of the catalog. They've revisited that moody progressive sound so many times on the newer albums, especially on Senjutsu, that the novelty of The X Factor has decreased some.
