BraveWords spoke to Janick Gers about a number of topics including the band's latest album, a Matter Of Life And Death. Looking back (somewhere!) in time, BW&BK poised the question: What are your favorites of the catalogue? "You know, it’s like saying which is your favorite kids," reflects Gers. "You know, I’ve made lots of albums in my time, with White Spirit, Gillan, Fish, I couldn’t pick one. It’s like having eight, nine, ten children, and saying the middle one is your favourite. I like things, a solo here, a melody there, but I like them all the same. I enjoyed playing on all those albums. X Factor I felt was a great album. Wasn’t well-received at the time. The grunge thing had happened, and every rock artist was canceling tours right across America. We went out and we played and we were the most unfashionable band at the time in the world, but we still went out and did the gigs and we enjoyed ourselves, and we thought we had a good album. See you go out and you play, and you make an album, and you hope the people like it, and if they do like it, got bless them, and the people that don’t, well, God bless them too."
Grunge had little to do with it being not well received. As much as I like his vocals, Blaze was the main reason.
Grunge, Blaze, hard to say But does not matter now. Iron Maiden survived that period, that is what is important. The X Factor is one of my favourites and I believe that with Bruce it would be different and I would not liked it that much, because Blaze just fits in this kind of dark music Now this is interesting, almost four years old thread revived
I could have sworn I had seen this interview ages ago, and then I looked at the date of the original post.
I don't think one can underestimate the impact of grunge. I really did nearly kill off metal, thankfully not one of the bands had the stamina or the talent that Maiden have. I do agree though, Blaze just wasn't a good fit for Maiden.