BRUCE DICKINSON ALBUM RANKING: FULL RANKING REVEALED

1:
2:
3:
4: Skunkworks
5: Balls to Picasso
6: Tattooed Millionaire

Highest score: 6 (@Vaenyr @Spambot )
Lowest score: 1 (@Kalata @The Dissident @TheMercenary @Night Prowler @Confeos )

The black sheep albums always have a cult following and this album is no exception: it's the first to have any members rate it #1 and it placed in the upper half of the discography for a few other members. Bruce's foray into alternative rock is an interesting oddity and, if nothing else, is an interesting character study into his artistic motivations. Would he have stayed on this musical path if the album was a success, or was he trying to cash in by hiring the producer of Nirvana's first album and correctly jumping off the sinking ship of Metal? Or was he genuinely interested in this type of music? I think there's an element of both, personally. Since Skunkworks, Bruce has been all about Metal. But I think a lot of that is marketing. I can believe that he does have genuine interest in other types of music, but also understands that his audience largely isn't interested in that. He's an interesting guy and it's a fascinating thing to think about. It's rare that you get to hear an artist step out of their lane like Bruce did with Skunkworks, and it's always interesting when it happens - even if the results vary.

While not even in the same universe musically, I think of Skunkworks similarly to The X Factor. When I was younger getting into Metal, there were several "black sheep" albums by artists that were maligned/ignored upon release but have huge cult followings. Other albums from this era (usually 70s/80s bands trying to survive the 90s) include Van Halen 3, Carnival of Souls by Kiss, Waiting For the Punchline by Extreme, Jugulator by Judas Priest. These were albums that you had to dig through the used CD store to find, and it was often a treat to hear them because the music was so obscure compared to the popular works. Also interesting because these albums almost always contained a huge departure from the artist's normal sound.

Personally, I find Skunkworks to be a real mixed bag. The production and overall sound of the album is excellent. I always felt there was a pretty heavy Rush influence, particularly in the layered guitar playing. Big lush open chords and that power trio aesthetic of filling out the sound with guitars. It's a very well produced effort and aesthetically a huge step up from the previous albums. My criticisms, however, are not all that different from Balls to Picasso (minus production complaints about the latter). I still don't think Bruce sounds great, he does a serviceable job but ironically is sort of the weak link on this album. I think someone like Chris Cornell or Eddie Vedder could have delivered these parts in a more convincing way. I just don't think Bruce's vocal style really fits the music and he's also in an awkward place with his voice still. The other problem is I think this album has quite a bit of filler. Space Race and Back From the Edge are a fantastic 1-2 punch, but there are a lot of songs that are either straight up filler (Headswitch, Meltdown) and some songs that are pretty good but feel like half baked ideas (Solar Confinement, I Will Not Accept the Truth). If this was released in 1995 as a post grunge album by a no name artist, I think it would be considered a pretty good debut album but the best would probably be to come on the next album. It's too bad we never got Skunkworks 2, but I'm also not going to complain about what we actually got, obviously.

It's interesting to see Skunkworks gain popularity over the years. There's always some element of contrarianism probably, but I also think the album has a bunch of hidden gems and a lot of these 90s rock albums have aged very well, Skunkworks is no exception. Seeing this as the top rated album of the first three is about right, although I am still somewhat surprised that it beat out a Roy Z album, just because Balls is still at least in the Metal sphere.
 
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I still remember "discovering" this album. I had listened and lived with all of Maiden and all of Bruces catalogue for years, but think I had only listened to this album once and for some reason discarded it. Anyway, I remember sitting in the car one afternoon and listening through this entire album, and it just fell into place for me. It really feels like an experience to listen to this one from start to finish, and there is only one album, The Chemical Wedding, that does that better for me. So this one went from being in last place, to being my second favourite Bruce album ever since. Just love the atmophere and feel in tracks such as Back From The Edge, Innerspace and Strange Death In Paradise.
 
I always felt there was a pretty heavy Rush influence, particularly in the layered guitar playing. Big lush open chords and that power trio aesthetic of filling out the sound with guitars.
QFT.

I still don't think Bruce sounds great, he does a serviceable job but ironically is sort of the weak link on this album. [...] I just don't think Bruce's vocal style really fits the music and he's also in an awkward place with his voice still.
Totally disagree. His rasp actually works when he uses it here (unlike on the previous two albums), and he has some great soaring clean moments too.

straight up filler [...] Meltdown
Blasphemy! One of the better songs on the album, IMO.

pretty good but feel like half baked ideas [...] Solar Confinement
Also blasphemy, as this is a highlight of the album, IMO.

While Skunkworks has some lesser material ("Dreamstate", "I Will Not Accept The Truth", and "Headswitch"), it also has some pretty stunning high points ("Solar Confinement", "Innerspace", "Strange Death In Paradise") and a great second tier of songs ("Space Race", "Back From The Edge", "Inertia", "Faith", "Inside The Machine", "Meltdown", "Octavia"). I personally think this is a better album than Tyranny Of Souls, and I had it at #3 in my own ranking, but I understand why it landed at #4 in the collective ranking.
 
I’m surprised Skunkworks didn’t beat Tyranny, honestly. There’s very few people who would take ToS over AoB and TCW but I can totally understand someone like Skunkworks more. It’s a band spawned from post-grunge sounds of the mid ‘90s who happen to have Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Everyone is totally invested in the music and it’s a great experience. Frankly I’ve always found it hard to understand any dislike of this album especially when Balls to Picasso is often less metal than this record is. It’s not an oddity to me because Bruce’s first three albums were him jumping around and trying out different styles. IDK, it’s hard to really feel the controversy of this album’s sound. Maybe that’s just hindsight.
 
It actually wasn't close, Skunkworks was just 7 points ahead of Balls to Picasso and 16 points behind Tyranny of Souls. If anything, Skunkworks barely got out of being second to last.
Balls to Picasso is often less metal than this record is.
I think Skunkworks is ultimately a better album overall, but this makes no sense.
 
Damn, somehow I completely missed this thread starting, despite being tagged in a comment. Anyway, I don't have much to say about the first two albums, they only have a couple of songs I enjoy each, with some of those being in the bonus tracks. I've never felt that Balls To Picasso is a metal album to be honest, but I can see an argument being made. I've got much more to say about Skunkworks though!

Highest score: 6 (@Vaenyr @Spambot )

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I've said it once and I'll say it again: This is easily Bruce's best album. I love the metal albums but none come close touching Skunkworks for me. The production is phenomenal, clear and despite not being metal it's plenty heavy.
The performances by all musicians are great. The album is filled with creative guitar lines and riffs as well as use of effects. The drums have plenty of cool moments throughout the album. The bass sounds great and has awesome lines.

Bruce is the highlight though. This is the first album that features his golden age in my opinion. He clearly rediscovered his higher range and puts it to good use. He's getting comfortable, plays around with it a bit, but also manages to unleash crushing highs on basically every song. The use of effects and harmonized vocals on multiple songs is a joy to listen to and something he'd go on to play around with a bit more in the late 90's and early 2000's.

The songs themselves are almost all brilliantly written too. The lyrics are probably the album's weak point. Not as deep and mystical as TCW or TOS; they are rather simple at many points, more reminiscent of NPFTD, FOTD and BTP. I appreciate the personal touch in songs like Faith or Meltdown though. If one can get over that an album full of amazing melodies and chord progressions awaits.
Space Race sets the stage perfectly and shows that while this won't be a metal album, it shouldn't be underestimated. It has its own identity and atmosphere.
Back From The Edge is probably one of the favorites of the fandom and with good reason.
Intertia is immense fun in the way it plays around with dynamics and really lets Bruce flex his vocal range.
Faith has this almost oppressive feel and while the lyrics should've been better, the melodies themselves are phenomenal. Could listen to the chorus for ever.
Solar Confinement is a straight forward rocker and a change of pace from what came before. Great use of harmonies throughout.
Dreamstate, just like the title implies, is a very different to any of the previous songs, but it works well for the pacing of the album. It's weird, but it's on purpose.
I Will Not Accept The Truth is a weird one, where I forget how much I like certain sections. The first part of the verses is okay I suppose, but the second part sounds awesome. The distorted verses with Bruce returning to his FOTD vocal style doesn't quite work for me though.
Inside The Machine after a couple of strange and heavier songs we're getting another straightforward and lighthearted rocker. Stunning melodies and I love the use of clean guitar in the chorus.
Headswitch is probably the weakest track on the album. I appreciate that it tries something different. The main riff is fun, but the song itself just doesn't do much. Thankfully it's very short.
Meltdown is one of my favorites and does a similar thing to Faith. The lyrics are personal again and could've been better, but I couldn't care less. The vocal lines and implied chord progressions in the riffs are mezmerizing.
Octavia, just like the previous songs, completely changes the mood. There's generally a back and forth with brighter and darker material. This one is bright and really channels the almost "sci-fi optimism" vibe. Weird way to describe it, but I think it fits perfectly.
Innerspace picks up the pace again with a tempo similar to Solar Confinement. We're closing in to the end of the album so this is one last chance to rock out. Love the quoting of Darkness Be My Friend. The playing around with modes in the melodies is really fun as well. The fade-out was unnecessary though.
Strange Death In Paradise despite not even being 5 minutes long, feels like a proper epic. Its atmosphere is completely surreal, as if caught in a dream. The second half of the song keeps building up the energy to culminate in some of Bruce's best vocal performances of the decade. I adore the outro of the song.

We also need to mention the bonus tracks, which feature a bunch of great tunes as well. Not much to say about I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer or American's Are Behind. They are silly and goofy. Rescue Day and God's Not Coming Back aren't doing a lot for me. R 101 is probably the weirdest song with its heavy Folk influence, it obviously doesn't fit the album.
The ones I want to mention could've easily been on the album based on their quality, namely:
Armchair Hero once again deserved better lyrics but the music is awesome. A great little rocker and I even prefer it to most of Maiden's short songs.
Re-Entry is another of my favorites. Sounds completely different to everything else on the album, goes for a more Folk Rock type and I love it.

A lot of words that can be summarized as such:
Skunkworks is a great album.
 
So, Skunkworks. It took me a long time to finally like the album for what it is. Btw, I ranked it 4th, not last.

The album's strength is its unique style and sound. The interesting songs ideas also help with this.

The production is great. Powerful, clean and full. Guitar and drums mix is awesome (vocals too). The album cover is nice.

Bruce's vocals are amazing. His golden voice. And he sings with a lot of feeling which is always memorable.
Some (or most) of the lyrics are different and strong.

Alex's guitar work is very good and interesting. The drumming and bass are cool too.

From the whole album, I don't like only 1 song (''I Will Not Accept The Truth'', pure filler). There are other songs that could be viewed as fillers (''Headswitch'', ''Dreamstate''), but their groove is cool and fits the album.
Highlights for me: ''Back From The Edge'', ''Inertia'', ''Faith'', ''Solar Confinement'', ''Octavia'' and ''Innerspace''. The most effective as a whole.
''Strange Death In Paradise'' is close too. ''Space Race'' is really solid, ''Inside The Machine'' is melodic and fun and ''Meltdown'' is a heavy rock with effective chorus. The last two could have been great additions to BTP album.

From the bonus songs: ''Armchair Hero'' should have been included on the album (one of my favorites from that era) and I like the vibe of ''Rescue Day''. The others are not that bad, but the album has enough unique songs.

I want to point out the most amazing parts of the songs with the biggest impact: Space Race (chorus and solo), Edge, Inertia (whole songs, but all of the vocal lines and the solos are just so great), Faith (that chorus and solo section), Solar (one of Bruce's best verses ever), Machine (pre-chorus and chorus), Octavia (chorus), Innerspace (everything really), Strange Death (verses, calm part with the solo, outro). Worth collection of ideas, big time.

I don't think another album from this band would have been different or I wanted it (I prefer pure metal), but overall, a truly special album.
 
It's interesting to see Skunkworks gain popularity over the years. There's always some element of contrarianism probably, but I also think the album has a bunch of hidden gems and a lot of these 90s rock albums have aged very well, Skunkworks is no exception.
This. Its style, creative ideas (even chord progressions) and sound are key to this. Bruce can make anything work.
His rasp actually works when he uses it here (unlike on the previous two albums), and he has some great soaring clean moments too.
I agree.
I personally think this is a better album than Tyranny Of Souls
No way for me, but the different opinions show that the material is strong.
Frankly I’ve always found it hard to understand any dislike of this album especially when Balls to Picasso is often less metal than this record is. It’s not an oddity to me because Bruce’s first three albums were him jumping around and trying out different styles.
I somewhat agree with your second comment, but BTP less metal??
The album is filled with creative guitar lines and riffs as well as use of effects.
Bruce is the highlight though. This is the first album that features his golden age in my opinion. The use of effects and harmonized vocals on multiple songs is a joy to listen to and something he'd go on to play around with a bit more in the late 90's and early 2000's.

Space Race sets the stage perfectly and shows that while this won't be a metal album, it shouldn't be underestimated. It has its own identity and atmosphere.
Back From The Edge is probably one of the favorites of the fandom and with good reason.
Intertia is immense fun in the way it plays around with dynamics and really lets Bruce flex his vocal range.
Faith has this almost oppressive feel and while the lyrics should've been better, the melodies themselves are phenomenal. Could listen to the chorus for ever.
Solar Confinement is a straight forward rocker and a change of pace from what came before. Great use of harmonies throughout.
Dreamstate, just like the title implies, is a very different to any of the previous songs, but it works well for the pacing of the album. It's weird, but it's on purpose.
I Will Not Accept The Truth is a weird one, where I forget how much I like certain sections. The first part of the verses is okay I suppose, but the second part sounds awesome. The distorted verses with Bruce returning to his FOTD vocal style doesn't quite work for me though.
Inside The Machine after a couple of strange and heavier songs we're getting another straightforward and lighthearted rocker. Stunning melodies and I love the use of clean guitar in the chorus.
Headswitch is probably the weakest track on the album. I appreciate that it tries something different. The main riff is fun, but the song itself just doesn't do much. Thankfully it's very short.
Meltdown is one of my favorites and does a similar thing to Faith. The lyrics are personal again and could've been better, but I couldn't care less. The vocal lines and implied chord progressions in the riffs are mezmerizing.
Octavia, just like the previous songs, completely changes the mood. There's generally a back and forth with brighter and darker material. This one is bright and really channels the almost "sci-fi optimism" vibe. Weird way to describe it, but I think it fits perfectly.
Innerspace picks up the pace again with a tempo similar to Solar Confinement. We're closing in to the end of the album so this is one last chance to rock out. Love the quoting of Darkness Be My Friend. The playing around with modes in the melodies is really fun as well.
Strange Death In Paradise despite not even being 5 minutes long, feels like a proper epic. Its atmosphere is completely surreal, as if caught in a dream. The second half of the song keeps building up the energy to culminate in some of Bruce's best vocal performances of the decade.
I agree with everything here.
 
1:
2:
3: Tyranny of Souls
4: Skunkworks
5: Balls to Picasso
6: Tattooed Millionaire

Highest score: 6 (@Kalata @TheMercenary )
Lowest score: 2 (@Mosh )

I have to come out and say that upon relistening to Tyranny, I probably would not have rated it second to last. My beef with the album has always been that it's a bit generic compared to Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding. Where those two albums have a ton of personality and a unique mixture of classic Maiden style Metal but with some more modern influences, I always felt that Tyranny of Souls kinda had the sound of a generic "classic" sounding Metal album from 2005. Could've had Rob Halford on vocals, wouldn't really make a difference. Songs like Abduction, while fantastic, are hard to differentiate from a lot of the other hard rock/metal coming out at the time. While I still feel that way to a certain degree, I also forgot about how strong and versatile the first half of the album is. Kill Devil Hill in particular is a really cool track, as is Navigate the Seas of the Sun. There's some filler on the back half, Power of the Sun and Believil in particular are pretty weak. I don't think I would go as high as #3, but then again Tyranny, Balls, and Skunkworks all kinda sit around the same level for me.

It's no surprise to see Tyranny at #3. It is a Roy Z album and feels like Chemical Wedding's younger brother. Very similar guitar sounds/riffing styles, similar occultish lyrical themes, and of course a pure Metal album, which until then was kind of an anomaly in Bruce's discography. It's also the first solo album made since the reunion while Bruce was still in Maiden. It will be interesting to see how this holds up against The Mandrake Project when that album has marinated some. It almost seems like Tyranny had the advantage of no real expectations among the fans. There had only been two Maiden reunion albums, it wasn't entirely clear where that was going to go, and there are a lot of discussions on this very forum from around the same time where people speculate that it won't be long before Maiden finishes up and Bruce goes back to making solo albums. Nearly 20 years later, the reunion has produced some highly acclaimed Maiden albums and interest in Bruce's solo career seems to have been rejuvenated recently, leading to very high expectations for Tyranny's followup.

Tyranny of Souls scored 16 points higher than Skunkworks, so not a particularly close call among the fans. As you can see, only one person ranked the album in the bottom two of the discography, unlike all previous albums which had several members rank the album last (also making Tyranny the first album to not have any bottom rankings). Almost everybody ranked it #3 or #4. Obviously there are a couple #1 rankings, and even one #2. So this album doesn't have nearly as many champions as Skunkworks did, but it also doesn't have any real detractors, which helped keep its score high. On the other hand, it's 15 points below the #2 album, so it kind of exists in its own tier of albums. Not scoring super high, but not scoring nearly as low as the bottom three.
 
I like Tyranny Of Souls, but I'm not as keen on it as most other people seem to be. "Kill Devil Hill", "Power Of The Sun", and the title track are the highlights for me, and "Navigate The Seas Of The Sun", "River Of No Return", and "Believil" are a pretty strong second tier, but "Abduction" and "Soul Intruders" just feel stock to me, and "Devil On A Hog" feels like it belongs on a completely different album with its silly lyrics and syrupy major key chorus. "Eternal" should have made it to the album instead, since that's one of Bruce's finest solo tracks.

Adrian's presence is sorely missed here, making the album feel like a diet version of The Chemical Wedding. Personally I had it at #4 in my ranking.
 
Tyranny Of Souls is an incredibly strong record and almost every single song is fantastic. The exceptions are Mars Within and Believil. The former is just another intro and I've never been a fan of those. Refercing Professor Quatermass has always felt a bit silly to me, but the lines
Mankind returns to the stars
But sometimes, the stars return to mankind

are badass.
As for Believil, it's one of the few Bruce songs that don't work at all to me. Genuinely bad in my opinion and should've been replace by Eternal, which is beautiful and touching.

Abduction, Soul Intruders and Power Of The Sun are phenomenal rockers. Navigate The Seas Of The Sun a great ballad that shines with its simplicity. Kill Devil Hill and River Of No Return are great mid-tempo anthems. KDH's ending in particular is glorious.

Devil On A Hog gets criticized a lot, but it's one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for harmonies and the chorus does not disappoint in that regard. This is a great way of combining metal with hard rock sensitivities (Rain On The Graves being the bad way, imo).

Finally, there's the title track which feels like a mini epic. Bruce's vocal performance throughout is immaculate. The lead guitars that enter from the second chorus onwards are pure hype and the part right after amps up the aggresion and gives Bruce the chance to play around a bit with his vocals. The final note shows Bruce in his golden age and if I recall correctly he had broken ribs and had to record vocals while lying down/having to lie down to rest inbetween takes.
 
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Tyranny Of Souls is my favorite solo album of Bruce and one of my favorite albums ever. Love it. Shame there wasn't a proper tour for it.

The album is a continuation of the previous 2 albums (heavy, melodic, fast), with more shorter songs, but still with interesting and different parts.

The production is the best of all solo albums imo. It sounds classic.

Bruce's performances are amazing. One of his best on an album for me. In 2005, he was unstoppable. With my favorite golden voice.
The theme of the album(!) and the lyrics are great for me.

Roy's guitar work is also great and overall one of his best for me. Riffs and solos are pure gold. To name a few: Abduction(!), Soul Intruders, Kill Devil Hill, Believil, the title track, Eternal.

The drumming is so good. I really like it. The keys are also part of the magic (Navigate, Kill Devil Hill, title track, River, Eternal).

For me, all of the songs are Top 10 material and most of them are instant classics. I only don't like ''Believil'', to me it's a TCW song (very dark one) that is not good or developed more. It's too similar to the title track (the next song in the album) and has no solo. I don't like that. The middle heavy riff with the ''oh-ohs'' is brutally awesome though.

''Abduction'' - what a riff, chorus, solo and playing; classic hit single.
''Soul Intruders'' - golden chorus, riffs and solo.
''Kill Devil Hill'' - chorus, riff and the intro & especially outro are still unmatched!
''Navigate The Seas Of The Sun'' - one of Bruce's best slow; the vocals, the vibe, the playing are ethereal.
''River Of No Return'' - one of Bruce's best lyrics and verses of all time; great heavy mid-tempo rocker with soaring vocals.
''Power Of The Sun'' - a lost Maiden classic with golden verses, chorus and vocals.
''Devil On A Hog'' - classic hard rock with my favorite harmonized chorus, great solo too.
the title track - mini epic; what a mood, chorus, heavy verses and solo!

...some of the best material with Bruce for me. The album is really fast paced, but the songs makes up for that big time. Kind of like an 80's album.

I'm not usually a fan of intros for albums, but I have to say ''Mars Within'' is the best one (so fitting) and sets the album up just perfectly.

The bonus song ''Eternal'' is top stuff too. A unique and very dreamy piece. Love it. The verses, chorus, keys and solo are really impactful. It should have been on the album without a doubt.

I think Bruce needed such an album in his discography. On it, he manages to sounds classic yet modern, powerful, fresh - and it's quite a statement.
 
There's some filler on the back half... Power of the Sun and Believil in particular are pretty weak.
I wish all ''fillers'' were like Power Of The Sun...
It is a Roy Z album and feels like Chemical Wedding's younger brother. Very similar guitar sounds/riffing styles, similar occultish lyrical themes, and of course a pure Metal album, which until then was kind of an anomaly in Bruce's discography. It's also the first solo album made since the reunion while Bruce was still in Maiden. It almost seems like Tyranny had the advantage of no real expectations among the fans.
I agree. But no real expectations after TCW? Even without Adrian I doubt it. I think the expectations for the upcoming new solo album is a testament for the quality of TOS.
"Abduction" and "Soul Intruders" just feel stock to me
Wow.
Adrian's presence is sorely missed here
It's the opposite for me. Although Adrian is always needed.
Tyranny Of Souls is an incredibly strong record and almost every single song is fantastic.
I'm a sucker for harmonies and the chorus does not disappoint in that regard.
Finally, there's the title track which feels like a mini epic. Bruce's vocal performance throughout is immaculate. The lead guitars that enter from the second chorus onwards are pure hype and the part right after amps up the aggresion and gives Bruce the change to play around a bit with his vocals. The final note shows Bruce in his golden age...
This.
...but the lines
Mankind returns to the stars
But sometimes, the stars return to mankind

are badass.
Oh yeah. One of the very best for sure.
 
1: Chemical Wedding
2: Accident of Birth

3: Tyranny of Souls
4: Skunkworks
5: Balls to Picasso
6: Tattooed Millionaire

CW Highest score: 6 (@Jer @Azas @Diesel 11 @The Dissident @Poto @Eddieson @Mosh @Confeos)
AoB Highest score: 6 (@Night Prowler @MindRuler @KidInTheDark666 @LooseCannon )

CW Lowest score: 4 (@Spambot @Vaenyr @KidInTheDark666)
AoB Lowest score: 2 (@Eddieson)

No surprises for how the top two shook up here, although I was actually expecting closer to an even split like what we saw with Seventh Son and Somewhere in Time in the Maiden game. As you can see, there were twice as many #1 spots for CW as AoB. Additionally, AoB had lower scores, there were a couple 3's as well where Chemical Wedding of course did not dip below 4.

Not much to say here as overall I think this ranking more or less represents where these albums stand in Bruce's discography. Chemical Wedding and Accident of Birth obviously stand out as the cream of the crop and the only two albums that could be credibly given the classic album label. While similar in style they both have different strengths and weaknesses that IMO keep them on equal ground rather than one being clearly stronger than the other. I think the playing and songwriting on Accident is a little bit stronger, having the feel of five guys in a room together similar to the Maiden aesthetic (even though Adrian isn't actually playing on a lot of the album). On the other hand, Chemical Wedding without a doubt aims higher. There's a little bit more conceptual unity between the songs and Bruce tries a lot of different stuff. Sometimes it works perfectly, but the album does have a couple duds as well. Either way, both albums are a master stroke and are career highlights for Bruce.

That's all folks, thanks again for playing and we'll see you again next week for the Judas Priest countdown!
 
A fitting, and obvious placement. Both are great records, with Chemical Wedding being nearly better than the top Maiden albums.

I'd say the only surprise in this entire list is Skunkworks, which has left virtually no impression on me whenever I hear it.
 
I'd say the only surprise in this entire list is Skunkworks, which has left virtually no impression on me whenever I hear it.
I've suggested this before, but try listening to just this playlist at first:
  1. Solar Confinement
  2. Inside The Machine
  3. Meltdown
  4. Innerspace
  5. Strange Death In Paradise
Once those grab you, try adding in "Space Race", "Faith", "Headswitch", and "Octavia". And once you're on board with those, open it up to the entire album. I think the more explicitly alt/grungy songs are harder to accept if you're coming from a "true metal" mindset, but there's plenty of strong hard rock and metal elements in there that are up front in certain songs, and still lurking around in the background on others. There's also an almost Rush-like element to some of the guitar, with lots of ringing arpeggios and color work around the edges, which is cool. It's worth the investment in the end.
 
I've suggested this before, but try listening to just this playlist at first:
  1. Solar Confinement - Good song, probably the best on the whole album if memory serves. But still, this would be a 7/10 on an album like AOB or TCW.
  2. Inside The Machine - Fine enough. A little too 90s sounding, but I enjoy that the chorus is very Rush-like.
  3. Meltdown - Music is cool, Bruce sounds great, but I'm not in love with some of the vocal melodies. The vocal layering is really bad in the second verse. I dislike the "everything's gonna happen now" bridge, sounds like GnR.
  4. Innerspace - Solid tune, good melodies, but I can't say anything from it sticks with me.
  5. Strange Death In Paradise - I've never really gotten into this song. It suffers from some of Bruce's wonky melodies. Good atmosphere, but I don't rate it much as a song.
My issue with Skunkworks as a whole is pretty similar to many people's: it's not what I want from Bruce. The Bruce Dickinson I want to hear sings over badass riffs and elevates songs that are already inherently catchy due to their instrumental attributes. Skunkworks is essentially a singer-songwriter album that puts Bruce against a backdrop of pretty basic music. I'm not saying the music is bad, it's good, solid rock music for sure. But I don't love Bruce Dickinson's voice enough to just listen to him sing over basic chords for an hour. He's a great showman and he has an amazing ability to elevate songs with good riffs and melodies. When he has no riffs, no melodic leads, no instrumental hooks - all we're left with is Bruce's voice and lyrics. And I simply don't think the vocal songwriting on Skunkworks is strong enough to justify its lack of more complex instrumentals.
 
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