Space Race - Really cool opener, sets the tone for a very different Bruce Dickinson album. Whole thing is great, from the plunging riff to the banging chorus. Big step up from most of Balls to Picasso.
Back from the Edge - FUCK YES! Here we fucking go, dude! Absolutely brilliant song, with its dark tinted melodies, shimmering chorus, heart-plucking instrumental work, and eruptive outro. Just a perfect song.
Inertia - Short but very very sweet. Bruce takes a really unique approach at describing the aftermath of war here. Another eruptive chorus.
Faith - A good song with some heavy-hitting riffing. I think it finds its peak at the last chorus, but "Meltdown" takes a similar theme and executes it better.
Solar Confinement - Another good song. There's some great melodies in here. I wish the theme was expanded a little but it's not bad by any means.
Dreamstate - The album's weakest link. It's a decent track but Bruce's vocals sound off and the bridge is pretty bad. The rest of it is kinda sluggish and less memorable than anything else on the album, but not bad. Vote.
I Will Not Accept the Truth - I've never realized how good the guitar playing in this song was before but it's really good. Probably the second weakest track on the album though. Vote.
Inside the Machine - Bone-headed riffing eventually gives way to really understated and pretty guitar melodies. Interesting take on the internet.
Headswitch - Fucking banger. Short but sweet and kicks fucking ass.
Meltdown - This song allows itself to really build more than most of this album does and it is so worth it. The drum intro, the stomping verses, the pre-chorus melody swinging into that massive fucking chorus.... it is so fucking good. This is back on "Back from the Edge" level. One of his most underrated solo songs.
Octavia - A very pretty song with awesome lyrics about floating in the sea of life. One of those tracks that's easy to overlook but it's got so much good stuff going on within it.
Innerspace - The instrumentation is maybe a bit too active during the chorus but otherwise this is a super fun track and I love the mystical lyrics of the verses giving way to the direct, focused lyrics of the choruses.
Strange Death in Paradise - There are three 10s on this album and this is the final one. Everything about this song is fantastic, from beginning to end. Skunkworks is Bruce attempting a grunge album and this is the track that I think could absolutely stand toe-to-toe with a band like Soundgarden. The massive intro, the captivating verses, the powerful chorus, the building instrumental section, and finally the refrain that acts as an outro, all telling the story of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an utterly powerful way. It is hard to be unmoved by this song, it's fucking awesome.
I'm in a Band with an Italian Drummer - Not terrible by any means and there's a couple decent jokes in here but overall forgettable. Vote.
Rescue Day - Fine. Vote.
God's Not Coming Back - Fine. I like the Ian Gillan/Jesus Christ Superstar reference. Vote.
Armchair Hero - This one has a lot of potential but needed a little more time in the oven. Vote.
R 101 - One of Bruce's most interesting tracks, with its Led Zeppelin III sound. Not much happening though. Vote.
Re-entry - Another track with a lot of potential, or maybe I just don't get it. I like it in concept but it doesn't really click with me. Vote.
Americans Are Behind - Fun joke song, one of the better attempts at humor within Bruce's discography. Vote.
