IRON MAIDEN ALBUM RANKING: TOP THREE REVEALED

[____no5]

TNOTB couldn't have been higher because while it contains 6 amazing songs, it also has 2 more or less ''lesser'' songs, especially for the quality of the album. I think Gangland is good though. Invaders should have been replaced with Total Eclipse (or with a different chorus). Gangland to be the opener, but then again, a mid-tempo song before Hallowed probably wouldn't have been a right choice. Idk.

TNOTB simply takes the Led Zeppelin VI /Stairway to Heaven treatment where most LZ fans wouldn’t admit it’s the best. Any ranking of TNOTB below Top 3 is due to similar too good to admit effect.

As far the lesser songs I’d rather have Gangland than Time Machine or Invaders than DOTC.
And the highs of TNOTB are all time metal classics that Senjutsu will never have.

It’s normal we being MaidenFans are not impressed anymore from TNOTB, but if you take two steps back maybe then you’ll begin to understand that this opinion is just a strange illusion.

 

[Kalata]

Any ranking of TNOTB below Top 3 is due to similar too good to admit effect.

As far the lesser songs I’d rather have Gangland than Time Machine or Invaders than DOTC.
And the highs of TNOTB are all time metal classics that Senjutsu will never have.

The highs of TNOTB are indeed timeless, song preferences are subjective, but isn't the point of the game to rank the albums as a whole piece. For me, SJ is a modern classic with new classic songs for the band and no lesser songs. So I should vote for it. Of course, TNOTB deserves a ranking in the top Maiden albums (I'm still impressed by it), but very few bands have released equal or better albums than one of their big classics - and Maiden is one of them.

 

[Cat Milk Supreme]

All the recent Parchment chat has inspired me to revisit the song and the album as a whole. It's better than I remember and I'm now a certified Pakrement fan.

Still, I have a certain disconnect with the last 2 albums. It's a feeling that I've not ever experienced with any previous Maiden albums and I'm not entirely sure what it is. I was buzzing pre release but the last 2 albums never quite hit home.

Is it the material itself? The length of the albums? Am I just older and less interested? Maybe its a mix bit my instincts tell me it's the length. I just find an 80 or 90min album hard to digest.

If I did a full ranking I'd probably have Senjutsu 4 or 5 places lower but it's far from bad and there sure are some fantastic moments.

I feel Percys soul in songs like Hell on Earth and The Parchment. He's one evocative motherfucker. His songs take me places and sometimes I think I take his skills for granted. There ain't many like him.

 

[Kalata]

Maybe its a mix bit my instincts tell me it's the length. I just find an 80 or 90min album hard to digest.

Think about it from a different perspective - if the songs are shorter and the album contains more than 10 songs on it (14, for example), the quality of the songs could not be that high. In most cases, the best songs on the albums, and especially on the Reunion albums - are the long songs. Now I doubt this could happen with Maiden (it's not 1992), but they usually shine the most with their longer ''storytelling'' stuff. I think today a 70-minutes long Maiden album will always be more interesting than a 50-minutes long album. That being said, they could add 1-2 more shorter songs to these very lengthy albums like the last 2. You know, for a good balance of the overall experience. They won't be weak material for sure.
They're just even better/more capable songwriters now imo.

I feel Percys soul in songs like Hell on Earth and The Parchment. He's one evocative motherfucker. His songs take me places and sometimes I think I take his skills for granted. There ain't many like him.

This.

 

[DJMayes]

TNOTB has higher highs than any of the albums left, and whilst it has a couple of stinkers so does every album left except for SIT and SSOASS. It should have been top 5 in my opinion.

 

[Mosh]

I haven’t felt the length of the last two albums honestly. I think it’s a frog in boiling water effect where the song lengths have been increasing incrementally for years but the general structures/formulas haven’t changed so listening to Senjutsu or AMOLAD or Brave New World all feel like similar experiences.

 

[Cat Milk Supreme]

Think about it from a different perspective

I agree that the best (my favourite) songs in the last 20yrs have been the longer ones and I agree that a 40min album of 4 10min songs wouldn't be ideal but I'm not suggesting any idea for a perfect Maiden album. I love the fact that they do what they do but it just so happens that what they do doesn't engage me so much anymore. I wish it did. And if the albums were 30mins shorter then maybe I'd connect more.

I don't want Maiden to pander to the likes of me, I want them to be free, do what they do, spill it out and I'm sure that in the fullness of time I will be glad of every second of music that they have committed to record but as it stands, I don't know what to make of an 80min album.

 

[Cat Milk Supreme]

I haven’t felt the length of the last two albums honestly. I think it’s a frog in boiling water effect where the song lengths have been increasing incrementally for years but the general structures/formulas haven’t changed so listening to Senjutsu or AMOLAD or Brave New World all feel like similar experiences.

See, AMOLAD is when it first hit me. When it first came put I simply adored it, it was my favourite Maiden album for quite the while but now when I listen to it I get weary by the time Breeg comes on.

From Breeg on is my favourite part but by the time I get there I need a break. The snare sound begins to hurt my ears and the vibe wears thin, despite the quality of the material.

I get ye about the increments, totally. I just reach my limit around the 60min mark. They haven't been the same since Stratton left, really.

 

[Mosh]

It is true that they have now missed two opportunities to make a double album that actually presents two distinct sounds/concepts. I guess it’s hard to imagine how Maiden would actually execute something like that, but it would be interesting and probably make the music easier for people to swallow.

 

[Cat Milk Supreme]

It is true that they have now missed two opportunities to make a double album that actually presents two distinct sounds/concepts. I guess it’s hard to imagine how Maiden would actually execute something like that, but it would be interesting and probably make the music easier for people to swallow.

I think this is very far from their intention. I believe that they care not for the concept of a double album. They just write songs and what will be will be. That's what I hope, anyway.

It could be fun for them to present 2 different Maidens, if you will but I doubt that level of thought even comes in to it. For Steve, anyway.

Like, when I first heard Thin Line I thought "oooh, here's a different band, I'd like some more of this." And the same with the heaviness of Monstegur and the groove of Breeg.

Actually, I'd fuckin love a Harris/Gers Jethro Tull style job. Only 40mins long, though

 

[Vaenyr]

The Number Of The Beast is a legendary album. It is filled with classics and songs like the title track, RTTH or HBTN are basically required for any Maiden concert, barring a couple of exceptions like the current tour.

Those aren't my opinions. That's the consensus. I got into Maiden in the 90's so those statements were already part of the discourse. I got into the album while knowing that it was a fan favorite. I can appreciate how revolutionary it must've been when it released, but it's not 1982 anymore. Contemporary art doesn't exist in a vacuum, so while I can see why people love the album for me it's one of the weakest ones. Not because it's bad, but because everything that followed (except TFF) is vastly superior in my opinion.

Invaders had a lot of promise with some great verses but squanders everything with the chorus. COTD is a fine half-ballad. The Prisoner is a bit too happy-go-lucky for my tastes. Gangland has its issues, Total Eclipse is one of the worst songs in the discography. TNOTB and RTTH are fine songs, stylistically not really up my alley and I've listened to them for what feels like millions of times so I barely seek 'em out nowadays. 22AA has bad lyrics but is musically one of the highlights and HBTN is beloved for good reason, though many epics that followed are much better imo.
In summary the album has quite a few lows, bunch of mids and a few highs. Only that the mids and highs of other albums are even better than any of the highs of TNOTB, that's why it's so low in my rankings.

Senjutsu on the other hand is an incredibly consistent album. It has 3 weaker songs; the rest ranges from good to great to modern classics.
The title track is the first title track since Iron Maiden that I don't really like all that much. It has cool moments and I particularly enjoy the chorus, but the piece as a whole is far too plodding and long for what it set out to do. TWOTW on the other hand has a completely different feel and is alright as a song, but the true high light is its solo section. The chorus is Steve-tier bad, the vocals in the verses needlessly strained. don't actively listen to this one most of the time. DOTC is my least favorite on the album. Maybe my expectations were too high, expecting something closer to The Clansman, but this one simply sounds like an unfinished demo. Particularly the part in the latter half of the song where the rhythm guitar switches to a clean tone and it simply sounds like a pure DI without any effects. And let's not start with the clipping solo tone.
The last negative the album has are the production and the semi-improvised way of recording it but that's something that they are comfortable with and won't change anymore so no point in harping on that.
Stratego and DOFP are some of the best shorter songs of the past few decades. Darkest Hour has a shitty subject matter but is awesome musically (though the outro should've been shorter lol). TTM get's a bit too close to self plagiarism but is a great song with quite a unique chorus for Maiden standards. The remaining epics are awesome, particularly LIALW is underappreciated. The Parchment is a great song as well, but though I adore long song, this was the first time where towards the last quarter of the song I wondered "how long is this gonna go on? Shouldn't this song have finished by now?" and it took a long time to shake that off. The speed-up that happens towards the end should've happened minutes earlier; I would've like the song even more.

That said, while I think that TNOTB should've dropped out much sooner and it has no place in the top ten (in my opinion of course) I'm pleased with SNJ's performance.

 

[Kalata]

See, AMOLAD is when it first hit me. When it first came put I simply adored it, it was my favourite Maiden album for quite the while but now when I listen to it I get weary by the time Breeg comes on.

Since AMOLAD, they started putting more/mostly longer songs on the albums.

Like, when I first heard Thin Line I thought "oooh, here's a different band, I'd like some more of this." And the same with the heaviness of Monstegur and the groove of Breeg.

We have such ''surprise'' songs on almost every album. Or at least with such parts. Great.

The Number Of The Beast is a legendary album. It is filled with classics and songs like the title track, RTTH or HBTN are basically required for any Maiden concert, barring a couple of exceptions like the current tour. Those aren't my opinions. That's the consensus.
Invaders had a lot of promise with some great verses but squanders everything with the chorus.
LIALW is underappreciated
I'm pleased with SNJ's performance.

I agree with everything.

TTM - great song with quite a unique chorus for Maiden standards.

This is actually true.

 

[TheMercenary]

To me, The Book Of Souls and Senjutsu are great albums. No song is really weak, in my humble opinion. Or, more exactly, isn't when drown into the rest of the songs. Both records are done in that way to tell some story or to give impression of a journey, only if you listen to the whole things. Individually, each track, at least some of them, can give some impression of weakness. Nevertheless, it's not true when you put an ear on all songs in a row.

 

[Mosh]

I think this is very far from their intention. I believe that they care not for the concept of a double album. They just write songs and what will be will be. That's what I hope, anyway.

It could be fun for them to present 2 different Maidens, if you will but I doubt that level of thought even comes in to it. For Steve, anyway.

Like, when I first heard Thin Line I thought "oooh, here's a different band, I'd like some more of this." And the same with the heaviness of Monstegur and the groove of Breeg.

Actually, I'd fuckin love a Harris/Gers Jethro Tull style job. Only 40mins long, though

No totally, they clearly wrote the albums first and then realized double later. My point is more that when bands make double albums there’s usually more thought put into the sequencing and presenting that double experiment in some ways. With Maiden, the last two albums flow pretty much the same as every other reunion album, just much longer. So I wonder if they took the more “traditional” album approach, would it be more enjoyable to people who find the length of these albums to be too much?

Anyway, I’m not sure they have it in them. They’ve never been a band to see a concept all the way through, but for such a prog rock freak I am surprised that Steve hasn’t taken another sincere crack at a bigger album concept since Seventh Son.

 

[Kalata]

No totally, they clearly wrote the albums first and then realized double later. My point is more that when bands make double albums there’s usually more thought put into the sequencing and presenting that double experiment in some ways. With Maiden, the last two albums flow pretty much the same as every other reunion album, just much longer. So I wonder if they took the more “traditional” album approach, would it be more enjoyable to people who find the length of these albums to be too much?

Yep. You mean 2-3 shorter songs in Disc 2, right? I think it would have been helpful for that.

Anyway, I’m not sure they have it in them. They’ve never been a band to see a concept all the way through, but for such a prog rock freak I am surprised that Steve hasn’t taken another sincere crack at a bigger album concept since Seventh Son.

I don't think Steve is a big fan of writing an album in one concept, Bruce is. That's why I think SSOASS is an exception.

 

[Mosh]

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6: Piece of Mind
7: SENJUTSU (TIE)
7: THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST (TIE)
8: THE BOOK OF SOULS
9: DANCE OF DEATH
10: THE FINAL FRONTIER
11: IRON MAIDEN
12: THE X FACTOR
13: KILLERS
14: FEAR OF THE DARK
15: VIRTUAL XI
16: NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING

Highest Score: 17 (@Mosh @____no5 )
Lowest score: 5 I (@Kalata @Vaenyr )

I wasn't surprised to see Senjutsu take Piece of Mind over at the albums survivor game because, as I alluded to before, if it weren't for @DJ James' outlier low score for Senjutsu, it would have taken Piece of Mind in this game as well. Most scores put it in the 12-15 point range, which is about what you would expect for an album that barely misses the top five.

At this point in the game, you can't really complain about the placements as we're reaching the point where everything in the top half is universally acclaimed by the fans (we are hardcore fans after all). Of course, I ranked PIece Of Mind #1 and continue to be surprised that it isn't heralded as a top tier album the way the following three are. For my money, it is far more exciting and creative than the sometimes middling Somewhere in Time and much more consistent than Powerslave. In particular, the fact that Powerslave regularly beats out Piece of Mind always threw me off a bit. OK sure, any of the opening 2 or closing 2 songs from Powerslave could pass for a top 3 Maiden song. Piece of Mind doesn't really have a Rime of the Ancient Mariner caliber track. But at the same time, Piece of Mind covers more ground successfully than Powerslave does. You've got the anthems with giant hooks (Flight of Icarus, Sun and Steel), war epics (The Trooper, Where Eagles Dare), sprawling occult flavored Dickinson (Revelations) and some NWOBHM treats like Die With Your Boots On. When Powerslave goes into the more hook-y direction, it doesn't really have the same swagger. The Duellists is kind of a mess, Back in the Village is OK but not the most memorable Smith/Dickinson collab.

But ultimately Piece of Mind placing the lowest of the 80s McBrain era albums largely comes down IMO to the lack of a showstopping epic. This is the only Maiden album where the main epic seems to rank on the lower end for a lot of people. Still, for my money To Tame a Land is pretty close in quality to Alexander the Great...

 

[DJMayes]

I think Piece of Mind and Powerslave are equally consistent - which is to say, neither of them are. The main difference is that Powerslave spaces out its weaker songs, whilst Piece of Mind dumps them all in a row at the end. Powerslave works better as an album because you are never going to turn it off before the last two songs, whereas you can turn Piece of Mind off as soon as The Trooper finishes and you're not missing much.

 

[Jer]

Piece Of Mind is probably the least consistent Bruce-led album from the 1980s. The studio version of "Flight Of Icarus" is too slow and has iffy vocal harmonies, so it doesn't really shine in the way that the live versions do. "Die With Your Boots On" is borderline great, but the "if you're gonna die" parts sound kinda dopey. "Still Life" is good, but massively overrated, mostly on the good will of its opening and the heavy callbacks to it, while people ignore the weakness of the chorus. "Quest For Fire" has a bad intro and a bad verse. "To Tame A Land" has boring, rote verses with bad phrasing and off-key vocals during the interlude, and half the instrumental parts are monotonous. The rest of the tracks are great or better, but there are enough blemishes on this one that I don't think a #6 finish is inappropriate at all (if anything, it's slightly high, IMO).

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

But ultimately Piece of Mind placing the lowest of the 80s McBrain era albums largely comes down IMO to the lack of a showstopping epic. This is the only Maiden album where the main epic seems to rank on the lower end for a lot of people. Still, for my money To Tame a Land is pretty close in quality to Alexander the Great...

I agree that TTAL is pretty equal to Alex, it just suffers from even worse lyrics due to them being fictional.

I think Piece of Mind and Powerslave are equally consistent - which is to say, neither of them are. The main difference is that Powerslave spaces out its weaker songs, whilst Piece of Mind dumps them all in a row at the end. Powerslave works better as an album because you are never going to turn it off before the last two songs, whereas you can turn Piece of Mind off as soon as The Trooper finishes and you're not missing much.

I agree with this, too. The reason POM is viewed as lesser than Powerslave is that the former ends the album with the three weakest tracks, whereas the latter sandwiches the whole album with its absolute strongest tracks. You start high, you end high, and the middle can be a bit forgettable or weaker because you're about to hear Powerslave and Rime.

 

[Diesel 11]

Powerslave is energetic from beginning to end. They band play every song with such vigor that it’s hard not to get swept away by them. What it lacks in dynamics it makes up for tenfold in consistency. It’s a perfect metal album.

Piece of Mind has a strong first six songs and then ends on three lesser tracks. Comparing TTAL to ATG is nuts, the latter is 10x better sonically. Also I will say that some of the tracks on POM, especially “Icarus” and “Revelations”, have live versions that far and away outshine the clinical studio approaches.