IRON MAIDEN ALBUM RANKING: TOP THREE REVEALED

There'a not much for me to add here. AMOLAD is my second favorite album and a genuine masterpiece in my opinion. The songs are fantastic, the production surprisingly good, the artwork is great. I just hope we'll get its live album at some point.
 
Diesel 11 said:
I would’ve figured that that’s TNOTB/PS/SSOASS, with SiT being the dark horse that a massive portion of the fandom loves but gets overshadowed the more “major” releases...
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Yes, plus POM.
Diesel 11 said:
• I’ve beaten this dead horse so often but the chorus to “The Longest Day” just doesn’t do it for me and stops the song dead in its tracks. I think if they had used the pre-chorus as the first two refrains, then done the instrumental section, and then utilized the chorus as the climax/finale of the song it would have worked a lot better. You’d have really built up to it instead of having to hear the same lengthy line repeated eight times so by the end it’s just four more lines.
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That's actually really interesting, I never thought about it. A bit like Afterglow Of Ragnarok. It would work very well. The pre-chorus is better.
Diesel 11 said:
• “Out of the Shadows” just isn’t very interesting to me. It’s not bad, but it’s also structured poorly IMO. The biggest thing I dislike is the way the chorus gets repeated five times throughout that song. I wish they’d either not done the third repeat or scuttle the last two and come up with something different. There’s just not enough there to warrant all of it.
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I've never had a problem with the repetition on it. Maybe because it's a shorter song and the chorus is anthemic.
Diesel 11 said:
• I really like “Lord of Light” and everything in that song is generally good, but something about its assembly feels like a hodgepodge to me. Like they had a few separate song ideas and stitched them all up into one big Frankenstein’s monster. A little more cohesion would have been nice.
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The only part of Lord Of Light that I could change is the chorus. Not that I want to.
Vaenyr said:
the artwork is great.
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I like it, but I still prefer Eddie to be in the foreground.
Vaenyr said:
I just hope we'll get its live album at some point.
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Really hope so. I want video even more.
 
Diesel 11 said:
I would’ve figured that that’s TNOTB/PS/SSOASS, with SiT being the dark horse
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Within the fandom I don’t think I’ve ever seen Number ranked that high. Somewhere in Time consistently wins these types of ranking games or places somewhere in top 3.
 
I thought AMOLAD was ranked far too high on the Survivor, let alone here. It's fine, with plenty of good moments but nothing truly exceptional which justifies the price of admission.
 
Personally I go back and forth on AMOLAD and Piece of Mind for my favorite. Both albums have some weaker tracks, Piece of Mind drops off a bit after Still Life but it’s pretty much all 10/10 material up until that point. The weaker songs on AMOLAD are more spread out among the album and, of course, it finishes stronger. It feels impossible to compare the two, but I know that they each bring me maximum Maiden enjoyment.
 
el diablo said:
Why?
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Maybe I'm wrong, but from most the fans I've seen rank their favorite albuns (and my own personal taste), Powerslave is always #1. I think that Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is more popular than Somewhere in time, especially after those albums came out, so SSSS would be #2.
 
Riggatoni said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but from most the fans I've seen rank their favorite albuns (and my own personal taste), Powerslave is always #1. I think that Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is more popular than Somewhere in time, especially after those albums came out, so SSSS would be #2.
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This is definitely the popular consensus, but SiT is never far behind so an upset is always possible. Check out the album survivor going on right now for an example.
 
Shmoolikipod said:
This is definitely the popular consensus, but SiT is never far behind so an upset is always possible. Check out the album survivor going on right now for an example.
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Yeah, I feel like the top three could be in a completely different order than I'm guessing, since SIT seems to get a lot more love than I previously thought.
 
Happy holidays! My holiday gift to you is the top three revealed:

1: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON (TIE)
2: SOMEWHERE IN TIME (TIE)
3: POWERSLAVE
4: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
5: BRAVE NEW WORLD
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

Powerslave highest score: 17 (@Confeos @LooseCannon @Diesel11 )
Somewhere in Time highest score: 17 (@MindRuler, @Mid-Distance Runner, @DJ James, @Night Prowler, @KidInTheDark666, @Trevoire, @Stardust, @The Dissident)
Seventh Son highest score: 17 (@Jer, @Shavasku)

Powerslave lowest score: 6 (@KidInTheDark666, @Vaenyr)
Somewhere in Time lowest score: 7 (@Confeos, @JudasMyGuide)
Seventh Son lowest score: 4 (@Diesel 11)

Based on the survivor and general forum sentiment, this result should come as no surprise. If the award was based on how many members rank a particular album number one, Somewhere in Time would be a runaway favorite. Long the cult classic Maiden album, it seems like the only one that is largely considered their best (on the other classic albums, fan sentiment tends to be more split). Despite a tie with Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son only had two members rank it as their favorite. However it is the perennial second choice pick for most fans, which ironically makes it much more likely to win than most other albums (and in this case tied for first). As for Powerslave, it is far less polarizing than the two albums that bested it. In other words, there were quite a few single digit scores for Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son, where Powerslave only dipped into single digits for the two outlier lowest scores that were awarded. Where Seventh Son and Somewhere in Time lean pretty heavily into the prog realm, which may or may not be everybody's cup of tea, Powerslave is just Maiden at their most Maiden. If you don't like Powerslave, you don't like Maiden.

I will forever die on the hill that Somewhere in Time is easily the weakest McBrain-era album. It's not a bad album but it is so lopsided that it blows my mind people ignore its flaws. Yes the production is pristine and Adrian Smith steals the show as a songwriter and guitar player. But where are the Dickinson lyrics? Bruce also turns in easily his weakest performance on a Maiden album (yes, I am including recent albums in this). Part of the reason the album is drenched in reverb is because they needed to cover up Bruce's shortcomings, compared to Powerslave where Bruce is upfront and dry in the mix to really highlight his vocal prowess. For those who criticize modern Maiden's repetitive nature, that begins on Somewhere in Time. Steve Harris learns how to write repetitive choruses here, and even Adrian is a bit guilty of this on his songs.

So Seventh Son is a much more worthy winner to me as it takes all the great ideas on Somewhere in Time, improves them, and cuts out the flaws. Dickinson is writing again and turning in some of his best lyrical work. He also makes up for his vocal limitations with more convincing performances. Listen to the song Seventh Son of a Seventh Son compared to Alexander the Great, clearly he believes in the lyrics for one more than the other. Steve Harris' songwriting is also just better. Some repetitive tracks but lyrically and musically he sounds refreshed as well.

I can live with Powerslave at #3, it's a little high for me but I can understand it. It is the most agreeable Maiden album - I feel like I can put it on a Metal playlist at a party and most will enjoy it, where other Maiden albums might lean too much in one direction. Powerslave kinda checks all the boxes which makes it really easy to enjoy. And, of course, it has Rime.

Thanks for playing everybody! Just a reminder that we're going to do Bruce Dickinson next, here are the details: https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/bruce-dickinson-album-ranking-submit-your-lists-now.72372/

Send me your ranking via PM if you haven't already and I will probably get this one going next week. See you somewhere in 2024!
 
Well, this isn't really surprising but I'm glad that SSOASS is tied for the first place. It's a phenomenal album with the only weakness being the chorus for OTGDY, which feels a bit unfinished compared to the rest of the album.
SIT has its unique atmosphere and has a ton of highs, particularly TLOTLDR which is one of the all time best Maiden songs in my opinion. It also features Sea Of Madness and SIASL, which as I've said before, I dislike quite a bit and their only redeeming features are the solos.

Mosh said:
If you don't like Powerslave, you don't like Maiden.
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With this I severely disagree. I wouldn't say that I dislike Powerslave, but it is a heavily flawed album and I can definitely see why someone wouldn't like it, particularly if they prefer the reunion style. Its strength lies in the guitar arrangements and melodies. Its biggest weakness to me is Bruce; not his performances, which are mostly stellar, but the vocal lines written for (and by) him. The middle is commonly referred as Fillerslave and The Duellists in particular would be a 9/10 as an instrumental, but has some truly obnoxious vocal lines. I've also mentioned before that I think Aces High fundamentally doesn't work as a song with its soaring chorus being its only saving grace, and that Rime has great individual sections but is less than the sum of its parts. The title track on the other hand is a highlight of the decade and 2MTM a classic that earned its legendary status.
Powerslave is in my lowest third of Maiden albums, because the majority of albums that followed are better in so many aspects for me.

Edit: In my rush to comment I forgot to give thanks to Mosh for hosting!
 
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Mosh said:
1: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON (TIE)
2: SOMEWHERE IN TIME (TIE)
3: POWERSLAVE

Based on the survivor and general forum sentiment, this result should come as no surprise. If the award was based on how many members rank a particular album number one, Somewhere in Time would be a runaway favorite. Long the cult classic Maiden album, it seems like the only one that is largely considered their best (on the other classic albums, fan sentiment tends to be more split). Despite a tie with Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son only had two members rank it as their favorite. However it is the perennial second choice pick for most fans, which ironically makes it much more likely to win than most other albums (and in this case tied for first). As for Powerslave, it is far less polarizing than the two albums that bested it. In other words, there were quite a few single digit scores for Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son, where Powerslave only dipped into single digits for the two outlier lowest scores that were awarded. Where Seventh Son and Somewhere in Time lean pretty heavily into the prog realm, which may or may not be everybody's cup of tea, Powerslave is just Maiden at their most Maiden. If you don't like Powerslave, you don't like Maiden.

I will forever die on the hill that Somewhere in Time is easily the weakest McBrain-era album. It's not a bad album but it is so lopsided that it blows my mind people ignore its flaws. Yes the production is pristine and Adrian Smith steals the show as a songwriter and guitar player. But where are the Dickinson lyrics? Bruce also turns in easily his weakest performance on a Maiden album (yes, I am including recent albums in this). Part of the reason the album is drenched in reverb is because they needed to cover up Bruce's shortcomings, compared to Powerslave where Bruce is upfront and dry in the mix to really highlight his vocal prowess. For those who criticize modern Maiden's repetitive nature, that begins on Somewhere in Time. Steve Harris learns how to write repetitive choruses here, and even Adrian is a bit guilty of this on his songs.

So Seventh Son is a much more worthy winner to me as it takes all the great ideas on Somewhere in Time, improves them, and cuts out the flaws. Dickinson is writing again and turning in some of his best lyrical work. He also makes up for his vocal limitations with more convincing performances. Listen to the song Seventh Son of a Seventh Son compared to Alexander the Great, clearly he believes in the lyrics for one more than the other. Steve Harris' songwriting is also just better. Some repetitive tracks but lyrically and musically he sounds refreshed as well.

I can live with Powerslave at #3, it's a little high for me but I can understand it. It is the most agreeable Maiden album - I feel like I can put it on a Metal playlist at a party and most will enjoy it, where other Maiden albums might lean too much in one direction. Powerslave kinda checks all the boxes which makes it really easy to enjoy. And, of course, it has Rime.
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The results are not surprising for me. SIT and SSOASS are some of Maiden's best and most special albums. And they are stronger as a whole piece than Powerslave (imo).

Powerslave is usually 1st or 2nd in such games, especially with the 4 big and eternal classics on it - but some of the other songs are not stronger than the ''deep cuts'' material on the other two albums. Flash Of The Blade and The Duellists are essential and great Maiden from the 80's, but the instrumental(!) and Back In The Village could have been more interesting. Or replaced with something better (especially the latter). I really don't like that they both have so short solos. I like the unique style of the album - only fast songs - but one more moody song (written by Dave and Steve) could have improved the things for sure. I agree that the album is pure Maiden.

SIT has an amazing and unique sound and is full of great and special parts. Some of the best performances from Nicko, Adrian and Dave and Steve (writing-wise too). Bruce's performance is also very good for me, he was at his first peak.
The only ''thing'' I don't like in the whole album is the chorus of Heaven Can Wait!
-> I don't agree that the repetition was not presented beforehand. This is probably their most 80's album. We have the great and mandatory epic (those solos and melodies), one of the band's best and fierce title songs, a hit single (Wasted Years), a live-ready song (Heaven Can Wait), more groovy song in a while (Stranger In A Strange Land), essential and very melodic Maiden rocker (Deja-Vu), a power metal song (Long Distance Runner) and an atypical heavy song with moody parts too (Sea Of Madness). A true metal classic - like the other albums.

^I sometimes wonder what songs Bruce would have written for it (not the acoustic stuff, ofc).

SSOASS is Maiden at one of their creative peaks! This is an example of a heavy metal album with its music and themes. All of the band members performances are very interesting and great. For me, this is the best concept album.
With 1/2 more (longer and proggy; maybe a ballad) songs it would have been even better and more special, and actually I would have loved that, but we can't say that the album has even one second of weak stuff! Another long song as the last song on the album would have been great though.
-> the album has some characteristics: it's a shorter concept album, most of the songs are not long and most of the solos are short (but they are really interesting and great). The guitars sound amazing.
The title track really shows the great use (and potential) of keyboards in metal. The instrumental section is pure gold! Infinite Dreams is the other great proggy piece. The album has a great intro and a fast and soaring song like Moonchild is the perfect start to it. We also have three classic Maiden sounding songs - The Evil That Men Do (what a song), Clairvoyant and Only The Good Die Young (its outro should be noted).
The other two songs are not what one would have expected from the band back then - a glam metal-type of song (although good, it probably would have been more interesting as a ballad, its original version) and one unique song with its parts (especially vocals), but the mood, the amazing melodies and the mystical style fit the album so well. The outro is really special.
Finally I want to say - the album (even) could have been better, at such a level were Maiden in 1988!!!
Mosh said:
Thanks for playing everybody! Just a reminder that we're going to do Bruce Dickinson next, here are the details: https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/bruce-dickinson-album-ranking-submit-your-lists-now.72372/

Send me your ranking via PM if you haven't already and I will probably get this one going next week. See you somewhere in 2024!
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Thank you for this thread. I thought Bruce's game would start along with the new album. Either way, it would be interesting.
 
Note how blind voting generates a much better list in the end than grudge-driven survivor voting.
 
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