My introduction to the Blaze era of Maiden was probably typical for someone who discovered Maiden in the 00s. I heard Bruce's rendition of Sign of the Cross and The Clansman on Rock In Rio, two major highlights of an already spectacular live album. So going into the Blaze era backwards -without the feeling of loss due to Bruce no longer being in the band, I was more optimistic than I might have been if I lived through that era. I got Virtual XI first. I had a really positive first impression of that album. It felt like the long lost brother of the reunion material, which I love. It had dicey moments, but overall I was pretty happy with it.
X Factor was much more challenging. I checked it out a few weeks later and was kinda disappointed at first. It was long, the production was really thin, the songs were brooding but didn't seem to go anywhere. This album, more than any other in Maiden's discography, really takes awhile to open up. I had to listen to it many times and be in the right headspace for it. Listening to it in dark times is the perfect way to really appreciate what they were going for. It has a lot of flaws, but I think the whole delivers something truly special. It doesn't measure up to the reunion era, but I think it safely sits as a strong, middle of the pack Maiden album. It also has a unique place in the discography.
I really like how Maiden were bold with this album. Opening with an epic like Sign of the Cross was a great move. It showed that this version of Maiden wasn't going to try and recapture the 80s glory days. It's almost as if they were acknowledging and embracing that they would be playing to more of a niche audience than before. No Bruce clones, no attempts to rewrite The Trooper, Maiden was going to push forward. It's also a more respectable approach than what they were going for with the previous two albums. If nothing else, losing Bruce really opened them up creatively.
I've wrestled with the placement of Man on the Edge and Lord of the Flies. On one hand, X Factor is an exhausting listen that might've been eased by having the few rockers on the album spread out more. On the other hand, I think the exhaustion is by design and I can appreciate that when the album goes dark, it really stays there.
I have to say I'm pretty disappointed with these results so far. Fortunes of War has such a great buildup. Sure it plods at times, but I love the way it builds. The Aftermath is fantastic. Nice catchy riff (even if they stole it from Wishbone Ash) and a perfectly horrifying lyric. I think this is also one of the few Maiden songs where the music perfectly captures the lyric. It feels like a trudge through the mud and rain. Love it. Look For the Truth is also incredible. Dare I say, it's the hidden gem of the album. Blaze's lyric is really strong and he brings something to the table that no other lyricist in Maiden did. A really raw glimpse of depression. It's also a really solid melody and a vocal line that unsurprisingly flows better than something Steve would write. I also really dig the instrumental passage. It's a bummer that these songs aren't performing better.
The Aftermath also has the best lyric on the album (which is saying a lot, many of the lyrics here are excellent):
Once a ploughman hitched his team
Here he sowed his little dream
Now bodies arms and legs are strewn
Where mustard gas and barbwire bloom
Look For the Truth is a close runner up for best lyrics.
If I had to pick one song from the Blaze era that Bruce didn't sing to come back, it's Blood On the World's Hands. I'm routinely shocked that this never comes up in the top three from the album. It has it all. A great chorus, an intense crushing riff, a singalong section, and a
bass solo. Awesome stuff.
Also, imagine this song on A Matter of Life and Death. The two albums get compared a lot, but this is the one and only song that really reminds me of that album musically and lyrically. Fits right in.
My picks to be eliminated are Judgment of Heaven, Edge of Darkness and Lord of the Flies. Judgment always stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I can get behind happy sounding music juxtaposed with dark lyrics, but it doesn't quite work here. I also find it's not that melodically captivating.
Edge of Darkness, man I know a lot of people love this song. I'm not going to try and convince anyone they're wrong but I really don't see any of the positive qualities that others do. In fact, it's probably my least favorite song on the album. It feels very aimless, lacks the cinematic depth of the rest of the album, and really fails to capture the horrors of Apocalypse Now. But, as
@LooseCannon can attest, obviously not a lot of other people feel that way.
Finally, a lament for The Unbeliever, the black sheep of the album. It's a little clunky, but I find it exciting in many ways. Definitely deserves better than first round elimination. 2 AM has a lot of going for it as well. Anyone remember Thingfish's acoustic Maiden covers? I always enjoyed his rendition of 2 AM especially.
I don't listen to this album often, but every time I do I leave feeling pretty satisfied. This one hit the spot especially today.
