Maiden studio album shoot-out, Part 8

[Dick Brucinson]

Let's see what about Virtual XI versus Fear Of The Dark.

Tomorrow we'll have Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son against the "best loser" of round one, to have round one completed and fair (because of the unstraight number of studio albums - 17 altogether), then afterwards we'll go to stage 2 ouf the game. At the moment the "best of the losers" by % is Senjutsu ( = SJ 47,2% inferior to POM 52,8 %) - so it's very likely that tomorrow we'll have SSOASS vs. Senjutsu. Interesting one!

But first let's see which one is the better album - Fear Of The Dark or Virtual XI?

Again 24 hours time to vote, poll results again can't be viewed before having voted, once casted vote cannot be changed, poll will be closed after 24 hours for then the next comparison will start.
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<<<<Still in the game: A Matter Of Life And Death, The Book Of Souls, Brave New World, The Final Frontier, Piece Of Mind, Iron Maiden, Powerslave>>>>
<<<<Already out: Killers, Dance Of Death, The Number Of The Beast, The X Factor, Senjutsu, No Prayer For The Dying, Somewhere In Time>>>>

 

[Azas]

Fear of the Dark contains: Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternity, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Childhood's End, Judas Be My Guide, Fear Of The Dark. And great cover art.

Virtual XI contains: Futureal, The Clansman. Meh cover art and overall very depressive sound/feeling.

 

[Azas]

Let Seventh Son compete with AMOLAD

 

[TheMercenary]

Virtual XI without any hesitation. Fear Of The Dark is a just a good album that contains only four excellent songs (Be Quick Or Be Dead, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Judas Be My Guide and title song) and a lot of fillers. Virtual XI is the contrary : only killers, just one filler (The Angel And The Gambler).

 

[Boroking]

I find Virtual XI to be a much pleasanter listen with no actual bad songs, just poor production choices. Compared to the wildly uneven FOTD where I’m skipping every other track.

 

[Eli]

It's not fair for SSOASS to go to round 2 without competing while my top 2 albums (DOD, TBOS) were put against each other. Like I suggested in my previous post, the best loser must be given a second chance against SSOASS. Maybe the result wouldn't change, but it is nice to see how many votes the albums get each time.

 

[Eli]

as for this leg of the shoot-out my vote goes to Fear of the Dark.

 

[Dick Brucinson]

It's not fair for SSOASS to go to round 2 without competing while my top 2 albums (DOD, TBOS) were put against each other. Like I suggested in my previous post, the best loser must be given a second chance against SSOASS. Maybe the result wouldn't change, but it is nice to see how many votes the albums get each time.

you're right and that's the way we will do it tomorrow. it was my plan anyway and I just didn't make it really clear in my post above.

 

[MindRuler]

Virtual XI by far.
FOTD is a mixed bag.

 

[ChrisDeBurgh]

Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look through the eyes of a fool
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Somebody's watching when the night goes down
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look through the eyes of a fool
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Somebody's watching when the light goes down
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to, don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to, don't look to
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look through the eyes of a fool
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Somebody's watching when the night goes down
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Don't look through the eyes of a fool
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger
Somebody's watching when the light goes down
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger

What in god's name were they thinking?

 

[Magnus]

What in god's name were they thinking?

Something about not looking, I guess.

 

[Jer]

Virtual XI is the only truly bad album in Maiden’s catalog. FOTD wins by default.

 

[Gk1]

Ok, so let me try to get this right.....

You people say that an album containing BQOBD, Afraid to shoot strangers, Judas My Guide, Wasting love, Fear is the key, Fear of the dark and Childhood's end is worse than XVI?? Dear Lord, what has this world turned into???

 

[TheMercenary]

Ok, so let me try to get this right.....

You people say that an album containing BQOBD, Afraid to shoot strangers, Judas My Guide, Wasting love, Fear is the key, Fear of the dark and Childhood's end is worse than XVI?? Dear Lord, what has this world turned into???

I've voted Virtual XI to give it a chance to win. But, FOTD is not so bad, as VXI is not so good. These are two examples of "mixed bags", as MindRuler has said. Anyway, VXI is more homogeneous than FODT which is too much varied in terms of the structures of the songs and even it starts energically with three very good songs and ends with a classic, FOTD is like a roller coaster and that's very disturbing, whereas VXI is always constant from the first second to the last one, except The Angel And The Gambler which is a nice song but too cheesy sometimes and too repetitive in the choruses. Otherwise, it's a very pleasant album to listen to, contrary to Fear Of The Dark.

 

[DJMayes]

FOTD for me; BQOBD is the worst song from either album though thanks to Bruce's retching vocals.

Virtual XI is the only truly bad album in Maiden’s catalog. FOTD wins by default.

TXF is much, much worse.

 

[Dick Brucinson]

FOTD has Wasting Love. I think I'm the only one who really likes it.

 

[Gk1]

I've voted Virtual XI to give it a chance to win. But, FOTD is not so bad, as VXI is not so good. These are two examples of "mixed bags", as MindRuler has said. Anyway, VXI is more homogeneous than FODT which is too much varied in terms of the structures of the songs and even it starts energically with three very good songs and ends with a classic, FOTD is like a roller coaster and that's very disturbing, whereas VXI is always constant from the first second to the last one, except The Angel And The Gambler which is a nice song but too cheesy sometimes and too repetitive in the choruses. Otherwise, it's a very pleasant album to listen to, contrary to Fear Of The Dark.

Sorry mate, VXI is not a mixed bag at all, it is the epitomy of a band without direction, unispired, with a talentless singer, a drummer who gives zero f#$s, Steve not knowing what the hell he is doing behind the recording desk.....

 

[LooseCannon]

I prefer Virtual XI, which has higher highs and higher lows. And if you don't like either, it's also shorter.

 

[Jer]

TXF is much, much worse.

I think TXF is a really mediocre album, second worst in the catalog. It’s plagued by many of the same production and performance problems, but it doesn’t commit the same level of songwriting atrocities that VXI does, and it doesn’t have the phoned in drumming performance of VXI either.

That run of songs from “When Two Worlds Collide” through “Don’t Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger” has got to be the worst consecutive block of songs on any Maiden album. “The Educated Fool” is, to my ears, Maiden’s absolute worst album track (just barely edging out “Look For The Truth” and “Weekend Warrior”). And though I’m obviously in the minority, I think the studio version of “The Clansman” is an abomination too, with out of sync guitar parts, crackling in the recording, and an opening that doesn’t hold together rhythmically at all.

“Futureal” is a good song, but everything else on there is mediocre to bad, IMO.

 

[Azas]

Compared to Virtual XI, The X Factor is a masterpiece. I agree that Virtual XI is the worst Maiden album. No Prayer and Fear of the Dark are miles and miles better.
As a non English speaking listener, first and foremost I absorb music and vocal melodies. Virtual XI to my ears sounds like a constant whining of a depressed man, who is on the brink of the suicide: Lightning Strikes Twice, When Two Worlds Collide, Don't Look To The Eyes of A Stranger, Educated Fool, Com Estais Amigos. I understand the lyrics, but the music itself is the primary 'message bearer' for me.