Maiden studio album shoot-out, Part 8

VXI vs. FOTD

  • Virtual XI

    Votes: 12 30.8%
  • Fear Of The Dark

    Votes: 27 69.2%

  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
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???
What´s 16? :nuts2:
 
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.
You've got a substantially lower opinion of VXI than I do. I don't think it's amazing by any means, but I do think it's a consistently fun, energetic album that was a significant step up from the depressing malaise of the previous album and is much closer to Brave New World than most people care to admit.
 
You've got a substantially lower opinion of VXI than I do. I don't think it's amazing by any means, but I do think it's a consistently fun, energetic album that was a significant step up from the depressing malaise of the previous album and is much closer to Brave New World than most people care to admit.
Both Blaze albums are a farse. Blaze has nothing to do with that. Steve was running out of ideas and direction. He tried to experiment while recording TXF. The album was a major failure in all aspects. Then Steve tried to get back to a more Maiden-ish sound. This was mostly a failure more having to do with Nicko's playing-if he even played at all, and Steve's epic length songs...but with just the chorus neing like half the songs themselves
 
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I also like Wasting Love. :ok:

Voting Fear of the Dark here, I put Virtual XI at the bottom of the pile of Maiden albums. I don't hate it though, nor is it completely meritless. I appreciate its influence on Brave New World, and there are a few flashes of greatness in Futureal, The Clansman (though the recorded version certainly has issues it's dynamite live), Lightning Strikes Twice and Como Estais Amigos, even The Angel and the Gambler is pretty fun despite the ridiculous levels of repetition. However, while Fear of the Dark is wildly inconsistent, none of those VXI tracks can stand up to the best tracks on Fear.
 
This whole series of votes has shown me that my favorite IM material is often at odds with the majority of IM fans.

So far only twice out of eight (The Final Frontier over The X Factor & Iron Maiden over NPFTD) has my vote been for the eventual poll winner.
(Although Senjutsu / Piece of Mind was really a tossup for me)

Still it just goes to show how much great material the band has produced over time.
 
This whole series of votes has shown me that my favorite IM material is often at odds with the majority of IM fans.

So far only twice out of eight (The Final Frontier over The X Factor & Iron Maiden over NPFTD) has my vote been for the eventual poll winner.
(Although Senjutsu / Piece of Mind was really a tossup for me)

Still it just goes to show how much great material the band has produced over time.
I always say my Top 5 Maiden album list has about 10 or so :D
 
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