Revisiting The X Factor

J

Josh

Ancient Mariner
Right off the bat I think Virus should have been on the album.

Anyway, what was your position on it when it was released? I remember being excited but apprehensive because no Bruce. I grabbed the CD the day it came out, gave it a listen and was captivated by Sign Of The Cross. This isn't Bruce but this is Maiden better than Fear Of The Dark and that crap known as NPFTD (I don't respect it enough to spell it out). Then Lord Of The Flies, then Man On The Edge, then Fortunes Of War. By this point I'm thinking it's really depressing but good. I love Bruce but I can see Maiden going with this Blaze guy. It was a weird time to be a Maiden fan. I really liked The Unbeliever and Judgement Of Heaven. Even 2am is good. This is a great record.

So where do you place it in your personal rankings? It's in the top ten for me. This was Harris making an album when he was miserable and comes off great. They didn't need to make an album but they did. It's so unique. I love it.
 
Josh said:
Right off the bat I think Virus should have been on the album.
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But it couldn’t have been given it was written after the album’s release. That said, a double album TXF including Justice of the Peace, Judgement Day, I Live My Way, and Virus is a concept that I like as an alternate history project.

It’s one of my favorite Maiden records for sure. It’s a go-to when I’m feeling down because it accurately channels depressive emotions and acts as an offering of hope. Lord of the Flies is my favorite song on the record and probably in my overall Top 10 from Maiden.
 
It was the first new Maiden album for me so it remains special. It was in my Top 5 for a very long time but right now (after revisiting every Iron Maiden album) I´d only rank it higher than both Di´Anno albums, TNOTB and FOTD. I have to be in the mood to fully appreciate this dark jewel.
 
Looking backwards I can now say I felt a deep disappointment with its release but I didn't want to admit, not even to myself.
The first listen made me tired and gave me headache, though I was still digging to find the good elements in it.
Initially and for the first 5 years I was hooked with Sign of the Cross & The Aftermath.

The discovery of Bruce's material plus Reunion, was the final nail in the coffin and I discarded the album as such since then.
I can still listen and enjoy each song but I absolutely cannot listen to its entirety or 2 -3 of its songs in a row.
Currently my favorite songs are Man on The Edge & The Unbeliever.

TXF is now on the very bottom of my Maiden ratings, but I don't consider it a bad album, I just like the others more.
 
If it had a decent production it would have been a masterpiece. I can’t believe how thin it sounds. Saw them live during the tour for that album and the songs sounded like sonic juggernauts live. Such a shame the studio versions sound so weak. Most, if not all, songs are great.

Anyway when it was released I was relieved , couldn’t stand the NPFTD/FOTD era, the only era of Maiden that I actually don’t like at all.
 
It's the worst album Maiden ever released.

Too slow and depressing. Needs a good kick in the rear. It would be much better if it included the B-sides over some of what made it in, in my opinion.

SOTC, JOH and EOD are all great songs though.
 
I 2as on Vacation in Bulgaria when I got a pirated copy of this. Listened to it 2 weeks straight on my discman and loved every second of it. I was 10 at that point. Listening to it now I still love it but the buried / weak guitar sound bothers me today.
 
I was 19 when The X Factor was released, The X Factour was also my very first metal concert ever. Amazing evening that was. Although I disliked My Dying Bride alot...
 
Great album. Pivotal and unique for the band. By far their best 90's release (and to be fair after its release there's only one album I like more than TXF). As for where I place it on my rank it's higher than some classics like Iron Maiden (8) and TNOTB (9) and right below AMOLAD (6) and Killers (5)
 
When I first got into Maiden I believed the naysayers about the Blaze-era being no good so I didn't bother with either album for about three years. I forget what it was exactly that changed my mind, but when I heard Sign of the Cross I couldn't believe people had been so negative about it. It's a mostly great album, moody and epic but maybe something you need to be in the right mood for. My only real complaint is, of course, the sound. While it captures the dark tone perfectly it really could benefit from having a grittier guitar tone and less jarring dynamics.
 
Diesel 11 said:
But it couldn’t have been given it was written after the album’s release. That said, a double album TXF including Justice of the Peace, Judgement Day, I Live My Way, and Virus is a concept that I like as an alternate history project.
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Ah, never knew that.
 
I recently purchased an original Japanese pressing of this album which has the “missing” three songs on a second disc. I kinda wish this version had more songs on the second disc and mixed them up a bit. But it’s as close to a double album as it can be. I also have the 2017-2018 vinyl remaster and the original US CD pressing. The X Factor is in my top five all time favorite Iron Maiden albums.
 
I enjoyed the album for the most part when it was released back in 1995, in spite of the repetitiveness and poor production. It is still at the bottom of my list of Maiden albums though: much better than Virtual XI, on par with No Prayer for the Dying, slightly below Fear of the Dark, and way below the rest of their albums.
 
chaosapiant said:
I recently purchased an original Japanese pressing of this album which has the “missing” three songs on a second disc. I kinda wish this version had more songs on the second disc and mixed them up a bit. But it’s as close to a double album as it can be. I also have the 2017-2018 vinyl remaster and the original US CD pressing. The X Factor is in my top five all time favorite Iron Maiden albums.
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Yup... I know which version you're talking about. Perhaps I'm being a bit picky but the only strange thing is that the bonus CD has no graphic motive printed. Plus it would also be cool if it featured Blaze's interview. IMO (as I stated before in other threads) I consider Judgement Day to be easily one of Maiden's top 10 songs from the 90's. Justice Of The Peace is also really cool but its structure is somewhat weird (perhaps one more go on the chorus before the song ends would fix that). I totally abominate the initial part of Virus but the edited version (that totally skips that section) is also a great tune. As for I Live My Way... meh. Nevertheless great stuff overall.
 
karljant said:
Yup... I know which version you're talking about. Perhaps I'm being a bit picky but the only strange thing is that the bonus CD has no graphic motive printed. Plus it would also be cool if it featured Blaze's interview. IMO (as I stated before in other threads) I consider Judgement Day to be easily one of Maiden's top 10 songs from the 90's. Justice Of The Peace is also really cool but its structure is somewhat weird (perhaps one more go on the chorus before the song ends would fix that). I totally abominate the initial part of Virus but the edited version (that totally skips that section) is also a great tune. As for I Live My Way... meh. Nevertheless great stuff overall.
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Judgement Day & Justice Of The Peace
Crazy thing these 2 songs didn't make it onto the album.
 
Josh said:
Right off the bat I think Virus should have been on the album.
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Cause-consequence violation. Isn't Virus response to press treatment of the X Factor and Blaze fronted Maiden?
 
Virus is quite different from 'Virtual XI' material, but, would fit perfectly on 'The X Factor', even having been written afterwards; this is on my top 6 Maiden albums and I rearranged the tracklist to fit the 3 b-sides to keep the flowing perfect and it gets beautiful (it should've been Maiden's first double album):

Sign Of The Cross
Lord Of The Flies
Man On The Edge
Fortunes Of War
Look For The Truth
The Aftermath
Judgement Day
Judgement Of Heaven
Blood On The World's Hands
I Live My Way
The Edge Of Darkness
Justice Of The Peace
2 A.M.
The Unbeliever
 
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