The thing with Janick is that most of his own thought-out-ahead out solos aren't that bad....and he has written truly interesting/tasteful solos (e.g. Blood Brothers) , but his live Adrian solos are just improvised speedy slop. They all sound the same and usually do absolutely nothing for the song (and at worst, detract from the song). Revelations is one of the biggest disappointments for me. I wish he would work out his own renditions that pay homage to the original in some way, or at least not cycle through his usual bag of tricks.
Maiden solos on the golden era records were usually 'little songs within the song' that were so interesting to listen to...If Janick was a vocalist, it would be as if he changed the brilliant storytelling of Infinite Dreams into Korn style incoherent scat warbling.
Adrian is the MVP of that album. It has some of his most creative work since SIT. His songwriting is solid, every solo is among his best, and I love his guitar tone. I'd say the other album that he's not "in" on is TBOS. He's got some good moments but is overall overshadowed by Janick.
