The Official Maidenfans.com Rankings results (2004-2016)

[Diesel 11]

Sun and Steel is too low.

Can you link it?

http://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/diesel-11s-ultimate-75-favorite-maiden-songs.58551/

 

[Operations666]

I love Drifter, admittedly due to Bruce's live version on Beast Over Hammersmith where at the beginning he sings "rock and rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooll"! Gets me so hyped.

 

[Magnus]

130: Another Life - Killers (Harris)

One of my favourites. You cruel bastards.

 

[Magnus]

129: Drifter - Killers (Harris)

Ditto.

 

[LooseCannon]

Get your ass over to the Commentary forum and rank 'em!

 

[Magnus]

They could have found a better song to play during The Early Days tour than Another Life. Flight Of Icarus is one. To Tame A Land seemed obvious since Phantom of the Opera was back in the set in 1999.

OK, let's get this straight: how many Feksos have we got here? And to they come every ten years?

 

[fekso]

OK, let's get this straight: how many Feksos have we got here? And to they come every ten years?

I just discovered I could drop the 2017 part so I did I understand you cant remove old accounts so you have to live with the 2017 version until its buried in old threads

 

[Magnus]

fekso
Male, 27

fekso2017
Male, 37

Explain this.
Can I lose 10 years as well?

 

[LooseCannon]

I have now added the deviation of every track to the previous posts, which will be a feature going forward. Anything under 1.5 seems to indicate a steady song.

 

[fekso]

fekso
Male, 27

fekso2017
Male, 37

Explain this.
Can I lose 10 years as well?

I must have set my birth year 10 years wrong the first time around.

 

[Magnus]

I must have set my birth year 10 years wrong the first time around.

Thank you Fekso, it's a huge relief. Thought you had found the secret of eternal youth.

 

[Black Wizard]

Bloody hell. 'Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger' has a stunning standard deviation - 3.95! That's more than half its current ranking.

 

[fekso]

Thank you Fekso, it's a huge relief. Thought you had found the secret of eternal youth.

Or at the very least you acted as if

 

[LooseCannon]

Bloody hell. 'Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger' has a stunning standard deviation - 3.95! That's more than half its current ranking.

Yes. It does. It got simply savaged.

 

[LooseCannon]

T126: Look For the Truth - The X Factor (Bayley, Gers, Harris)
Average score: 6.96/10 Deviation: 2.27
The X Factor 1/11
Top 100: 2004, 2005, 2006

Welcome to The X Factor, as it arrives in our countdown with this song, maligned by many for the "Oooh ooh ooh!" part, but in general praised for having some deep and thoughtful lyrics. This one has some really vocal defenders, but, like many Blaze-era songs, has a higher deviation that goes high-to-low over the course of Maidenfans. It seems that many of the Blaze lovers have left, replaced by people who may not appreciate the era as much. Three early Top 100 finishes, highest being 56th in 2004, but by 2016 it is down to 138.

Choice comments:

Maybe its just me, but I feel that look for the truth is one of the x factors most underappreciated songs. Lyrically, the song is a real treat - you can really feel the pain of the author of the song. ok, the oh oh oh bit can be a little annoying, but when you look at the verses, its lyrical genius.

But now I really appreciate this one as one of the best songs by Iron Maiden, atleast in the 90's, the only reason is: the lyrics. I can't really think of any Maiden song that have such depth as this one. Sure, 'Hallowed' and several others have good lyrics, but the lyrics to this one are just badass!!

the start-stop flow of the riffs gets a bit repetetive as does the "Ooohh" part. When the guitar solos kicks in it reminds me of something from Fear of The Dark. The intro was good, the lyrics great - but when the song finishes you wish they had done something more with this.

This is my least favourite song from The X-Factor. I really like the intro, nothing wrong with it, in fact it's the best part. However, everything that comes afterwards doesn't feel that right.

What can I say? The intro, as everyone has noted, is pure magic. The lyrics are drastic poetry, and the whole song is full of the tense, brooding atmosphere I love the album so much for. I love how it feels so dark and melancholic, but in the end, it is actually really uplifting.

This song is definitely better than the worst songs off the album, but it doesn't have that part that kicks it up into the really great songs.

A good tune with interesting lyrics, and well sung in my opinion. I would give it more, but as others have implied it doesn't really have an 'amazing moment' like so many Maiden songs do.

The "oooooo" part is simply amazing. I think that's the best performance of Blaze in his Maiden career. Another underrated one.

I think I would like the song even more if it didn't come right after Fortunes, to which it sounds somewhat similar, IMO. Either switch it with another track or stick one of the B-Side between them at least. But I still like it - the melodies are quite beautiful.

Blaze gives this song his all, but it’s just not a very good song. Once the rhythm picks up, a spatter of “oh-oh-oh’s” and a wordy chorus drive the song and it sounds a bit more Maiden-y once the guitars get fired up.

Statistics

Spoiler

Yearly ratings & rankings
2004: 8.40; 56/123
2005: 7.40 -1.00; 91/124 -35
2006: 7.02 -0.38; 94/124 +3
2008: 7.18 +0.16; 114/134 -20
2011: 6.96 -0.22; 110/144 +4
2012: 126/144 -16
2014: 6.93 -0.03 113/144 +13
2015: 6.85 -0.08; 119/144 -6
2016: 6.13 -0.72; 138/155 -19

Overall

Spoiler

126 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
128 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
129 - Drifter (Killers)
130 - Another Life (Killers)
131 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
132 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
132 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
134 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
135 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
136 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
137 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)
138 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
139 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
140 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
141 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
142 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
143 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
143 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
145 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
146 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
147 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
148 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
149 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
150 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
151 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
152 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
153 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
153 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
155 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)

Albums:
Iron Maiden 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Killers 3/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 8
The Number of the Beast 1/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 0
Piece of Mind 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 1
No Prayer For the Dying 7/10 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 4
Fear of the Dark 7/12 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 9
The X Factor 1/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Virtual XI 3/8 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 5
Dance of Death 3/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 2

Song deviance (least to greatest)
0.76 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
0.81 - Another Life (Killers)
0.92 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
0.93 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
0.96 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
1.29 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
1.45 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
1.52 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
1.56 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
1.68 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)
1.82 - Drifter (Killers)
1.83 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.86 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
1.94 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.94 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
1.95 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
2.04 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
2.20 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
2.22 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.27 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
2.82 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
2.93 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.94 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.04 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
3.34 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
3.40 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
3.76 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
3.90 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.95 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)

 

[LooseCannon]

T126: Age of Innocence - Dance of Death (Murray, Harris)
Average score: 6.96/10 Deviation: 1.84
Dance of Death 4/11
Top 100: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

Tied with our previous song is the fourth entry from Dance of Death on this list. It has a tighter deviation than all the other DoD songs so far, but it's still tumbled from a high of 8.00 down to a low six. The lyrics remain contentious among Maidenfans, with several people (including myself) see-sawing back and forth over the years, torn between being annoyed at the content and enjoying the music. Many people have complimented the melodies, but equally as many people have criticized the "rap" portion. However, this is the last song in the Meh Zone. Going forward, it's sevens or higher!

Choice comments:

ok, this song is a prime example of how steve can destroy a song nowadays: write bad lyrics that don't rime and have no sense of the timing of the music whatsoever and then handing them over to poor bruce, who has to sing them without chopping his tongue off!

I also hate the rap part. Sorry- I just don't like rap, and I don't like it being combined with Metal either. Everybody has the right to try and combine, test and experiment, but I don't have to like it. And I don't. It's up to Maiden what they're gonna do in future, but I really wish there will be no more rap.

I can honestly say that I am unimpressed by this song. Haphazard lyrics, a sound that is unnatural for Maiden, Bruce is annoying on it, solos don't stand out.

Fail.

Get off my lawn, you hooligans!

I love the chorus melody, it's one of my favorite Maiden choruses. But I've never cared for the lyrics. Good but not great.

Musically its amazing, the chorus to me is strong along with the meaning, But the words, just awful! They don't rhyme and they don't blend. As for content, my dog could have done it. When I first heard this song I thought wow amazing and then I listened to the lyrics.

Age of Innocence sounds like nothing more than an outpouring of the overt populist politics of the time, but could just as easily be portraying the views of a certain stereotype of a person of the time, or the tabloid headlines of the day. I find a lot of Dance of Death involves hindsight, retrospect, or judgement. The present judging the past, the present judging the present, potentially the future judging the present. The whole idea of a golden age of innocence is a myth. Bad stuff definitely did happen in the past too. The pace of the song and dizzying, almost messy central solo, suggests being bombarded with negativity and anger. Very much sounds like tabloids and popular reaction to them at the time!

I love Murray's intro/outro solo and even Bruce's FOTDish bridge vocals, but the lyrics are half-assed and the chorus is just so...happy. I can't get over how much it sounds like Journey.

Statistics

Spoiler

Yearly ratings & rankings
2004: 7.56; 94/123
2005: 7.50 -0.06; 90/124 +4
2006: 8.00 +0.50; 73/124 +17
2008: 7.88 -0.12; 98/134 -20
2011: 6.16 -1.72; 130/144 -32
2012: 122/144 +8
2014: 6.59 +0.43; 124/144 +2
2015: 6.90 +0.31; 116/144 +8
2016: 6.42 -0.48; 132/155 -16

Overall

Spoiler

126 - Age of Innocence (Dance of Death)
126 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
128 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
129 - Drifter (Killers)
130 - Another Life (Killers)
131 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
132 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
132 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
134 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
135 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
136 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
137 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)
138 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
139 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
140 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
141 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
142 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
143 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
143 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
145 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
146 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
147 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
148 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
149 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
150 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
151 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
152 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
153 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
153 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
155 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)

Albums:
Iron Maiden 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Killers 3/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 8
The Number of the Beast 1/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 0
Piece of Mind 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 1
No Prayer For the Dying 7/10 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 4
Fear of the Dark 7/12 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 9
The X Factor 1/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Virtual XI 3/8 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 5
Dance of Death 4/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 6

Song deviance (least to greatest)
0.76 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
0.81 - Another Life (Killers)
0.92 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
0.93 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
0.96 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
1.29 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
1.45 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
1.52 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
1.56 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
1.68 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)
1.82 - Drifter (Killers)
1.83 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.84 - Age of Innocence (Dance of Death)
1.86 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
1.94 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.94 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
1.95 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
2.04 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
2.20 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
2.22 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.27 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
2.82 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
2.93 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.94 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.04 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
3.34 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
3.40 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
3.76 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
3.90 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.95 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)

 

[Mosh]

Meh zone is a good place for Age Of Innocence. It's not bad but it's one of a handful of Maiden songs that just seem somewhat pointless.

 

[matic22]

Age Of Innocence should have been a B-side only. Nicko's version is hillarious. The album version is... meh. Nothing special.

 

[Srogyy]

I think it's a decent song. The chorus is good, I dig it.

 

[LooseCannon]

125: Invaders - The Number of the Beast (Murray, Harris)
Average score: 7.01/10 Deviation: 0.68
The Number of the Beast 2/9
Top 100: 2004, 2006

I know I promised we were out of the Meh Zone. Okay, I just wrote that, and it's technically true. However, Invaders is the least contentious song in Maidenfans history we've yet seen, with a deviation of two thirds of a point. Without looking at the comments, I can guess what they will say: a conglomerate of people noting it is a little silly, lesser than the songs on The Number of the Beast, but still fairly fun.

Spoiler alert - I was right! With only two Top 100 entries, this song has run pretty much right down the line in the same spot, adjusted downwards as new albums debuted above it.

So I'll talk, instead, about where we are yet to go. At the 7.00 mark, nine of fifteen Iron Maiden albums have placed at least one song in Meh or below. Six of them are yet to come. By the time we get to 7.50, all albums will have at least one song listed. Can you guess what the album with the highest-ranked worst song might be? Warning - it's not Fear of the Dark!

Choice comments:

The intro drums and riffs are riveting, like how "Aces High" opens up Powerslave, but it goes downhill from there. The pre-chorus and chorus are largely uninteresting and borders on cheesy for me.

Yeah, the chorus is relatively weak. But it’s an excellent bridge between the eras, an unpolished and neglected gem.

I'm a bit torn on this one. I agree it's nothing special, and I'm not a big fan of the chorus, but I love the second riff (the one that kicks in after the intro riff).

The second guitar solo is very cool. I also like the very particular way Bruce pronunciates his lyrics...very carefully, as though he is the new singer or something.

Explosive song with some insanely difficult and unique vocal lines and Bruce hits the high note without any difficulties. Love Adrian's crippled, gasping for breath bluesy solo.

It's a perfect album opener, flying straight out of the blocks, hitting the listener hard and fast. It lacks something extra to propel it to the higher scores, but I do feel that it announces the NOTB album straight away as a hard, melodic, and at times frantic slab of heavy metal.

Eh, it seems rushed, especially the terrible chorus, but the rest of the song is alright enough

VERY fillery and a poor opener by opener standards. the chorus is disjointed and not enjoyable and the whole thing just doesnt prepare you well for how much better the rest of the album is.

Bring on the flames, but I really cannot stand this song. The intro is awesome, the music is often quite good, but the chorus is so grating I can't even make it through the whole song.

O Bruce! Where have you been! This guy Paul was on the last two albums and he was mainly good, but yeah. He's not you.
Belt it loud and proud. Invadaaahs! It's in your face and taking no prisoners.
This song is as good of an album intro as you can get and it's unfortunate that so many others don't like it.

Better production, and better vocals for sure then two first two albums. Bruce does a impressing performance on this one, but while the song is fun, it isn't that good to be honest. To me this seems like a filler more then a opener to one of the biggest metal albums ever.

Statistics

Spoiler

Yearly ratings & rankings
2004: 7.34; 100/123
2005: 7.06 -0.28; 101/124 -1
2006: 7.04 +0.02; 91/124 +10
2008: 7.36 +0.32; 107/134 -16
2011: 6.90 -0.46; 111/144 -4
2012: 125/144 -14
2014: 7.02 +0.43; 112/144 +13
2015: 7.02 NC; 113/144 -1
2016: 6.68 -0.34; 125/155 -12

Overall

Spoiler

125 - Invaders (The Number of the Beast)
126 - Age of Innocence (Dance of Death)
126 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
128 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
129 - Drifter (Killers)
130 - Another Life (Killers)
131 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
132 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
132 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
134 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
135 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
136 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
137 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)
138 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
139 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
140 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
141 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
142 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
143 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
143 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
145 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
146 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
147 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
148 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
149 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
150 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
151 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
152 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
153 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
153 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
155 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)

Song deviance (least to greatest)
0.68 - Invaders (The Number of the Beast)
0.76 - Fates Warning (No Prayer For the Dying)
0.81 - Another Life (Killers)
0.92 - Fear is the Key (Fear of the Dark)
0.93 - Sun and Steel (Piece of Mind)
0.96 - Innocent Exile (Killers)
1.29 - Gangland (The Number of the Beast)
1.45 - When Two Worlds Collide (Virtual XI)
1.52 - The Fugitive (Fear of the Dark)
1.56 - Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
1.68 - The Apparition (Fear of the Dark)
1.82 - Drifter (Killers)
1.83 - Tailgunner (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.84 - Age of Innocence (Dance of Death)
1.86 - Sanctuary (Iron Maiden)
1.94 - Public Enema Number One (No Prayer For the Dying)
1.94 - Quest For Fire (Piece of Mind)
1.95 - The Angel and the Gambler (Virtual XI)
2.04 - Wildest Dreams (Dance of Death)
2.20 - New Frontier (Dance of Death)
2.22 - Hooks in You (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.27 - Look For the Truth (The X Factor)
2.82 - Gates of Tomorrow (Dance of Death)
2.93 - Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter (No Prayer For the Dying)
2.94 - Holy Smoke (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.04 - Be Quick or Be Dead (Fear of the Dark)
3.34 - Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark)
3.40 - Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark)
3.76 - From Here to Eternity (Fear of the Dark)
3.90 - The Assassin (No Prayer For the Dying)
3.95 - Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Virtual XI)

Albums:
Iron Maiden 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Killers 3/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 8
The Number of the Beast 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 2
Piece of Mind 2/9 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 1
No Prayer For the Dying 7/10 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 4
Fear of the Dark 7/12 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 9
The X Factor 1/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 3
Virtual XI 3/8 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 2 Top 100: 5
Dance of Death 4/11 Top 10: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 50: 0 Top 100: 6