Okay but, this is an example of repetition I really like from this album. The basis of the song is solid but up to this point it hasn’t been a classic (the chorus never seems to hit a home run despite how often they repeat it). But then everything gets stripped back and Blaze’s voice takes center stage, and the way the band builds this up to a climax, with Steve’s bass, the massive symphonic backing, and Nicko’s drumming, before exploding into the solo section, is just awesome. It’s simple but so effective.
I really like Virtual XI. It’s far from perfect, but it’s got some interesting compositions and at this point in their career Jan and Dave have really become a great guitar duo. Janick really rarely phoned it in during the ‘90s, and there are some amazing solos on this record and guitar riffs and leads that make for a really nice, melodic sound. I also think Blaze still sounds good on the album, but you can tell that there are moments that could’ve used a second take.
So I like almost all of the songs (“The Educated Fool” kind of falls under the meh category because it gets choppy and the chorus is bleary, but man the instrumental section is still cool as hell and I like the song’s set up). What do I think is the problem with VXI? Well, it’s kind of difficult to get at because I think it’s kind of two fold.
1). Listening to both TXF and VXI makes it clear just how much energy the band seemed to lose between the two records. The biggest example is in Nicko’s drumming. Holy cow does he phone it in. I wonder if the rough TXF tour dampened his spirit going into this record. We know after the VXI tour he really pushed for Blaze to be given the boot, so it might have started even before then. When you’re used to a professional like Bruce it must be hard adjusting to someone who is practically a noob when it comes to big tours. That and coupled with Blaze’s vocal problems, must have been rough.
Additionally, I think a lot of people view this record as a brighter and more energetic sequel to TXF, but even if the songs have left most of the depression and anger behind, this record is tinged with sadness in all the guitar parts. It sounds like a band that’s bleeding (even if that makes for great melodies like I mentioned earlier).
2). This is the album where the band really becomes The Steve Harris Show. The bad reviews of TXF really seemed to make the man just dig his heels in further, and I respect that because he made the music he wanted to, the way he wanted to. But you can tell that some of the decisions he made are just weird. The production is fairly clear, but definitely limp (which adds to the guitar melodies shining forth but means the record has lost the traditional Maiden bite). I won’t say anything about the repetition, because I get what he was going for (a live mantra for crowds to chant along with), but at the very least “The Angel and the Gambler” being the first single is bizarre. And the way the band doesn’t go back and fix when they fuck up (when “Clansman” dives into the chorus that first time is an oof) shows how little Steve cared about doing a great record and instead tried to get a specific feel (probably a live feel knowing him). The overall feel sounds like Steve has been at the helm too much without returning to be tempered again in the forge. The sound is night and day when you listen to Brave New World, which despite being somewhat of a continuation of VXI, has so much more power than this album does.
So I think those are the issues I see with this record. I still really like it though, just looking at the post-reunion era I prefer it to AMOLAD and TFF. It was born out of a specific period of time by a specific group of musicians and at the end of the day: it is what it is, and I like it for being the album that it is. There’s still a lot to love here in spite of the issues.
