October 2, 1995 - The X Factor

Shortly after my last release and almost three and a half years since "Fear Of The Dark", Iron Maiden released their tenth album, aptly named "The X Factor" on October 2, 1995. There's one big change since their last album, as longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson has left the band to pursue a solo career. This is a pretty big blow to Maiden as Bruce is an epic singer that fits them perfectly. The hard job of replacing Dickinson falls to new lead singer Blaze Bayley, and he has some big shoes to fill. Bassist and lyricist Steve Harris was going through a divorce during the recording and because of that the mood and themes are a bit darker than usual. Let's see what the new Iron Maiden is all about!

The album kicks off with it's longest song, the 11-plus minute "Sign Of The Cross" and it has a long and epic opening before we hear Bayley for the first time. He's just whispering overtop the quiet music at this point but once he starts really singing he sounds like a toned down version of Bruce Dickinson. He's trying to give that same epic energy, but his voice just simply doesn't sound anywhere near as good. It's passable but that's about all I can say about it. Dave Murray and Janick Gers both play some decent guitar but things are ultimately pretty tame for these metal giants. Everything seems to be just slowly jamming along, like a really long build-up that just never reaches the climax, until over eight minutes into the song! Murray and Gers do some classic Maiden trading of guitar solos and they both play pretty good solos in an easy highlight of this long song. There's some more solid guitar after the solo before they end things with a final chorus, but this was song just too long with not enough going on. Up next is "Lord Of The Flies" which is based on the famous book of the same name. It's got a catchy guitar riff and some cool bass by Harris as well, but Bayley's vocals fall really flat for me as it sounds like he's just talking and not really trying. The guitar solo is solid as you'd expect but I'm really not a Blaze Bayley fan it seems. Track 3 is "Man On The Edge" and at just over four minutes it's by far the shortest song on the album. It's a nice fast-paced jam with some cool guitars and Bayley sounding his best so far with some solid verses, but still a pretty bland chorus. The music however is very upbeat and cool and both Murray and Gers play lots of good stuff including one pretty sweet solo. The next song is "Fortunes Of War" and it has a nice soft intro with Bayley sounding alright singing softly overtop. When things get louder Harris and one guitarist take turns playing some solid stuff before Bayley sings an okay louder verse and chorus. Each guitarist gets a chance to solo and they both do a pretty sweet job, but that's followed by a bland "whoa oh oh" part and then a boring chorus. They end it as it began with the quiet part and this song had some ups, but also some downs. Track 5 is "Look For The Truth" and it follows the theme of a quiet and epic opening that eventually leads into a louder, more typical Maiden riff. Bayley sounds alright on this one, except for when he just "oh ohhhhhhh oh"s along, which just sounds so bad I think. The guitars set the stage for the solo really nicely and then the solo is a harmonized effort that sounds pretty cool. Unfortunately Bayley returns and muddles things up by just ohhing for the rest of the song. Up next is "The Aftermath" and Gers and Murray both play some cool guitar in this slow but still pretty heavy song. Bayley sounds solid on this song and not nearly as annoying as normal which makes this one of the better songs on the album. Harris plays some solid bass throughout as well and they speed up dramatically for the solo, which is a pretty damn fast one with some excellent shredding. They finish it off nice and slow again and this is my favourite song so far. Track 7 is "Judgement Of Heaven" and Bayley sings Harris' lyrics that sound really sad and depressing, giving a glimpse into Steve's state of mind at the time. It's a pretty catchy main riff that drives this song and there's another excellent shredding solo as well. Up next is "Blood On The World's Hands" and Harris plays some excellent bass in this long intro before they settle into a solid Maiden riff and Bayley even sounds alright overtop. Murray and Gers each get a chance to solo, but neither does much with their opportunity this time. An okay but not great song overall. Track 9 is "The Edge Of Darkness" and we hear a helicopter while Harris plays some slow bass in another long intro. Bayley sings softly and he actually sounds better like this than when he tries to be like Dickinson. After over two minutes they finally snap into the louder, more typical riff and Bayley sounds lamer instantly. The guitars however sound pretty good, including a really sweet, fast solo. They end it as it began with the quiet riff and it's pretty bad when I want the lead singer to whisper and not yell. The next song is "2 A.M." and the two guitarists play different riffs that go together pretty well before they harmonize for the heavier chorus. Bayley sings about getting home from work at 2 in the morning and this is emblematic of most of the album: a quiet intro, a loud main riff and chorus, cool solo, and then return to the quiet to finish things off. And just like most of them, it's alright but certainly nothing amazing. The final song on the album is the eight minute "The Unbeliever" and Murray, Gers and Harris all sync up in a pretty sweet intro riff but Bayley's quicker vocals don't sound very good in the verse and they overshadow some solid music. When Blaze does shut up, things sound pretty good as this song is filled with tons of nice guitar, including a solo from each guitarist and Harris playing some phenomenal and pretty damn fast bass. They end it as it began with more sweet harmonized stuff and this was a pretty good way to end things at least.

That is the end of "The X Factor" and I thought it was a decent album, but definitely not a great one. The guitars and bass are pretty sweet as always but Blaze Bayley is no Bruce Dickinson and he is definitely not my favourite singer. I thought this was easily Iron Maiden's worst album of their career and while the music is still solid, the vocals fall flat on basically every song. Hopefully their next one is a step back in the right direction.