GMD Poll: Iron Maiden Albums Ranked

[Phylactery]

Same! I miss the themed mixtape game! We should revive it with a new theme. Perhaps from someone who never won or we take a vote on who gets to do it.

Surprised you enjoy it, though. Since every game you participate in you say it makes you question if you even like metal. You need to broaden your horizons! Come to the dark side where black metal reigns supreme.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i say leave it for a bit and then we'll be energised for another run. it'd help if some new blood joined the board, if that ever happens again

 

[CiG]

Too many people submitted the same old shit in that game.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Surprised you enjoy it, though. Since every game you participate in you say it makes you question if you even like metal. You need to broaden your horizons! Come to the dark side where black metal reigns supreme.

Hah, it wasn't every game, I think it was only a few times that I said that. I'll happily come to the dark side when I hear some BM that blows my mind.

 

[The Ozzman]

Because people got bored with it

So other people lost interest. Got it.

 

[RadicalThrasher]

 

[Talos of Atmora]

@RadicalThrasher He gives Di'Anno-era Maiden the respect it deserves.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

No Prayer for the Dying (it's amazing to me how low it is on most of these lists).

It's the first of their post-classic albums, worse than everything before it by a good margin. I can imagine people having two sets of standards, one for the early era and one for the late era, and considering No Prayer weak by both measures.

 

[Dak]

best ones in my opinion:
megadeth, metallica, immortal, burzum, darkthrone, death, bolt thrower, slough feg, candlemass, fate/diamond (i'd be happy to keep them together like that personally)

i think motorhead, virgin steele, dark tranquillity, abigor, yngwie, melvins, budgie and overkill might struggle for familiarity on this board - i mean, i've heard multiple albums by nearly all of those but i could only do DT with any comprehensiveness. same for scorpions post their 70s material.

Basically bands that have ~10+ albums to rank. Probably no less than 7 to make it worth doing.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Finally gave The Final Frontier a spin today. Definitely one of Maiden's most subtle albums. I'll have to spend more time with it. "Coming Home" is fucking beautiful, easily one of my favorite of their 21st century songs.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

I've re-listened to all the albums from 1995-present now (including second listens for Final Frontier and Book of Souls). Here's my full list, for the hell of it:

1. Iron Maiden
2. Powerslave
3. Killers
4. The Number of the Beast
5. Piece of Mind
6. Somewhere in Time
   
7. Fear of the Dark
8. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
9. The X Factor
   
10. No Prayer for the Dying
11. Dance of Death
12. The Final Frontier
13. Brave New World
14. The Book of Souls
15. A Matter of Life and Death
16. Virtual XI

I'm amazed at how differently I feel about the two Blaze albums. There's not a lot of difference in style and structure between them, but Virtual XI just sounds extremely tedious, and somehow Blaze's "dark spiritual journey of the struggling everyman" contribution to the Maiden sound is only really convincing on the first album. On the second, he just sounds like a washed-up, talentless version of the struggling everyman. I think there are also more fantasy themes lyrically on Virtual XI, and when Blaze sings lyrics like that instead of the more realistic/personal ones, it only serves to highlight how much less "Maiden" he sounds than Bruce.

Other than Virtual XI, I don't really dislike any of their albums. I still hear epic 80s-quality material in most of the 21st century ones, it's just few and far between. For that period, Dance of Death has the greatest number of songs that really impress me, and of course there's "Paschendale", the only song of that period which I think stands up to the best 80s songs. The Final Frontier and Brave New World have about an equal number of highs, but there are more lows on BNW.

I had to relisten to Somewhere in Time too. It's always weirded me out a little - much more prog than the previous albums, and unlike those albums there's nothing that really won me over immediately. Hard to criticize it, though - it's tight, packed with riffs, and there's something magical in the guitar tone which you can't hear anywhere else in the discography.

The first four on my list are undoubtedly their catchiest albums, and that's the primary standard by which I choose to judge Maiden. Their ability to write such unforgettable songs is what sets them apart from 99% of metal bands, and they arguably spent most of their career making cheap, formulaic imitations of the 1982-1984 period.

 

[The Ozzman]

The fact that you put Brave New World almost last means you know nothing about Maiden

 

[EspaDa]

No way Final Frontier is better than Brave New World.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

At least Final Frontier doesn't have Dream of Mirrors on it.

 

[The Ozzman]

At least Final Frontier doesn't have Dream of Mirrors on it.

I ONLY DREAM IN BLACK AND WHIIIITE

 

[Dak]

I ONLY DREAM CAUSE IM ALIIIIIIVE

 

[EspaDa]

Certainly not their best but still better than the lead single off Final Frontier.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

The fact that you put Brave New World almost last means you know nothing about Maiden

The fact that you (1) ranked it above their first four albums, and (2) singled out Killers from a discography as bloated as Maiden's to point out what you call filler, pretty much invalidates any opinions you have about music let alone Maiden.

 

[The Ozzman]

The fact that you (1) ranked it above their first four albums, and (2) singled out Killers from a discography as bloated as Maiden's to point out what you call filler, pretty much invalidates any opinions you have about music let alone Maiden.

Oh okay

 

[Dak]

Trve rvles of UM rating games:

1. No album can be first that isn't within the first 3 releases of a discography.
2. Everything Metallica did after AJFA sucks.
3. The only black metal that sucks is IT FUCKING DOESN'T.
4. Breakdowns are an automatic disqualifier.
5. Judas Priest is better than Iron Maiden because of one album.
6. Thrash made after the 80s is just a sad imitation.
7. Chuck Schuldiner didn't get cancer soon enough.
8. Covers should never be done and always suck.


Know these or be considered the poseurist of poseurs.

Did I forget any?