Iron Maiden's Reviews
Fear Of The Dark (Average Rating: 7.30 out of 10)
Blah... (Rated this album with 6 out of 10)
Reviewed by
amit_pad
from Bay area, CA, USA
If you've grown up on staple Iron Maiden fare like I have, you'll find this album not upto the mark. Its disappointing that Maiden couldn't get into the groove even after one album of experimentation(No prayer for the dying). The first thing they should've done is fire Janick Gers and bring back Adrian Smith. This is not because Janick's a bad guitarist, he's excellent and probably a lot more technically skilled than Murray and Smith. Its more that his style is suited to single lead guitar bands, where he takes center-stage. A twin lead attack demands precision, an almost telepathic understanding of each other's styles and compromise in some cases. Gers and Murray could never match the fluidity of Smith - Murray. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I think this aint a bad album at all. It opens with the rip roaring Be Quick or Be dead, which has Dickenson screaming through his pipes at full blast. Gers and Murray combine well and come out with blistering leads when the time comes. The other songs going forward are a downward spiral with occasional bright spots(Childhood's end, Chains of misery). 'Afraid to shoot strangers' is a good track, and definitely a track a non-maiden band wouldve considered a radio hit in any album. 'Weekend Warrior' is a good number too, about football hooliganism and so is the title track. Sounds a lot better live.
BUT...this is Maiden folks, and the reason we keep listening to them is because they're unlike any other band we know.
This would be a great album by an above average, even high class metal band...
Gen Xers may say..."kick out those long haired low brow guitar god wannabes, bring in something new..." but there's a difference between well thought out change and change for its own sake.
The other songs sound a lot like No Prayer for the dying.
Overall a 3 star rating.
Buy this album on Amazon at $17.98
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