(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
--b
from St. Louis, MO United States
With the exception of The X-Factor, this is probably the most controversial record Iron Maiden ever released in terms of fan response. I think what most people forget is that while this may be an average Iron Maiden record, in terms of metal itself this album is pretty much up to snuff. At the time this was released, Iron Maiden (along with G'n R) were the top dogs. When metal went to hell and grunge took over circa 1991-2, I think alot of people focused their ire against Maiden, and this record in particular. The biggest injustice in all of this being the incessent blame heaped on the shoulders of the new guy, one Jannick Gers, who replaced guitar hero Adrian Smith in '89. Even your venereable Amazon.com reviewer (see above) seems to blame the whole thing on Jannick--nevermind the fact that the whole record was recorded in like 3 days in 'Arry's barn and Gers wasn't even allowed to contribute any of his own material. The songs are slightly weaker than on most Maiden records, and the production is nonexistent, all due respect to Martin Birch. But I think this album holds up curiously well a decade after its release. It's probably their angriest record since Killers, the lyrics based firmly in reality as opposed to literature. Also, the solos themselves are fantastic (see Public Enema #1--naff song, blinding guitar solo). To put it succinctly, this should probably be one of the later records you add to your IM collection. But for those of you who love Maiden and are deliberately avoiding this because you heard "Bring your Daughter" and didn't like it, or b/c some reviewer on this site slagged it off (see above), you are really missing some vintage stuff. While some people may choose to view this record as the end of Iron Maiden's dominance, in reality it is a neccesary step towards the preservation of the bands integrity and a circling of the wagons around the band's carefully wrought (and hard won) empire. No gratuitous pop-shite here, Metallica.
