Ranking Every Iron Maiden Song: 140-131

by Nathaniel Puente

Another week, another list of Iron Maiden songs today on Heavy Metal Mania. Today, we rank songs 140-131. Is your favorite on the list? Check the bottom of the post for links to the posts already up!

140. Out of the Silent Planet - Brave New World

When Iron Maiden announced Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith were to return to the band and work was going to be started on the band's 12th studio album, there was a reason for excitement. The band went into the studio and came out with 2000's Brave New World, a monumental album that showed Maiden was ready for the new millennium and prepared to retake over the metal world. The lead single was a no-brainer, "The Wicker Man," was the first track on the album and was a great song. The second single could have been any of the other nine songs from the album; maybe "Brave New World," the album's melodic title track, or how about "Blood Brothers," a song that has become a staple in Maiden's setlist? Well instead of either of those the band decided to choose "Out of the Silent Planet," one of the most underwhelming songs on the album. Why they chose this song is such a mystery. The intro is rather unpleasant, but the lyrics are interesting and the drum fill Nicko does before the verse is neat. Overall, it just seems like a waste of a song. The odd thing about this song being chosen as a single is that it was hardly ever played live, only four times in fact. Besides "Women in Uniform," which was only played once, it is the least played Maiden single. The band did not even play the song until the final four days of the tour in January 2001, three months after the song was released as a single. The music video that accompanied the song featured an out of sync live performance from the Brave New World Tour, but it was obviously not "Out of the Silent Planet" being played.

139. The Ides of March - Killers

Iron Maiden's shortest song. Let's make this the shortest review. The only worthwhile thing about this song is to play it on March 15th in a diluted tribute to Maiden. It is not a bad song, but definitely forgettable if "Wrathchild" does not immediately follow it.

138. Childhood's End - Fear of the Dark

Iron Maiden's 1992 album, Fear of the Dark, is really a hit or miss in a lot of the ways. Many of the songs feature decent lyrics with subpar music to back it. "Childhood's End" is definitely one of those songs. The track deals with children across the world starving and suffering. This used to be one of my favorite songs on the album, but that interest has waned over time. It is one of the most forgotten songs in Maiden's catalog. More than half of Fear of the Dark was not played live, including this song, which hurts their stock a bit. It has always been a pipe dream of mine to have Maiden play all of their discography at one point, but it does not seem feasible.

137. Judgement of Heaven - The X Factor

Here is another song that in my earliest days of obsessing over Iron Maiden was held very high by my standards. Over time though, it has fallen to the depressing depths that the protagonist of the song has as well. The lyrics, while serious in topic, have always seemed a bit silly. The line "You take the tarot cards, and throw them to the wind" never fails to make me chuckle just a bit. The music in this song is some of the best on the album. However, it does not fit the depressing mood the lyrics provide. This is odd considering half of the songs on this album give a dark, moody vibe to them. I might just be an apathetic chump, but anytime "God" is involved in Iron Maiden lyrics in a hopeful kind of way usually does not equal a great track. A few songs that do mention "God" in a Maiden way are "The Fallen Angel" or "Fates Warning." It's a shame because like a lot of the songs below this one, it could have been great.

136. Tears of a Clown - The Book of Souls

All of us have inner demons and unfortunately, they get the best of some people. This came true for the well-esteemed actor Robin Williams who committed suicide in 2014, shocking many people. That became the subject of this track from Iron Maiden's 2015 album, The Book of Souls. The lyrics are very meaningful and enjoyable, but the music lacks to back it up. It suffers as one of the weakest songs on the album because of this. If it was not for the first and last tracks on Disc 2 of The Book of Souls, Disc 1 would be far superior as the three most lacking songs are on Disc 2; two of these songs have already been revealed, which is the other? Just continue reading on.

135. Gates of Tomorrow - Dance of Death

There are a handful of Iron Maiden songs that fans collectively claim as throwaway songs. "Gates of Tomorrow" can be described as one of those songs. A lot of people seem to find Janick's solos and the opening guitar intro to be very distasteful. Bruce's voice on the track is reminiscent of his voice on No Prayer for the Dying, an album lost amongst many Maiden fans. These reasons, coupled with some questionable lyrics, create a lost song that some describe as the worst on the album. Despite all of that, it used to be one of my favorite Dance of Death songs when I first heard the album. That interest has dropped over time, but it is not a bad song by any stretch. The band describes the song as an "AC-DCish guitar-drum intro [that] quickly turns into a full-on Iron Maiden salvo" and that fits perfectly.

 134. Fear is the Key - Fear of the Dark

There was an abundance of "fear" on Fear of the Dark. Most songs mention the fear of something or reference it in some way. What exactly were they afraid of? Bruce leaving? Anyway, like most Iron Maiden songs, "Fear is the Key" features some life lessons that most of the public should take note of. In the 1980s, cases of HIV exploded throughout the world and while some raced to find a cure and show awareness, most ignored the pandemic until Freddy Mercury, of Queen fame, died due to the disease. This prompted the premise of "Fear is the Key," most notably the lyric "Nobody cares until somebody famous dies." This song suffers the same fate that a lot of songs on this particular list do: great lyrics, subpar music. This is one of those tracks from FOTD that feels too much like a filler.

133. Quest for Fire - Piece of Mind

We often applaud Iron Maiden for delivering historically accurate lyrics with some awesome music to back it up; none of that is present on "Quest for Fire." This track tells the thrilling tale of cavemen searching for fire to keep themselves sustained while fending off dinosaurs. The blame cannot be all thrown on the band for these lyrics as the song is based on the 1981 film of the same name. This is yet another song that was originally one of my favorites before falling off over time. This song might be the quintessential Iron Maiden filler. Despite its goofy lyrics and unmemorable guitar solos, it is a great song; then again, so are all Iron Maiden songs. Listen to this one on vinyl for maximum low-quality pleasure!

132. 2 A.M. - The X Factor

Iron Maiden's catalog features many depressing songs. If you choose a random selection of Maiden tracks you might pick up "No Prayer for the Dying" or "Wasting Love." Why you may even pick up "2 A.M." off of The X Factor. This song features a wonderful acoustic intro that masterfully used Blaze's voice when it breaks into verse. The song tells the story of a man stuck in a rut who is tired of life and might just end it all if he finds the time. The lyrics are desolate and might hit home for some. It is a nice song, but gets kind of lost in the shuffle among Iron Maiden songs. Although the band never performed it live, Blaze Bayley played it several times on solo tours.

131. Gangland - The Number of the Beast

Every legendary album has at least one song that you forget about. The Number of the Beast stands as one of the most iconic albums in metal history and "Gangland" somehow is on it. This song is kind of like the backup quarterback of a Super Bowl-winning team, or maybe a substitute midfielder for you non-American lot! The song starts off with a drum solo from the late Clive Burr, orchestrating his talents to his best abilities. This is the only song that features a songwriting credit from him.  The song describes a time when gangsters were rampant and went town to town doing their crimes and making their gains. It is not a poor song, but compared to the quality of the other album's tracks, it suffers dramatically.


So, there is the list of 131-140. Next time we throw down another ten songs. Leave a comment on your thoughts about this list and stick around for the next post on Heavy Metal Mania!

PRIOR LISTS

155-151: https://uptheirons-666.blogspot.com/2017/12/ranking-every-iron-maiden-song-number.html?spref=fb

150-141: http://uptheirons-666.blogspot.com/2017/12/ranking-every-iron-maiden-song-150-141.html

MAIN SITE: http://uptheirons-666.blogspot.com/

Ranking Every Iron Maiden Song: 150-141

by Nathaniel Puente

Every Iron Maiden song is absolutely fantastic. What is the best one? What is the worst one? What is the 128th best one? We continue our ranking today on Heavy Metal Mania with songs 141-150!Check out the link at the end of today's list to see the other lists that have already been taken care of!


150. The Man of Sorrows - The Book of Souls

The lowest song from Iron Maiden's latest album, The Book of Souls, comes in solidly at number 150. It is the album's penultimate song as following it is the epic "Empire of the Clouds." The first half of the song reminds me a lot of a song from Bruce Dickinson's 1997 solo album Accident of Birth, that was also titled "Man of Sorrows!" Whether or not those songs share any connection is a mystery, but this man clearly is depressed, which most of us would be if we were the subject of one of Maiden's most boring songs. The instrumental piece in the middle is pretty nice, but that can hardly save this track which was doomed from the start. It should be noted that this song was written by Dave Murray and Steve Harris, so any thoughts of Bruce just bringing up an old song are moot. This is Murray's only contribution on the album. He usually only writes one to two songs per album, and it is a shame he could not whip out something like "Still Life" or "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg." Oh well, there is always next album!

149. The Apparition - Fear of the Dark

1992's Fear of the Dark featured quite a few filler songs. "The Apparition" is probably one of those songs. It is challenging to have this song so low. The lyrics are some of my favorite in Maiden's catalog. They are very psychological and offer some good advice. Iron Maiden has some amazing lyrics through their 155 songs and these are different, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. That being said, the music in the song is not able to back up the lyrics and is lackluster. This album feels like a way for Maiden to find out what things worked and did not work, which can be felt as a different mood carries throughout the album. This is one of those songs that did not work. It will never be forgotten by me though as a line from the song is my signature on the IMFC forum.

148. New Frontier - Dance of Death

What do Nicko McBrain and Ringo Starr have in common? Besides being legendary English drummers who now reside in the U.S., they are comically known for rarely writing for their respective bands. While Ringo has "Octopus's Garden" and "Don't Pass Me By," Nicko has "New Frontier" and ... well, that's it. Nicko has only written one song during his 35-year stay in Iron Maiden. Was "New Frontier" a shot of lyrical genius that Nicko had been hiding from the world? Not really, the lyrics are tied in with Nicko's religious awakening and God's displeasure of cloning. Apparently, Nicko got tricked... or talked into being a Christian in 1999 by his wife and a church he attended. If he's happy, we're happy, but come on Nick, write a better song 20 years from now!

147. Look for the Truth - The X Factor

When Blaze Bayley was singing "Here is the dream" on this track, I am sure it was heartfelt. Bayley had hit the big time by singing for one of metal's biggest bands. The actual lyrics of the song have nothing to do with anything positive as the protagonist of the song is dealing with some awful demons from his own mind. This song follows a format that most on this album do: A soft almost inaudible intro, depressing lyrics that sequence into a fast instrumental verse and chorus, a couple guitar solos, some "woah-ohs" and the outro. It is pretty simplistic, but it works on most of the songs. This is just the weakest of the bunch. Many people completely dispell the Bayley era and would rather have me plug all 19 songs from that era at the bottom of the list, but I will never do that. The Bayley era contains some amazing music, and The X Factor is one of my favorite Iron Maiden albums, Top 5 for sure. That may be hard to believe since I have thrown now two songs from this album in the bottom ten, but I really do enjoy the album for its dark-slow paced vibe.

146. Weekend Warrior - Fear of the Dark

This is one of the songs that is the hardest to find people defend. It is far from the best song Iron Maiden has ever recorded, but I enjoy the theme of it and the music fits. It is another one of those experimental songs that they had on this album. This one obviously does not work for Maiden, but it would be a good AC/DC song. The song deals with football fans who go and see a match just to get crazy and cause havoc. One could compare it to the Hillsborough tragedy or an average Buffalo Bills home game. Dave Murray and Janick Gers lay down some excellent guitar solos on this one.

145. Run Silent Run Deep - No Prayer for the Dying

The first song from No Prayer for the Dying to make the list is "Run Silent Run Deep." The lyrics had been originally written by Bruce for the Somewhere in Time album but had to stow them away for a few years since he was denied any songwriting on the band's 1986 album. That may have ultimately been a good thing as this is a rather weak track. The intro is neat, but the verse is poor. The chorus and solo pick it up a bit, but the song as a whole just is not too thrilling.

144. Sanctuary - Iron Maiden

In comes the hatred from the nostalgic group. Well, this song is really basic and sounds a bit out of place on this record. That could be because it is not an original Iron Maiden composition. Despite the fact that most releases credit "Iron Maiden" as the writer of this song, it was not originally written by Iron Maiden. It is a little-known fact that Rob Angelo, who resided in the band in 1977, wrote the song and later sold it to the band for £300. That's quite a little nugget isn't it? Well, that, coupled with the single cover from 1980[pictured above] are the only interesting things about this song. How this song has lasted through nearly every tour is a mystery to me. 

143. Satellite 15... the Final Frontier - The Final Frontier

Que the worst title track in Maiden history. The insanely long intro to this song is what kills it for me. If it was written to be an intro for the tour, that's understandable, but why leave it that long on the album? The theme could be interesting to some people into the sci-fi stuff, but it does not hit home personally. The chorus is nice, but that about does it. The rest of the album, fortunately, features some amazing music that far surpasses the first track.

142. Sun and Steel - Piece of Mind

Once again I will reiterate that every Iron Maiden is a masterpiece, there are just some that are better than others. We all have an opinion on what is the best and worst, so do not get your panties in a twist if a song you like is low on this list. "Sun and Steel" comes in as one of two filler songs wedged near the end of 1983's Piece of Mind. The other song appears later on this list, I am sure you know what it is. The tale of this song is quite interesting. It follows the life of Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi. The one part of the song that does not sit well with me is the opening intro. Every time I hear that I usually skip the song. The placing of this song and "Sanctuary" will undoubtedly get me the most criticism, but we could not leave the 80s songs completely unscathed this time around, could we?

141. The Angel and the Gambler - Virtual XI

Fans everywhere rejoice! "The Angel and the Gambler" has finally been ranked! There was a time when I thought this song was severely underrated and deserved to be played live. Those times have passed and I have succumbed to most people's pleading and have grown to not be as fond of this song as I once was. The whole intro of the song is just not very cool. The horn sounding keyboards are just so un-Iron Maiden that it hurts a bit. The lyrics are also cheesy and uninspired, like most of the lyrics found throughout Virtual XI. This song, along with another Virtual XI track, are fun to troll people with whenever the aux cord is passed your way. For that alone, it gets a higher ranking from me than most people. The version of the music video is much shorter and probably should have been that way on the album.


So there are 150-141. Next time we will rank 140-131! What are some of your least favorite Iron Maiden songs? Leave a comment and stay on the look for the next post on Heavy Metal Mania!

FULL RANKING LIST

155-151: https://uptheirons-666.blogspot.com/2017/12/ranking-every-iron-maiden-song-number.html?spref=fb

Ranking Every Iron Maiden song: Number 155-151

by Nathaniel Puente

Let's just cut to the chase and skip the long intro. Iron Maiden is the best band on the planet. They have released 16 albums containing 155 songs. Those songs are the greatest songs ever released in the history of time. I suppose that is just an opinion. You can agree with me if you have correct opinions. Obviously, there must be a best and worst song. There are also 153 others in the middle of that. So, why not put together a list ranking every Iron Maiden song? That's what we are about to put to the test on Heavy Metal Mania. With a "definitive" list ranking every Iron Maiden song, with ten per post. Those who do not agree with this list are encouraged to post their own in the comment section. Today's list will only include the final five songs.

NOTE: The song titles are also hyperlinks to the song on YouTube.



155. Chains of Misery - Fear of the Dark

Well, we had to start somewhere right? Chains of Misery comes in as the worst Iron Maiden song. It comes from my least favorite Iron Maiden album, Fear of the Dark, so naturally, the worst song would be derived from there. We must establish that even though this song is still last, it is still an Iron Maiden song meaning it is still one of the greatest songs ever written, it is just far inferior to every other one of their masterpieces. Bruce Dickinson and Dave Murray collaborated on this gem and as Bruce tells it, the song revolves around the devil's dastardly deed of making us do the wrong thing and holding us down by our "Chains of Misery." If you like subpar Iron Maiden songs, this is your jam!

154. The Man Who Would Be King - The Final Frontier

This is one of those 21st century Iron Maiden songs that makes you think they just make long songs just for the sake of it. Do not get me wrong, I love some of their longer songs such as "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "The Book of Souls," "For the Greater Good of God," etc. but this one kind of drones on for way too long and I find myself asleep in the middle of it. The song is about a man who is a king of an unknown land who is seeking forgiveness after killing someone. The intro to the song is pretty cool, but like the rest of it lasts way too long.

153. Age of Innocence - Dance of Death

Would you believe I actually feel as I have ranked this song too high? One of the more boring Iron Maiden songs for sure came near the end of 2003's Dance of Death. Apparently, the lyrics are one of those "back in my day" deals as Steve Harris asserts that crime is much more rampant in the UK as when he was growing up. The lyrics take a jab at the British justice system or lack thereof. The subject matter of the song is a serious matter, but it can hardly save it from its rather uninspiring music. The only thing that can salvage the song is that drummer Nicko McBrain recorded a version of him singing the song as a bonus track on the "No More Lies" EP released in 2004. Nicko's rendition of the song is absolutely hilarious and is definitely worth a listen. It is rather ironic that they pick such a serious song to make a joke out of, but the beauty of Iron Maiden is that they never take themselves too seriously!

152. Prodigal Son - Killers

This might get me the most flack of any song on this post. "Prodigal Son" is notably the only song off of 1981's Killers that was not played on the album's tour. Most believe that this song has never been played live, although through a few reliable sources I have found that it was indeed played live sometime in the 1970s. Whatever the case, I am glad it was not played live during the album tour as it is the weakest song on Killers. The song features a pretty neat intro, but that's about it. The lyrics deal with some sort of biblical figure trying to plead with a "lamia." Now, what is a "lamia?" According to Greek mythology, a lamia was a female demon who devoured the heads of children. Interesting to say the least. "The Lamia" is also a song by Genesis, of whom Steve Harris drew a lot of inspiration from, so there might be some ties there.

151. The Unbeliever - The X Factor

 The worst song from the Blaze Bayley era comes just above the worst one from the Paul Di'anno era. The final track on The X Factor, Iron Maiden's first album with Blaze Bayley on vocals, is fairly useless. Like most of the songs from these bottom five, the song features a cool intro, but the rest of the song suffers from repetitiveness, some lackluster lyrics, and forced guitar solos in the midsection of the song. At the end, I myself am an unbeliever. As in, I can not believe they would choose this song on the album when "I Live My Way," "Judgement Day," and "Justice of the Peace" are all far superior to this song, and yet were regulated to 'B' sides of The X Factor's first single, "Man on the Edge." The lyrics seem to hint at someone who runs from emotional problems and will not believe who they truly are inside.


Well, that was not easy, but those are the five worst Iron Maiden songs. No two lists are exactly the same, so give us your worst five in the comments below. Keep posted for the next list where we reveal songs 150-141 on Heavy Metal Mania!

Visit http://uptheirons-666.blogspot.com/ to see Heavy Metal Mania's main site where there are several completed Iron Maiden lists already up on the web!


NP

Iron Maiden Live Albums Ranked

by Nathaniel Puente

It has been well-established that Iron Maiden is one of the greatest live acts in music history. Their amazing live shows include a ten-foot incarnation of Eddie roaming the stage, Bruce Dickinson jumping around, and oh yeah, some of the best music in metal history being performed. They are awesome to say the least. Over the years Iron Maiden has captured some of that essence on record and released them as live albums. In fact, today is the day that Maiden's Book of Souls: Live Chapter is released to the world. It is their 12th live album released and it is a good one. Where does it rank among their live albums released so far? Scroll down the list to find out!



12. A Real Dead One - 1993

Every list has to have a bottom dweller and on this one it just happens to be A Real Dead One from 1993. In the year of Bruce Dickinson's departure, the band released three live albums across the span of six months and this one fell right in the middle of that insanity. This live album was the counterpart to A Real Live One, which was released earlier in 1993. The main point that split the two albums was that A Real Dead One contained material played from the band's first five albums on their Fear of the Dark Tour and A Real Live Tour. The strong point of this release comes from its setlist, which contains much of the band's more classic work such as "The Number of the Beast," "The Trooper," "Hallowed Be Thy Name," among others. It also contains some more obscure recordings like "Where Eagles Dare" and "Prowler." At the same time though, the rehashing of the popular material might be its downfall. Would I really choose to hear "Sanctuary" live from this record just for fun? Probably not. This album, along with its counterpart, are usually criticized for the production where the bass is a lot more clear than the guitars which are kind of blended together and not very unique. As a biased bassist, I like the overemphasized sound of the bass, but it might not have been the best choice on this release. Steve Harris was the producer after all so it should be expected. Overall, this live album is good but far from their best work.

11. A Real Live One - 1993

If you had a twin you would probably get dragged down with them all of the time. The same can be said for the A Real Live/Dead One combo. In 1998, when Iron Maiden remastered all of their albums, they rightfully placed the two together on a complete release titled A Real Live Dead One. I always wonder why they did not just do that in the first place. This album contains material from the band's sixth through ninth album, that were seen as the newer work at the time. The feelings about this one are pretty much exactly the same about the other one. "Bring Your Daugther... to the Slaughter" and "The Clairvoyant" are highlights while "Be Quick or Be Dead" and "From Here to Eternity" are low points. The coolest thing on the record to me is before "Wasting Love" when Bruce gives a speech in French to the Paris audience. For that alone it scores just a bit higher than A Real Dead One.

10. Death On The Road - 2005(Recorded in 2003)

What can really be said about Death on the Road? The first four songs might be the most boring first four to begin an Iron Maiden live album. After we are treated to "Wildest Dreams," one of the weakest songs from Dance of Death, we get an always thrilling rendition of "Wrathchild," and then the must play in every Iron Maiden concert  "Can I Play With Madness?" and lastly "The Trooper." Just terrific. Those are all great songs in their own right, but it just feels gross starting a concert with those on a tour that's supposedly about Dance of Death. After that though the set gets really good with "Dance of Death," "Rainmaker," "Brave New World," and "Paschendale" making up for the weak start. The music is mixed well and every instrument sounds in check. The crowd noise does sound tweaked a bit high, but it gives it that bootleg from the middle of the audience feel which is really cool for some folks. There can be no discussion about Death on the Road without mentioning the live video that would accompany it a few years later. I am not sure if Steve Harris was attempting to set a record for most jump cuts in one DVD, but he definitely achieved it within the first five minutes of the film with an endless amount of nauseating jump cuts. Stick to the audio recording of this album.

9. BBC Archives - 2002(Recordings from 1980-1982)

Any time a band shells out some unheard recordings from its early days it is going to be a big deal. That was somewhat the case when Iron Maiden released the BBC Archives along with two other gems as apart of the Eddie's Archive box set from 2002. BBC Archives contains recordings from three separate concerts from Maiden's early days and one from when the band was already a well-established front runner. The first is a four-song session from Iron Maiden's performance on BBC's Friday Rock Show from 1979. These songs feature Doug Sampson on drums soon before he was replaced by Clive Burr. Besides The Soundhouse Tapes, this is the earliest official recording of Maiden. Of course bootlegs exist out there from prior, but this is the only thing the band want you listening to! It is a pretty decent recording and definitely for historical purposes should be looked at intently. The next recordings come from Maiden's performance at 1982's Reading Festival. By this time Bruce Dickinson is in the band and you can feel the raw energy oozing out of the record with every note played from the boys and every high screech from Bruce. With Beast Over Hammersmith, which was recorded on the same tour and released with Eddie's Archive, outshining this recording, it makes this one feel a little redundant. The next recording is another Reading Festival performance, this time from 1980 when Dennis Stratton was still handling guitar duties. To me, this is the best recording on the album. Di'anno's voice sounds a lot better than on the 1979 recording as he takes command of the audio. Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Clive Burr, and Dennis Stratton do not let him take too much charge as their presence is definitely all felt collectively on this what was one of the best concerts of 1980's Iron Maiden tour.  The final recording on the album comes from 1988's performance at Donington. It's a great recording and in fact this is the concert where "The Clairvoyant" was recorded for single release, although strangely enough it does not appear on this live album. It's a superb recording but it suffers the same fate as the 1982 recording in that its made redundant by Maiden England, which exceeds this recording in almost every way. The thing about this album that confuses me the most is why it is in a somewhat shuffled order instead of  being listed chronologically.  Overall, BBC Archives is a very interesting and historical release, but not the best by a long shot.

8. En Vivo! - 2012

As Iron Maiden have trekked down further in their career, they have made an increased effort in releasing live albums, and it is really the best move they can make. Their live work is what gets them the most praise, and thus they bring it to the masses in carefully wrapped CDs, vinyl, and DVDs. Here's an example of Iron Maiden shelling out another live release, 2012's En Vivo! recorded in Santiago, Chile in 2011 off of Iron Maiden's Final Frontier World Tour. That tour, which ran from 2010-2011, was a great example of Maiden pleasing both the casual and hardcore fans alike with mixing their classic work with their newer less desired music. For someone like myself obsessed with the band, I wish they would whip out "Fates Warning" or "Flash of the Blade" just for the heck of it, but am always happy to see them play material from the latest album and that's exactly what they did for this release. The only negatives here come from "Satellite 15... the Final Frontier," which is just a fairly weak song, and "The Wicker Man," where the guitar intro sounds very unfamiliar to how we have heard it in the past. One note that has always upset me is that before playing "2 Minutes to Midnight," Bruce mentions how it's a song from 1982, when this song is from Powerslave, which came out in 1984. Now obviously Bruce is not a Maiden obsessed nerd like most of us, but it is something maybe he should have correct in his mind before he shouts to millions of people watching. For that alone it got knocked down a spot maybe.

7. Live at Donington - 1993

Somehow Iron Maiden managed to squeeze out three live albums in 1993 and this is the last of the bunch, and amazingly it was the best released of the year. This album definitely sounds like what A Real Live One and A Real Dead One were trying to accomplish. The dark and ominous mood of the band's era are heard throughout this release and it works really well. Major bonus points are given for guitarist Adrian Smith's appearance on "Running Free," the last song performed on the release. Smith had left the band in 1989 after spending eight years in Maiden. He was replaced with Janick Gers. For this one song, however, Smith joined the band and they played as a six-piece for the first time. In 1999 of course Smith would rejoin the band, along with Bruce Dickinson who would leave for six years after 1993's A Real Live Tour, and the band would be a permanent six-piece to this day. "Fear of the Dark" has remained a staple in Iron Maiden's set as the only 90s era song and even in its first tour its presence seems larger than life. This live album is largely overlooked but most Maiden fans should look back on it and appreciate it. Then maybe we will finally get a damn 90s history tour.

6. Beast Over Hammersmith - 2002(Recorded in 1982)

This is the part of the list where it starts getting really hard to put an album where it might seem "too low." Beast Over Hammersmith was packaged in 2002 Eddie's Archive with the aforementioned BBC Archives and Best of the 'B' Sides. It was recorded in 1982 at the Hammersmith Odeon on Maiden's Beast on the Road tour, Bruce Dickinson's first full tour with the band. The setlist is absolutely phenomenal. It opens with "Murders in the Rue Morgue," which has alaways been personally preferred with Bruce on vocals rather than the original vocalist of the track Paul Di'anno. After that there is just a plethora of classic tracks from Maiden's first three albums with "Children of the Damned," "Killers," and "Phantom of the Opera" being notable. "Total Eclipse," the 'B' side to the "Run to the Hills" single even makes a rare appearance. The live video that accompanies the album is awesome, however at the time it was not released because the band and management were not happy with the lighting on the recording. Luckily it was finally released in 2005 on the Early Days DVD. There just is not much bad to say about this entire record, except that on a personal note I am much more fond of Bruce's vocals later on in his Maiden career rather than right at the beginning.

5. Maiden England - 2013(Recorded in 1988)

Narrowly defeating Beast Over Hammersmith is 2013's Maiden England. This recording comes from 1988 where it was originally recorded for video release. It should be noted that this album was originally released in 1994, but with only 10 songs, whereas the more familiar 2013 version has the full slate of 18 songs in the lineup. This is an excellent album, with everything you would want from an Iron Maiden release available for the picking. The setlist is terrific, with six songs being taken directly from the album's tour's namesake, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. "Infinite Dreams" and "The Clairvoyant" are bright spots from that album's appearances. Besides those songs we get great renditions of "Die With Your Boots On," "Killers," "The Prisoner," "Still Life," among others. The whole atmosphere of the album is phenomenal and it shows Maiden at their peak in the 1980s, although most would not call it their largest peak in their career. It is such an awesome album that it leaves you wondering what could possibly outdo it?

4. Book of Souls: Live Chapter - 2017

Somehow Iron Maiden continues to outdo themselves year after year. Like a fine wine, they have been perfected with their increased age and experience. There is a large amount of emotional baggage on this record for myself seeing as it was my first Iron Maiden concert that I saw for myself, front row by the way! The setlist has to be one of the best the band has ever done. Six songs are pulled from 2015's The Book of Souls and they definitely chose the best of the bunch with "If Eternity Should Fail," "Death or Glory," and "The Book of Souls" being concert highlights. Although there's a personal yearning for them to have played "When the River Runs Deep" and the 18-minute "Empire of the Clouds," I can live without it. The entire band is fully in sync here and never miss a step. It is an awesome feeling knowing that Maiden's legacy can continue on now in their fifth decade of releasing material.

3. Live After Death - 1985

There are some releases that even someone who is not an obsessed Iron Maiden fan can say "yeah, that's really cool." This is absolutely the case with 1985's Live After Death. This album contains recordings across four separate shows at Los Angeles's Long Beach Arena where Maiden sold out every show from March 13-17, 1985. The production is absolutely fantastic on this album. Every instrument is clear and distinct in its own way while blending in to make the final product sound crisp and superb. This live album spawned two singles, "Running Free" and "Run to the Hills." Both of these are two of the best recordings from the album. On the 1998 re-release the band added "Wrathchild," "22 Acacia Avenue," "Die With Your Boots On," "Children of the Damned," and "Phantom of the Opera," five amazing tracks recorded from UK shows in 1984 that were not included on the original release due to lack of space. One of the best things about this album has to be the album cover. It has gone on to become of Iron Maiden's most iconic album covers and for good reason. This album has stood the test of time as one of the best live albums in metal history.

2. Rock in Rio - 2002

The year 2000, or 2001 depending on how you want to look at it, was not just the beginning of the new millennium, it was the beginning of Iron Maiden's takeover of the world. With the release of 2000's Brave New World, the band from East Leyton, London were ready to show that they were back and were to be taken very seriously. Bruce Dickinson returned after a six year leave from the band in 1999 along with guitarist Adrian Smith who had been gone since 1989 and the band were ready to get back to business as a six-piece, including three guitarists. Why you ask? Well as Bruce once stated, "One guitar is never enough!" Anyway the band had to prove to the world that they were back to prominence and what better way than with a world tour that included a headlining gig at Brazil's coveted Rock in Rio, a concert that was one of the most important in Maiden history when they originally performed there in 1985. The band came out swinging with three songs from the newly released Brave New World, and would include a total of six songs from that album. The band also were able to incorporate ten of their twelve albums at the time into the set, only leaving out 1986's Somewhere in Time and 1990's No Prayer for the Dying. Which means, yes they did play material from the Blaze Bayley era(1994-1998). The inclusions of these songs are noble and well-warranted, however, to me "Sign of the Cross," from 1995's The X Factor, is the weak point of the album as Bruce's voice is not meant for the song. That being said the rendition of 1998's "The Clansman" is really well done. At the time of the album's release, many casual fans yearned for more classic material to be played and were upset at the setlist, but most hardcore fans can agree that the track listing on this release is amazing. My favorite live recording of any Iron Maiden song comes from "Fear of the Dark" on this album. I still get chills listening to it. This really was Iron Maiden's march back into the spotlight to show that they were here to stay for good.

1. Flight 666 - 2009

If Iron Maiden were not already in the stratosphere of the metal world, Flight 666 put them there. Maybe that is why they had to travel to outer space on 2010's The Final Frontier! This over-the-top live album, which was accompanied by the largely successful documentary of the same name, might just be the peak in Iron Maiden's career. At this point they could not be stopped and would conquer every place they visited. The tour of this live album was 2008-2009's Somewhere Back in Time Tour, where the band played 23 shows across 13 countries in the span of 45 days on the first leg of the tour. If that was not entertaining enough, the band travels in their own personal Boeing 757 plane, Ed Force One, which is piloted by lead singer Bruce Dickinson! All of that large spectacle aside, the band laid down some epic recordings on this release. The tour was a celebration of the band's music from the 1980s, which span across seven amazing albums that most regard as their best work.  "Churchill's Speech," Bruce's conversations to the crowd in between songs, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and everything about this release is so perfect. You will be smiling from ear to ear every time you listen to this album. There is no reason that this should not be the best Iron Maiden live album.




So there it is, a definitive ranking of Iron Maiden's 12 live albums. Is something too low or too high? Leave a comment and stay tuned for the next post on Heavy Metal Mania!




NP

Top 10 Nicko McBrain Songs

By Nathaniel Puente

Iron Maiden is a band lauded for the soaring vocals of Bruce Dickinson, the complex bass lines of Steve Harris, and the triple-ax guitar attack of Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers. Something that sometimes gets forgotten in the Iron Maiden repertoire is the thunderous dynamic drumming of Nicko McBrain. The 'madman' joined Maiden in late 1982 and has played on every album since. McBrain is celebrated in the metal world for his colossal drum kit which he uses to its fullest. As Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee put it, "the man is an octopus." He is a highly celebrated member of Maiden and is loved by many fans around the globe. Nicko, the eldest member of Maiden, recently celebrated his 65th birthday. So we thought it'd be great to honor the drummer by listing the Top 10 Iron Maiden songs written by Nicko McBrain to celebrate it!

2. New Frontier - Dance of Death

Okay so we all know that Nicko is well-known for not writing many songs during his tenure in Maiden. He's been in the band for now 35 years and has written one song on a studio album, although number one on this list does give him a writing credit. New Frontier is definitely far from Maiden's best work, but it does stand on its own as the only Iron Maiden song properly written by Nicko McBrain.


1. Mission From 'Arry - 'B' side of 2 Minutes to Midnight

Nicko McBrain rightfully gets a credit for this argument between Steve Harris and himself, along with instigator Bruce Dickinson. The premise of the argument was that Harris, or 'Arry, sent his bass technician to relay a message to Nicko to extend his drum solo while Harris fixed a problem with his bass. The tech messed up the message and Nicko in turn botched his solo. After the show, McBrain was so upset that he decked the tech in the face. After learning of this, Steve got very irritated with Nicko and the two got in a heated argument. Bruce Dickinson overheard the heated confrontation and decided to intervene by taking a tape recorder and recording the conversation. Bruce enters the room with the recorder and what we get are six amazing minutes of  a hilarious argument between the three members. It is definitely one of the best 'B' sides Iron Maiden has ever recorded.

Well, we did promise you  at least 10 Nicko McBrain songs so we'll try to make good on our promise. Nicko played in several bands before joining Iron Maiden, here are the Top 5 songs from his bands that are not Iron Maiden.


5. Streetwalkers - Run For Cover - Red Card (1976)

Nicko McBrain was recording albums before Iron Maiden was even a band. In fact, his first official recording according to discogs.com is an appearance on a strange single from the Cockerel Chorus titled 'Nice One Cyril'. It is an obscure song, but if I am correct it is used as a football anthem over in England. That was Nicko's first foray in the recording business, but his first break with a band came in 1975 with the English group Streetwalkers, who released their second album Streetwalkers in the same year. They came back in 1976 in what I believe is their best album, Red Card. The band is somewhat of a hybrid betwee Nazareth-Led Zeppelin-King Crimon, which makes sense as a couple of the members were ex-King Crimson. It's a cool song and crazy to see how far Nicko has come since then.

4. Pat Travers - Makin' Magic  - Makin' Magic (1977)

Many people cite Pat Travers as one of the most underrated guitarists out there, including Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. The Canadian Travers worked with several esteemed rock musicians including Tommy Aldridge, Clive Edwards, Vinny Appice, and Mick Dyche. Nicko McBrain recorded two albums with the band in 1977, including Makin' Magic, a classic album. It's a great album for anyone that's a fan of bare bones classic rock.

3. Nicko McBrain - Beehive Boogie - Rhythm of the Beast (1991)

Some people might consider this cheating, but I don't. In 1991, Nicko McBrain teamed up with Paiste to showcase all things drumming for a full-length film. It was released as Rhythms of the Beast on VHS and spawned a single with the same name. The 'B' side to the single, 'Beehive Boogie' is a hard thumping instrumental, with guitar work by Iron Maiden man Dave Murray. It is a great song that makes awesome background music.

2. Trust - Certitudes...Solitudes... - Marche Ou Creve (1981)

Nicko's last stop before joining the Maiden crew came with the French band Trust in the early 1980s. He made his way onto their 3rd album, Marche Ou Creve , which they toured in support of and opened for Iron Maiden, where McBrain would gain his first contact with the band. 'Certitudes.. Solitudes..' is a hard sounding song that sounds all the more violent in French. Can you imagine Nicko speaking French?? That sounds hilarious.

1. Nicko McBrian - Rhythm of the Beast - Rhythm of the Beast

The lead single of the 1991 video, 'Rhythm of the Beast' features a big band type performance complete with organs and saxophones. It's a great instrumental that gets shrouded in the endless amount of amazing Iron Maiden material. If you have not heard this song, or seen the film, I highly anticipate that you do so. It is an absolute rocker!

We are not done yet as now we present you the Top 5 Iron Maiden drum performances from Nicko McBrain!


5. Deja-Vu - Somewhere in Time

I have always really loved the drum sound on Iron Maiden's 1986 album, Somewhere in Time. Although this might be the weakest song on the album, albeit still a gem, Nicko's prowess on the song can not be undermined. If you can make it passed the cheesy lyrics this song offers, pay attention to the heavy beats Nicko lays down back there.

4. Dream of Mirrors - Brave New World

This is another song that is far from one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, but greatly showcases Nicko's abilities as a percussionist. Nicko was on fire throughout the entire Brave New World album, 'The Thin Line Between Love and Hate' and 'The Mercenary' are prime examples. The sheer aggression and complexity of the beats are why Nicko should be regarded as a premier metal drummer.

3. Powerslave - Powerslave

How could I not include a song from my favorite album? Nicko's power is churned throughout the entire album and sounds great. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the production value of this album? It's so great! Nicko does a great job of using everything he has at his arsenal here and it sounds superb. This song's power is amplified live when McBrain hits every beat on point.

2. Sign of the Cross - The X Factor

Drummers usually save their best stuff for those long instrumental pieces lodged in an album's long cut. Luckily for Nicko McBrain, practically every song on Iron Maiden's last seven albums can be considered a long cut, and this is where it all started. The Blaze Bayley era of Iron Maiden is usually talked down upon, but there were some shear masterpieces on those two albums. 'Sign of the Cross' is definitely one of those songs. Iron Maiden's tenth album featured many songs that saw them take their more modern direction of playing more progressive metal sounding songs.

1. Where Eagles Dare - Piece of Mind

When Nicko joined the band and Iron Maiden was getting ready to record their fourth studio album in 1983, the band's leader Steve Harris thought it would be a great idea to welcome the world to their new dynamic drummer by starting the album off with the most powerful drum they could churn out. Nicko himself has often said that this is his favorite song, and with good reason! It is a terrific song and Nicko makes great use of his kit with a classic metal beat.



So, there are the best Nicko McBrain songs, but none of them are his best performance. What is Nicko's best performance?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IXp1uHzl6M


Click that and be ready for the best thing you're going to hear all day!


So, happy belated birthday to Mr. Michael Henry McBrain, have many more great ones and keep rocking our world!

If you have something you think I should rank, leave a comment and stay ready for the next post on Heavy Metal Mania!


NP

Top 10 Iron Maiden Songs With Blaze Bayley

By Nathaniel Puente

Iron Maiden have risen to the top of metal superiority. Across their illustrious career they have released sixteen studio albums with three different vocalists at the helm. The three vocalists, Blaze Bayley, Bruce Dickinson, and Paul Di'anno, have all released legendary music during their respective time in the band. Paul Di'anno is admired for his work on Maiden's first two albums, Bruce Dickinson is revered as one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time due to his work on 12 Iron Maiden albums, and Blaze Bayley treasured by many Maiden fans for his work on two albums in the middle of Maiden's career.

The one man who sticks out from this trio is Blaze Bayley. His time in the band is not looked on very fondly by casual Iron Maiden fans and even some of the more hardcore ones. Over the years, many people who once turned their backs on Bayley's efforts are starting to enjoy his work with the band. Whether you like him or not, he is still apart of the Iron Maiden family and released two albums with them, 1995's The X Factor and 1998's Virtual XI. Today is Bayley's 54th birthday, so we thought it'd be a great idea to honor the only man that took the role as Bruce Dickinson's replacement in Iron Maiden.

Here are the Top 10 Iron Maiden songs with Blaze Bayley with a bonus list featuring his top 10 solo songs!



10. Doctor Doctor - 'B' side to 'Lord of the Flies'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daqWToxZUJY

The list starts off with Iron Maiden's cover of the UFO classic, 'Doctor Doctor'. Although this is a 'B' side and did not appear on an Iron Maiden album, it is a great song. The band begin every concert playing the 1974 song on the speaker before they take the stage so in 1995 they finally decided to record the song themselves. The song is awesome and the production sounds pretty great, almost better than on The X Factor. The whole song is just substantial.


9. Como Estais Amigos - Virtual XI

This song closes out 1998's Virtual XI and does so in a somber way. This song would ultimately be the final song recorded with Blaze Bayley and would close the chapter on a difficult time in the band's career. This song was never played live, and maybe that's a good thing considering how slow it is. The song tells the tale of the Argentinian soldiers who lost their lives in the Falkland Islands War and how it impacted them in no positive way. Iron Maiden always write the best songs about war, and here is another not-so-talked-about example. It should also be of note that this is the first of two Iron Maiden songs with a Spanish title.


8. Lord of the Flies - The X Factor

The second single to The X Factor comes in at number eight. The song is a retelling of the story from the William Golding novel, Lord of the Flies in which a group of children get stranded on a deserted island and slowly lose any form of civility they had and become wild savages. 'Lord of the Flies' is one of the most fondly remembered songs from the Bayley era and was even played by the band after his departure from the band. The song was played live all the way until 2003, where it was the last song of the Bayley era played by the band to date. The guitar solo by Janick in the song is great and is one of my favorites by him.


7. Virus - single from compilation album Best of the Beast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbOSBphq3NA

After 1995's The X Factor, many critics who once heralded Iron Maiden as a top band turned their backs and laughed at their efforts. The band did not appreciate this as they felt that themselves and a number, probably in the singular digits, were happy with their new direction. To take a little jab at those who rejected Maiden's new album, they placed this song as the lead track, or track 11 depending on the version you own, of their 1996 compilation album Best of the Beast. The song features a long soft-spoken out intro before climaxing into a melodic rocker that we have come to expect from Maiden. It's an awesome song that I wish they would have played live a time or two.


6. Fortunes of War  - The X Factor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbOSBphq3NA

Remember how I said Iron Maiden writes the best songs about war? Well that story continues on this song from Iron Maiden's tenth album, The X Factor. This song tells the tale of a soldier coming home from war and dealing with the tragedies of a mentally or physically crippled soldier dealing with nightmares and having to cope every day with terrible memories. It can be seen as a counterpart to 'The Aftermath' which appears later on the album, or even 'Afraid to Shoot Stranges' from Fear of the Dark. The song starts with a slow intro like a few other songs on the album before rising up and delivering a punch with the chorus and subsequent verses.

5. Futureal - Virtual XI

Iron Maiden's eleventh album, Virtual XI  starts off with a thunderous intro that settles you in nicely for the rest of the album. The song describes those who get lost in the world of virtual gaming to the point that they literally die, which was a problem in the late-90's, or at least certain parent groups thought it was a problem. The lyrics on this song are some of the best from the Bayley era and it is now  a staple in his solo live set.

4. Sign of the Cross - The X Factor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoxwjLdNmXc

The other intro to a Blaze album is not as fast, but just as epic. 'Sign of the Cross' stood as Maiden's second longest song for many years until being bested by a couple songs from The Book of Souls. This eleven minute masterpiece prepares the listener for what the rest of the album is to be. The long intro, epic chorus and a magnificent instrumental piece. It is a perfect recipe for many songs on this album and is masterfully done on this song. It's a great song that made its way on several setlists after Blaze's departure.

3. The Clansman - Virtual XI

Of all the songs on Blaze Bayley's two efforts with Iron Maiden, no song is more cherished than 'The Clansman'. And with good reason. 'The Clansman' is a triumphant song with great instrumentals. The song tells the story of the 1995 movie Braveheart about Scotland's history and uprising against the British. It is a great song to hear live and is definitely one of the best from the era.

2. Man on the Edge - The X Factor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5UqJWRV55E

When Blaze Bayley joined Iron Maiden in 1994, many were eager for Maiden to release an album to show what they could do with their new singer. They dropped their first single with Bayley in mid-1995 and showed the world what they were capable of. 'Man on the Edge' delivers that typical Maidenesque sound with galloping chords and a pounding beat. Bayley delivers one of his best vocal performances on one of the most fondly remembered moments from the era.

1. Lightning Strikes Twice - Virtual XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXEEo4j4Zt0

On a largely personal note, this song finds its way to number one on my list of Iron Maiden Blaze songs as it is one of the first Iron Maiden songs I heard as a young boy and keened my interest in the band to what it evolved to today. The song starts with a brilliant guitar driven intro before diving into a good delivery by Blaze on vocals. The lyrics are not the best on a Maiden song, but send a simple message of awaiting for a disaster to strike. It is a terrific song that is among my favorite Iron Maiden songs of all-time!

Top 10 Blaze Bayley solo songs

Blaze Bayley did not throw in the towel after his gig with Iron Maiden, he quickly released a number of solo albums and they have all been well-received. He has released eight solo albums and here are the best 10 songs from them.

10. Ten Seconds

9. Human

8. The Brave

7. Soundtrack of my Life

6. Samurai

5. Hollow Head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLiwRfVxBCc

4. Stranger to the Light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ-8czBezlA

3. Kill and Destroy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lke6c4YIRiM

2. Stare at the Sun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgu64WOtXfA

1. Silicon Messiah

Top 5 Wolfsbane Songs

Blaze was also in a band called Wolfsbane before his days in Iron Maiden, They have released four albums and even opened for Iron Maiden in 1990 before Blaze was in the band. Here are the five best songs from that band.

5. Did it for the Money

4. I Like it Hot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWGNFs8yqPg

3. Wings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFHvClWirvk

2. Man Hunt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq8V6EHtpws

1. Killing Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkO7f_V2cms

So, there are the best songs from Blaze's career. We'd like to once again wish Blaze Bayley a happy birthday and good luck on his current tour for his eighth studio album, Endure and Survive.

NP