|
|
"A transitional album for Iron Maiden, "The X Factor" is weighed down by tracks that are a little too similar in construction, but it does showcase the talents of new singer Blaze Bayley."
|
4/5
|
|
|
|
Iron Maiden underwent a major change in 1993 with the departure of the charismatic Bruce Dickinson. Tired of the relentless pace of touring and releasing albums, and in conflict with Steve Harris for some time, he decided to focus on his solo career. After an audition, Blaze Bayley (Wolfsbane) was recruited and officially signed up in January 1994. For the record, many well-known singers were in the running, including Damian Wilson and André Matos.
The eagerly-awaited new album is released almost a year late, in September 1995. Steve Harris is alone at the band's helm, involved in the composition of almost all the songs and producing the record with Nigel Green. Martin Birch, whose recent performances had been open to criticism, is definitively sidelined.
'Sign Of The Cross', which opens "The X Factor", is a long, ten-minute piece bordering on the progressive, with its medieval ambience (inspired by The Name of the Rose) and its many well-timed solos. It's followed by 'Lord Of The Flies', a more direct single with an unstoppable riff by Janick Gers, and 'Man On The Edge', another short, powerful single, in which Blaze Bayley seems totally at ease. Bayley's voice is much deeper than Bruce Dickinson's, and his vocal power seems rather limited, but his timbre is perfectly suited to the very dark compositions on this album, one of the darkest in Iron Maiden's history, as Steve Harris was going through some serious personal problems at the time.
The rest of the album alternates between the good and the not-so-good. 'Fortunes Of War', which deals with the psychological after-effects of war on soldiers, 'The Aftermath', 'Blood On The World's Hand' and 'The Edge Of Darkness' are pleasantly long tracks, with a strong emphasis on atmosphere, but they tend to follow the same pattern, i.e. a slow introduction followed by an acceleration to a calmer finish. And unfortunately, the album ends with two tracks in the same vein as the previous ones, which are certainly inspired but seem superfluous after almost an hour of music.
With its 71 minutes and its similarly structured compositions, "The X Factor" feels long, too long. What's more, the record's sound is sorely lacking in power. Fortunately, Blaze Bayley passes his exam, and the band members seem more at ease, as if liberated. Whereas "Fear Of The Dark" showed an Iron Maiden out of steam and lacking inspiration, here they are reinvigorated and ready to move forward again. - Official website
|
|
|
|
|
TRACK LISTING:
01. Sign Of The Cross - 11:16
02. Lord Of The Flies - 5:03
03. Man On The Edge - 4:11
04. Fortunes Of War - 7:24
05. Look For The Truth - 5:10
06. The Aftermath - 6:21
07. Judgement Of Heaven - 5:12
08. Blood On The World's Hands - 5:58
09. The Edge Of Darkness - 6:39
10. 2 A.M. - 5:38
11. The Unbeliever - 8:10
LINEUP:
Blaze Bayley: Chant
Dave Murray: Guitares
Janick Gers: Guitares
Nicko McBrain: Batterie
Steve Harris: Basse
|
|
| |
|
(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
| |
|
|
(0) COMMENT(S)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
READERS
2.8/5 (12 view(s))
|
STAFF:
3.1/5 (11 view(s))
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
IN RELATION WITH IRON MAIDEN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
OTHER REVIEWS
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT IRON MAIDEN
|
|