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September 3, 2010 |
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IRON MAIDEN - The X Factor
EMI (1995) |
9/10 |
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01. Sign Of The Cross
02. Lord Of The Flies
03. Man On The Edge
04. Fortunes Of War
05. Look For The Truth
06. The Aftermath
07. Judgement Of Heaven
08. Blood On The World's Hands
09. The Edge Of Darkness
10. 2 A.M.
11. The Unbeliever
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The "X" is certainly appropriate, as "The X Factor" is IRON MAIDEN's 10th studio album, and if you paid attention in algebra, you'll know that "x" also refers to something variable or unknown. "The X Factor" saw MAIDEN travel through uncharted waters. Any vocalist who has been with a band for ten years is difficult to replace, but Bruce Dickinson isn't just "any vocalist". He's Bruce friggin' Dickinson. MAIDEN's previous album, "Fear Of The Dark", was a simple, hard-rocking disc. Don't get me wrong... it's a great, fun album, but one thing "Fear Of The Dark" is not is mature. And even though that album has the word "dark" in its title, "The X Factor" remains MAIDEN's darkest, most difficult album to date. Everything from the artwork, to the production, to the music is caliginous. You can practically hear the dust coming off McBrain's snare drum in "Sign Of The Cross".
Dickinson's replacement, Blaze Bayley, should be judged on his own merit. "The X Factor" isn't "Powerslave II", so there's no need to have "Dickinson II" on vocals. Bayley's voice is deeper, his range narrower, and I'll be the first to admit that, live, Bayley doesn't do justice to tracks like "The Trooper" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name". However, when choosing a vocalist, Steve Harris was clearly looking forward, not backwards. Although the fans didn't accept Blaze as a true member of MAIDEN, the frontman at least had confidence in himself. With five writing credits, Blaze chose to participate in the songwriting, when he had every excuse not to.
There's a pervasive hopelessness that runs through "The X Factor", to the point where it could be a concept album. Topics include the futility of war ("Fortunes Of War", "The Aftermath"), and the futility of life ("2 A.M."). Musically, the album deviates quite a bit from the MAIDEN formula. Most of the songs start off softly, and the overall tempo is slower. At 71 minutes in length, "The X Factor" is way longer than any MAIDEN disc before it. Instead of beginning with a safe, short and catchy number, MAIDEN kick things off with the second longest song in their catalogue: "Sign Of The Cross". Guitar harmonics at the 9 minute mark remind us that it's MAIDEN, but other than the song's high quality and epic nature, it's a lot different than what fans are used to. "Blood On The World's Hands" sports an extended bass solo and angry delivery by Blaze. "Fortunes Of War" is a dark, brooding number that's in good company.
Only two songs are typical MAIDEN: "Man On The Edge", which sounds like a musical follow-up to the “The Evil That Men Do", and "Edge Of Darkness", which is a simultaneous ode to "Apocalypse Now" and classic MAIDEN. 2:55-5:22 is the rich, creamy center in this satisfying Cadbury egg, with lead guitars that recall "Hallowd Be Thy Name", Harris' clicking bass, and Blaze's best singing to date. I know that I've described this album in a general sense, without giving much attention to specific songs, but "The X Factor" is more of an album experience than a song experience, something that needs to be soaked-up in its long, drawn out entirety. As a MAIDEN fan, I had grown lazy, expecting quality release after quality release... never being disappointed, but also, not being challenged.
Given the decline of MAIDEN's popularity in the 90's, "The X Factor" remains a dusty, overlooked gem. It's not an album for everyone, but it's one that deserves a try.
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