GoatmasterGeneral

2018 was an incredible year for black metal, although I wouldn't try to rank them.

Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown
Odious Devotion - S/T    
Shadow's Mortuary - Tulen Valtakunta
Infernarium - Kadotuksen Harmonia
Blutvial - Mysteries of Earth
Skognatt - Ancient Wisdom
Spectral Wound - Infernal Decadence
Schrat - Alptraumgänger
Graveborne - 1918
Moenen of Xezbeth - Ancient Spells of Darkness

Funny, the way Macca feels about Fear of the Dark is basically how I felt about Powerslave. I liked the first two tracks and then after that it just felt like a band going through the motions and churning out a bunch of boring filler. That's when I pronounced Maiden dead and gave up on them back in '84.

It's always strange for me to hear people referencing Maiden's songs and albums that came after their death in 1984, most of which I've never heard like Can I Play With Madness from Macca's review. Reminds me that there's this whole alternate universe of music out there that I'm completely and blissfully unaware of.

I see that Powerslave and Somewhere in Time are their two highest ranked albums on M-A, both receiving 93% scores. Seventh Son is right behind them with a 91%, while their first 4 "classic" albums have all earned respectable but lower scores ranging from 85% to 88%. Now I myself would consider Killers and Piece of Mind both to be far better albums than Powerslave, so I have to wonder if maybe I'm missing the point when it comes to what Maiden fans like about this band. I'm almost tempted to listen to Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son now just to see what the fuss is about. But I'm sure that urge will pass, it always does.

Seriously doubt it cost them many fans, according to that doco I watched recently Maiden, or maybe I should say Steve Harris went through an awful lot of band members in their early years and it didn't seem to have much effect on their popularity one way or the other. Mr Murray seems to be the only one that Steve never felt the need to sack. And if it did cost them any fans, they more than made up for it with the new fans they gained. I concede that Mr Dickenson was an important part of their eventual commercial success and probably the largest single reason they're now a household name even outside of metalhead circles.

But again, I'm not trying to say what they should or should not have done, that's their business. I'm only saying that from my personal perspective that the band they ultimately became, fulfilling Mr Harris' vision or whatever, was not really my thing, and I might have ridden the Maiden train just a little longer if they had gone with a different vocalist. Not even necessarily Mr Di'anno, but just someone other than Mr Dickenson. The soaring vocals just got old for me really quick. But the point is moot because once they went in a more progressive direction I would have lost interest no matter who they might've had fronting the band. The question I have is would Samson have become a big name band if Bruce Bruce had stayed?

Well Maiden wasn't hot shit here in the states until after they had already gotten rid of Paul, but I guess that was kinda the whole point, eh? They certainly went a lot farther down the road to success with Bruce than they ever would have with Paul. And that's their perogative, obviously I'm not paying their bills so I don't get a say.

But what I will say is as someone who was a young metalhead in the early 80's, having seen the early videos of a young Paul D fronted Maiden I think I would have really liked that version of the band if they had come around to play some small club gigs. 

But as the large scale too-big-for-their-britches sports arena filling act that they quickly became by the mid 80's with the soaring vocals, well that band held much less appeal to me. I reckon the vocalist switcheroo is probably the main reason why Maiden is just a footnote in my metal journal while they get their own chapter in many other peoples'. 

I've still never heard any of the albums that came after Powerslave. So obviously I'm basing all my opinions on Maiden Mark II on just 3 albums. I have checked out a few random tracks here and there over the years and nothing I've ever heard has ever inspired me to try out an entire album. But to each their own.

Rare that I will read 4 paragraphs about Iron Maiden and agree with just about every word. Killers was their unquestionable apex and for me Piece of Mind would be their next best effort, even if it was to some extent a one-sided affair.

As far as Number of the Beast, I have heard more than a few punters call it out as their fave which always seemed strange to me. Hallowed always stood out as the alpha dog here in my mind.

But yes, even after all these years Run to the Hills does still provoke some combo of nostalgia and adrenaline, at least through the first chorus. RttH was actually the first Maiden song I ever heard here in the US, I guess that makes sense to be the single here in the states with its cowboys and Indians theme. I heard it in my car on the radio back in a time when you might hear a metal song on the radio once in a blue moon.

I was a bit older than 6 when it came out though, I was 20 in March of '82 so unlike most of you I have no memories of growing up with Maiden or the nwobhm from my teenage years. I do remember going back to get their first two records and wondering 'What the fuck were they thinking?!? They should've kept this guy!' (Di'Anno) but clearly I am well in the minority with this view.