Best post 2000 Iron Maiden

[TAC]

Eh, it's an okay ranking.  7/10.  Absence of El Dorado knocks down to 6/10.  But not bad, all things considered.

Get out of here! 




Anyway, I've always thought that given the titles and subject matter, El Dorado and Speed Of Light should switch places. El Dorado would make way more sense on BOS and vise versa.

[bosk1]

  Why?  I mean, I get that the titles of those songs may superficially seem to go with the title tracks of each of those records.  But that is a pretty tenuous connection.

[cramx3]

I always felt like SoL was a much better and refined version of El Dorado.

Honestly, as much as I love reunion era Maiden, I kind of feel like this:

TFF is still horrible to me I think that earns a place with No Prayer and FOTD as the most meh of the Maiden albums for me.  I know a lot of people love it, but I think it's tacky - besides a few great tracks. 

Minus the horrible line.  It's not that bad, but it's bottom quarter of IM to me.

[Mosh]

AMOLAD without much thought. It is the pinnacle of modern Maiden and my second favorite after Piece of Mind.

After that I think I have to go with TFF. It has some issues and it hasn't aged as well as some of the others, but I really like how adventurous some of the songs were. It also feels like the most varied Maiden reunion album. The other ones stick pretty closely to one sound, but TFF really jumps around. I also like how the epics are all together. It reminds me of a traditional double album, where one disc is a certain flavor and the second disc is another flavor. In vinyl terms it is a double album (as are all their reunion albums save for TBOS which is a triple) though it wouldn't be divided evenly with the shorter songs on one disc and the epics on the other, but I digress. Once the final crash cymbal hit of The Alchemist fades out and the wind sounds of Isle of Avalon fade in it's like the start of an entirely different album. It's awesome. I still remember hearing it for the first time, it's like we were getting two Iron Maiden albums on the same day.

The Book of Souls comes next. Also ambitious, being a double album and having some of their longest songs. Also surprisingly not bloated. I think the album would be better without Shadows of the Valley but other than that it's excellent. Over a year later and it still kicks ass.

Brave New World is an excellent return to form for them. Its low ranking speaks more to the quality of their reunion work than it does the quality of the album, as I consider it a modern Metal classic at this point. It has the energy of 80s Maiden but they're clearly progressing. They didn't throw the development during the Blaze years out the window, instead they developed on them with the new lineup. This is key to their longevity IMO.

Dance of Death is at the bottom, but it's still a good and necessary album. A lot of the experimentation on this album had varying levels of success, but it led to some of their best work on the following albums. Once again showing what makes Maiden so great: Instead of taking the safe route and doing BNW again, they decided to take some chances. They did an unplugged song, they tried a modern story-based epic, they even had Bruce rap in the bridge of a song. It's uneven and pretty ugly sounding, but it has its place in the band's history and is one of their most important albums in terms of development. It also has Paschendale which is among their best songs.

[Architeuthis]

DOD also has Rainmaker, a very catchy hard rock radio friendly song right up there with Wasted Years.
 Also, New Frontier is a rocker that never gets old. That's what I like about DoD so much, alot of melodic high energy songs and at least three great epics. Also some of the best guitar solos in Maidens catalog imho..

[Lowdz]

Reunion era has been hit and miss. BNW was good. AMOLAD was excellent but BoS is their best for me. Best Maiden since SSoaSS, maybe even better than that one, maybe best since Powerslave. Some chances taken and Bruce in better voice than the last few years.

[Architeuthis]

I haven't listened to BOS enough for it to really click. Even though I dig it, I have to give it a few more spins to appreciate it more. I've had the CD for over a year but it got interrupted when Dream Theater released TA.. Lol

[Tomislav95]

My rankings:
1. BNW
2. AMOLAD

3. BOS

4. TFF
5. DOD

[Mladen]

1. AMOLAD
2. DOD
3. TBOS
4. TFF
5. BNW

But guess what? All of them are excellent. 

[Nick]

Let me just say, Iron Maiden have had an incredible run in this era. Frankly I think doing as well as they've done now is just as, if not more impressive than their classic period.

1. BNW
2. TBoS
3. AMoLaD
4. DoD/TFF

[Kwyjibo]

Let me just say, Iron Maiden have had an incredible run in this era. Frankly I think doing as well as they've done now is just as, if not more impressive than their classic period.

I was thinking something similar when thinking about my ranking.

In the classic era they were young, had ambition, energy and were on fire, no small feat and really impressive.

But to come out of a slump after having a career for some 25 years and coming back this strong, and keeping the quality bar high and consistent while exploring new grounds for now another 17 years, that's just unbelievable.

For individual records my favorites come from the classic era (Piece Of Mind, Powerslave) but regarding the different eras, the reunion era beats the classic era, if that makes sense.

[TAC]

Here's a discussion between the two eras.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=44551.0

[Kwyjibo]

Good that I was writing the opposite there from what I wrote here 

[WildRanger]

Brave New World, hands down!

[The Walrus]

Book of Souls > Brave New World > A Matter of Life and Death > Final Frontier > Dance of Death

Book of Souls is just spectacular... I love it. 2 CDs of pure Iron Maiden goodness, no real clunkers, and an 18 minute epic. I'm very very happy with that album. BNW has some of my favorite Maiden songs but also some I don't care about. AMOLAD is iffy, far too repetitive sometimes ("Out of the darkness, brighter than a thousand suns"), but still good. Final Frontier bored me and Dance of Death I just do not like.

[bosk1]

I was initially a bit let down by The Book of Souls.  But a year later, I've warmed up to it quite a bit.  I still stand by this:

The Final Frontier easily.  Possibly their best album ever.  Definitely somewhere in the top 3 with Piece of Mind and Somewhere In Time.

But I would probably put The Book of Souls right behind it.  Probably:
1.  The Final Frontier:  see above.
2.  The Book of Souls:  Quite a bit to like here.  It has climbed quite a bit.  It doesn't contend for the top spot, but that's just because I like The Final Frontier so much!
3.  The Dance of Death:  The title track, Paschendale, and a few others push this just ahead of AMOLAD. 
4.  A Matter of Life and Death:  Not far behind #3. 
5.  Brave New World:  My least favorite of the reunion era.  Not a bad album.  But nothing that compels me to listen.

[The Walrus]

Interesting that you rank Final Frontier so highly, bosk. For me it is close to the bottom Maiden albums (those of course being the Blaze albums as well as Dance of Death for me). Always interesting reading Maiden fans' rankings of albums. Seems like there's always wildly different opinions, even among the typically high-rated albums of the 80s.

[TAC]

I rank it #1 as well. Quality wise it's on par with AMOLAD, which to me, is the landmark album of the Reunion Era, but I just find TFF easier on the ears.

[bosk1]

Kattoelox, I know you weren't here yet when we were doing the Maiden top 50 threads, etc., but someone got me to listen to En Vivo!, and that sold me on The Final Frontier.  I wasn't a Maiden fan before that, although the '80s were my teen years.  That album really just clicked for me and opened them up to me.  I'm still somewhat selective in that I don't really care for the pre-Bruce years, the run from Seventh Son through Bruce's departure, or the Blaze era.  But I love Beast through Somewhere In Time and the reunion albums.  TFF just hits me just right.  That's about all I can say.

EDIT: I guess it was actually a "top 25" thread.  Mine starts farther down the page from this one, but I feel like I HAVE TO link to this post:  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=36365.msg1583486#msg1583486    The thread was fun, but it died after awhile.  You should feel free to have a go at it.

[The Walrus]

Hey, all that matters is that you guys like it I personally rank the first two (with Di'Anno) pretty darn high, but I grew up listening to those ones, they have a special place in my heart. Love me some Prodigal Son and Charlotte the Harlot.

EDIT: Oh cool! I'll have a stab at it, but it'll be a nailbiter. Might even have to ruminate over the list for a couple days, very tough choices to make!

[King Postwhore]

AMOLAD for me.

[SleeperAwake]

My ranking would be:

1. Brave New World
2. A Matter of Life and Death
3. The Book of Souls
4. The Final Frontier
5. Dance of Death

[DT2003]

I love all of these albums, except I never got into Final Frontier too much. My favorite is definitely Dance of Death though, with AMoLaD very close behind. It says a lot when a band has been around as long as these guys and still consistently put out great music.

[WildRanger]

Don't you think Genick Gers is a redundant member of Iron Maiden?

[cramx3]

Been digging up your old debates eh?

to answer the question, no.

[The Walrus]

Been digging up your old debates eh?

to answer the question, no.

[ozzy554]

1. AMOLAD
2. BOS
3. BNW
4. TFF
5. DOD

As far as Janick goes he has writing credits on a lot of my favorite songs from this era so for me he certainly isn't redundant at all.

[ProfessorPeart]

Brave New World - those songs have turned out to be total classics, and the album was a complete monster when it was released.  I still absolutely love that record today, 17 years later.

Spot on.

I like the appreciation here of DOD, and I personally I love it like the rest, but the production just really hurts it.  It's awful.

Also, spot on. Caveman's ability to make one record sound amazing (BNW) and the next sound awful (DoD) has always baffled me. I do love it, but I get bothered by the mud.

[ProfessorPeart]

Don't you think Genick Gers is a redundant member of Iron Maiden?

Yes, Genick is redundant.

But Janick, I used to think so. It had a lot to do with my love of Adrian and how sloppy Janick was with his solos. He has matured a lot and some of the best songs since the reunion he has been a main songwriter on. Also, when I saw them on the Final Frontier tour he impressed the crap out of me. I made a statement to my buddies that that was the most in control and tasteful I had ever seen him play. They all agreed and were equally surprised.

[Stadler]

My feelings on Janick basically change like the weather.   Bearing in mind I was, am, and always will be a Dave Murray guy, I thought he presided over the least interesting period of Maiden (if you have two what I consider great albums - Somewhere In Time and SSOASS - and you replace one component and get two what I consider lackluster albums - NPFTD and FOTD - it's logical to draw conclusions).   I was over-joyed when the band got back to together and I thought "if that's what it takes to make it work, I'd rather have that than nothing".

But I've seen the reunion Maiden several times, and with the exception of the Book Of Souls tour - during which he really impressed me - my unfair stereotype of the show is "Dave Murray stage right whipping off fucking blistering solo after blistering solo, Adrian stage center holding down the rhythm, and Janick stage left practicing some odd form of auto-erotic asphyxiation or auditioning for Cinderella, I'm not sure which."   

He's got a couple good tunes from a songwriting perspective, but I wouldn't at all say that "my favorite of the reunion songs were penned by him".   

So for me, no, not "redundant", but only essential in the sense that if he's the cog that keeps this machine flying as high as it has been lately, I wouldn't in a million years touch a thing.  (And I'm not a hater; the live show I have from the Tattooed Millionaire tour - from Bruce's video anthology - is absolutely KILLER, and Janick nails Black Night about as well as one not dressed in black ever can.)

[cramx3]

My feelings on Janick basically change like the weather.   Bearing in mind I was, am, and always will be a Dave Murray guy, I thought he presided over the least interesting period of Maiden (if you have two what I consider great albums - Somewhere In Time and SSOASS - and you replace one component and get two what I consider lackluster albums - NPFTD and FOTD - it's logical to draw conclusions).   I was over-joyed when the band got back to together and I thought "if that's what it takes to make it work, I'd rather have that than nothing".

I took that the opposite way, not on who joined but who left as to why those two albums went downhill after SSOASS and stayed low until he returned. 

Also, that same person appeared on the two best Bruce Dickinson solo albums, that kind of also sealed the deal for my opinion on this person.

Also, never understood why his display while playing was such a turn off, other than his sloppy Adrian solos although I'm sure it's more of "his style" vs. just calling it sloppy but it does kind of come off that way whne he doesn't play it exactly but that's not due to him being wild on stage.  Personally, I love it, I want my bands to be going wild on stage assuming the guitar doesn't fly into the crowd 

[MirrorMask]

Been digging up your old debates eh?

to answer the question, no.

Seconded and thirded.

Also, Steve Harris might have had a bit of a midlife crisis in the '90s, but he's no moron. If he wants to stick with Janick he knows what he brings to the table, not only musically but also personally, in the internal dynamics of the band. He's there since 1990 without having ever left, which is something not even Bruce Dickinson or Dave Murray albeit for a very short time) can say - there has to be a good reason for that, that maybe we don't see but the reason is there.

A band can survive with two guitars instead of three, but Janick Gers IS integral for Iron Maiden and he can also write some pretty damn good songs.

[Stadler]

Been digging up your old debates eh?

to answer the question, no.

Seconded and thirded.

Also, Steve Harris might have had a bit of a midlife crisis in the '90s, but he's no moron. If he wants to stick with Janick he knows what he brings to the table, not only musically but also personally, in the internal dynamics of the band. He's there since 1990 without having ever left, which is something not even Bruce Dickinson or Dave Murray albeit for a very short time) can say - there has to be a good reason for that, that maybe we don't see but the reason is there.

A band can survive with two guitars instead of three, but Janick Gers IS integral for Iron Maiden and he can also write some pretty damn good songs.

Harris was VERY clear on that point: if the three-guitar attack didn't work, Adrian was GONE.  This wasn't about reuniting the classic era in that sense, it was about taking the band to the next level, and Steve Harris very clearly thought then and I think still thinks now that Janick Gers is an integral part of that.  I can't and won't argue with Steve Harris.   (Some of you know from the Portnoy conversations that for me it's not just about the music; I think certain bands have an off-stage dynamic that makes them great, or, conversely, keeps them from being great, almost like a sports team.  If "Janick Gers" is the way we get the last 19 years of Maiden (and perhaps a few more) then I'm "Team Janick" all the way. 

[Stadler]

My feelings on Janick basically change like the weather.   Bearing in mind I was, am, and always will be a Dave Murray guy, I thought he presided over the least interesting period of Maiden (if you have two what I consider great albums - Somewhere In Time and SSOASS - and you replace one component and get two what I consider lackluster albums - NPFTD and FOTD - it's logical to draw conclusions).   I was over-joyed when the band got back to together and I thought "if that's what it takes to make it work, I'd rather have that than nothing".

I took that the opposite way, not on who joined but who left as to why those two albums went downhill after SSOASS and stayed low until he returned. 

Also, that same person appeared on the two best Bruce Dickinson solo albums, that kind of also sealed the deal for my opinion on this person.

Also, never understood why his display while playing was such a turn off, other than his sloppy Adrian solos although I'm sure it's more of "his style" vs. just calling it sloppy but it does kind of come off that way whne he doesn't play it exactly but that's not due to him being wild on stage.  Personally, I love it, I want my bands to be going wild on stage assuming the guitar doesn't fly into the crowd 

I totally understand why one might like it and I have no beef with that.   For me, personally, it's less about the musicians going crazy than the whole package.   Maiden to me is more EPIC than, say, an Ozzy show where Zakk is running around hair flying and what not.   I kinda dig the juxtaposition of 7/8 scale bombers hanging from the rafters, flames so hot you can feel the heat from the third row (which is true; I felt the heat from the jets during NOTB on this last tour), Bruce running around like his life depended on it with props and costumes and whatnot, and Dave Murray, calm as can be in this maelstrom, just standing there unleashing this solo that tears your head off.   It's just what I take away from it; I don't mean to say I'm right or that anyone else shouldn't feel differently.

[cramx3]

We really know little about their off stage dynamics.  Even Flight 666 which was the first "inside" look at IM, we really didn't get anything juicy or anything that showed "wow, these guys have issues or these guys have a good bond", Bruce didn't talk about any of it in his book.  There has to be some sort of dynamic that makes this work though, maybe it is Jannick.  Sometimes you need a person as a buffer.  Who knows.  But the band clearly sees him as being useful.

Also, I think not airing their laundry is overall a good thing, we have no need or right to know about how the band works internally.  But it is interesting to think about because as humans, you know shit isn't always good and happy.