That said, my maybe-controversial opinion is: The Final Frontier is BY FAR Maiden's strongest, most consistent album, and is the only one that doesn't have even a single filler track. EVERY song is of the highest quality and contributes to the only true "Masterpiece" in their discography.
So there.
Oh, man, my sporadic forum participation caused me to leave bosk out there alone for two weeks, taking heat for the best Iron Maiden take of all.
TFF is their best album. AMOLAD is a very good companion to it, but some of the AMOLAD songs just don't rise to the level that TFF is operating on for its full duration. (Different World, Out of the Shadows)
Mother of Mercy may be the most criminally underrated short song in the whole Maiden discography. The Man Who Would Be King would be the most criminally underrated epic in the whole Maiden discography, if Isle of Avalon didn't exist.
Satellite 15 is a treasure. Such a bold way to open a 15th album, and still one of my all-time favorite album openers.
A great album. Their greatest album.