Virtual XI (1998)1.
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Though
The X Factor was not particularly well received by critics and fans, and its tour relatively unsuccessful, Maiden rolled on, releasing their second album in the new, Blaze Bayley fronted lineup in 1998.
Virtual XI shed its predecessor's dark tone for a brighter, 80s-oriented sound, with a significant keyboard presence on some songs. It may be Iron Maiden's happiest-sounding album, in contrast to the despairing
X Factor—one downside of this being that the songs stretched Bayley's natural range far more than the gloomy tracks on the last album. Despite this contrast,
Virtual XI's progressiveness is a natural progression from that of its predecessor. It actually sounds quite a bit like a prototype for
Brave New World, which makes sense considering that four unused songs from
Virtual XI would go on to find a place on that album.
Unfortunately,
Virtual XI has not had the same resurgence in popularity that the other Blaze album has had in recent years.
Virtual XI remains relatively disliked by all but the most die-hard fans, most of whom still consider it to be one of the band's weakest efforts, despite having a few beloved tracks in The Clansman and Futureal. And commercially, the downward trajectory continued. The album was seen by most fans as a mere shadow of the old Maiden, and the tour was not well-received due to consistent vocal performances from the new frontman (which can in part be blamed on Steve Harris's refusal to tune the older songs down to fit his lower register). After the
Virtual XI world tour, Blaze Bayley was dismissed from the band, and the future of Iron Maiden was once again in doubt.
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I know no one likes this one that well. And I'm forced to admit that it isn't close to being among their best albums. But I think it's a good album, and they should have no shame about having made this one. It's easily my second favorite 90s Maiden album behind
The X Factor. And unlike even a lot of their 80s albums, I think all eight songs are pretty good. I even like the one that no one else likes: The Angel and the Gambler. It's too long, yes. The radio edit is better, but it cuts some of the verses (which are really good), so I'd actually choose the studio version over it. However, this album is so even across the board for me that I think I have to choose this one, despite loving it—the small flaw of over-repetitiveness in this case places it below the rest of the album.
The Angel and the Gambler