This is not a bad album. It is just a different album compared to the material released by Maiden previously. It is also more experimenting and sometimes in a very weird way (although Maiden has been proggy in the mid to late 80s). People are put off by this album because it is different and because of Blaze's voice, which lacks the power of Bruce's voice. Sign of the Cross is elevated to legendary status when Bruce sings it.

Can you imagine a mix between Bruce Dickinson and Blaze Bayley?

Written by Vikcen on 10.03.2017 at 19:54

Can you imagine a mix between Bruce Dickinson and Blaze Bayley?

*snip*

Not really any Dickinson in there.

But they quote the Back to the Future theme.

Written by Azarath on 14.03.2017 at 23:58

Written by Vikcen on 10.03.2017 at 19:54

Can you imagine a mix between Bruce Dickinson and Blaze Bayley?

*snip*

Not really any Dickinson in there.

But they quote the Back to the Future theme.

Well, some songs better than others hehe bubble bobble!

After two disaster albums, where the band sounded almost like a parody of itself, what do you do? You get a new front man, that sounds completely different from your previous and make an album that couldn't be more different from your last two and you put more effort into the writing and the recording than you have ever done before. That's The X Factor!

I'm here to praise, not to defend The X Factor or Blaze Bayley, they don't need that, it is a masterpiece and he is a great singer. The best defense for The X Factor is that the listener sits down with an open mind and listens through the album and experience the deep emotion of the music. Steve Harris on the Bass has never sounded better, Nicko McBrain on drums has never sounded better and Jannick Gers finally finds his own style and place in the band. This is the one Maiden album without Adrian Smith, where I don't miss Adrian Smith, because he couldn't have come with the contribution to the record that Jannik Gers does.

The album contains some of the greatest melodies and riffs in Maiden history. All songs are strong and moody in their own way. Whether it be the epic Sign of the Cross or the fast killer track Man on the Edge. A track like Sign of the Cross contains the progressive elements you would find in modern Maiden, but without the tedious drawn out musical sections you would find in, lets say Empire of the Clouds.
More experimental tracks like Blood on the World's Hands and The Unbeliever are fantastic in their own right and down have filler segments in them.
The X Factor is a perfect blend of the progressive and deep song writing you find in later Maiden albums like A Matter of Life and Death and Brave New World and the energic performances you find in earlier releases like Powerslave. Add to that the most emotion there has ever been in a Maiden album, and you have what you might call Iron Maiden's magnum opus.

Don't ask me why, but I love this album...

Waaaay too long ( that's what she said ). And by that I mean both the album and the songs length. Additional length in songs is not justified if it's accomplished by adding uninteresting parts or repeating the chorus five thousand times !

On the other hand 'Sign of the Cross' and 'Man on the Edge' at least can be listened a few times and these two songs retain their interestedness.

Flawed and inconsistent, but satisfying and a bit different take on the classic Maiden sound. I kinda like it. After two not-so-good albums this feels fresh and inspired again. Pretty ironic that the band with the most awesome album covers also has some of the worst ones like this and Dance of Death.

Written by Metal Rasputin on 12.02.2020 at 19:30

Flawed and inconsistent, but satisfying and a bit different take on the classic Maiden sound. I kinda like it. After two not-so-good albums this feels fresh and inspired again. Pretty ironic that the band with the most awesome album covers also has some of the worst ones like this and Dance of Death.

Its not bad just another singer if Bruce be there well we dont know but its good album

Compared to the previous album with the great Bruce, i find this extremely enjoyable album. It's understandable that no one can match Bruce's style but Blaze wasn't bad at all. The opener is a classic in every way. This had more good songs compared to their combined 2 previous albums.

Written by metalbrat on 10.06.2020 at 19:33

Compared to the previous album with the great Bruce, i find this extremely enjoyable album. It's understandable that no one can match Bruce's style but Blaze wasn't bad at all. The opener is a classic in every way. This had more good songs compared to their combined 2 previous albums.

He has lover voice. Not so high as Bruce, he sings little lover, more quet as Bruce did, Bruce can be siren. I wonder How this would be if Doogie would be asked Step in, it was close call

Written by Bad English on 12.02.2020 at 22:07

Written by Metal Rasputin on 12.02.2020 at 19:30

Flawed and inconsistent, but satisfying and a bit different take on the classic Maiden sound. I kinda like it. After two not-so-good albums this feels fresh and inspired again. Pretty ironic that the band with the most awesome album covers also has some of the worst ones like this and Dance of Death.

Its not bad just another singer if Bruce be there well we dont know but its good album

Sometimes I wonder if you understand what you read. MetalRambo said he liked the album and rated it an 8.
You disagree with him, say it's not a bad album and then you rate the album a 5. Great job buddy, great job...

John doe i rated albums, 2004 2007 period, then i stopped. My taste has a bit changed, suxer bands nowadays i give a try. Try pm and some usprogm, i wish i was able delete my rate from now.

Written by Bad English on 12.06.2020 at 17:03

John doe i rated albums, 2004 2007 period, then i stopped. My taste has a bit changed, suxer bands nowadays i give a try. Try pm and some usprogm, i wish i was able delete my rate from now.

I don't know what a "suxer" band is.
You do know you can change a rating.

Written by JoHn Doe on 12.06.2020 at 17:40

Written by Bad English on 12.06.2020 at 17:03

John doe i rated albums, 2004 2007 period, then i stopped. My taste has a bit changed, suxer bands nowadays i give a try. Try pm and some usprogm, i wish i was able delete my rate from now.

I don't know what a "suxer" band is.
You do know you can change a rating.

Check out van hallen video about valdo.
In my 20 many bands was bad as I dont think so now. Exsmple i hated pm whit passion, last 10 years 90 percent of genre is good

Going back through every album Iron Maiden has put out, I think this is the best release they have put out in the 1990s, though that’s not really saying much. Blaze Bayley gets a lot of flack but I feel like he did the best he could given the circumstances of Bruce leaving to pursue his solo career. There are some excellent standouts on here like Sign of the Cross, Man on the Edge, Look for the Truth, and The Aftermath, and the rest of the album ranges from good to decent. After a while you do start to feel the album’s length a bit and Blaze’s voice can sound rather inconsistent, there are times when he’s pushing his voice pretty hard and it can either sound passionate and inspired like with the chorus of The Unbeliever, or awkward and weird like when he’s singing the extremely strained “yeah yeahs” in Judgement of Heaven. Some of the vocal transitions can sound stilted and forced as well. Regardless, there aren’t really any painful, unlistenable duds on this album like the other albums from the 90s, so I have to give credit for that at least.

I gave this album too much credit in the past. I don't really gravitate too much towards this slower Maiden stuff anymore, which originated here. But credit where credit is due, unlike some of their more resent stuff, this album actually contains what can be called songwriting. The long songs actually do something with their extra minutes. The jamming secsions are actually interesting, like on The Sign of the Cross and The Unbeliever. The album is fairly consistent. Besides the two aforementioned songs, which are very good overall, Man on the Edge is a nice speedy single, which I absolutely love, Lord of the Flies is the lesser single, but is fine as well. The Aftermath, Blood on the Worlds Hands and The Edge of Darkness are the best on the deeper cuts. The rest is usually at least solid without being spectacular. I do miss some more energy like in the 80s, but still the exercusion is solid. Probably the best album they have released since the 80s.

This album is rated "7", while Final Frontier is having 7,4 xD

Written by lemme on 31.05.2022 at 06:22

This album is rated "7", while Final Frontier is having 7,4 xD

I agree with you here. TFF is one of the band's weakest efforts IMO.
I've always liked The X Factor. The songwriting is good and I can tolerate Blaze.