I've had the album since Friday in mp3 and since monday on CD. I gotta say it absolutely rules. Bruce Dickinson was made for maiden, and since Brave New World they are just as strong as ever.
To be fair, Blaze Bayley was just wrong for the band, he isn't a bad singer, he just wasn't Bruce Dickinson and his voice wasn't strong enough. They do have some great songs on the Blaze albums, one of my favourites being The Sign of the Cross.
As far as the album goes, it is one of my favourites, and is almost as great as Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Now that was an epic album. IMO Wildest Dreams is the weakest (or at least my least favourite) song on the album, and that was the single they released and it got to number 6 last week here
To say Iron Maiden is voice alone is a great understatement of Biblical proportions, Steve Harris is one of the best song writers as well as Bass players and a great influential musician. Lots of bands owe their existance to Iron Maiden. The twin, and since the return of Janick Gers for Brave New world, tripple guitar solos in their latest albums are awesome. And of course with the return of Bruce Dickinson, the central voice is now as solid as the rest of the band. Notice also the song writing credits, Bruce Dickinson, Gers and at long last Nikko have joined the writing credits with Harris.
oh yes, and everyone agrees they poser cover sucks, but I got a solution, remove the sleeve, reverse and enjoy
That skull on the reverse looks hella cool
The in side is also pretty cool, btw Death is Eddie, they should have just left him and not bothered with that Poser crap
PrayeR, don't be daft and don't even joke about knowing about the biggest heavy metal band of all time, dwarfing the likes of Metallica.
