Iron Maiden released their first compilation album in 1996. But did Best Of The Beast serve to capture new fans, or did it simply shed a harsh light on the state of the band in the mid-1990s? Continue reading
1990s
Review: Bruce Dickinson – Skunkworks (1996)
Bruce Dickinson decided to make a band. His own name would fade into the background, while Skunkworks took center stage. How did Dickinson’s biggest solo gamble turn out? Continue reading
Review: Psycho Motel – State Of Mind (1995)
After many years of silence, Adrian Smith returned with Psycho Motel. At a time when all things Maiden seemed either lost or controversial, how did Smith do on his own? Continue reading
MAIDEN HISTORY: The Blaze Era part 1, 1994-1996
For five years in the 1990s Iron Maiden would sound and look different, lose old fans and make new ones, as they struggled to reestablish themselves with a new frontman: Blaze Bayley. With this chapter in our study of Maiden History we discuss the coming of Blaze and the making of The X Factor. Continue reading
Review: The X Factor (1995)
Two years after the departure of Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden finally returned with Blaze Bayley and The X Factor. How did Maiden adapt to one of the biggest changes and challenges of their career? Continue reading
Review: Bruce Dickinson – Alive In Studio A (1995)
The birth of the band Skunkworks, but a strange intermission in the solo career of Bruce Dickinson. The singer’s first solo live record feels unnecessary. Continue reading
Review: Bruce Dickinson – Balls To Picasso (1994)
He tried once. He tried twice. At the third attempt Bruce Dickinson finally got another solo album together, his first music after leaving Iron Maiden. What does Balls To Picasso say about the solo singer? Continue reading
Review: Live At Donington (1993)
Live album fatigue sets in with the third (!) concert release of 1993. But the last record out of the gate is also the best of them, for two important reasons. Continue reading
Review: A Real Dead One (1993)
The live album onslaught of 1993 continued in the fall of the year. But the production and performances of Iron Maiden at the end of the first Dickinson period do not hold up well. Continue reading
Review: A Real Live One (1993)
Eight years after the colossal Live After Death, Iron Maiden have another four studio albums to plunder for their setlist. And so they decide it is time for another live album. Here is a look back at Maiden’s controversial second concert record. Continue reading
Maiden Revelations 