By the mid-1990s Iron Maiden had clearly become a diminished force, but they would gamely take another crack at rebuilding their house. With this chapter in our study of Maiden History we take a look at the making of Virtual XI and the events that led to the end of the Blaze era.
“Welcome home”, goes the chorus. “It’s been too long, we’ve missed you”, go the fans. Bruce Dickinson found himself with his fourth solo album. And it was closer to home than he might have imagined. Continue reading
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
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
On Saturday March 2nd the legendary Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson visited Ole Bull Teater in Bergen and made the capacity crowd grin with laughter for the close to three hours long event. Torgrim Øyre was there to report. Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
