Virtual XI - Iron Maiden

I totally agree that the album 'Virtual XI' is a masterpiece. Its true, not many Maiden fans would like a change in vocals but Blaze has done his part well. He is mellower than Bruce, maybe that explains the indifferent attitude towards him. His voice is totally in sync with the guitar work, in fact it is different from Bruce' version.

The song Futureal starts with rhythmic guitar work that can remind you of Angus Young in AC/DC, followed by different time signatures and booming baselines which is typically Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden has clearly stood out as one of the very few bands which has great emphasis on musical harmonies. This aspect is very audible in Virtual XI and also 'The X Factor' which are two albums often despised and written-off by fans. All the songs have some great messages to it.

For eg, The Angel and the Gambler tells about an Angel trying to persuade a gambler to keep away from gambling. 'The Clansman' about 'William Wallace' and his fight for freedom. 'The Educated Fool' which tells you that education will not give you everything in life.

The album is complete with great melodic guitarwork which will keep you wondering about how capable these metalheads are. However, the art cover on the album is too modern, too graphical or unoriginal, and does not blend with the essence of Iron Maiden.

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This was the last album featuring Blaze Bayley. The singer everyone loved to hate. In my opinion, he was a good singer and the songs on this album are really good-provided you have an open mind about who's singing them. This is because die-hard Maiden fans couldn't bear to see anyone but Bruce Dickinson as the frontman of the band. Since I was introduced to Maiden only after the reunion in 2000, I don't have this problem. This album features the trademark melodies, guitar riffs and excellent https://lyrics. I especially love ''The Clansman'' and ''The Educated Fool''. ''The Clansman'' is such a great song!! Especially the chorus ''FREEEEEEDOM......'' I can actually see Mel Gibson going down screaming that phrase in ''BraveHeart''.

''The Educated Fool'' is a song which has a special significance for me personally. There was a phase in my life when I was totally lost. But I felt I had so much to give to the society and didn't know how to do that. I picked up this CD and My God!!! This song was speaking to me about me. The lyrics described exactly what I was going through. After listening to this song, I decided to do my post-graduation and make myself competitive enough to be useful. Hence, this song changed my life!!! I am not kidding.

Overall, an excellent album. A must buy (like all other Maiden albums) for a die-hard fan.

Up The Irons!!

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