The Blaze Bayley Era of Iron Maiden - Part 2: Virtual XI
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2023
- Part TWO of a two-part series analyzing and discussing Iron Maiden's music during the band's Blaze Bayley era.
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I love all 17 Maiden albums. Blaze solo is great too. Up the irons!
"Freedom"!!!
April 1998: exactly 25 years ago, I discovered Iron Maiden with this album. I was 9 years old. And it changed my life forever.
I didn't like the Blaze albums at all when they came out but an older, wiser me now plays them regularly. I now like them more than a couple of the Bruce albums
Lightning strikes twice has my favorite Davey-solo
I started listening to angel and the gambler back in 1998.. the track still hasnt finished yet 😂
😂😂😂
Underrated comment😂
There are parts of the Blaze albums that I do enjoy and still listen to today. It is certainly better to have them in Maiden’s discography than nothing at all during this time
Criminally underrated.
The greatest moment in this album is gotta be" Como estais amigos" Janick's solo! Such a great composing there, very tasteful and full of feeling.
I'm one of the few elite individuals who can stand the full-length version of The Angel and the Gambler, and I look down on those who can't. Lightning Strikes Twice is a really fun song, and there are a lot of other great moments on that album; I definitely enjoy it as much as any of their other work.
Completely agree when you say “the clansman is their finest moment on the album”. It’s an incredible song and I’m glad it still makes it into later tours.
I never actually noticed that there’s next to no harmonies in this! Ive listened to this album a fair bit over the years and it never clicked haha. Overall though I enjoy virtual XI. I don’t have it ranked at the bottom but I totally get why others have.
Great series Nico! Could we be expecting one with Paul Dianno too? 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Great and very insightful, as always😜
Up the mighty Irons!!!!🤘🤘🤘🤘
I don't understand why The Angel and The Gambler was so long. It never seems to end!!!
Appallingly bad song. Their nadir, to be sure.
I think it's worth keeping in mind that with Maiden, Steve Harris doesn't write songs so much as try to capture an idea, almost like a short film.
Because of that mindset, sometimes a part will have more repetitions than is necessary for a song because he wants to create a feeling, let it build up and develop.
Conventional songwriting rules don't really apply to these kinds of songs... And of course, not all of them will be equally successful.
I think the Angel and the Gambler is much b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ less bad in the abridged single version. 😄
That said, there are elements of the song that are quite good... Maybe with a strong co-writer who understood what he was going for, the song could even possibly have been a strong single.
@@LicksOfTheBeast Cheers for the reply, Nico. As a bass player who got started by playing along to all those great albums, I'm really enjoying your analysis and watching you play those licks. Great channel!! Looking forward to catching Maiden in Dublin next month. Got tickets to British Lion as well.
I agree with you Nico!!! Virtual IX is an experimental album and there is a lot of creativity and a great effort to get ahead and try different things than just doing The same thing over and over... I have never seen it as a weak album, on the contrary, it is an album that is enjoyable from the beginning to the end.🤘❤️🔥🤘
I was just using this album to test my stereo while hooking it up.. loved these videos honestly. my mom got me these albums on cassette a few years back, bless her- she found a killer copy of this one
As always Nico you know your stuff and you present it well. I enjoyed myself and can't wait for your next videos. Thank you🤜🏻🤛🏻
Thank you so much, man!!! 🤜🤛
Don’t look to the eyes of a stranger is an absolute gem. Brilliant!! I disliked the Blaze albums for years as I actively ignored them. Now I embrace the albums. Very enjoyable.
Yeah sometimes I don't get it. I mean, it's the same band, just a different singer. Like DiAnno era and Bruce era. Both are great.
Super album!! Love the Blaze stuff
I really enjoyed this album; I used to look over it but I decided to go back to it and I'm glad I did. Lightning Strikes Twice + When Two Worlds Collide along with The Clansman and Futureal are all strong songs IMO.
When Blaze does songs like Futureal live with his solo band, guitar harmonies are added to the main riff like you did in this video
For sure... his guitar players want to make it sound cool and they want to have fun. 🎸
While I preffer TXF much more, need to admit, that VXI was the first "new" IM album that I have waited for. So, it was pretty exciting hearing some news about the title coming, getting the new single and eventually the album. Also, I have seen them live for the first time then, September 1998. Nice memories.
In my experience, there is nothing quite like discovering a band, delving into their music, history, and lore... and going to see them live for the first time.
The memories you create from that experience are indelible and it's a wonderful thing!
Cheers 🤘
That little harmony on Futureal makes is sound like classic Maiden, like something out of Powerslave or Seventh Son. A shame they didn't do it on the album.
Top notch stuff!! 👌
Brilliant ...
As always, good to hear your view on the things. I do agree totally. Blaze is one hell of a nice guy. I had once had the chance to meet him on a solo tour and it's a most respectfull, friendly and down to earth guy. What he did with Maiden was the best he could in his own rights. I have the same feeling for Blaze as I do have for Jannick: they saved Maiden in the nineties.
Blaze is a very good songwriter, but Maiden should've adapted to Blaze's range. And some don't know or do forget, he had co-written four songs on the Brave New World album.
Virtual XI is certainly not the best album Maiden did, but I do know Maiden needed this album to go into the '00's. No Blaze, no Maiden after 2000!
Thanks for putting this one together, Nico and Sara. As is usual you had some interesting perspectives and analysis. Have a good weekend!
i like virtual xi quite a bit more than x factor, my favourite 90's maiden album probably! it feels to me more focused and thought out than the others (which are still either good or great) and i did have a feeling they might have changed their arranging on this one after learning from the x factor. my favourite moment has to be blazes entire performances in lightning strikes twice and when two worlds collide. absolutely spine chilling!!
Great video pal. I got a deep respect to Blaze, he did an amazing job considering the circumstances. It was a risky move taking a a vocalist with a diferent vocal range at that era. I laugh when people say that Maiden has been doing the same thing all the time. Blaze era is just one proof that they are wrong.
Thanks! And yeah, they have their stylistic signatures and idiosyncrasies, but each of their 17 albums has a distinct sound. 🤷🏻
Blaze is all class, he did all that could be expected under the circumstances.
listening to virtual xi before x-factor made me love blaze era, because it feels more friendly and not too dark... though angel and the gambler and don't look to the eyes of a stranger become too repetitive... other than that, i really like this album
some of my favourite parts from this are:
- futureal = it's like be quick or be dead but with blaze
- lightning strikes twice = LOVE THIS SONG! would love to see it live with bruce or maybe bruce and blaze together
-the clansman = the way they play triplets on the verse gives it a scottish bagpipes vibe to it which is AMAZING
- when two worlds collide = the clean guitars intro is amongst my favourites, and the middle section, a standout for me
knowing that the nomad and dream of mirrors were written during this time it'd be interesting to see those two songs being performed by blaze and bruce together... yeah i dream of blaze joining maiden live one time
again, amazing video nico! up the irons!
Great video as always Nico. Keep up the great work. The two Blaze albums are so underrated and people don't give them a lot of credit. Call it the dark era or whatever, they are great albums for the period of time they were written. I feel Blaze had a vision for Maiden after the virtual xi album but never got that chance and hence his awesome solo career that followed Maiden. Up the Irons!!!
Excellent analysis. I hope there will be an analysis of Brave New World one day.
Yes, absolutely... I'll get to all of them eventually 🙂
Thanks so much for your very generous comments! I appreciate your support a whole lot 🙏
@@LicksOfTheBeast You're welcome. Just keep it up. You made Iron Maiden's music extremely beautiful for me and pointed out some important elements of it. I'm looking forward to the next analysis of one of the albums. Best Regards.
I am prepared to put this in writing... Blaze is my favoured vocalist of Iron Maiden. I love the sound of his voice and thought the 2 albums with him were top drawer. Don't get me wrong, Bruce is a far superior singer when it comes to range and technique but I don't overtly love the sound of his voice!!
I don't read too much into the technical's of each song, I take them for what they are - as I do for all of their music. Angel and The Gambler is definitely 5 minutes longer than it needs to be but this is something that can be said for many a Maiden song, repeating the same lines needlessly over and over. I'm not really interested in the final 2 songs of the album but the rest are absolute banging.
Educated Fool is one of my all time favourite Maiden sons. I think lyrically I can relate to a fair bit of it, in my own way and hence my love of the song. When Two Worlds Collide and Lightening Strikes Twice Re excellent too, really good little stories, told well, and at good pace.
Only real issue I have with the album is what I would consider 2 lesser tracks to end with and I feel that (for all the differences in Key and such like) that many of the songs actually sound the same! Similar sounding starts to songs and even similar, formulaic build ups. I wish they had chucked The Nomad onto this album - imagine how different it would sound without Adrian's influence when he rejoined the band... surely it would be quite a different beast???
Fine video by the way!
That's why I always say this is a very personal journey and a very personal experience. Music is perceived differently according to the listener's life experiences which is why I don't like to do album rankings or "rate" albums and songs.
The post-2000 stuff is a lot more layered and complex so I really don't think they would have pulled off The Nomad without Bruce and Adrian. Also there's no way Blaze would have nailed that chorus. 🙂
@@LicksOfTheBeast yeah, Blaze wouldn't have had the soaring vocal for it... it would be cool to see how they would have recorded it in the different era - maybe one day the recording will appear on a re-issue in 20 years time!!
It is refreshing that you don't rate stuff. Too much video's online are about what is good and what is not but everyone hears the same songs in a different light.
A truly neglected album. The think about Maiden albums is that there is no 'worst' - there is merely 'least best'.
And since it's IRON MAIDEN we are talking about - their lower ranked album STILL have something special and memorable to offer.
I like the Eddie on the cover, as I do the whole cover. It's more consistent with their previous artwork than the two most recent album covers, for example. The Eddie on the Virtual XI cover actually looks quite similar to the Eddie on Fear of the Dark, which makes sense, as both covers were done by the same artist. I like how warm the cover looks, with very saturated colors, lots of dark red, blue, and some green and orange. My only complaint is the updated logo.
hello Nico, thank you for this fantastic video.❤
I think both of your special videos on this era are very good and I liked to hear your take on it.
I always try to find the positive in what maiden do, but I struggle with this record.
Como and the clansman are excellent - the pre solo harmony on como is one of my favourites ever - but the rest of the album ranges from average to poor unfortunately, but I don’t think any of that can be attributed to blaze.
I really liked Como estais amigos ending the album. Then again it sounds so great to hear Wickerman as the next song released by the band.
yeah i know what you mean... one feels like closing an era and the other like saying WE'RE BACK AND STRONGER!
I think that Dave Murray really enjoyed doing this album and he delivered some pretty good stuff like you mention.
This album was kind of a transition and a third album with Blaze would have been excellent, even if the right decision was made to bring Bruce back.
Blaze had a few excellent songs for a third Maiden album that he released on his first solo record:
Stare at the Sun
Born as a Stranger
And Maiden also had some songs almost ready for a third album with Blaze, and I think they would have sounded great too, even if I really enjoy Bruce on them:
Dreams of Mirrors
Nomad
Blood Brothers
i think the mercenary was also made during this time... by the way during this tour you could see dave murray having a blast playing these songs!
If you love singing along with Iron Maiden, Virtual XI is probably the best album to do so. In my opinion anyway.
I've always liked this album. Its by no means my favorite but it has some great songs and has decent production and although I don't listen to it as often as their other albums I do listen to it on a semi regular basis. It doesn't deserve all the hate it gets, like many have already said if this was an album by anyone other than Maiden the reviews would have been completely different.
The biggest issue with this album IMO is that Maiden like almost all other metal bands at that time just didn't know what to do anymore. Music/metal evolved in the early 90s (for better or worse) and what they'd done so successfully before wasn't new or groundbreaking anymore and it was essentially considered "uncool". They were struck between trying to be new/relevant and clinging to the formula that worked so well for previously. This problem affected pretty much all the major bands who'd been successfully in the 80s - their 90s output is often a low point.
Second issue is Blaze. That is not a shot at him at all - I like him, I think he is a decent vocalist and I enjoy some of the work he did with Maiden a lot. The problem is his range isn't the same as Bruce's but Steve and co hired him to sing the songs like Bruce... they should have either changed approaches to accommodate Blaze or chosen a singer closer to Bruce's style .I've always felt that Steve made the wrong decision but it was Blaze suffered the consequences. That said there are some great songs on this album Futureal and The Clansman are bangers
Your videos always inspire me to pick up my guitar and play my power chords as clean as possible. Keep up the good work.
That means a whole lot to me. Thank you!!!!
Dave's two tracks on here are easily my favorites.
The two melodies after the first chorus in When Two Worlds Collide is probably the highlight of the entire album for me. We then get right into some great solos. The whoa whoa ohhhhs that match the melody at the end are great followed up with another great melody. Bit of a shame the verses and choruses themselves are a bit lackluster vocally and lyrically. Coulda been an all time great one, but they just don't do much with the vocal melody and it feels mailed in.
I know I mentioned it on the X-Factor vid, but similarly to the your comments on The Unbeliever chorus, the chorus in Lightning Strikes Twice is one of my favorite Blaze moments. The "strikes twice" attack back into the big interval jump back to "maybe" has always been a personal favorite. I think this one is a little more of a cohesive and balanced song than When Two Worlds Collide overall, and Janick's crazy muted/harmonic intro to his solo sounds just great. This is one of the few songs from that era I think Blaze works really well start to finish.
The 'polka' part in DLttEofS is epic, and I absolutely LOVE how it leads into the solos, it's absolutely brilliant. The switch up when it comes back around after the two solos is fantastic as well.
Of course, for me anyway, Futureal has some of Maiden's all time best solos. Wish this track was about 5 minutes long with more noodling because the vibe of it is fantastic. One of Steve's best from the 90s IMO.
I'm sure a bit of unpopular opinion but The Clansman is Steve's most egregious mistake w/ Blaze. Way too many syllables in each line for Blaze to pull off well. Even Bruce has a bit of a time with and he is masterful at singing Steve's overly syllablic storytelling lyrics. It's not one of my top epics from them, but you can't deny that post chorus riff.
The other songs are just fairly run of the mill. While I don't hate them there is nothing that pulls me in for a relisten to TAatG, The Educated Fool, or Como Estais Amigos. I'd much rather listen to near universally panned Hooks in You, Chains of Misery, and Weekend Warrior. While those songs always felt like they were trying to capture the essence of what Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter such a big hit they are still a blast to me.
As always, cheers for the video was a fun watch! I still have never heard Virus, I guess I should go check that out!
Just checked out Virus for the first time. First off, maybe the worst production on a track I've ever heard from the band. The intro might be the worst section of a song I've ever heard from Maiden. The first riff after the intro is EPIC as hell though, and I really like the rest of it. Maybe I'd feel a bit different about the intro w/ better production.
Interesting as always!
ive seen blaze earlier this year this man loves what he does and loves his fans! he sounds AMAZING and gives us an AMAZING SHOW ! hopefully we will get a 25th virtual 11 anniversary tour after he recovers! cheers!
As a longtime Maiden fan and writter of the upcoming book about Blaze era, I Can confirm Blaze did asked for downtuning on several ocassions..but Arry refused..He Said Maiden fans knows their sound and If they downtune, everything would've been even worse..and thats a Shame cause more Di'Anno material and simple downtuning half a step for the songs that could've been arranged that way ( 2 Minutes to Midnight, Fear of the Dark, The Evil That Men Do and Clairvoyant) would've solved everything..Nicely done, Arry..
People might've noticed a full step or more, but a half-step down wouldn't have been noticed at all. And even if it was - so? Steve hired a great singer knowing he came with a very different vocal range and technique than his previous singer. I'm pretty sure we all would've preferred the band tuning to Blaze's comfort zone than hearing him struggle so much trying hit notes in The Trooper, etc. As Nico said, that wasn't particularly sensible, and it certainly wasn't fair to Blaze or to the fans.
I have absolutely loved these videos. Thank you for covering this area of the band ❤ shame you don't like the angel and the gambler as for some reason I love it!
Please do this with Dickinson's Chemical wedding, that is one of my favorites in heavy metal in general
An amazing album
I wish they'd play futeral again
It is a fun song live!
Blaze albums are maiden albums of the 90s I listen the most to. Maiden surely goes through a great amount of changes in that era in terms of members, but also and foremost metal scene, leading to quite unfocused album. I think that X and XI albums are more focused and consistent throughout and contains some high quality tracks.
I like this album a lot
uno dei miei preferiti dei maiden, ora ho capito perchè grazie a te: è più vario rispetto al solito mi eolio
Awesome video - I was looking forward to it. Overall, thought this was a pretty good album which Blaze really excelled on - especially with some vocal harmonies as in Educated Fool.
Only weak point would have to be Angel and the Gambler; although it sounded great live! But that may have been my adrenaline! :)
I think Blaze was on a hiding to nothing in trying to fill Bruce's shoes, but if those 2 albums had been made by another group other than Maiden they would have been classed as brilliant album's, I followed maiden from Dianno through to Bruce then to Blaze and still think he did a terrific job. People try and compare each singer but u can't they are totally different to each other love them all Up The Iron's.
Again, thank you for doing this! I love that you pointed out the AC/DC influences, so awesome! Makes me think of the Tattoed Millionare tour when Janick and Bruce did some AC/DC songs. It was phenonenal( and I'm rewatching it after this now that I reminded myself 😁).
I wish they'd play more songs from these two albums and it would be even better if they'd invite Blaze so him and Bruce could sing them together live. Oh, that's a dream for sure! 🙏😍🤩
I wish I could have talked to you when I first started listening to Maiden. You understand them so well. Thank you again! You're awesome! 👌👏👋
I have a lot of love for Ac/Dc so I might be a bit partial to that sound...And Ithink Tattooed Millionaire is a very cool album. Some great tunes on there!
The last part of your comment means a whole lot to me because essentially, I am trying to make the kind of videos that I would have loved to have had available to me when I was discovering this music back in the day! Thank you :)
@@LicksOfTheBeast Hell yeah Ac/Dc! I have been listening to them since I was 3 so I might be partial to that sound as well. 😄 It's great to see our favourites inspiring each other for sure. 👌
You are so nice, seriously. You are doing a public service here. Just all around awesome work! Thank you very much! 🙏👏👍Have a great day! 👋
Very good!!!
OMG - this album is SO SO SO GOOOOOD !!! !!! !!!
\m/
A great record.
Futureal is a fantastic single way better that what will follows.
futureal to me was the last great opening track for a maiden album
This was for me was much better than sign of the cross the song were more like maiden tracks. Como the clansman dont look to the eyes of a stranger were good tracks I also think Blazes voice went up a gear although he was struggling live at this point especially singing classic Bruce era maiden. For me its the pick of the two albums
Nico Awesome Video! Maybe a The Educated Fool, Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger Breakdown? Thanks!
Ciao Nico, your reviews are always accurate, you're special! In my view, This album didn't add anything to band's career. It sounds a bit tired on some tracks. It's even too repetitive on the first single and on Don't look to the eyes. Also the marketing strategy wasn't properly targeted: football, virtual VS real... Honestly, who cares?! Lightning strikes twice, Clansman and Two worlds collide saved the album.
best end of an era ever in history
Thanks to this video, I was today years old when I realized Virtual XI had no guitar harmonies on it. Wow. My brain hears them even when they're not there. Speaking of which, Nico, that harmony you added on Futureal is so killer! It actually makes the song better, fuller, more Maiden - and it's already a great song. If I ever learn that one I'm using your harmony with it :D
It's a good video overall, and your criticisms are valid. Following along this line of the 90s and the Blaze era, you should cover Bruce's return to metal with Adrian on Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. At the time, a lot of people thought those two albums were better and more Iron Maiden than The X-Factor and Virtual XI.
Like Bruce said at the time, however, just because people say he made a good album doesn't mean they or he has to slag Iron Maiden's work.
There's an interview from that time where Bruce said he'd love to tour as much as Iron Maiden, but he doesn't sell enough tickets to do that. He was very humble about his solo popularity versus even the diminished 1990s popularity and brand that Iron Maiden was.
You could do an extremely cool video of how the careers of Bruce and Adrian and that of Steve and Maiden dovetailed in 1999, lifting all of them out of the 90s darkness and leading the resurgence of classic metal that saw Iron Maiden become bigger than they ever were - something they've amazingly maintained for some 24 years now.
That video will definitely come once the channel can sustain it... Those videos typically get less views so the channel needs to have a bit more viewership for a video like that but... It will definitely be something I will do because those are great, and very important albums!
It is an ok album with some great tunes and some obscure songs. Tracks that are great : The Clansman, Futureal , When two worlds collide and Como estais amigos. The Angel and the gambler could have been better in the album as the video version. That long version of it should have been presented as it is in live gigs. Good singing for Blaze on this album especially on The Clansman and Como Estais Amigos. I'll give it a 7/10.
Great video
Muy bueno!!
Two worlds collide is one of my favourite maiden songs and I love lightning strikes twice, this album has some fine work from Dave, the futureal solo is awesome and I do enjoy Angel and the gambler but it does need a little editing, I find the short single too short, it needs both solos and the last verse. Steve and manager rod small wood had an argument, rod said Futureal should be the single but Steve got his own way and Angel and the gambler was single, I think Rod may have been right.
To me, Maiden started to change when Martin Birch left and Mr Harris took over the production. It was after Fear of the Dark. Then the songs started to get too long, long intros, too much parts, it became more progressive etc.
Underrated album af in too many ways. Im a real enjoyeer for Maiden work and i dont know if its how i see them with their recently works but they actually evolved into new concepts to their songs. My favourite album and cover.
For me it sounds more like demo of potentially killer album, than a final produckt. I still like it, especially solos and Blaze's vocals.
Interesting take!
I could listen to you talking about Iron Maiden the whole day long. And sometimes I actually do😅
A weak album overall for me, I've certainly tried over the years to approach it differently, but can't latch on to most songs. The Clansman with Bruce is a killer track and fun to play. All that said, every Maiden album is important for the bands journey and longevity.
I had to ask my local hmv to order the new single for me. That was a first and a real low point. It got even lower when I picked it up, ran home and got The Angel and the Gambler. As for the album: futureal and The Clansman are good. There are good moments on the other songs but I couldn't believe this was how they responded to the plodding X Factor. I'd seen them in a tiny venue on the X Factour but I knew they wouldn't even fill that venue on the back of this. Thankfully Bruce and H were back a year later...
This is one of my favourite album from the band. Every song is perfect for except one thing, that is the chorus of the Educated fool. I don't agree with you when you said you liked the chorus of The educated fool. It sounds like a sick Eminem. I hate that but everyone got his opinion. Otherwise, I am thankful that you made a video on that lovely album. I also really like the album cover. Great video, it's always interesting to see someone else's opinion on that album
By the way, is there a video where you tell us how you started playing the guitar? The way you analyze Maiden songs and the way you play the songs correctly is amazing.
I haven't mentioned it but that will be a video I will make soon because I get a lot of questions about that and I think it will be very encouraging to newer guitarists 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words or encouragement!!
@@LicksOfTheBeast Thank you for your kind response... I'll be waiting for the video, your channel is unique and you have incredible content, I dream of one day being able to do the same as you... I hope to see Maiden this year in Vancouver.
Blaze has gotten a lot of negative criticism for his live work with Maiden. I agree that Blaze had to perform Paul’s and Bruce’s songs, live, under unfair conditions. There were songs that either should have been left out of the setlists completely, or songs that should have been adapted for his voice.
1000%
Blaze would have slayed on songs like Phantom of the Opera, Sanctuary, Murders in the Rue Morgue and Killers!
@@LicksOfTheBeast great video as always - My favourite Blaze moments, outside of X-Factor and Virtual 11, were Afraid to shoot strangers and Heaven Can Wait !
@@LicksOfTheBeast He did Sanctuary on the Virtual XI tour, and from the footage I’ve seen, he killed it! And, yes, holy hell…He would have owned all of those songs, especially Killers!!!!
Nice analysis Nico. Virtual 11 and X Factor would be have been excellent if Bruce sang and the band used shorter or less intros and outros similar to older albums. Just imagine Nomad, Dream of Mirrors, Mercenary and Blood Brothers were written during the sessions for Virtual XI, these songs sound very good in Brave New World!
Aside from the obvious The Clansman and Futureal here I'm a big fan of Lightning Strikes Twice and When Two Worlds Collide. There's a lot of hit and miss with this album but when it hits it's fantastic. I just always found X Factor more consistent and it holds my attention more. That said I'd never thought about all the different key signatures on this album. The inconsistencies could very well point to the fact that they were deliberately trying to experiment and push the envolope. It was an awkward time for record sales and of course heavy metal in general and that's not to be understated either. I could totally see Dream Of Mirrors and even The Mercenary and Blood Brothers on this album. When you hear them now you can tell they were leftover ideas from the VXI sessions for sure. Enjoyable in places for sure and forgettable in others. I respect Blaze for keeping the flame alive and for giving us some great material with Maiden but I'm also glad he left because his solo career post Maiden has been absolutely top drawer!
Don't look to the eyes of a stranger is another one that could have been better if shortter
Some excellent guitar melodies there. One of my favorites on this album.
I actually love VIRUS 🎸 jajaja but Futureal and Clansman are great!
While it has glaring problems (don't you think I'm a saviour) it also has super strong song like Futurreal, Clansman, Educated Fool and Como Estais Amigos.
Shorter arrangements would made the album way better. Some of the songs are not as bad as they are way to long. it was the first Maiden album i’ve bought. Futureal and Clansman are by far the best ones.
I believe I’ve heard a harmony in Futureal when Maiden Canada plays it. 😉🎸
It comes and goes... depending on Alonso's mood that day 😄
I've heard the harmony when Blaze plays it with his on his solo shows.
I really like this album, and I have done since the day it was released. It holds a special place in my heart, as this tour was the first time I saw Maiden play live, and I thought Blaze sounded great. The X Factor is still my favourite of the 2 Blaze albums, and I put it in my top 5 all-time favourite Maiden albums, but Virtual XI for me is still better than No Prayer and Fear, and most of the post-2000 albums. I think Virtual gets completely unfair hatred from many fans. Yes, the production and mix could be a lot better, and The Angel & The Gambler is ridiculously overlong, but there are still many killer songs on it. My favourite song on the album is Como Estais Amigos, which for me is one of Blaze's best performances with Maiden.
The "hate" is a mix of objectivity and subjectivity, as well as context.
I think it's great that an album can be special to us regardless of how "objectively" good it may or may not be. I love NPFTD... I know it's far from their best work but I think there is something very special about that album. 😊
Virtual XI also had the misfortune of being sandwiched between Bruce's Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding - two insanely good albums he did accompanied by exceptional musicians and a very hungry Roy Z. The comparisons were inevitable and there was no way Virtual XI was going to hold up to the combination of those two releases.
But in the end, people like what they like. Me, I think their post 2000 albums are much better than their 90s work, especially AMOLAD and the last two - which are actually some of my favourite Maiden albums overall!
@@LicksOfTheBeast Yes, I remember at the time how good Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding were. I always thought Chemical was one of the best albums that Maiden never made 😂 But yes, you are correct, it is all subjective. I too love A Matter Of Life And Death, and I think Senjutsu is their best since that album. I do have to also say that when Brave New World and Blaze's first solo album Silicon Messiah both came out in 2000, I preferred Blaze's effort. It is one of my favourite albums.
Virual XI is an album that seems more suited to Bruce rather than Blaze. I also think the songs here just needed a better production, the mixing is horrifically bad and a slight reworking and it would have been the best 90s album from Maiden. Lightning Strikes Twice is a great track and I wish they would play it live. I much prefer this to x factor, probably because it isn't quite so drab in atmosphere. This is a solid 6/10 album that could be an 8/10 with a few tweaks here and there.
Jajajajaja The greench jajajaja. I actualy like this eddie, it's like forming from all the destruction around...
Actually, there is a guitar harmony on the Futureal solo, but you are right in general. Maiden in the '90s dropped their harmonized style because they wanted to dissociate themselves from the elements that may have been perceived as cheesy and '80s.
Hey Nicko, what do you think of Adrian Smith"s Lado Earth guitars. Would like to hear your opinion on these guitars and why Adrian never played them again?
I've played one at a friend's house (he's got quite a few Lados actually!) and it's definitely a very cool guitar. I enjoyed playing it very much! I wasn't being objective though because the first thought is inevitably gonna be "wow Live After Death!!!" 😄
They are quite rare so of course that makes them rather expensive, and the few times I've come across one, the asking price was always much more than what I was willing to spend on one.
I don't know why Adrian moved away from them, but perhaps one reason is he found the Strat shape to more comfortable to use on stage. 🤷🏻
You must to play some song of these álbum virtual 11 and tutorial complete please
Very nice that you play and good channel
Polka part? Listen to Carry On, from brazilian band Angra.
My least favourite song is The educated fool, although it has some great solos on it., I actually like Angel and the gambler, sure it need a bit of trimming towards the end but I find it a pretty catchy song overall, love lightning strikes twice and two worlds collide. Don't look to the eyes of a stranger could be good the solos are awesome but it needs a lot of editing. Overall I think the guitar work on this album especially from Dave is awesome and blaze sings very well but maybe writing and recording the whole album in just 6 weeks was a bit rushed
Although this is my least favourite maiden album, the clansman is still on of my favourite maiden songs
I’d take this over Senjutzu any day
Wait, wait, wait, so... The only reason you don't really like The Angel And The Gambler is that the album version gets repetitive? Or are there more? I personally really liked it ever since I heard it first when the album came out and while yes, I won't argue about the repetitiveness at some parts of the song, it's still a great one, especially the verses are pretty awesome! Also about Futureal - as much as the harmony you came up with sounds good, I don't really feel like it would fit the song... To me it feels just about right the way it is, kinda keeps the more say agressive sound of the song? I don't know, the way it is makes it my most favorite from the album alongside The Clansman. But sure, this is just my subjective opinion. Thanks for another amazing video!
I don't like the keyboard stabs, I find the pre-chorus drags the song down, the chorus is weak and it's made worse by repeating it 6 million times in the interlude, the arrangement is meh, and the lyrics don't do it for me at all. I do think the verses are very good (melody, chords, feel) and both guitarists have great solos!
As for Futureal, I don't think the harmony makes it better as part of the main riff. I actually find these parts sound stronger and more open played in unison. I was only saying the lack of a harmony is probably the only thing that keeps it from sounding like classic Maiden... Still, maybe it would have been good to harmonize it after the solo just to break it up a bit and add a little variety as they play that riff a lot for such a short song. 😊
@@LicksOfTheBeast Well, I kinda have to agree on the keyboard and lyrics as for dislikes 😃
Oh, I understand now! But to me personally the fact that the song is VERY short kinda keeps the riff from sounding too repetitive, I feel like if it was longer, it would definitely need more variety... But this is exactly the thing you pretty much also talk about - opinions differ, people are sometimes biased in some ways and for a band like Maiden (well not just, but especially them) there will simply ALWAYS be so many takes on their songs, so many opinions, so many likes and dislikes from people and they probably wouldn't listen to any, because if they did, they would probably have to change their entire discography to fit everyone, which is obviously impossible 😃 But it's fun to think about. And that by the way is another reason why I like your videos so much - they always make me think a bit deeper about the songs and stuff! 🤘🏻
'When Two Worlds Collide' chords sound would fit in a Dream Theater song quite nicely
La prossima volta sarebbe bello quando hai parlato della tonalità specificare anche quali sono quelle canzoni. Le due in E Minor sono le due di Murray, Lightning Strikes Twice e When Two Worlds Collide? Io pensavo che anche Clansman lo fosse. E qual è quella in Sol#?
A volte preferisco essere conciso per far sì che il video sia più scorrevole. Poi in alcuni casi parlo di tonalità quando approfondisco. 🙂
Comunque le tonalità sono:
Futureal e Educated Fool = Mi minore
Angel/Gambler: La Misolidio
Lightning e Two Worlds: Si minore
Clansman: La minore
Don't Look: LAb minore
Como Estais: Re minore
"The Angel and..." is the only Maiden track ever that I don't like. They tried to make another "Heaven Can Wait" but failed miserably. The rest is good. Dave's writing is great on this one.
The single version is better. I don’t think it’s bad at all. They definitely have worse songs
We never know what if Steve were turn down the tuning, like Helloween did when Andi Deris come in.
I’m surprised that you say that “Como estais amigos” is the shortest album closer since the “Killers “. What about “Only the good die young “?
Otherwise, I like it a lot when you are more critical. Great review!
It's because I'm old and I forget things 🤣🤣
@@LicksOfTheBeast I found it strange because you did recently a review of the 7th son masterpiece and then you did mention that the last song is very short compared with the bands other albums…
If "Virus" and "Justice of the Peace" had been put on The X-Factor, it would have been a much better received album. "The Clansman" is a very overrated song, one dealing with subject matter that does not suit Maiden, which Steve showed us on "The Death of the Celts," which is the better and improved "The Clansman," or what "The Clansman" should have been all along. "The Angel and the Gambler" is a really cool song with a rock'n'roll vibe that is infectious, so the runtime of around 10 minutes doesn't bother me as much as it does most fans. I think the runtime is necessary to fully develop the song and the mood, as is the case with most post-2000 material, where it is the short songs that feel out of place, not the super long songs. "When Two Worlds Collide" is a really great song. I wish they would play it live again. And, finally, Janick really peaked around this time in the band. He and Dave were really in-sync at that point, unlike during the post-2000 era, where Janick became a parody of himself, playing the same ideas over and over.
It's so strange to hear it said "Virtual Eleven" when I've been pronouncing it "Virtual Ex Eye" all my life
...as opposed to a live, in person ex eye?
🤷🏻🤣
Hey, I used to pronounce Malmsteen's first name like linguine so...lol