Heavy Maytal- Iron Maiden's "Dance of Death"

 

The band's 13th album is the one Bruce album I have spent the least amount of time with. It opens with a high-energy song with a rather dumb repetitive chorus. It makes me think of Van Halen. Not a terrible song, but I expect more from them when Bruce is around. There is a similar energy to "Rainmaker," but all the moving parts are higher functioning. The chorus works much better. "No More Lies" feels like something from "Fear of the Dark", which is wehre they started writing these types of darker songs. The guitar playing here is very nuanced. The vocal production on this album is way better than anything from the Blaze albums. It does build up until the thunderous chorus. With three guitarists, the solo sections have grown. 

"Montsegur" is heavier and an unrated Maiden song, I have never paid attention to til now, which is why I enjoy digging back into these albums I never gave enough of a chance. The title track is the kind of epic galloping frolic that is what this band is known for. So they are doing what you want from them. "Gates of Tomorrow" feels a little happy for my musical taste buds, but it's well-executed and sounds like them. "New Frontier" is more of what I want from them, as it has more of a metallic attack. "Paschendale " is Adrian Smith writing what he thought would be the typical Maiden epic, and he did a pretty good job of it, as it has a heavier stomp. 

There is a darker, more majestic feel to "Face in the Sand" that works well. The guitar riff to 'Age of Innocence' has a heavier chug than what you typically expect from them, but it works for where they were in 2003. This is juxtaposed by a poppier melody on the chorus, yet it all seems to gel. The odd choice of their first acoustic song to close the album is awkward, but you can't resent them for trying new things. But after listening to it several times, it never really hel my attention that well or felt memorable. Overall, this album works and recaptures what we love about the band more often than not so I will give it a 9.5. 

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Heavy Maytal - Tailgunner- "Midnight Blitz"

 When it comes to a new traditonal metal band with the most buzz, the band that comes to mind is Tailgunner. KK Downing produced their new album, giving these kids from the UK an edge on the competition, and they have the buzz to build the momentum. But none of this means anything if they are just delivering the idea of an era rather than songs that are relevant in 2026. They open with a somewhat aggressive track, considering the genre, at times making me think of a less flashy Dragonforce. The second song is more melodic, which I appreciate, but it also flirts with hair metal a bit, which I feel is an equal influence on what they do. 

Despite KK producing their album, they do not sound like Priest. They sound more like a speed metal version of the Scorpions. This fact is highlighted on "Follow Me in Death". There are lots of guitar solos racing around, so if that is your thing, you might be into this. Three songs in, and I am under the suspicion that these kids are not going to be dark or aggressive enough for me, which is a common problem I have with power metal. By the time we get to 'Dead Til Dark', I'm positive that if a song about vampires is too happy for me, there are going to be some stylistic differences that I might not be able to reconcile with these guys, despite them being good at what they are doing. It begins to become hard for me to even think of this as metal due to how upbeat they are.

"Barrens Land and Seas of Red" finds the rapid-fire pace being maintained. The vocal approach is very similar to what this guy has been doing for the bulk of the album, where a wider range of vocal colors would feel the dynamics of the album. "War In Heaven' features Ozzy/ Sabbath Keyboardist Adam Wakeman. It's more of a power ballad. You do finally get to hear more shades of the singer's voice. He is some hat you stereotypical power metal singer, but without any falsetto yodeling, so far everything has been sung from his tenor chest register. 

The drummer earns his place at the table on "Blood Sacrifice." Their singer tries to be a little more aggressive and goes up into his blended head register on the chorus. "Night Raids' is just as over the top as the bulk of this album has been, though they back off enough on the verses so the vocals have room. No new ground is broken on this song, and the fact that everything is similar in tempo makes the songs sound the same. "Eye of the Storm" at least finds the verses creating more space and tension. When it builds up, it feels more like a tribute to modern power metal. The last song opens with more fanfare to create the mood. Then, they race off into something not far removed from what we have already heard from these guys. The fact that they stick so closely to the rule book for this genre and do not bring anything new to the table is a bit off-putting, and it's too happy for my tastes, but they have the chops for this kind of thing, and it's well-produced I will give it an 8. 

 

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's "Virtual XI"

 

1998 was an odd transition period for metal, so it was easy to imagine how another Blae Bayley album might slip between the cracks. The mix is better than the previous Blaze album, with more of a classic Maiden sound coming from the guitar. Harris falls low in the mix, but the drum sound is better. "The Angel and the Gambler" makes me think of the Who.  There is more of a rock feel to it. It is a little too upbeat and happy in the execution for me. Keyboards are also taking a much larger role in this one. There is a cool melody breakdown on this one, but it might be part of the formula for this album, like the acoustic intros were for the previous one. It almost feels like they are jsut jamming, which I can appreciate. 

"Lightning Strikes Twice" has an odd chorus refrain, but the guitar solo section is classic Maiden, though the bulk of the song is kind of clunky. I've heard Bruce sing The Clansman" before live andd then went to check out the original, so the only song from this album I am familiar with. It captures more of the classic Maiden sound as it slowly builds. It takes two minutes for the drums to come in, but it's pretty anthemic and a tough song for them to beat on this album. The middle section finds them returning to a more jammed feel. "When Two Worlds Collide" follows the formula of a more subdued atmospheric intro that they build. Here it's into a gallop that should work, but Bayley's vocals feel a little awkward to me. 

They get proggier on "the Educated Fool". It still works on the formula they seem to be using during the period. His vocals seem too dry; it feels like they should put some effects on them. It might have helped the overall vocal sound, as he is a decent singer, but he is not given much love in the studio. The guitar harmonies on this song work better than most on this album. "Don't Look in the Eyes of a Stranger' feels like it was a B-side from "Fear of the Dark." The creeping tempo helps with the shadowy tension. The breakdown into the ambient middle section is a little odd until they begin to build it up. They are back to the Blaze formula on the last song. It builds up well enough, and Blaze sounds fine; it's just not that memorable despite when they lock into their classic harmony parts. I will give this album a 9 as well, even though it's an improvement over the previous album, it feels like they were just punching the time clock in some respects. 

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Heavy Maytal- Darkthrone : "Pre-historic Metal"

 

It seems these guys are now transfixed on their Celtic Frost phase. They are still black metal if you are talking about how that genre was defined in the 80s. There is a rawer sound to this album than their previous one, but it does not hinder the head-banging, fist-pumping riffs. The vocals croaked with a Tom Warrior-like anguish, sitting back further into the guitars. You can still tell who this is as they have their ambiance abounding on the first song. The title track finds the tempo simmering to more of a Venom-like place. They built this to a more thrashing pace that is part  Mercyful Fate. There is just a hint of black metal, but it's done in such an old school way you can't tell except to notice the intensity shifts. 

"Siberean Thaw" is a weird one that wanders into oddly atmospheric places but sells itself with the killer riff the song ends on. "Deeply Rooted" finds the Mercyful Fate influence surfacing again. The snarl of the vocals does not contribute muh on this one, even though the guitars are pretty cool here. They could tell it was starting to drag when they wrote, as that point is when the riff shifts its groove. They try to go for a more Maiden-like gallop, which does not work as well. The sung vocals can be pitchy as usual. Though the sung vocals show great improvement on the most Mercyful Fate-like so far, "The Dry Wells of Hell," where he even goes up into a falsetto note.

While it is a bit of an odd bird, the more experimental atmosphere to "So I Marched to the Sunken Empire " was needed to break things up. It is the most interesting moment so far. Some proto thrashing goes down on "Eat Eat Eat Your Pride" that looks back a little into their older punk stuff. They do throw in a dynamic shift and slow it down. The more chugged riff is pretty powerful, so hard to complain about this song. 'Eon 4" closes the album with a more lumbering doom feel. The vocals feel like they were improvised on the first take. It shifts into a hookier, more Mercyful Fate-like riff, but vocally, there is no King Diamond.  I will give this one a 9 and see how it sits on me. When I want to hear Mercyful Fate, I will just play"Don't Break the Oath." But if that is what it takes to bring them out of the Celtic Frost phase it's a step in the right direction. 

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's "The X-Factor"

 I have never given the Blaze Bayley albums a chance. I have a few of these songs live when Bruce has sung them, so here we go. The opening track is "Sign of the Cross." It works well enough; it's obvious Blaze lacks Bruce's range, though his voice has a lower baritone grit that works for this song. I will find out how it holds up for the bulk of the album. It does sound like Nicko is just kind of dialing it in on this song. There is an interesting shift in the darker gallop this song goes to. But something is off even when i listen to just the instrumental sections, you can tell it's Iron Maiden, but it doesn't sound fully like them, this is due to the fact that Martin Birch is not behind the console. Nigel Green does seem like he is great with drum tones, though there is an interesting space in the mix created by how the guitars sit in different places. 

The beginning of "Lord of the Flies" makes me think of 80s Dire Straits. The new singer did give them the chance to experiment more. If they only got a better drum sound. Blaze's approach is more rock n roll on this one. His style of singing also makes the chorus not punch enough. It could almost be any bar band on a Saturday night playing originals, with the clever guitar interplay the most redeeming thing here. "Man on the Edge" is likea more rock n roll take on "Gangland." Things get darker on "Fortunes of War." the guitar parts also show improvement. The anthem power ballad "Look For the Truth" finds Blaze doing pretty well, and the whole song actually working. 

The clean guitar intro seems to be a pattern with this album. The Aftermath" finds its groove after one of these intros. "The Judgement of Heaven' finds the vocals sitting a little awkwardly atop everything. There are some tradmark guitar passages, but it sounds more likea band influenced by Iron Maiden than the actual band. "Blood on the World's Hands " has a suitable bass intro that leads to something that sounds more like the band with a lurking tension to it; it's one of the better songs so far. Blaze is inconsistent because he sounds good on this one.

It's not surprising that The Edge of Darkness" carries more sonic shadows. It reminds me of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" but carries an epic gallop. This lineup is capable of pulling off good songs; I don't think the mix is doing them any favors. Another acoustic intro for "2AM", which gives Blaze enough room to really sing. He does not have Bruce's swagger, but works well on this one. Though not sure about how the drums are pushed forward for the guitar solo. "The Unbeliever" opens with some intersting guitar riffs, not sure about the interplay between the vocals and the drums though. Not the album's most focused song. 

"Justice of the Peace" is more like what you want from an Iron Maiden song, as it balances the bombast and melody with high-energy drive. "I Live My Way' seems pretty basic, but it works. They close the album with more of a rocker, picking up the pace for "Judgement Day," which feels like it's more obligatory than playing to Blaze's strengths. At the end of the day, aside from Blaze, these guys are Iron Maiden, so their chops alone make it more worthwhile than anticipated 

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Heavy Maytal - lIlwind : "the Unfolding at the End of Light"

 

This Peruvian doom band is not content sticking themselves in one sonic box, despite what you are led to believe going into the album with the more traditional doom feel of "Crimson Skies." The epic bellow of the sorrow-filled vocals is what anchors their place here, rather than if they were another growing funeral doom band or death doom band, sub-genres I enjoy when done right, but these guys are focusing on songwriting rather than checking off the expected boxes for what the cool kids in doom are doing these days, perhaps that is due to being from Peru, and having to live off 80s metal vinyl if they are in a region with no wi-fi. Whatever the case, they are rocking it here, even with the first song being over ten minutes as they are jamming out.  

There is a touh of Candlemass in what they do. "Wanderer" has more of a fuzzed-out stoner rumble to it. They know who both Electric Wizard and Pallbearer are in Peru, it seems. There is more dynamic ebb and flow here as the riffs expand and contract, rather than jsut jamming out into guitar solos like they did on the first song. "Portal" moves with more grace in its rumble to just feel like reverbed out classic metal. There is more of a rock progression here. They are not overt Sabbath worshippers whih is something I appreciate. The first hint of it lies in the blues-tinged rumble of " God of Sleep." I like what the vocals are doing, but it falls pretty solidly within the expected boundaries of doom. It is an almost nine-minute song, so it drags slightly. It builds into some haunting guitar melodies to create a more melancholic tapestry that makes you headbang to, but it's pretty effective. 

It takes a minute for them to get "Lucifer's Mule" going. It carries a more monolithic chug that drives it. They allow things to drift off into more atamosoere a few minutes in. The chug grounds this and is a good sonic weapon for their arsenal of sound. Five minutes in, things begin to shift. A bigger, more metal riff comes in to build it up. They modulate it from their into something with a more aggressive crunch. The emotive feeling to the vocals brings My Dying Bride to mind at times. The guitar solos flow out of the steady build with organic grace. 

They close the album with a sludged out cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog' which seems like too obvious a choice. They do a good job with it andd I like how it's more deliberate to create a heavier tone. The vocals don't change their approach. I enjoyed this album; it was not predictable, though it did employ a few doom cliches, but was not chained to them. I will give it a 9. Dropping July 3rd on Personal Records

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's " Seventh Son of Seventh Son"

 

This album is where some old-school Maiden fans begin to cast doubt on how well it holds up with their classic material. I like it because it is a darker album. "Moonchild" is a great opening song; it's uptempo, and Bruce carries a balance of grit and operatic croon. Lyrically, this album is loosely based on Orson Scott Card's book "Seventh Son." It studies more mystical topics. "Moonchild" is more influenced by Crowley. Despite being a power-ballad of sorts, "Infinite Dreams" might be the album's best song. It finds Dickinson singing in a more nuanced lower register in the verses, and soaring back up on the chorus. 

Where a point of contention on this album is that this is where the band switched from using Roland GR-700s to actual keyboards. I think it's done tastefully, and it's not like they turned into Yes. However, I do remember thinking when this came out that  "Can I Play With Madness" was too happy-sounding with the being harmony vocals on the chorus, felt like a nod in a more commercial direction, but when you sit down and really pay attention to the lyrics, it's clearly not the case. I think if they were trying to stay relevant, they would have gone heavier, as that is where metal was heading in 1988 with bands like Slayer breaking big. Some of the album's most memorable guitar solos are also on this song. 

"The Evil That Men Do" is another great tone with a darker tone and Bruce finding more interesting places for his voice to go than the most predictable belting. Not sure how you think you can get a more epic gallop than what they do on the title track.  Everyone is on point here, though you expect no less from these guys. There is a cool atmospheric breakdown that builds tension well for the guitar solos to explode out of. In some ways, it reminds me of the middle section of "Hallowed Be Thy Name." They bring more bite and a refined take on their classic sound to "The Prophecy". You can hear how this influenced today's power-metal bands. 

"The Clairvoyant" works of a pretty powerful tension that, when coupled with Bruce's intense vocal performance here, works wonders. The guitar harmonies on this album seem to have their own cohesive personality that sticks to the mood of the album. Despite being warned that a demon is going to rape you in your bed at night , the chorus has an upbeat feel to it. This is the band finding a new pinnacle, and it also deserves an 11. Despite its naysayers, it stands toe to toe with the band's best work. 

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