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Admittedly, getting used to Blaze Bayley
fronting this classic metal band a few years ago was pretty tough.
So now on their second release together, one would assume that
we'd have gotten used to it by now, right? Well, it is easier
to accept it a little more now, that some time has passed, but
it does still require some getting used to - if that's going
to ever be possible!
Nonetheless, the music on "Virtual
XI," (Death) is still undeniably "Iron Maiden,"
as always. Much like its predecessor, "The X-Factor,"
many of the songs start out with a hauntingly-slow build up,
with the one general exception being "Futureal," which
comes first, and is one of the more exciting tracks on the album.
Overall, this is a pretty good record with a couple of personal
exceptions being "The Angel and the Gambler" and "The
Clansman," both of which I feel trudge on much too long
in especially muddy sequences.
Like "The X-Factor," this album
will take a few listens to form a sincere opinion, but really
it's not at all that different from what anyone's used to. Bayley's
a good enough vocalist in his own right, but I've never gotten
over the fact that his voice just seems to, at times, rigidly
conflict with the rest of the band's background. Only during
the songs' slower points and chorus's does he blend in well enough
to not overemphasize his presence. Of course this is only my
opinion, I'm not here to rip Blaze in the first place.
The songs themselves also take on the same
characteristics that were heard on '88's "Seventh Son of
a Seventh Son," a bit too reliant on the effects of the
keyboards, as well as many of the usual lead breaks and basslines.
That said, I'll also point out that it's not a bad album to draw
influence from, however. Strongest cuts include really all of
the rest, aside from the previously mentioned exceptions, but
in particular, "Lightning Strikes Twice" rocks fittingly
well, and gives Bayley's voice a peripheral workout during the
chorus.
"Educated Fool" offers up some
of the band's better guitar work, and again draws upon some of
Bayley's strongest points as a vocalist. Once again, "Iron
Maiden" continue to expand the realm of heavy metal, much
as they did several years earlier, though perhaps not as profoundly
as before. Though much of what they do incorporates a progression
among themselves, they've never strayed far off from those elements
which have endeared them to their loyal following for nearly
two decades now. |
