I became a fan of Iron Maiden in 1980 and saw them for the first time on the Killer world tour. I've seen them pretty much every time they've been round since and the only bad show I've seen was on Bruce's farewell tour. I mention this only to say that I have some experience of Maiden.
What Maiden have achieved is remarkable and I would never run them down or suggest that they are irrelevant. The standard of musicianship is superb, I mean, who would you actually want to replace? Anyway, here's my take on their albums:
Iron Maiden - This album had a real raw energy about it that seemed to capture the essence of the time in which it was released. No really weak songs and the rough edges on the production only enhanced its power.
Killers - A much more polished production, though it lacked the raw edge of the original. Again, I can't say there is a bad song on here but as an album it suffers from being sandwiched between two great albums. The significant thing about this album is the introduction of Adrian Smith.
Number of the Beast - It's hard to say now, in 2010, just what impact this album had. Iron Maiden were already head and shoulders above any other Metal band but this album was just awesome and the live show was amazing. 'Gangland' and 'Invaders' are a touch weak but that's up against some incredible tracks. 'Number of the Beast' and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' still rank amongst my favourite Maiden tracks ever.
Piece of Mind - Taken in isolation, this is a very good album but was always going to seem a bit of a let down compared to 'Number of the Beast'. Overall I really like the album and it has some really great tracks on it but to my mind, I can never forgive it for 'Quest For Fire', which is so bad as a song that it would embarrass Spinal Tap!
Powerslave - Another great album, though it didn't have the impact of 'Number of the Beast'. There were some great tracks but it was a little short on 'classics' compared to some previous standards. Like many albums it was superb when viewed in isolation and only suffers when compared to some of Maiden's other offerings. Nevertheless, it is generally seen as one of their best and the live show was, as usual, superb.
Somewhere in Time - I really didn't like 'Alexander the Great' but other than this the album is one of the best they've ever done. On this album we see the Maiden sound evolving and the song writing is becoming ever more ambitious and complex. I remember at the time, the key aspect of the album to me was the realisation that Adrian Smith was essential to the band's success. 'Stranger in a Strange Land' and 'Wasted Years' are amongst my favourite ever Maiden songs and showed what a great songwriter Adrian was but they also showed that he wasn't entirely happy in the Maiden camp at this point. This album is special to me because it was here that I really started to appreciate Adrian Smith as both a guitarist and musician. He's been my favourite member of Maiden ever since and one of my favourite guitarists. If you want to learn how to structure a good solo, you could do a lot worse than learn some of his.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Looking back from 2010 it's easy to forget what an astonishing album this actually was. Here they really pushed the boundaries of what Maiden could do and many of the songs were masterpieces of construction. Pretty much all of the songs are excellent but the title track is just incredible. If it was a film, this album bould be like a Ben Hur epic. This was Maiden at the height of their powers and without a doubt, it is my favourite Maiden album. If you weren't around at the time you won't appreciate just what an incredible album this was.
No Prayer for the Dying - Oh dear, Adrian Smith has gone and the wheels have really fallen off the wagon! The title track is pretty good but otherwise this is a really weak album and the one I like the least. I own it but I never play it and this album marked a real low point in Maiden's career. I think Janick Gers was rather tainted by this album as a lot of its poor quality was unfairly blamed on him and he's never really fully recovered so he's all too often seen as an irrelevance to the Maiden line-up. There is no doubt that this album is weak and Maiden were seriously missing Adrian Smith.
Fear of the Dark - Obviously the title track on this is a Maiden classic but in all honesty, it's one of the few tracks that saves this album. There are a couple of other highlights but overall this is another weak offering and without Adrian Smith the band were looking tired and disinterested.
X Factor - Not entirely surprisingly, Bruce left and things looked bleak for Maiden. Blaze Bayley had an impossible task in replacing Bruce and the album had a luke warm reception. It was certainly very different with most of the songs being slower and more ponderous than usual. I remember at the time I didn't like it but I've listened to it since and in many ways it's actually their most ambitious album since 'Seventh Son...' and now ranks as one of my favourites.
Virtual XI - There are some really good tracks on this but there were also sadly signs that Maiden were a band again bereft of ideas. Many parts of the album had sections that are best described as 'padding' as riffs are repeated endlessly to make the album last. Not the worst they've done but not a classic.
Brave New World - Now I may be a touch biased but while the headline was Bruce's return, the signifcant move was getting Adrian Smith to rejoin the band. All of a sudden the band came to life and this is one of the best albums they've ever done with not a weak track anywhere.
Dance of Death - If anything, this was even stronger than 'Brave New World' and it seemed like Maiden could do no wrong. Every song is excellent, though the artwork for the album is very weak and to my mind is the weakest album cover they've ever done.
A Matter of Life and Death - Perhaps it was always going to be impossible to write a third classic album on the bounce but this is undoubtedly a step back. I remember that the press were hailing it as a masterpiece and this prompted Maiden to play the whole album, in order, on their tour. They should have done that with 'Seventh Son....' but did it with this instead and while it was, as usual, a good show and the album had some great tracks, it was nowhere near the two previous albums.
The Final Frontier? I have an open mind at this stage. I can't say I'm overly struck on the title track but I think that is mostly to do with the fact that Bruce's vocals sound rather more strained than usual, though the riffing is excellent as always. I do like El Dorado, which isn't like me at all as I'm not normally keen on their single releases. Nevertheless, I do think you write Maiden off at your peril and I am full of admiration and respect for them, not only for their track record and contribution to Metal, but also because they haven't sat on their laurels playing ancient material over and over again.
This post has been significantly longer than anticipated and no doubt many will disagree with me but it's my take on Maiden as a life long fan.
