First off, wow, what a line up! This is the most members maiden have ever had at one time in the band. And, as most of you know, it marks the return of vocalist Bruce "Air-Raid Sirens" Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith. They mark the first band since Lynyrd Skynyrd to use a three man lead guitar act, and the first I can think of in the Metal genre. Maiden said that this is not a reunion album, but more of an all new Maiden sound to continue the legacy they once started.

Does the new maiden line-up and album live up to the Maiden of old? In some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. "The Wickerman," an idea from a British movie dealing with paganism, starts the journey off with a nice little rocker that Adrian Smith co-write, with nicely written guitar progressions around Bruce's layered vocals. "Ghost of the Navigator," which Bruce wrote and deals with a captain and his emotional battles at sea, starts off the more X-Factor/Virtual XI intros that lead up to a powerful chorus and/or climax later on. "Brave New World" continues the same route, with a beautiful intro, as Bruce's vocals shine through out in a sing-along fashion. "Blood Brothers" has an interesting concept in its lyrics, about getting in touch with the other side. Again, it starts with an emotional intro, Bruce's vocals build up to a strong chorus, and the guitars really shine in certain areas, sounding very clean for a 3 guitar act. "The Mercenary" is a strong rocker in fine Maiden fashion, about a bounty huner, while "Dream of Mirrors" slows the pace down a bit. It reminds me of "Deja Vu" from Somewhere in Time, and it deals with the way nightmares and dreams can really effect some people. Starts off slowly, with Harris' bass leading the charge, leads up to Bruce's usual power chorus, and the pace really picks up about mid way through the song, which is a treat. "The Fallen Angel" evens out the slower songs again, a good vs. evil theme, with beautiful guitar work and vocals, and "The Nomad" slows it back down. A 'Lawrence of Arabia vibe' as Harris calls it, has a beautiful solo that Harris even did the keyboard work himself. Nice. "Out of the Silent Planet," which Bruce (needs to write more songs!) wrote, reminds me of mid 80s Maiden, and Harris bass charge is as good as ever. The album closes with "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate," and it's a fairly nice closer, althought not nearly as good as say Rime..or Alexander..but it has many different moods which make it worth listening.

In the end, I must say that this is a nice way for Maiden to return. My only real gripes are that many of the songs start off with X Factor/Virtual XI lay outs, but Bruce's vocals sound as good as ever, the guitars shine throughout, and Nicko's drumming has improved a lot. Bruce and Adrian have returned! ..And so has Nicko! Recommended.

This album marked former frontman Blaze Bayley's final outing with Maiden. A lot of speculation went around during the time of this release and the predecessor The X Factor. Many fans were unhappy with the shift from Golden-era Maiden rockers to slower, darker tracks, as seen on The X Factor. The only real difference between this and the last album is a much more clear production and a less gloomy atmosphere in song structure.

The Maiden legacy continues with many the cuts (again) being layered around Blaze's more mid-ranged vocal tenor. The song structures are similar to the previous album--starting off slowly and atmospheric, later building into a hard-hitting climax. Average vocals by Blaze this time; the man can really sing when he's not trying to sound like Bruce! The guitars sound very polished and well mixed, as the solos on this album are what make this album worth listening. "Futureal" opens with a pretty good upbeat rocker. "The Angel and the Gambler" has to be one of the worst (and longest) Maiden songs I've ever heard. Come on guys, there was no need to extend the chorus way beyond belief. "Lightning Strikes Twice" is an excellent cut featuring one of Dave Murray's best solos to date. "The Clansman" is hands-down the best effort here. The idea was inspired from the movie Braveheart, and if the "freedom!" vocal march doesn't make you feel like you were actually there on the battlefield, I don't know what will.. Great intro, great lyrics, great solo. Finally, "Como Estais Amigo" is a touching song that Janick and Dave wrote together, containing a very soft, emotional mood.

Virtual XI is worth the listen, but the purchase may depend on you. This is an album that will definitely take some time to fully enjoy. Not quite as innovating or exciting as earlier Maiden outings, but the stellar cuts "The Clansman" and "Lightning Strikes Twice" are sure to make this at least worthy of a listen. Now that Bruce is back and "Brave New World" is out, I'd most definitely recommend it over Virtual XI.

Maiden's previous album The Number of the Beast was quite an excellent album, as Bruce Dickinson now has to follow up his debut masterpiece with a worthwhile successor. Drummer Nicko McBrain makes his debut here, and the chemistry between he and the rest of the band continues to hold strong today. This album is not mixed as nicely as most Maiden albums, but get the recent remasters if you're not fully satisfied. Hailing from the U.K., they were already a success in their native land by now. However, in the U.S., many people accused Maiden of being satanists--relating to the song "Number of the Beast." Maiden denied this allegation, fired back with this strong album, and guess what? They began racking up a huge U.S. fan base. "Where Eagles Dare" begins with a drum intro that really impressed Steve Harris after he got his spot as drummer. The machine-gun effects add to the intensity, as Dave and Adrian let loose their own arsonal of razor-sharp riffs. Nicko adds a nice variety of drum patterns that makes this one of his better performances. "Revelations" is another tremendous song, with a fantastic solo, and Bruce cleaning up the song with a strong sub-chorus. "Flight of Icarus" shows Harris' love for mythology and a mind for great lyrics. Check out Bruce hit the high notes, as he soars away with confidence and brilliance. "Die With Your Boots On" contains the swift, slashing riffs that Maiden are known for, as Bruce only adds to the power. "The Trooper" is one of Maiden's best and most well-known/recognized songs, and boy does it smoke. From the opening riff, you know this is going to be a bruiser. Just listen to Bruce wail away at the chorus. The riffs before and after the solo begins are brilliant, and not to be missed. Also, shouldn't bass work this good be illegal? "Still Life" and "To Tame a Land" are under-rated Maiden gems that add to an already excellent album that has become a classic.

Many consider this Maiden's best work to date, although it's debatable. But what this is, is a fine piece of work from a band that has held firmly in its Metal roots for nearly twenty-five+ years! The vocals are top-notch, the guitars crunch, the bass thumps, and this album just begs your ears to be heard. Certainly one of Maiden's best, and Metal's best to offer. A must in every fan's collection. Highly recommended.

The leather, the motorcycles...Ah, yes, it could only be Judas Priest. Sadly this would be Rob Halford's last outing with Priest, and damned if it weren't a good one. After a successful commercial run in the 80s, what were Priest up to as the new decade emerged? One thing is for sure: This is the heaviest sound they have achieved up to this point!

The sound has intensified quite a bit, and there are a number of songs to show you just that. The vocals are less straight-forward than before and they carry more of a sinister, raspy tone. The guitars blaze in full fury with no holding back. Just listen to the crunching opener "Painkiller" and you can sense the bitterness. Rob's vocals are haunting, the twin-guitar guitar act is near flawless--frightening solo, that deserves a bang of the head or two. "Hell Patrol," "All Guns Blazing," and "Leather Rebel" continute right where "Painkiller" left off, and contain speedy, precise riffage throughout, accompained by high, melodic choruses that are worth checking out. Check out the intro to "Metal Meltdown" : thoughts of Van Halen come to mind..but the song kicks in, and it could be none other than Priest! A metal meltdown indeed! The spoken vocals in "Night Crawler" are creepy and worth checking out. Be sure not to miss "Battle Hymn," an instrumental that leads into the final track. The first half of this disc is raw Priest at their finest. Rob left in good fashion, if I must say so. ..And Priest only begins to get heavier. Get the leather clothes out of the closet, start up your motorcycle, and let's take a trip to Hell together.

The first album of the new millennium for Immortal, and after the amazing "At The Heart Of Winter" I am ready to do battle once again with the unholy forces of evil. They have added a bassist, Iscariah, so Abbath can concentrate on all the guitar work, and besides that, the line-up has stayed constant. Demonaz still does all the written lyrical work and handles all of the financial dealings, etc. of the band. (We miss you in the music though Demonaz!)

Anyways, to start things off, I must say that the production on this album is top notch. Everything is recorded almost perfectly. The drums are thunderous to say the least (especially the bass drum), the guitar is low and crunchy and Abbath has a little more bass to his raspy voice. So with all the aspects there as usual, the songs don't lack anything either. Immortal has continued to work with the sound from the last album that projected them to greater heights, but they also use some more brutal sounds as well. Horgh has improved yet again from the last album and his drumming is the best I have ever heard it. His double bass has gotten faster and more precise and he stays locked with the guitar work thoughout the whole album. Abbath's guitar work has improved as well, and plays a little faster riffs on this album. Most of the clean guitar is gone, with the exception of a small part in the song "Damned In Black," but other songs such as "The Darkness That Embrace Me" and "Wraith From Above" make up for it.

Immortal have also used other atmospheric sounds on this album that add to the songs very well and give them more attention. What else can i say? This cd dominates my cd player. They have done it again!