Fabio Top 50 Albums of 2015

Here it is! My list of favorite albums of the year. With so many stellar releases in 2015, trying to narrow down a top 20 proved impossible, so I kept 50 again. Feels like every year more good records are out or it is just that every year I expand my horizon of genres and sub-genres. The fact is that I checked more than 140 releases in 2015 and the fifty albums below are simply those which I personally felt to be the most connected to and listened to it more often. And still there were a few more that I enjoyed but didn't make the 50 cut. 

As always, this is a “metal related” list because it does include some non-metal stuff, but obviously the vast majority is heavy. And note that I did not list any EPs, compilations or live albums.

The order is indicative as one release is not definitively better than another (Metal/Music is not a competition), so chill-out. At the end of the day, it's just opinions from a subjective individual.

I really like making those lists even if nobody reads them – it makes me reflect on the year that went buy and revisit the emotions that each of those records brought up.

So here you go...

50.Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II

49.Sylosis - Dormant Heart
48.Royal Thunder - Crooked Doors
47.Spock's Beard - The Oblivion Particle
46.Swallow the Sun - Songs From The North I, II, III
45.Myrkur - M
44.Gorod - A Maze Of Recycled Creeds
43.Abhorrent Decimation - Miasmic Mutation
42.Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields
41.Gruesome - Savage Land
40.Stryper  - Fallen
39.W.A.S.P. - Golgotha
38.Queenryche - Condition Hüman
37.Serious Black - As Daylight Breaks
36.Lamb Of God - Sturm Und Drang
35.Enforcer - From Beyond
34.Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
33.Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine
32.Kataklysm - Of Ghosts And Gods
31.Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask
30.Byzantine - To Release Is To Resolve
29.Royal Hunt - Devil’s Dozen
28.Armored Saint - Win Hands Down
27.Horrendous - Anareta
26.Blind Guardian - Beyond The Red Mirror

25.Crypt Sermon - Out Of The Garden

I'm not a Doom aficionado but this album is a very high contender for debut of the year. So that tells you how much I dig it. 7 tracks in 43 min of pure Doom overdose - no fillers and not really anything to complain. All songs are great. Full of big riffs and great vocal work, Candlemass style.

24.Tribulation - The Children Of The Night

This is the first time I check this band, yet again from Sweden, and already releasing their third full length studio album. Tribulation has a very distinct sound, I'd call it Black N' Roll. To me it sounds like black metal, but diverse influences like Iron Maiden and The Doors are also present.

23.Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Other than a few songs here and there, I haven't been a big fan of the band. But their live DVD with Floor Jansen was really good, so I approached EFMB with open ears. I'm glad I did because this is a great disc. Tuomas Holopainen is a great song writer and can create catchy, melodic and emotional tracks, no doubts about it. But now you add the powerful and versatile voice of Floor to it and you have a perfect mix. The album is a bit too long, but the closing track is such a special one that we let it slide.

22.Kamelot - Haven

This one has grown on me after listening a few times. At first not as memorable as the predecessor but still very good. The formula is the same from previous albums: big choruses, very melodic and catchy. Tommy Karevik delivers again a very solid performance, but he could by now bring some more diversity to his performance and not feel the need to replica Roy's voice/style. My highlights are Citizen Zero, Veil of Elysium and Under Grey Skies (here we do see something different and it went very well).

21.The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal

2013's Everblack was my introduction to BDM, I really liked that record. The combination of Trevor Strnad vocals and  Death Metal with Malmsteen-like guitar solos is really appealing. Abysmal sounds pretty much like BDM, but it has a very different feel from the previous records. The opening track "Receipt" is perhaps the closest song to the previous album sound. The album is very direct and fast paced. It's only 38 min with 10 songs, so very short songs. No fillers, pure energy, aggressiveness and great musicianship. Maybe not quite the same level as the predecessor, but still an amazing record.

20.Joe Satriani - Shockwave Supernova

I'm a huge fan since I was a teenager and on his 15th studio album, Satriani found a way to catch my attention again. Sort of concept album focusing into Satriani's more aggressive side without losing the traditional melody. Even if not a groundbreaking record or anything, I listened to it so much that it deserved a spot in my top 20.

19.David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

This is a beautiful record, from the artwork to the last song. I got the 180g heavyweight vinyl LP that includes 16-page color lyric/photo booklet - outstanding package. And it also sounds amazing! Well crafted and produced the 10 songs run in just 52 minutes. All in all, Rattle That Lock is very different from last year's The Endless River (the final studio album by Pink Floyd). Gilmour's solo album displays a great variability and each song has its own personality. But overall Rattle That Lock has the same feel as Division Bell with hints of old Pink Floyd. Subtle references from Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here can be spotted. The glue that puts those largely different songs together is Gilmour's voice (displaying great range) and guitar playing. And both sound amazing throughout the record.

18.Ghost - Meliora

Third time's a charm! After being impressed with their debut and disappointed with the sophomore snooze fest, Ghost delivered an album that works for me. But it took a few times of careful listen for it to grow on me. I was initially disappointed because I expected all songs to be as good as the first two I listened: "From The Pinnacle To The Pit" and "Cirice". Those are my absolute favorites, they are catchy, heavy, full of great riffs. The album opens with the good "Spirit" - what a great intro! The choral with bells and then the riff and the pounding drums: let the mess begin! Then my two favorties follow. The other songs are all good with highlight for "Mummy Dust" and "Absolution". With only 42 minutes and 8 songs (plus two short instrumentals), Meliora was conceptualized as a LP and that's great. No fillers and you can listen to it several times in a row. The album doesn't sound as retro as the previous one, it's heavier while keeping the elements of 70's rock. Ghost offers something different than any other band these days while being original and well-written.

17.Soilwork - The Ride Majestic

Getting through their last album The Living Infinite from 2013 was a bit of a challenge. The double album had 20 songs and 84 min. Still, there were some fantastic songs in there. But now The Ride Majestic, the tenth studio album from the Swedish melodic death metalers, fixed this problem. With "only" 50 min and 11 songs, this record has no fillers. The songs are well written and powerful, but the highlight is the singer Strid and his varied vocal style. He's able to quickly alternate between more guttural growls and higher screams and clean, harmonious vocals. Songs like "Alight in the Aftermath" start almost like a metalcore song, early BMTH style, but soon also goes melodic. Mostly The Ride Majestic is pure Swedish Death metal as it should be.

16.Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha/Omega

What happens when you put on a blender Meshuggah, Jazz Guitars, Slipknot and melody? Well, that's Periphery's double and conceptual album Juggernaut. But don't get me wrong, the albums are very concise and one song builds on each other. It's actually one album with two parts (Alpha and Omega). I really like the recurring themes and melodies throughout the album.

As previously, the songs mix extreme aggressiveness with melody and catchy choruses. And a bit more accessible than the previous albums. Spencer vocal range and variation of styles is even more impressive than previously heard. The guitar trio led by Mansoor is not only highly technical but also original. This is where djent meets jazz. Loved the guitar solo on "Rainbow Gravity" for example. For the sake of modern metal, I hope Periphery stays on track and continue to grow!.

15.Faith No More - Sol Invictus

This is an outstanding album, it was worth the wait! The title track and first song is a slow intro that is followed by the single "Superhero". Now, I didn't get this song as a single, but in the context of the full album, it works very well. It gives the explosion with melody needed to get the album going with full energy. It also shows that FNM groundbreaking style from the 90s is kept in the new record. Matador is the longest track with 6-min and arguably the best. From The Dead closes the album with a very silly song that only FNM can pull it off.

All in all what I liked the most in this 40-minute killer comeback is how one song flows into the next. At the same time each of them provides a unique experience and uses different but typical FNM elements. Even if not as good as their classic albums, Sol Invictus is not far behind. The only problem is the super high standards that those guys set for themselves.

14.Deafheaven - New Bermuda

I was blown away by 2013’s Sunbather, Deafheaven 2nd album, beautiful black metal.  Two years later and we are presented with New Bermuda, only 5 tracks in 46 minutes. The sound is pretty much Deafheaven, however I’d argue it’s even better. Firstly, the vocals are a bit more clear on the mix and with different effects while maintaining the power and chaos. Secondly some verses are sang in a more traditional black metal fashion and that creates some variability to some songs like "Baby Blue". Thirdly, the beautiful passages are still very much prominent  with slow riffs and guitar arpeggios but I hear more traditional black/thrash riffs being added and working beautifully. As heard in for example "Brought to the Water" or "Come Back" (Slayer in slow-mo?). All in all the 5 songs are really great and despite being long, time flies and you barely notice that the album is back to song #1.

13.Parkway Drive - Ire

I started digging Parkway Drive based on the last two albums. The fact that they make modern metalcore-ish music combined with more traditional metal elements and great musicianship is what made Parkway Drive stand out. And Ire pushes that direction even further. The new studio album, their 5th , is diverse and “formula-free” and that works very well (at least for open minded people). I love the first half of the album. The two singles are just fantastic:  "Vice Grip" is on the same lines as Atlas, but "Crushed" is a completely different beast. It sounds like Manowar going metalcore, awesome. "Destroyer" , "Dying to Believe", "Fractures" and "Bottom Feeder" are all good and typical Parkway Drive tracks while "Writings on the Wall" (a slow song with piano and whispering voice) and "A Deathless Song" (acoustic guitars and more progressive) show completely different structures and influences. Overall a great album, the guitar work is pretty good and Winston McCall vocals are distinctive and powerful. I really hope Parkway Drive will continue to evolve in this pathway.

12.Enslaved - In Times
Without repeating themselves but keeping their signatures, In Times is another great addition to Enslaved discography. "Only" 6 songs, with the shortest ticking 8:11! Each of those songs is a journey in itself, with ups-and-downs, that makes the album's 54 min fly by. The pathway into progressive metal continues, but with one new element: A subtle and interesting post-metal influence. The clean and growling vocals contrast beautifully over a series of awesome riffs throughout the album. In sum, the Norwegians of Enslaved continue to evolve their magnificent and already proven sound with another masterpiece.

11.Intronaut - The Direction of Last Things

A late entrant on the list and a new band to me. Not surprisingly since it seems that tDoLT is their best album to date. I can see why, the music is genuine and pleasingly unconventional. I was sold with the first and best track, full of riffs, hooks and aggressiveness and most interestingly transitioning into a jazz intermezzo including a fret-less bass solo. Modern progressive beauty with a touch of aggressiveness.

10.Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards
For historical reasons, Power Metal has always been one of my favorite genres. So it's difficult to find a band or even a new album that stands out. Luckily for me, there are exceptions. Gloryhammer's sophomore album is certainly one of the best power metal albums of 2015. The band formed by Alestorm singer and keyboarder Christopher Bowes features a strong vocal performance by the Swiss Thomas Winkler. Lyrically those Scotchs don't take themselves too seriously, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it a parody band. Make no mistake, musically, Gloryhammer is very serious about their sound and song writing. Their strongest influence is by far Rhapsody (of Fire). The songs are catchy, epic, with big choruses and great musicianship. If you are a power metal fan, don't let the silliness prevent you from listening to great music.

9.Baroness - Purple

The last major release of 2015 made straight to the top 10. But not immediately, Purple grows in stature with every listen.  Baroness has never completely appealed to me. That is, until I heard Purple in its entirety for a few times. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. No low points, very catchy, good vocal performance, great riffs and drumming. The Purple journey goes from hard rockers like "Try To Disappear" and "The Iron Bell" to more epic and emotional tunes like "Chlorine & Wine" and "If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain?)". Maybe it's time to revisit their first two albums, and hope for their future, Orange (?) album.

8.Paradise Lost - The Plague Within
In a list unusually represented by doom bands, how could the genre godfathers be missing? There's something about this record that makes you come back to it constantly and with each time it grows on you. This is a very diverse disc combining different styles that the band has touched over the years. But the common theme is that it's heavy and dark. From the catchy opening riff followed by Nick Holmes throat singing you know you are up for an experience.

7.Slayer - Repentless

A lot has been said about the new Slayer album. It's kind of miracle that the band is still holding it together. The album went straight to top 4 in the US and very high chart positions across Europe. As far as reviews goes, it looks like it's kind of love or hate it. I put it all aside, I bought my vinyl put it on and just enjoyed it. It's pure Slayer. It's fast and fierceless. It features great solos, riffs and awesome performance from both Tom and Paul. It's no Reign in Blood but nothing is. We certainly miss Jeff but it's not like the last two albums were masterpieces. I applaud those guys, specially Kerry King for working so hard to deliver a solid record. I hope they are in the right path and next can be even better, specially if Gary participates fully. In the end despite all this Mexican novel what matters is that I keep coming back to it and enjoying ever spin.

6.Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Full disclosure: I've seen Amorphis live and listened to some old stuff, but I had never been into them. While reading reviews of Under the Red Cloud, I got very curious. It's indeed a very unique band with a distinguished sound. I didn't get it at first but something kept me going back to it, possibly songs like "Bad Blood". But before I knew it, I was in love with the whole album! Tomi Joutsen voice makes the difference. While he's clean vocal is beautiful, his harsh screams are very deep, similar to Amon Amarth's  Johan Hegg. It's an outstanding contrast. Musically, Under the Red Cloud displays several facets of the band: Death, Gothic and Folk Metal all mixed and intertwined in an elegant and convincing way while maintaining a consistent feel. The guitar work is also fantastic with some great and unique riffs that work in perfect harmony with the keyboards. A fantastic record!

5.Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction
Many extreme metal albums albeit good can suffer from lack of variation. The Anthropocene Extinction doesn't have this problem and hence the key reason why is so damn good. This album is an epic take of Death Metal/Grindcore full of brutality while also melodic at times. Musically, it ticks like a clock with great musicianship. The vocals are fantastic: Going from very low and slow death growls to high pitch black metal screens with everything in between. It's hard to believe that this is the work of just one singer, Travis Ryan. My favorite song is the opener and single "Manufactured Extinct", a show opener, that contains all the elements that will surface the rest of the record. But don't get me wrong, all the other songs are also great and in no moment Cattle drops the ball. 

4.Symphony X - Underworld

I followed those guys since the early days. If you don't know them yet, first where have you been? So think of mixing Rush, Metallica and Malmsteen and you have an idea.

Overall the musicianship of all members is suburb. The guitar riffs and solos from Michael Romeo are just mesmerizing, And Russel Allen's vocal is as powerful as always but even more versatile, reaching high and low notes as I have never heard. With just above 1hr of music, this masterpiece flows very nicely and the time flies by. The first album since 2011's Iconoclast, Underworld is a fantastic journey through Symphony X's sound over the years (I'd have suggested a self-titled album). Each song has its own character but one flows into the other perfectly therefore creating a magical experience.

3.Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic

I became a fan of BTBAM in 2012 while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I was sold when I listened to "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors album from 2007 and started to dig their whole discography. Now after 3 years they are back with the concept album Coma Ecliptic. While the elements from previous records are the same, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But that it's not to say that heaviness isn't there, it's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, a masterpiece of progressive metal.

2.Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls

The long wait since 2010's The Final Frontier is finally over and the world's biggest metal band is back in triumphant form. Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album is an audacious project. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines. For a minimal difference, this was not number 1, and during most of the year it was. 

1.Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase.

SW delivers an album that is emotional, dark and musically brilliant with highlight to the fantastic guitars and keyboard. HCE is an absolute masterpiece of modern progressive music.

Highly original and building on SW's style, but with "in your face" influences from  Simon & Garfunkel and late Beatles to Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steve Morse and Led Zeppelin. This musical journey is addictive! Once you start playing the album you want to enjoy the experience from start to finish while entering a sea of emotions with up-and-downs. It's not only album of the year but certainly will be one of the top of the decade. Kudos!

Honorable  Mentions:

Ensiferum - One Man Army
Danko Jones - Fire Music
Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers
Stratovarius - Eternal
Thy Art is Murder - Holy War
Neal Morse - The Grand Experiment
Angra - Secret Garden
The Agonist - Eye of Providence

Biggest Disappointments:
Circle II Circle
Def Leppard
Devil You Know
Helloween
Trivium

Best Shows:
Parkway Drive - GMM 2015
Kamelot - 013, Tilburg
Steven Wilson - Trix, Antwerp

Worst Show:
Sonata Arctica - GMM 2015

Top Albums of Q4/2015

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

This is a beautiful record, from the artwork to the last song. Rattle That Lock is the fourth solo album by David Gilmour. The artwork was created by Dave Stansbie under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with Pink Floyd before. I got the 180g heavyweight vinyl LP that includes 16-page color lyric/photo booklet - outstanding package. And it also sounds amazing! Well crafted and produced the 10 songs run in just 52 minutes. Only 3 short instrumental songs and 5 of the 7 lyrics were written by his wife. All in all, Rattle That Lock is very different from last year's The Endless River (the final studio album by Pink Floyd). Gilmour's solo album displays a great variability and each song has its own personality. But overall Rattle That Lock has the same feel as Division Bell with hints of old Pink Floyd. Subtle references from Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here can be spotted. The glue that puts those largely different songs together is Gilmour's voice (displaying great range) and guitar playing. And both sound amazing throughout the record.

The instrumental "5 A.M." opens the album beautifully with a melodic guitar solo over keyboards - think "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". The single and title track follows and I was intrigued about where have I heard this opening riff...then I realized it is from the French railway announcements.  Well guess what? that's not a coincidence! It was Gilmour's intention to actually use this jingle. It's the fastest song in the album and very pop/rock - great single. "Faces of Stone" is a slower song with an acoustic rhythm guitar, it reminds me of "Lost for Words". "A Boat Lies Waiting" is a tribute to Richard Wright, a melodic slow piano track which is beautiful and full of emotions. "Dancing Right in Front of Me" is a mid-tempo song that could be featured in Division Bell and features an unexpected jazzy piano solo - awesome. "In Any Tongue" is the longest track with almost 7 min and features 18-year-old Gilmour's son, Gabriel, on the piano. "Beauty" is the second instrumental song with slide guitar and build-up tempo -  great reference to "One of These Days". And then suddenly we face a jazz track! "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" could be in a Woody Allen movie, it's really cool. "Today" starts with a choral but soon picks up and it's the only other song with a up bit pop/rock tempo. The album closes with the third instrumental and beautiful "And Then...". 

This great album finishes as it started, with he guitar master soloing away. Hopefully it won't take another 9 years for the next one because I can't stop listing to Rattle That Lock.

Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards

For historical reasons, Power Metal has always been one of my favorite genres. But when you know a genre so well, it's difficult to find a band or even a new album that stands out. Luckily for me, there are exceptions. Gloryhammer's sophomore album is certainly one of the best power metal albums of 2015. The band formed by Alestorm singer and keyboarder Christopher Bowes features a strong vocal performance by the Swiss Thomas Winkler. Lyrically those Scotchs don't take themselves too seriously, I wouldn't go as far as calling it a parody band. But I guess they could't seriously try to sing about unicorns and dwarves with a straight face so they decided to have some fun with it. And I can see how that can put some people off. But make no mistake, musically, Gloryhammer is very serious about their sound and song writing. Their strongest influence is by far Rhapsody (of Fire). The songs are catchy, epic, with big choruses and great musicianship. And by the way, loved the artwork. If you are a power metal fan, don't let the silliness prevent you from listening to great music.

Deafheaven - New Bermuda

I was blown away by 2013’s Sunbather, Deafheaven 2nd album, beautiful black metal.  Two years later and we are presented with New Bermuda, only 5 tracks in 46 minutes. As opposed to the distinctive pink cover from the previous album, the cover art of the 3rd album features an oil painting by Allison Schulnik, mainly black. But apart from that, the sound is pretty much Deafheaven, however I’d argue it’s even better. First I think that the vocals are a bit more clear on the mix and with different effects while maintaining the power and chaos. Second some verses are sang in a more traditional black metal fashion and that creates some variability to some songs like "Baby Blue". Thirdly, the beautiful passages are still very much prominent  with slow riffs and guitar arpeggios but I hear more traditional black/thrash riffs being added and working beautifully. As heard in for example "Brought to the Water" or "Come Back" (Slayer in slow-mo?). All in all the 5 songs are really great and despite being long, time flies and you barely notice that the album is back to song #1.

Parkway Drive - Ire
I started digging Parkway Drive based on the last two albums, Atlas and Deep Blue. But I also like some songs from their first 2 records. The fact that they make modern metalcore-ish music combined with more traditional metal elements and great musicianship is what made Parkway Drive stand out. And Ire pushes that direction even further. The new studio album, their 5th , is diverse and “formula-free” and that works very well (at least for open minded people). I love the first half of the album. The two singles are just fantastic:  "Vice Grip" is on the same lines as Atlas, but "Crushed" is a completely different beast. It sounds like Manowar going metalcore, awesome. "Destroyer" , "Dying to Believe", "Fractures" and "Bottom Feeder" are all good and typical Parkway Drive tracks while "Writings on the Wall" (a slow song with piano and whispering voice) and "A Deathless Song" (acoustic guitars and more progressive) show completely different structures and influences. Overall a great album, the guitar work is pretty good and Winston McCall distinctive and powerful. I really hope Parkway Drive will continue to evolve in this pathway.

Stryper  - Fallen

Fallen is their 11th album and continues to feature the band's signature sounds and style. However, the sound is heavier, specially when it comes to the guitar riffs. Actually the guitar work throughout the record is fantastic. Michael Sweet's recognizable voice is another highlight, great power and range. Of course Stryper didn't loose its melodic pattern with huge hooks. All in all, a surprisingly great album, Fallen is also the band’s heaviest album to date. Highly recommended.

Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask

Avatarium was Founded in 2012 by bassist Leif Edling (ex-Candlemass) and Marcus Jidell (Evergrey). The self-titled debut was highly acclaimed  and I love it. Two years later we are blessed with the follow on LP tGwtRM. While maintaining a signature sound, Avatarium created something different from the first album. It's still doom and the magnificent vocals from Jennie-Ann Smith shine even brighter. But it has more of a bluesy feeling to it and more prominent 70s style keyboards. This melting pot culminates into track #3 "Pearls and Coffins", simply magnificent. Maybe not as good as the first one, but very close to it.

Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine
This is the sixth album by the Polish progressive rockers. It follows 2013's masterpiece SONGS. Unfortunately it is not as good as the predecessor, but still it's really great. LFatTM is mid-tempo and rock, there's nothing metal about it. The electric guitar is not so prominent, and gives more room for the keyboards and acoustic guitar. Also the bass is one of the starts, very prominent and displaying beautiful bass lines. In sum it's a beautiful record, well-written, and a great but melancholic listen.

W.A.S.P. - Golgotha

Golgotha is the fifteenth studio album by W.A.S.P. and it's their first since Babylon (2009). I had no expectations of this album but I gave it a try. After a couple of listens, I was positively surprised and got hooked on it. My first observation is that despite approaching 60, Blackie Lawless still got a distinctive and powerful voice and it sounds as good as it ever has. Second, the guitar work is magnificent, maybe not technically but it's well-payed, beautiful and all over the place. I do miss great guitar albums with long melodic solos, powerful riffs without trying to fit a thousand notes per second. Doug Blair delivers exactly that. "Miss You" solo is one of the best of the year. And finally the traditional W.A.S.P. elements are all there, honestly it's nothing new and tracks like “Scream” and “Last Runaway” clearly demonstrate that. In addition to loosing points for lack of originality, Golgotha also has some lyrics that are too corny, almost christian rock. For W.A.S.P. fans this is a slam dunk. If you are not into it, probably not the way to start.  

Top Albums of Q3/2015

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
The long wait since 2010's The Final Frontier is finally over and the world's biggest metal band is back in triumphant form. Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album is an audacious project. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines.

Bruce's "If Eternity Should Fail" opens the double disc with keyboards and vocals a la Rainbow with a similar flavor we saw in Final Frontier. Overall a great mid-tempo track that reminds me of a Dio song. It features a memorable chorus and fantastic solos. Then the single "Speed of Light"  from the duo Smith/Dickinson follows and it's a very direct song with great guitar riffs. It has a live feel to it and reminds me of the Fear/No Prayer era. Sightly compromised by over repetition of the chorus at the end. First Steve's credit, in cooperation with Adrian, comes with "The Great Unknown". A fantastic song that builds up slowly to a powerful melody and a classic Maiden bridge and chorus follow. Next is "The Red and the Black", the only track solely credited to Harris. An instant classic, it opens with a bass solo ("Blood on the World's Hands" style) and then a galloping bass a la "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" sets the tone for this 13 min track. The verses are great, always over cool guitar riffs. And the guitar solos are looong but so awesome, think of "Phantom of the Opera". It will be a live favorite! "When the River Runs Deep" is cool up tempo direct song Piece of Mind style. Then the title track closes CD1 and it is a magnificent classic Maiden long track. An acoustic intro similar to "The Talisman" gives way to an "ancient" riff sort of Rainbow's "Gates of Babylon". The song structure is classic Maiden: Full of powerful melodies and a galloping bass. Despite being a Gers/Harris song, it does sound a lot like something out of The Chemical Wedding. 

The most likely hit single "Death or Glory" is another Smith/Dickinson track that opens CD2. It's also a classic Maiden short song with memorable chorus, melodic verses, bridges and great riffs. "Shadows of the Valley" is another Gers/Harris song, but interestingly the intro riff is just like Smith's "Wasted Years". But the similarities stop there and the track develops beautifully into a typical Maiden modern song. Smith/Harris's "Tears of a Clown" is based on comedian Robin Williams' depression and suicide in 2014. It sounds fresh and different. "The Man of Sorrows" drops the ball and doesn't add much to the album, the only filler. The release's final song, "Empire of the Clouds" is now the band's longest song at 18 minutes in duration. The track written by Dickinson features himself on piano for the first time and is based on the 1930 R101 airship crash. This is really a Bruce song and could be on his latest solo album. But it still is a great way to close an album and do something different. A masterpiece in itself, but that could certainly a bit shorter.

Now "low expectations is the key to happiness" some would say. But when it comes to Maiden that is very difficult, we always expect something. It took about ten full listens through to get rid of my own expectations and appreciate The Book of Souls for what it is: A 2015 Maiden masterpiece, album of the year. But, I do not think it's better than the 80's albums with Bruce (as some are saying) and that's because in relation to their own discography, I have 3 remarks: 1. Many songs could be shorter and feel overextended (double album syndrome?) 2. Repetition: a lot of ideas seem to be recycled from previous albums. 3. A few songs sound more like Bruce's solo album than Maiden's (not exactly an issue since his albums are amazing too). With this caveat out of the way, the album is still fantastic, it's Maiden.

Symphony X - Underworld
I followed those guys since the early days. If you don't know them yet, first where have you been? So think of mixing Rush, Metallica and Malmsteen and you have an idea.
Overall the musicianship of all members is suburb. The guitar riffs and solos from Michael Romeo are just mesmerizing, And Russel Allen's vocal is as powerful as always but even more versatile, reaching high and low notes as I have never heard. With just above 1hr of music, this masterpiece flows very nicely and the time flies by.
The first album since 2011's Iconoclast, Underworld is a fantastic journey through Symphony X's sound over the years (I'd have suggested a self-titled album). The opener Overture is the only moment in which the early symphonic element is present and it does a great job opening the record. Tracks like Nevermore, Underworld and Kiss of Fire (their heaviest track yet) are based on very heavy riffs and limited keyboards - very much like the last two albums. Without You and Swan Song are the usual mid-tempo songs, but still very good, specially the former. Legend and Charon could've been in V or Twilight in Olympus albums. The longest track To Hell and Back is a reference to the The Divine Wings of Tragedy years. Each song has its own character but one flows into the other perfectly therefore creating a magical experience.

Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic
I became a fan of BTBAM in 2012 while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I was sold when I listen "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors album from 2007 and started to dig their whole discography. Now after 3 years they are back with the concept album Coma Ecliptic. While the elements from previous records are the same, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But that it's not to say that heaviness isn't there, but it's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, a masterpiece of progressive metal.


Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Full disclosure: I've seen Amorphis live and listened to some old stuff, but I had never been into them. While reading reviews of Under the Red Cloud, I got very curious. It's indeed a very unique band with a distinguished sound. I didn't get it at first but something kept me going back to it, possibly songs like "Bad Blood". But before I knew it, I was in love with the whole album! Tomi Joutsen voice makes the difference. While he's clean vocal is beautiful, his harsh screams are very deep, similar to a Amon Amarth's  Johan Hegg. It's an outstanding contrast. Musically, Under the Red Cloud displays several facets of the band: Death, Gothic and Folk Metal all mix and intertwine in an elegant and convincing way while maintaining a consistent feel. The guitar work is also fantastic with some great and unique riffs, and even better it works in perfect harmony with the keyboards. In sum, this is a fantastic record and I expect to see it topping many year-end lists.

Slayer - Repentless

A lot has been said about the new Slayer album. The eleventh studio album was released on September 11 by Nuclear Blast and is the first Slayer album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph since 2001's God Hates Us All. Repentless is also Slayer's first album following the death of Jeff Hanneman in 2013, and the band's first new release since World Painted Blood (2009). If that wasn't enough, it was also talked about the change from Rick Rubin to Terry Date as producer.
That's a lot to take in! It's kind of miracle that the band is still holding it together. The album went straight to top 4 in the US and very high chart positions across Europe. As far as reviews goes, it looks like it's kind of love or hate it. I put it all aside, I bought my vinyl put it on and just enjoyed it. It's pure Slayer. It's fast and fierceless. It features great solos, riffs and awesome performance from both Tom and Paul. It's no Reign in Blood but nothing is, that's one of the most perfect records ever made. We certainly miss Jeff but it's not like the last two albums were masterpieces either. I applaud those guys, specially Kerry King for working so hard to deliver a solid record. I hope they are in the right path and next can be even better, specially if Gary participates fully. In the end despite all this Mexican novel what matters is that I keep coming back to it and enjoying ever spin of it.

Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction
Many extreme metal albums albeit good can suffer from lack of variation. The Anthropocene Extinction doesn't have this problem and hence the key reason why is so damn good. This album is an epic take of Death Metal/Grindcore full of brutality while also melodic at times. Musically, it ticks like a clock with great musicianship. The vocals are fantastic: Going from very low and slow death growls to high pitch black metal screens with everything in between. It's hard to believe that this is the work of just one singer, Travis Ryan. My favorite song is the opener and single "Manufactured Extinct", a show opener, that contains all the elements that will surface the rest of the record. But don't get me wrong, all the other songs are also great and in no moment Cattle drops the ball. There are two moments to catch your breath, the instrumental and the slow transitional "Ave Exitium". A serious candidate for album of the year, if not overall, certainly in extreme music.

Kataklysm - Of Ghosts And Gods
Starting an album with a classic movie quote is controversial, even more from a last year's movie! But when you listen to it followed by the crushing riff, it does work well - I mean it's Batman's voice.
Joke aside, the opening track "Breaching The Asylum" sets the tone for the first 4 tracks which are all great. Pure traditional melodic death metal, if you wouldn't know those guys come from Canada, you would think they are Swedish. The middle part lost a little its power and it can get repetitive, but then "Hate Spirit" come sin and brings an element of Black Metal that break the pattern. The album closes with "The World Is A Dying Insect", a more progressive attempt that works well as a closer. Overall nothing new here, but the songs are very well written and the riffs heavy and catchy. For fans of melodic death metal, Swedish style, like myself, this album will go very well.

Ghost - Meliora

Third time's a charm! After being impressed with their debut and disappointed with the sophomore snooze fest, Ghost delivered an album that works for me. But it took a few times of careful listen for it to grow on me. I was initially disappointed because I expected all songs to be as good as the first two I listened: "From The Pinnacle To The Pit" and "Cirice". Those are my absolute favorites, they are catchy, heavy, full of great riffs. The album opens with the good "Spirit" - what a great intro! The choral with bells and then the riff and the pounding drums: let the mess begin! Then my two favorties follow. The other songs are all good with another highlight for "Mummy Dust" and "Absolution". With only 42 minutes and 8 songs (plus two short instrumentals), Meliora was conceptualized as a LP and that's great. No fillers and you can listen to it several times in a row. The album doesn't sound as retro as the previous one, it's heavier while keeping the elements of 70's rock. Ghost offers something different than any other band these days while being original and well-written.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal
2013's Everblack was my introduction to BDM, I really liked that record. The combination of Trevor Strnad vocals and  Death Metal with Malmsteen-like guitar solos is really appealing. Abysmal sounds pretty much like BDM, but it has a very different feel from the previous records. The opening track "Receipt" is perhaps the closest song to the previous album sound. The album is very direct and fast paced. It's only 38 min with 10 songs, so very short songs. No fillers, pure energy, aggressiveness and great musicianship. Maybe not quite the same level as the predecessor, but still an amazing record.

Soilwork - The Ride Majestic
Getting through their last album The Living Infinite from 2013 was a bit of a challenge. The double album had 20 songs and 84 min. Still, there were some fantastic songs in there. But now The Ride Majestic, the tenth studio album from the Swedish melodic death metalers, fixed this problem. With "only" 50 min and 11 songs, this record has no fillers. The songs are well written and powerful, but the highlight is the singer Strid and his varied vocal style. He's able to quickly alternate between more guttural growls and higher screams and clean, harmonious vocals. Songs like "Alight in the Aftermath" start almost like a metalcore song, early BMTH style, but soon also goes melodic. But mostly The Ride Majestic is pure Swedish Death metal as it should be.

Myrkur - M

I do like several Black Metal albums, but the truth is that it's very difficult for me to find the ones I like. So I was not hoping to get much out of this debut album from Myrkur, a one-woman black metal musical project of Danish musician Amalie Bruun. Apparently she's originally a pop artist, but I had never heard of her and I don;t really care. What matter is the music. Most of the songs are more on the ambient style with beautiful female vocals and chorals, but awesomely every now and then a heavy guitar riff comes into play or a harsh vocal and pounding drums, Defheaven style. This contrast is magical and I was sold into it after just a couple of spins. Labels and styles apart, this is great music and a great album. Let's hope for more! 

If I were interviewed...

What if I were to answer the questions that Metal Hammer UK and That Metal Show ask their guests?

The Album I First Bought Was... Powerslave. 

And I bought it because of the cover. I was only 8 and liked to draw. But soon I started enjoying the music as well..Flash of the Blade being the first song.

The Best Album Artwork Is... Somewhere in Time. 

I don't know how many hours I spent looking for Easter eggs and details on this cover. So many ideas and details and one of the coolest Eddies ever.

The Album I Wish I'd Made Is... Dark Side of the Moon. 

A magnificent and original piece of art from the cover and first note to the last.

No One Will Believe I Own A Copy Of... Barao Vermelho Live. 

Well, sometimes it helps when I'm home sick

The Album I Break The Speed Limit To Is... Painkiller. 

Come on! when those drums start and then the guitar riff kicks in...and then Halford...and it goes from there since every track is a punch in the face.

The Album That Should Not Be Is... Metallica – Load. 

Even the back album was not really my thing, but then I quit Metallica all together when this came out.

The Album I Want Played At My Funeral Is... Maiden United

A Kid Asks Me What Metal Is, I Hand Them A Copy Of... Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance. Sabbath "created" metal but it was still very bluesy. But Priest took it to the next level and the rest is history...every band has a bit of Priest in it.

If you could be in any band, what band would it be, and what would you play? 

That's easy Iron Maiden and vocals!

What is the one song that you wish you wrote? 

As a 12-year-old guitar player "Crushing Day" by Satriani was an amazing challenge. So many tricks and techniques in just one song. Besides the groove and melody are fantastic.

Vice: diet coke

What is the first rock or metal song that you ever learned how to play? 

The guitar of Aces High

Best concert: Iron Maiden in the year 2000 when I was living in Montreal. It was my second Maiden show with Bruce, the first in 8 years. To this date it was the only Maiden concert in a closed arena. No joke, tears rolled down my face during Blood Brothers.

Iron Maiden Discography Review

In celebration of the launch of Iron Maiden's 16th studio album, I went back and reviewed the discography of my all time favorite band. The review is in chronological order with my grade given to each album (maximum of 10) . At the end a "forced" rank of the 16th studio releases.

Soundhouse Tapes (1979) - N/A
The Soundhouse Tapes, the debut EP by Iron Maiden, was released on Nov/1979, it features three songs: "Prowler", "Iron Maiden" (both would appear in their debut LP) and
"Invasion" (which would later be in the Women in Uniform single).
It's easy to understand how this EP served as the springboard to their early success. The songs were relatively short but the riffs, twin guitar and galloping bass which formed the basis of their sound were already present. We also can see how a skillful songwriter Harris already was: great melodies, intros, bridges and awesome choruses. Dave Murray was already delivering very melodic solos.

Iron Maiden (1980) - 9.5
Mainly written by Harris, the debut LP featured 8 songs (4 on each side which would be their choice for many of the 80s albums) and 37 minutes.
The same comments from the EP apply here. The influence of Paul Di'Anno surely made the first songs more raw sounding and fast. It's known that he was a Punk fan. But the LP had already much more variety than what the EP showed. Interestingly, the two slower songs "Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World" were co-written with Paul. And "Transylvania" was their first instrumental song. Also the progressive tendencies, tempo changes, and non-fixed-song-structure were already being born mainly with "Phantom of the Opera" in its 7m20s. Their first album already had their mascot Eddie on the cover by the artist  Derek Riggs who would be the author of all Maiden covers until 1992. Certainly one of the top debut albums in heavy metal history.
Favorite Song: "Charlotte the Harlot"

Killers (1981) - 9.0

Less than one year after the debut, Killers was released with the difficult mission to follow-up the great predecessor. This time with 10 songs, including two instrumental songs: "Genghis Khan" and the intro "The Ides of March" (something that many bands still use but Maiden moved away from it). Adrian Smith took the place of Dennis Stratton on the guitars. His influence on the their sound was still limited (all songs were written by Harris, except the tittle track which was co-written with Di'Anno). Steve's bass is very prominent with great opening riffs in "Wrathchild" and "Killers". "Purgatory" and "Drfter" are great songs too, fast, melodic and heavy. Here we saw Steve giving Paul some hard ones to sing - a glimpse of why someone like Bruce would be needed. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is another fast and fantastic track. Overall Killers sounds even rawer and more direct than the first album. The twin guitars, epicness and progressiveness were less apparent. Another notable difference is "Prodigal Son" which features an interesting acoustic guitar. The album was also the debut of Martin Birch as producer, a partnership that would last until 1992. Even if not as good as the first album, Killers is a great disc.

Favorite Song: "Murders in the Rue Morgue"

The Number of the Beast (1982) - 10

Just one year after Killers, one of the most acclaimed metal album of all times was released. Back to the 4 songs on each side format and almost ticking 40 minutes, the album was again mainly written by Harris. Despite the fact that this was Bruce Dickinson's debut in Maiden, what's very important for their sound is the fact that Adrian Smith already co-wrote 3 songs (2 with Harris and 1 with the drummer Clive Burr in his last album). The Harris/Smith duo delivered two of the best Maiden songs ever: "The Prisoner" and "22 Acacia Avenue". "Gangland" is not that great, but it doesn't interfere the overall experience. This was the first album without an instrumental song. All in all, "The Number of the Beast" is perfection, one of the best albums of all times. All songs are masterpieces and "Children of the Damned" one of my all time favorites. The arrival of Bruce and his amazing vocal range and technique gave Harris the freedom he wanted to combine heaviness and power with melody and progressiveness. The guitar duo Murray/Smith was like a perfect marriage and by now the riffs, solos and twin guitars rose to new levels. I mean, how perfect is the solo sequence of the title track?! Like their debut The Number closes with a 7 min epic track "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (one of the best album closer of all times). 

Favorite Song: "Children of the Damned"

Piece of Mind (1983) - 10

With their 4th LP, Maiden reached its classical line-up with the arrival of Nicko McBrain on the drums. This was the first album with a variety of writing credits. Out of the 9 songs, Harris wrote 3 songs and co-wrote other 3 . Bruce contributed in 3 songs, Adrian in 3 and Dave Murray in "Still Life". Piece of Mind doesn't have a title track which is very rare in their overall discography.  However the words 'piece of mind' are spoken in the amazing "Still Life" song just before the guitar solo. This song also features a backwards message as intro. The album breaks the 40 min mark for the first time with 45 min and 3 songs above 6 min, including another epic closer "To Tame a Land". The album features mega hits and some of their best songs ever: "Where Eagles Dare" (Nicko showed what he was bringing!), "Flight Of The Icarus", "Revelations" and "The Trooper". By an incredible small margin  Piece of Mind is not their best album. Maybe if they had gone with 8 songs...

Favorite Song: "Where Eagles Dare"

Powerslave (1984) - 10
Isn't  Powerslave's cover perfect? Back when I was 8, I was fascinated by it. Honestly, that's how I got this album in the first place. Many consider Eddie and Maiden's art work as one of the reasons for their success. Based on my personal experience, I agree. Regarding the music, Maiden's 5th release went back to the 4 songs on each side format. Powerslave is a very direct and powerful album, no slow songs, no slow intros, lots of galloping bass and twin guitars. Bruce was singing brilliantly and the guitar solos are just great. With that said, their sound continued to evolve, now pushing the total length to just above 50 min with 4 songs above 6 min, including their longest track yet, the fantastic epic closer "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Harris with almost 14 min! Harris also wrote 3 other songs including "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" the first instrumental song  since 81 and their best one. Other two songs were written by Bruce and the other two by the Smith/Dickinson duo, including the huge hit "2 Minutes to Midnight". "Flash Of The Blade" blew my little 8-year-old mind and continue to do so to this day. "Aces High" is one of their best ever.  In sum Powerslave can easily be considered their best album, it's a masterpiece and all songs are just great.
Favorite Song: "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Somewhere in Time (1986) - 10
For the first time since their debut, Harris and company took a one year break from the studio. In 1985 they focused on the massive World Slavery Tour and the release of one of the best live albums of heavy music: Live After Death. Then in 86 they recorded and released Somewhere in Time. Its format is similar to Powerslave (4 songs each side, just above 50 min, 4 songs over 6 min and an epic closer) but this was the biggest leap they made to that date into a more progressive sound, including the use of keyboards. Reflecting the burnout of the huge 84/85 tour, this album has just one song with more than one writer, "Deja-Vu" by Murray/Harris. Adrian Smith stepped up and delivered 3 songs by himself and those are some of my all time Maiden favorites: "Wasted Years", "Sea of Madness" and "Stranger in a Strange Land". Harris wrote 3 other songs above 7 minutes: "Caught Somewhere in Time", "Heaven Can Wait" and the epic 8:35-minute long "Alexander the Great". Harris also wrote "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner". Differently than the last 2 albums, Bruce doesn't have any writing credits in this one. And as previously and maybe even more here the riffs and guitar solos are memorable, the bridges and choruses are powerful and melodic. Perfection! When forced to rank, I must put Somewhere as Maiden's best album.
Favorite Song: "Sea of Madness"

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1998) - 10
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son closes what it is probably the best sequence of albums in the history of music (at least heavy). Basically from 82 to 88 - The Number, Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere and 7th Son are virtually at the same incredibly high level of perfection. Their seventh studio album is a transitional one though. On the one hand the progressiveness seen in the previous album is clearly there in 3 songs mainly: "Moonchild" (and its keyboard intro), "Infinite Dreams" (my all-time favorite Maiden song) and the epic almost 10 min long title track. On the other hand and very differently from Somewhere, the other 5 tracks are very short and with no more than 5 min, including their hit single "Can I Play with Madness"  which is their shortest song since 1982's "Invaders". Those are more direct songs  like the other hit single "The Evil That Men Do". Harris this time wrote or co-wrote all songs except "Moonchild" by Smith/Dickinson. Bruce got back into writing songs and co-wrote 4 songs. 7th Son is also a masterpiece that closed an era.
Favorite Song: "Infinite Dreams"

No Prayer For The Dying (1990) - 8.5
Instead of continuing the progressive path, Harris decided to take the route of a more direct and raw sound already seen in some of the songs in the 7th Son album. This dichotomy led to the first lineup change since 1983 with Adrian leaving the band and replaced by Janick Gers who worked with Bruce in his solo album. For the first time since Killers, a Maiden album had 10 short songs 43 minutes which was a drastic change from everything they were doing during the 80s. The writing credits go mainly to Harris and Dickinson. Murray participated in 2 songs and Adrian still left his mark with "Hooks in You". Gers did not participate in the writing process. The style of Gers is very different from Adrian's, specially when it comes to the solos. Also the twin guitars are less prominent in NPFTD. Some of the songs are just too simple and not as memorable as in the 80's. Still there are some great songs like: "Tailgunner", "Holy Smoke", "No Prayer for the Dying", "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" and "Mother Russia". Not to the same level as any of the 80's album,  NPFTD is still a good album and would be on my top 5 albums of that year. It's just that the bar that Maiden set to themselves is too damn high!
Favorite Song: "No Prayer for the Dying"

Fear Of The Dark (1992) - 8.0
Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album released by Maiden. It was the last to feature Bruce Dickinson as lead vocalist until his return in 1999 and his worse album with Maiden.
Many other things changed with this album: Eddie was not drew by Derick Riggs, it was the longest album to date with almost 60-min and 12 songs (clearly influenced by the rise of the CD and decay of the Vinyl). It was the first album to be produced by Harris, and last to feature the work of producer Martin Birch (who retired after its release). Musically there were also changes. Gers co-writing 5 tracks, his first with Maiden. Besides Harris, Bruce and Dave also co-wrote songs, 5 and 2 respectively. Already in the previous album we could hear Bruce singing slightly differently, and this change was consolidated in 1992. If you check the live albums from that time you can certainly hear the difference. He wasn't going for high notes as much and using much more his throat to a less clear singing. Fear of the Dark  is not a bad album, it does have some different but great songs: "Be Quick or Be Dead", "From Here to Eternity", and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (the best of the album). And of course the title track became very popular but I personally do not like it as much. It sucks that they play it in every single live show even when any song from the 80's is better. "Wasting Love" by Dickinson/Gers was a very different tune and the closest thing Maiden wrote to a ballad. It is a very good song and probably the best guitar solo Gers wrote.
Favorite Song: "Afraid to Shoot Strangers"

The X Factor (1995) - 8.5
The first Maiden album without Bruce since 1981 Killers and the band's first album to include Blaze Bayley. All in all it is a good album but so different from anything Maiden had ever done that maybe it should've been released under a different band name. The album is very dark and obviously the singing style and range from Bayley are so different from Bruce's that Harris probably had to adapt his writing to it. On the bright side, he took the opportunity to experiment.  The album is yet longer than the predecessor, breaking the 1 hr barrier for the first time. It is much more progressive than the last two albums and with 5 songs above 6 minutes, including the dark and beautiful 11-min "Sign of the Cross" by Harris. Steve actually wrote or co-wrote every song except  the very good "Man on the Edge" by "Bayley/Gers". Bayley actually co-wrote 5 songs and Gers 7! Another great track is "Lord of the Flies" which the live version with Bruce is as good as the 80's songs. This is the first album since Piece of Mind that there's no title track. If you didn't like this album, the worse was yet to come...
Favorite Song: "Lord of the Flies"

Virtual XI (1998) - 6.5
While the other 90's albums, even if not at the level of the 80's, were good, the same can't be said about Virtual XI which by far is the worse album that Maiden has even done. Not only in relative terms but also in absolute terms, it's just boring and uninspired. The album is not as long as X Factor and it went back to only 8 songs, but almost all of them quite long. The only two songs worth listening are "Futureal" and "The Clansman" (even better in the 1999 live version with Bruce). "The Angel and the Gambler" is the worst song ever written by Harris and also the worst recorded by Maiden period. During the Bayley period Bruce got together with Adrian Smith and released two fantastic metal albums Accident of Birth (1997) and The Chemical Wedding (1998). I'm sure those put further pressure on Harris to get his act together. If anything Virtual XI greatest accomplishment was to shake things up and get the band back on track.
Favorite Song: "Futureal"

Brave New World (2000) - 9.0
When Maiden faced the bifurcation during 7th Son they decided to take the raw/direct approach of 1990's NPFTD. However, Brave New World would have been the natural follow-up of 7th Son had they taken the progressive route instead. But for Brave New World to be possible, Adrian and Bruce had to experiment with their solo careers and confirm that heavy metal is really what they are good at. The same goes for Harris who had to try new things and experiment with Virtual XI and X Factor to re-find his progressive passion. Like X Factor Maiden's twelfth album broke the 1hr length with 67 minutes but now with 10 songs. Only 3 songs are short, all the other ones are 6-min or longer, the longest being the fantastic  "Dream of Mirrors" with 9:21. It was their first studio release since the return of Bruce and Adrian, it was also the band's first studio recording as a six-piece, as Janick Gers, who replaced Adrian in 1990, remained with the band. Brave New World is a fantastic record, if they had gone for 8 songs and cut the not-so-impressive "The Mercenary" and "The Fallen Angel" this album would be as good as what they did in the 80's. The band always touched the progressive sound since the song "Phantom of the Opera" from the debut album. The tendency intensified during the late 80's but Brave New World is the first album that could even be considered progressive metal. The writing credits are all over the place with contributions from everyone except the drummer Nicko. The one song written by one member only was the suburb "Blood Brothers" by Harris. The longer songs are full of tempo changes, instrumental parts, guitar solos and different song structures. Bruce is singing as good as, if not better than, during the 80's. We also saw the return of Derek Riggs who created the upper half of the artwork. It was the first album the band would record with producer Kevin Shirley who has worked with Iron Maiden on all subsequent releases. Brave New World was a triumphant return to the classic line-up (plus Gers) and one of the best metal albums of the 2000's
Favorite Song: "Dream of Mirrors"

Dance Of Death (2003) - 8.5
Dance Of Death was Maiden's second studio release since the return of Bruce and Adrian. Like Killers in 81, it also had a difficult mission to follow-up a great "debut". Like its predecessor this album was also long, 68 min but 11 songs. Including the band's first ever fully acoustic track, "Journeyman". Several songs were shorter and more direct like the opener "Wildest Dreams" , the single "Rainmaker", "Gates of Tomorrow" and their only song co-written by drummer Nicko McBrain, "New Frontier" which was the only song that Harris did not co-write. And the only song he wrote alone was "No More Lies". For the rest, all co-written songs with different contributions from everyone. Dance Of Death is a good album, but with less memorable songs than the predecessor.
Favorite Song: "Dance of Death"

A Matter of Life and Death (2006) - 9.5
Maiden's 14th album took the progressive path at full strength but also being very heavy. It does make you think of Dream Theater but still sounding very much like Maiden. The album ticks 72 minutes and features 10 songs. The trio Smith/Harris/Dickinson co-wrote 5 songs! Harris co-wrote every song in this album and one by himself, the longest song in the record with 9:23 "For the Greater Good of God" which is fantastic. Almost every song uses an arsenal of tools and changes with great heavy riffs, impressive solos, melodic harmonies and Bruce is singing like never before. I love this album, their best of the new century.
Favorite Song: "The Longest Day"

The Final Frontier (2010) - 8.5
Number 15th! An impressive mark and for a while some thought that it could be the last one. Even more impressive is that Maiden's kept the pace and direction from the predecessor and delivered yet another fantastic album. Their longest album until then is almost 77 minutes with 10 songs. A very similar format and feel as the previous album, albeit less heavy and less dark. Like the recent predecessors, writing credits are all over the place, but Harris did participated in all songs. And by himself Harris wrote the closer and longest song with 11 min: "When the Wild Wind Blows". With The Final Frontier  Maiden continued to push the envelope and actually most of the songs are above 7 minutes. Same comments as previously apply here: Almost every song uses an arsenal of tools and changes with great heavy riffs, impressive solos, melodic harmonies and Bruce is once again impressive. New elements were also introduced, like the very distinct album intro which transitions seemingly into the single "El Dorado". One of the highlights is "The Talisman" is one of the best Maiden songs of their new era. But most of the other songs are also great, but The Final Frontier has some fillers and therefore is not as good as Brave New World or A Matter of Life and Death.
Favorite Song: "The Talisman"

The Book of Souls (2015) - 9.5

The Book of Souls is Maiden's 16th studio album and was released on 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album and longest to date, with 92 minutes. The album was again produced by Kevin "Caveman" Shirley. It will be released 5 years and 1 month after 2010's The Final Frontier, their longest gap between studio albums. It will also contain their longest song to date   "Empire of the Clouds" with 18min and written by Dickinson who also wrote alone the 8-min album opener "If Eternity Should Fail". He also paired with Smith to write two other tracks. Smith also co-wrote two other songs with Harris. He wrote by himself the second longest track the 13-min "The Red and the Black". Harris wrote 2 songs with Gers, including the title track (high hopes for this 10:30-min song). The album features a very simple cover with a "primitive" Eddie which caused some disappointment among some fans.
Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album is an audacious project. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines.
Bruce's "If Eternity Should Fail" opens the double disc with keyboards and vocals a la Rainbow with a similar flavor we saw in Final Frontier. Overall a great mid-tempo track that reminds me of a Dio song. It features a memorable chorus and fantastic solos. Then the single "Speed of Light"  from the duo Smith/Dickinson follows and it's a very direct song with great guitar riffs. It has a live feel to it and reminds me of the Fear/No Prayer era. Sightly compromised by over repetition of the chorus at the end. First Steve's credit, in cooperation with Adrian, comes with "The Great Unknown". A fantastic song that builds up slowly to a powerful melody and a classic Maiden bridge and chorus follow. Next is "The Red and the Black", the only track solely credited to Harris. An instant classic, it opens with a bass solo ("Blood on the World's Hands" style) and then a galloping bass a la "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" sets the tone for this 13 min track. The verses are great, always over cool guitar riffs. And the guitar solos are looong but so awesome, think of "Phantom of the Opera". It will be a live favorite! "When the River Runs Deep" is cool up tempo direct song Piece of Mind style. Then the title track closes CD1 and it is a magnificent classic Maiden long track. An acoustic intro similar to "The Talisman" gives way to an "ancient" riff sort of Rainbow's "Gates of Babylon". The song structure is classic Maiden: Full of powerful melodies and a galloping bass. Despite being a Gers/Harris song, it does sound a lot like something out of The Chemical Wedding. 
The most likely hit single "Death or Glory" is another Smith/Dickinson track that opens CD2. It's also a classic Maiden short song with memorable chorus, melodic verses, bridges and great riffs. "Shadows of the Valley" is another Gers/Harris song, but interestingly the intro riff is just like Smith's "Wasted Years". But the similarities stop there and the track develops beautifully into a typical Maiden modern song. Smith/Harris's "Tears of a Clown" is based on comedian Robin Williams' depression and suicide in 2014. It sounds fresh and different. "The Man of Sorrows" drops the ball and doesn't add much to the album, the only filler. The release's final song, "Empire of the Clouds" is now the band's longest song at 18 minutes in duration. The track written by Dickinson features himself on piano for the first time and is based on the 1930 R101 airship crash. This is really a Bruce song and could be on his latest solo album. But it still is a great way to close an album and do something different. A masterpiece in itself, but that could certainly a bit shorter.
Now "low expectations is the key to happiness" some would say. But when it comes to Maiden that is very difficult, we always expect something. It took about ten full listens through to get rid of my own expectations and appreciate The Book of Souls for what it is: A 2015 Maiden masterpiece, album of the year. But, I do not think it's better than the 80's albums with Bruce (as some are saying) and that's because in relation to their own discography, I have 3 remarks: 1. Many songs could be shorter and feel overextended (double album syndrome?) 2. Repetition: a lot of ideas seem to be recycled from previous albums. 3. A few songs sound more like Bruce's solo album than Maiden's (not exactly an issue since his albums are amazing too). With this caveat out of the way, the album is still fantastic, it's Maiden.
Favorite Song: "The Great Unknown"

"forced" rank of the 16th studio releases:

1 Somewhere in Time
2 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
3 Piece of Mind
4 The Number of the Beast
5 Powerslave
6 A Matter of Life and Death
7 The Book of Souls
8 Iron Maiden
9 Brave New World
10 Killers
11 The Final Frontier
12 The X Factor
13 Dance Of Death
14 No Prayer For The Dying
15 Fear Of The Dark
16 Virtual XI