VIRTUAL XI

At that point of time, this could have been the last Maiden album... Clearly "Virtual XI" is not Maiden style at all. Where are the guitars? the grand solos? All that can be heard here is a basic rhythm guitar and a guitar synth on almost all of the songs. The melodies are almost all conventional and fairly repetitive. A poor album, by far the worst Maiden album.

The album starts with "Futureal", a very short rocker that wants to capture the old days feeling again ("Wrathchild" was the same type of song), ok but not transcendental. "The Angel And The Gambler" is a really weak track, in fact probably the worst song ever written by Iron Maiden - it's repetitive as hell with those same three lines repeated over and over, totally unmelodic and irritating. "Lightning Strikes Twice" has the typical Murray/Harris quiet intro, but it turns into a totally conventional song. "When Two Worlds Collide" and "Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger" are again two really weak track. "The Clansman" and "The Educated Fool" are exceptions here - these epic tracks manage to give back the cool feeling of the past album, in fact they sound more like leftovers from "The X Factor" with the mix of quiet moments, mid paced metallic melodies and great guitar solos. And "Como Estais Amigos" is probably the best song on this album - Janick Gers clearly wrote that song, as it sounds like a mix of "Wasting Love" for the quiet part and "Look for The Truth" for the heavier moments - a good enjoyable power ballad.

Rating: 59/100 (1 1/2 stars)