Iron Maiden - Virtual XI

Virtual XI is the eleventh studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, originally released in March 1998 by EMI Records.

If there's one album that unites the Iron Maiden congregation, but in a negative way, it's Virtual XI. Almost universally heralded as their weakest effort, there are only a few people that actually defend the record and like it.

This was the second and last album featuring Blaze Bayley on vocals. After the commercial and critical failure of this disc, both the band and the singer decided to part ways. Within a few months, legendary frontman Bruce Dickinson was back at the helm of the Beast's ship, and the world was perfect again for most Iron Maiden's fans.

Virtual XI is, despite its detractors, a very good album, a flawed album but one of good music nevertheless. The songs are slightly faster, in general, than those found in The X- Factor; the sound is pretty much the same; there are many solos and instrumental sections and a lot of great melodies. The progressive elements of the preceding album are still here, though slightly less evident. The two possible reasons that come to my mind when trying to find why this album generates so much despise are:

1) Bayley's vocals - he's not Dickinson.

2) There ARE solos, there ARE multi-sections, but the bass, the almighty Steve Harris' bass, for the first (and only) time it's a little bit off in the mix, in the background, and doesn't really shine as usual.

These two factors must have played a big role in making this album a must for target-practicing for Maiden fans.

Check out the tracks: “The Angel And The Gambler” and “Futureal”. 

This double LP housed in a gatefold sleeve with remastered audio and reproduced original artwork is pressed in Europe on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl.