Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band which was formed in 1975. The line up for their first album, Iron Maiden, consisted of vocalist Paul Di’Anno, guitarist Dave Murray, bassist Steve Harris, and drummer Doug Sampson. Over the years, the band has had many line up changes, but more importantly for this list, they have released 17 studio albums. I decided to pick the 10 best albums they have released, and put them on a list.
10. “Iron Maiden”- This album was released in 1980, and it was the first studio album Iron Maiden ever released. Although this isn’t their best work, it is the album that started it all, and it has some great songs. The album cover doesn’t look too great, but it’s iconic, and it doesn’t impact the sound. The best song has to be “Phantom of the Opera'” while the worst song is “Strange World.”
9. “No Prayer For the Dying”- This album was released in 1990, and it is one of the most unique sounding albums Bruce Dickinson sang. The vocals sound much deeper than the previous albums, and it is comparable to “Fear of the Dark.” The best song is “No Prayer For the Dying,” while the worst song is, “Hooks in You.”
8. “Fear of the Dark”- This album was released in 1992, and it was the last album Dickinson sang on before he was replaced by Blaze Bayley. I enjoy this album because vocals are quite unique when compared to their other work. There aren’t too many great songs on this album, which definitely moves it down, and it makes it way easier to pick the best song. Speaking of which, the best song on the album is “Fear of the Dark,” while the worst song is “Be Quick or Be Dead.”
7. “Killers”- This album was released in 1981, and is the second, and final, album that vocalist Di’Anno sang on. I’m personally not a huge fan of his voice, especially when compared to Bruce Dickinson, but I can’t deny that this album is pretty good. The best song is probably “Killers“, while the worst song is “Prodigal Son”.
6. “Brave New World”- This album was released in 2000, and was the first album to reunite Dickinson with the band after Bayley replaced him for 5 years. Bruce has slightly worse vocals on this album than his previous work with the band, but they honestly don’t sound bad. The best song on the album is “The Wicker Man”, and the worst song is “Blood Brothers”.
5. “Piece of Mind”- This album was released in 1983, and is probably the band’s most overrated album. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great songs on this album, but it just isn’t as good as people make it out to be. The best song on this album is “The Trooper,” and the worst song is “Quest for Fire.”
4. “The Number of the Beast”- This album was released in 1982, and definitely has the most hits on it. This also happens to be the first album that Dickinson, their best vocalist, is featured in. Similar to most of the albums on this list, there really isn’t a bad song from beginning to end. I would say that the best song is “Hallowed be Thy Name,” and the worst song is “22 Acacia Avenue.”
3. “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”- This album was released in 1988, and is the band’s only concept album. A concept album is an album which tells a bigger story when you listen to all the songs. The story for this album is based on folklore which says that a seventh son of a seventh son would have healing powers. The best song is “Can I Play With Madness,” and the worst song is “The Clairvoyant.”
2. “Powerslave”- This album was released in 1984, and features some of my favorite songs the band has made. I really enjoyed the vocals, and they’re probably the best of any Maiden album. The only downside is that “The Duellists,” and “Back in the Village” drag the album down from number 1 . The best song on the album is “Aces High,” and the worst song is the previously mentioned “Back in the Village.”
1. “Somewhere in Time”- This album was released in 1986, and is definitely the band’s best work. There isn’t a single track that I dislike on this album, even though it doesn’t have as many hits as some of the others. The use of synth guitars makes the album sound very unique when compared to their previous work. The thing that gives this album the slight edge over “Powerslave” is the fact that the songs are generally better. It is very hard to pick the best and worst song, but if I had to I’d probably say that “Wasted Years” is the best, while “Deja-Vu” is the worst.
