The Final Frontier - Ranked
Surprised how much I liked the album...but then again Iron Maiden
have a knack for being consistent so maybe not really. |
| 10 | Iron Maiden
El Dorado
I actually like this song a lot more than I originally did and feel bad for ranking it
10th. Bruce seems a tad uninspired and dusty during the verses but I enjoy the
beginning and the chorus is pretty damn catchy like it or not. Though I'm not
certain why they included a song about an ancient indigenous city on an album
which seems to be geared towards futuristic themes. |
| 9 | Mother of Mercy
Your I'm torn about this song: parts of it I find to be among the most engaging
instances on the album (such as the introduction, and when the first verse
begins to pick up) but the chorus and some of the later bridges irk me. |
| 8 | The Talisman
The least engaging epic for me, solid no doubt but it could have been left off the
album easily in my opinion. |
| 7 | Coming Home
The intro riff reminds me of gothenburg melo-death...but it transitions into a
solid ballad-type track. |
| 6 | The Alchemist
The muddy production brings the song quality down a bit and it seems a little
out of place amidst an album of predominantly epics, but it's without a doubt
the catchiest song on the album. |
| 5 | Satellite 15...The Final Frontier
I much prefer the intro to the actual song to be honest. The bass riff reminds
me a good deal of the old Space Invaders...perhaps it was intentional. After the
sonic ambiance comes to the end the actual song starts, and is a solid Maiden
affair, much like previous opener Different World. |
| 4 | Starblind
It's slightly repetitive but the off-kilter arrangement of the instrumentation
manages to make it interesting throughout. |
| 3 | Isle of Avalon
The reoccurring bass riff harkens back to the classic Maiden days before
climaxing with one of the album's stronger choruses. The isntrumental section
here is probably the highlight of the whole album. |
| 2 | The Man Who Would Be King
One of Bruce's more passionate vocal performances and a flurry of guitar
melodies make this eight-minute track feel more like five. |
| 1 | When the Wild Wind Blows
If Iron Maiden finally call it quits after this release, When the Wild Wind Blows
would be the absolute perfect swan song to a marvelous and prolific career. This
is a classic Harris-quality epic, complete with engaging story telling and uplifting
minor-major melodies that somehow never seen cheesy. For fuck's sake, the
main melody wouldn't have sounded out of place on Disney's fucking
Pocahontas, but it works, perhaps to its advantage. A career highlight. |
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