Iron Maiden Epics: Ranked
Criteria:
Must be the longest track on the album, or exceed 7 and a half minutes. |
| 37 |  | Iron Maiden
Virtual Xi
The Angel and the Gambler
Don’t you think I’m a savior? Don’t you think I can save ya? Don’t you think I could save your life? [x10,000]
No, fuck off. |
| 36 |  | Iron Maiden
Senjutsu
Lost In a Lost World
9 minutes of uninspired, monotonous, sloppy, low effort hogwash. It was this particular song that made me realize that something was very VERY wrong with Senjutsu. Maiden, I love you, but would it kill ANY of you to fucking try? Fuck this boring ass song, and it’s ludicrous runtime. |
| 35 | | Iron Maiden
Senjutsu
Senjutsu
I have no fucking clue how they managed to make this into an 8 minute song, it barely has enough material to make a 3 minute one. This track literally sounds like the band is actively dying a slow painful death while we are forced to sit and listen to it. |
| 34 |  | Iron Maiden
A Matter of Life and Death
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
Duller than a thousand nuns. |
| 33 |  | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
Isle of Avelon
Long and boring. |
| 32 | | Iron Maiden
Senjutsu
Death of the Celts
I’m convinced Steve has completely given up on writing interesting music. Slow, boring dogshit, just like every other song on Senjutsu. Garbage. |
| 31 | | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
Starblind
Long and slightly less boring. |
| 30 | | Iron Maiden
Virtual XI
Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger
This song & The Angel and the Gambler are the 2 reasons why I don’t love Virtual XI. It sucks, because the rest of the material on there is pretty damn good. |
| 29 | | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
The Talisman
Bruce, stop trying to hit these fucking high notes dude. Be a good boy, and sing within your current range. |
| 28 | | Iron Maiden
Senjutsu
The Parchment
Honestly forgot this song was even on the new record, and that’s NOT a good thing. Try harder Steve. |
| 27 | | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
When the Wild Wind Blows
The wind isn’t the only thing that blows. |
| 26 | | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
The Man Who Would Be King
Why is this 8 minutes long? |
| 25 |  | Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
Shadows In the Valley
Book of Souls would have been better without this song. |
| 24 | | Iron Maiden
A Matter of Life and Death
The Legacy
Passable. |
| 23 |  | Iron Maiden
Piece of Mind
To Tame a Land
Easily the worst epic the band released in their golden era. Not awful, but it's a little too mild and easygoing for my taste. |
| 22 |  | Iron Maiden
Brave New World
Nomad
Probably my least favorite track on Brave New World, but it’s still pretty decent. |
| 21 | | Iron Maiden
Senjutsu
Hell on Earth
The only song on Senjutsu that is any good. Mostly because I really like that riff that plays in the instrumental section and again towards the end. Seems Maiden squeezed all the limited energy they had left into this one song. |
| 20 | | Iron Maiden
A Matter of Life and Death
The Longest Day
There's a really good song in here, but it goes on too long like most modern Maiden tracks. Trim this down to 5 minutes and you’ve got something really solid. |
| 19 |  | Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Seventh Son Of a Seventh Son
Dig the atmosphere on this track, but that chorus is pretty lazy. They probably should have spent a little more time developing this one. |
| 18 | | Iron Maiden
Brave New World
Dreams of Mirrors
Solid epic track. Not their best, but FAR from their worst. |
| 17 | | Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
Satellite 15… The Final Frontier
I have a soft spot for this one. Lots of people hate the strange opening, but I kinda dig it. It’s rare that 21st century Maiden releases something that sounds new or unique, so it’s kinda refreshing to hear this odd, borderline industrial opener. The 2nd half is basically it’s own song, and it’s pretty good too. |
| 16 | | Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
If Eternity Should Fail
Good start to a great album. Really like that spoken word portion at the end; it’s kinda spooky. |
| 15 |  | Iron Maiden
The X Factor
The Unbeliever
Really underrated track here. Blaze always had trouble displaying emotion in his performances with the band, but he really owns it on this song. |
| 14 |  | Iron Maiden
Dance of Death
Dance of Death
Wasn’t a big fan of this one for a while, but I’ve come around on it. The tempo shift towards the end is actually pretty exciting. |
| 13 | | Iron Maiden
A Matter of Life and Death
For the Greater Good of God
I’m pretty vocal when it comes to my distaste for this album, but this song is great. Easily the best track off A Matter of Life and Dearth. |
| 12 | | Iron Maiden
Virtual XI
The Clansman
FREEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! No joke, I used to think this song was about the KKK. |
| 11 |  | Iron Maiden
Powerslave
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
This is gonna piss everyone off, but whatever. In the context of the album it works great, but I never really find myself listening to it by itself. |
| 10 |  | Iron Maiden
Somewhere in Time
Alexander the Great
Really love the different sections of this track. The lyrics could’ve used a little work, but the overall package is great |
| 9 | | Iron Maiden
Brave New World
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
I’ve always loved this song. It’s rare that a Maiden track gets me emotional, but this one does it. |
| 8 |  | Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Phantom of the Opera
This song is batshit crazy, and I love it. Absolutely impossible to play on Rock Band. |
| 7 | | Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
The Red and The Black
A modern Maiden song with a 13 minute runtime that actually warrants it’s length; truly a miracle. I thought it was too long on my first few listens, but now I think it’s the perfect length. |
| 6 | | Iron Maiden
Dance of Death
Pachendale
I fuck with this song hard. Not even Kevin’s muddy-as-fuck mix can ruin this one for me. This war epic literally decimates every single track found on the next record which almost exclusively focuses on the same topic. |
| 5 |  | Iron Maiden
Fear of the Dark
Fear of the Dark
Amazing song from Maiden’s most underappreciated record. Like, name one person who doesn’t love this track. |
| 4 | | Iron Maiden
The X Factor
Sign of the Cross
Blaze or Bruce, doesn’t matter. This song is a borderline masterpiece. |
| 3 | | Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
Empire of the Clouds
I’m convinced Book of Souls was a fluke. They put out an 18 minute track that is thoroughly engaging and exciting throughout, while on the next record they struggle to make songs half this length worth listening to. Fluke or not, this song is brilliant, and may be the last time we will ever hear Maiden giving us 110%. |
| 2 | | Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
The Book of Souls
Honestly one of my favorite Maiden songs. The main guitar riff is fucking wicked, Bruce hands in some strong vocals, and the last 5 minutes is a journey filled with passionate solos and a surprisingly tight rhythm section. I’ve always had mixed feelings on the 3 guitarist line-up, but this definitely benefits from their inclusion. Seriously, give this song another listen, it’s fantastic. |
| 1 |  | Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Perfection. Pretty much the gold standard for all metal epics along with Stargazer. |
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