I must applaud all of the true maiden fans out there that have reviewed this album with an honest eye, and ear, and not dismissively, as other so-called Maiden fans due to the fact that Blaze had vocal duties on this album.  In my opinion, X-Factor is one of the top Maiden Albums, and I believe it boasts at least 4-6 legendary tracks, including Sign of the Cross (spectacualr epic anthem), Lord of the Flies, Fortunes of War, 2 AM (another spectaculr song), the Edge of Darkness (All time classic), and The unBeliever.  And the other songs are terrific as well.

The Sound of X Factor is darker and heavier, a little bit grittier with the Drums getting much more prominence in the overall sound (long overdue I believe). The themes on the album are serious, dark and introspective. I have been a Maiden for near on 21 years, and have every album plus remaster, plus b-side, and this album is outstanding in its own right.  Just to give you idea, IM's finest are in my opinion in the following order: Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time/Powerslave (tied), Seventh Son/X-Factor (tied), Killers, Brave New World/MAtter of Life & Death (Tied) Iron Maiden, Dance of Death, Fear of the Dark, and then Prayer for the Dying, followed by their weakest effort, Virtual XI (which I do not blame Blaze for but rather a bad change in mmusical direction by Harris).  I believe that X-Factor rightly earns its place as an outstanding piece of Maiden heaven.

As far as Blaze's vocals, I thought they were very good.  He does not have vocal range that Dickinson has but he has a very good voice, and I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions. I am pretty appalled at the disrespect that he has gotten from so-called Maiden fans. I actually really liked Blaze's vocals on this album.  I appreciate the grittiness of the sound and the earnestness of his singing. ANd I am a huge fan of Dickinson as well as his solo music (  moreso in some instances then some Maiden albums).

At the time X-Factor came out in 1995, the music was mostly grunge/nu metal, with Tool and a couple of other bands like Staind and Korn beginning to assert their supremacy in the Rock realm.  X-Factor gave me a real jolt of life, and I listened to it repeatedly for months.  It is an outstanding album, and I believe for the thinking Maiden fan, a really terrific album. Even listening to it nowadays, it is a complex textured piece of metal- very brooding and good.

This is my opinion. Opinions are what they are.. but I believe they must be fair and accurate.  The negative reviews for this album are nonsense.

DO Yourself a favor.  IMmerse yourself in X-Factor, and enjoy the grittier slowed down darker Maiden that really provides a sonic blast of signature metal.

Thanks for reading.
I must applaud all of the true maiden fans out there that have reviewed this album with an honest eye, and ear, and not dismissively, as other so-called Maiden fans due to the fact that Blaze had vocal duties on this album. In my opinion, X-Factor is one of the top Maiden Albums, and I believe it boasts at least 4-6 legendary tracks, including Sign of the Cross (spectacualr epic anthem), Lord of the Flies, Fortunes of War, 2 AM (another spectaculr song), the Edge of Darkness (All time classic), and The unBeliever. And the other songs are terrific as well. The Sound of X Factor is darker and heavier, a little bit grittier with the Drums getting much more prominence in the overall sound (long overdue I believe). The themes on the album are serious, dark and introspective. I have been a Maiden for near on 21 years, and have every album plus remaster, plus b-side, and this album is outstanding in its own right. Just to give you idea, IM's finest are in my opinion in the following order: Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time/Powerslave (tied), Seventh Son/X-Factor (tied), Killers, Brave New World/MAtter of Life & Death (Tied) Iron Maiden, Dance of Death, Fear of the Dark, and then Prayer for the Dying, followed by their weakest effort, Virtual XI (which I do not blame Blaze for but rather a bad change in mmusical direction by Harris). I believe that X-Factor rightly earns its place as an outstanding piece of Maiden heaven. As far as Blaze's vocals, I thought they were very good. He does not have vocal range that Dickinson has but he has a very good voice, and I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions. I am pretty appalled at the disrespect that he has gotten from so-called Maiden fans. I actually really liked Blaze's vocals on this album. I appreciate the grittiness of the sound and the earnestness of his singing. ANd I am a huge fan of Dickinson as well as his solo music (  moreso in some instances then some Maiden albums). At the time X-Factor came out in 1995, the music was mostly grunge/nu metal, with Tool and a couple of other bands like Staind and Korn beginning to assert their supremacy in the Rock realm. X-Factor gave me a real jolt of life, and I listened to it repeatedly for months. It is an outstanding album, and I believe for the thinking Maiden fan, a really terrific album. Even listening to it nowadays, it is a complex textured piece of metal- very brooding and good. This is my opinion. Opinions are what they are.. but I believe they must be fair and accurate. The negative reviews for this album are nonsense. DO Yourself a favor. IMmerse yourself in X-Factor, and enjoy the grittier slowed down darker Maiden that really provides a sonic blast of signature metal. Thanks for reading.