I didn't like the Blaze albums at all when they came out but an older, wiser me now plays them regularly. I now like them more than a couple of the Bruce albums

"Freedom"!!!

I love all 17 Maiden albums. Blaze solo is great too. Up the irons!

April 1998: exactly 25 years ago, I discovered Iron Maiden with this album. I was 9 years old. And it changed my life forever.

Lightning strikes twice has my favorite Davey-solo

There are parts of the Blaze albums that I do enjoy and still listen to today. It is certainly better to have them in Maiden’s discography than nothing at all during this time

I started listening to angel and the gambler back in 1998.. the track still hasnt finished yet 😂

The greatest moment in this album is gotta be" Como estais amigos" Janick's solo! Such a great composing there, very tasteful and full of feeling.

Completely agree when you say “the clansman is their finest moment on the album”. It’s an incredible song and I’m glad it still makes it into later tours. I never actually noticed that there’s next to no harmonies in this! Ive listened to this album a fair bit over the years and it never clicked haha. Overall though I enjoy virtual XI. I don’t have it ranked at the bottom but I totally get why others have. Great series Nico! Could we be expecting one with Paul Dianno too? 🤘🏻🤘🏻

I agree with you Nico!!! Virtual IX is an experimental album and there is a lot of creativity and a great effort to get ahead and try different things than just doing The same thing over and over... I have never seen it as a weak album, on the contrary, it is an album that is enjoyable from the beginning to the end.🤘❤️‍🔥🤘

Criminally underrated.

I'm one of the few elite individuals who can stand the full-length version of The Angel and the Gambler, and I look down on those who can't. Lightning Strikes Twice is a really fun song, and there are a lot of other great moments on that album; I definitely enjoy it as much as any of their other work.

Great and very insightful, as always😜 Up the mighty Irons!!!!🤘🤘🤘🤘

I was just using this album to test my stereo while hooking it up.. loved these videos honestly. my mom got me these albums on cassette a few years back, bless her- she found a killer copy of this one

As always, good to hear your view on the things. I do agree totally. Blaze is one hell of a nice guy. I had once had the chance to meet him on a solo tour and it's a most respectfull, friendly and down to earth guy. What he did with Maiden was the best he could in his own rights. I have the same feeling for Blaze as I do have for Jannick: they saved Maiden in the nineties. Blaze is a very good songwriter, but Maiden should've adapted to Blaze's range. And some don't know or do forget, he had co-written four songs on the Brave New World album. Virtual XI is certainly not the best album Maiden did, but I do know Maiden needed this album to go into the '00's. No Blaze, no Maiden after 2000!

That little harmony on Futureal makes is sound like classic Maiden, like something out of Powerslave or Seventh Son. A shame they didn't do it on the album.

I really enjoyed this album; I used to look over it but I decided to go back to it and I'm glad I did. Lightning Strikes Twice + When Two Worlds Collide along with The Clansman and Futureal are all strong songs IMO.

While I preffer TXF much more, need to admit, that VXI was the first "new" IM album that I have waited for. So, it was pretty exciting hearing some news about the title coming, getting the new single and eventually the album. Also, I have seen them live for the first time then, September 1998. Nice memories.

As always Nico you know your stuff and you present it well. I enjoyed myself and can't wait for your next videos. Thank you🤜🏻🤛🏻

Blaze is all class, he did all that could be expected under the circumstances.

i like virtual xi quite a bit more than x factor, my favourite 90's maiden album probably! it feels to me more focused and thought out than the others (which are still either good or great) and i did have a feeling they might have changed their arranging on this one after learning from the x factor. my favourite moment has to be blazes entire performances in lightning strikes twice and when two worlds collide. absolutely spine chilling!!

Great video as always Nico. Keep up the great work. The two Blaze albums are so underrated and people don't give them a lot of credit. Call it the dark era or whatever, they are great albums for the period of time they were written. I feel Blaze had a vision for Maiden after the virtual xi album but never got that chance and hence his awesome solo career that followed Maiden. Up the Irons!!!

Brilliant ...

listening to virtual xi before x-factor made me love blaze era, because it feels more friendly and not too dark... though angel and the gambler and don't look to the eyes of a stranger become too repetitive... other than that, i really like this album some of my favourite parts from this are: - futureal = it's like be quick or be dead but with blaze - lightning strikes twice = LOVE THIS SONG! would love to see it live with bruce or maybe bruce and blaze together -the clansman = the way they play triplets on the verse gives it a scottish bagpipes vibe to it which is AMAZING - when two worlds collide = the clean guitars intro is amongst my favourites, and the middle section, a standout for me knowing that the nomad and dream of mirrors were written during this time it'd be interesting to see those two songs being performed by blaze and bruce together... yeah i dream of blaze joining maiden live one time again, amazing video nico! up the irons!

Super album!! Love the Blaze stuff

Great video pal. I got a deep respect to Blaze, he did an amazing job considering the circumstances. It was a risky move taking a a vocalist with a diferent vocal range at that era. I laugh when people say that Maiden has been doing the same thing all the time. Blaze era is just one proof that they are wrong.

I don't understand why The Angel and The Gambler was so long. It never seems to end!!!

Thanks for putting this one together, Nico and Sara. As is usual you had some interesting perspectives and analysis. Have a good weekend!

I like the Eddie on the cover, as I do the whole cover. It's more consistent with their previous artwork than the two most recent album covers, for example. The Eddie on the Virtual XI cover actually looks quite similar to the Eddie on Fear of the Dark, which makes sense, as both covers were done by the same artist. I like how warm the cover looks, with very saturated colors, lots of dark red, blue, and some green and orange. My only complaint is the updated logo.

Don’t look to the eyes of a stranger is an absolute gem. Brilliant!! I disliked the Blaze albums for years as I actively ignored them. Now I embrace the albums. Very enjoyable.

When Blaze does songs like Futureal live with his solo band, guitar harmonies are added to the main riff like you did in this video

Top notch stuff!! 👌

I am prepared to put this in writing... Blaze is my favoured vocalist of Iron Maiden. I love the sound of his voice and thought the 2 albums with him were top drawer. Don't get me wrong, Bruce is a far superior singer when it comes to range and technique but I don't overtly love the sound of his voice!! I don't read too much into the technical's of each song, I take them for what they are - as I do for all of their music. Angel and The Gambler is definitely 5 minutes longer than it needs to be but this is something that can be said for many a Maiden song, repeating the same lines needlessly over and over. I'm not really interested in the final 2 songs of the album but the rest are absolute banging. Educated Fool is one of my all time favourite Maiden sons. I think lyrically I can relate to a fair bit of it, in my own way and hence my love of the song. When Two Worlds Collide and Lightening Strikes Twice Re excellent too, really good little stories, told well, and at good pace. Only real issue I have with the album is what I would consider 2 lesser tracks to end with and I feel that (for all the differences in Key and such like) that many of the songs actually sound the same! Similar sounding starts to songs and even similar, formulaic build ups. I wish they had chucked The Nomad onto this album - imagine how different it would sound without Adrian's influence when he rejoined the band... surely it would be quite a different beast??? Fine video by the way!

ive seen blaze earlier this year this man loves what he does and loves his fans! he sounds AMAZING and gives us an AMAZING SHOW ! hopefully we will get a 25th virtual 11 anniversary tour after he recovers! cheers!

hello Nico, thank you for this fantastic video.❤

I really liked Como estais amigos ending the album. Then again it sounds so great to hear Wickerman as the next song released by the band.

I always try to find the positive in what maiden do, but I struggle with this record. Como and the clansman are excellent - the pre solo harmony on como is one of my favourites ever - but the rest of the album ranges from average to poor unfortunately, but I don’t think any of that can be attributed to blaze.

Excellent analysis. I hope there will be an analysis of Brave New World one day.

I think both of your special videos on this era are very good and I liked to hear your take on it.

Awesome video - I was looking forward to it. Overall, thought this was a pretty good album which Blaze really excelled on - especially with some vocal harmonies as in Educated Fool. Only weak point would have to be Angel and the Gambler; although it sounded great live! But that may have been my adrenaline! :)

I think that Dave Murray really enjoyed doing this album and he delivered some pretty good stuff like you mention. This album was kind of a transition and a third album with Blaze would have been excellent, even if the right decision was made to bring Bruce back. Blaze had a few excellent songs for a third Maiden album that he released on his first solo record: Stare at the Sun Born as a Stranger And Maiden also had some songs almost ready for a third album with Blaze, and I think they would have sounded great too, even if I really enjoy Bruce on them: Dreams of Mirrors Nomad Blood Brothers

Dave's two tracks on here are easily my favorites. The two melodies after the first chorus in When Two Worlds Collide is probably the highlight of the entire album for me. We then get right into some great solos. The whoa whoa ohhhhs that match the melody at the end are great followed up with another great melody. Bit of a shame the verses and choruses themselves are a bit lackluster vocally and lyrically. Coulda been an all time great one, but they just don't do much with the vocal melody and it feels mailed in. I know I mentioned it on the X-Factor vid, but similarly to the your comments on The Unbeliever chorus, the chorus in Lightning Strikes Twice is one of my favorite Blaze moments. The "strikes twice" attack back into the big interval jump back to "maybe" has always been a personal favorite. I think this one is a little more of a cohesive and balanced song than When Two Worlds Collide overall, and Janick's crazy muted/harmonic intro to his solo sounds just great. This is one of the few songs from that era I think Blaze works really well start to finish. The 'polka' part in DLttEofS is epic, and I absolutely LOVE how it leads into the solos, it's absolutely brilliant. The switch up when it comes back around after the two solos is fantastic as well. Of course, for me anyway, Futureal has some of Maiden's all time best solos. Wish this track was about 5 minutes long with more noodling because the vibe of it is fantastic. One of Steve's best from the 90s IMO. I'm sure a bit of unpopular opinion but The Clansman is Steve's most egregious mistake w/ Blaze. Way too many syllables in each line for Blaze to pull off well. Even Bruce has a bit of a time with and he is masterful at singing Steve's overly syllablic storytelling lyrics. It's not one of my top epics from them, but you can't deny that post chorus riff. The other songs are just fairly run of the mill. While I don't hate them there is nothing that pulls me in for a relisten to TAatG, The Educated Fool, or Como Estais Amigos. I'd much rather listen to near universally panned Hooks in You, Chains of Misery, and Weekend Warrior. While those songs always felt like they were trying to capture the essence of what Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter such a big hit they are still a blast to me. As always, cheers for the video was a fun watch! I still have never heard Virus, I guess I should go check that out!

Interesting as always!

Blaze albums are maiden albums of the 90s I listen the most to. Maiden surely goes through a great amount of changes in that era in terms of members, but also and foremost metal scene, leading to quite unfocused album. I think that X and XI albums are more focused and consistent throughout and contains some high quality tracks.

OMG - this album is SO SO SO GOOOOOD !!! !!! !!! \m/

A truly neglected album. The think about Maiden albums is that there is no 'worst' - there is merely 'least best'. And since it's IRON MAIDEN we are talking about - their lower ranked album STILL have something special and memorable to offer.

Your videos always inspire me to pick up my guitar and play my power chords as clean as possible. Keep up the good work.

Please do this with Dickinson's Chemical wedding, that is one of my favorites in heavy metal in general

I like this album a lot

As a longtime Maiden fan and writter of the upcoming book about Blaze era, I Can confirm Blaze did asked for downtuning on several ocassions..but Arry refused..He Said Maiden fans knows their sound and If they downtune, everything would've been even worse..and thats a Shame cause more Di'Anno material and simple downtuning half a step for the songs that could've been arranged that way ( 2 Minutes to Midnight, Fear of the Dark, The Evil That Men Do and Clairvoyant) would've solved everything..Nicely done, Arry..

best end of an era ever in history

Nico Awesome Video! Maybe a The Educated Fool, Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger Breakdown? Thanks!

If you love singing along with Iron Maiden, Virtual XI is probably the best album to do so. In my opinion anyway.

I have absolutely loved these videos. Thank you for covering this area of the band ❤ shame you don't like the angel and the gambler as for some reason I love it!

Underrated album af in too many ways. Im a real enjoyeer for Maiden work and i dont know if its how i see them with their recently works but they actually evolved into new concepts to their songs. My favourite album and cover.

I think Blaze was on a hiding to nothing in trying to fill Bruce's shoes, but if those 2 albums had been made by another group other than Maiden they would have been classed as brilliant album's, I followed maiden from Dianno through to Bruce then to Blaze and still think he did a terrific job. People try and compare each singer but u can't they are totally different to each other love them all Up The Iron's.

This was for me was much better than sign of the cross the song were more like maiden tracks. Como the clansman dont look to the eyes of a stranger were good tracks I also think Blazes voice went up a gear although he was struggling live at this point especially singing classic Bruce era maiden. For me its the pick of the two albums

Very good!!!

Ciao Nico, your reviews are always accurate, you're special! In my view, This album didn't add anything to band's career. It sounds a bit tired on some tracks. It's even too repetitive on the first single and on Don't look to the eyes. Also the marketing strategy wasn't properly targeted: football, virtual VS real... Honestly, who cares?! Lightning strikes twice, Clansman and Two worlds collide saved the album.

I wish they'd play futeral again

uno dei miei preferiti dei maiden, ora ho capito perchè grazie a te: è più vario rispetto al solito mi eolio

It is an ok album with some great tunes and some obscure songs. Tracks that are great : The Clansman, Futureal , When two worlds collide and Como estais amigos. The Angel and the gambler could have been better in the album as the video version. That long version of it should have been presented as it is in live gigs. Good singing for Blaze on this album especially on The Clansman and Como Estais Amigos. I'll give it a 7/10.

Again, thank you for doing this! I love that you pointed out the AC/DC influences, so awesome! Makes me think of the Tattoed Millionare tour when Janick and Bruce did some AC/DC songs. It was phenonenal( and I'm rewatching it after this now that I reminded myself 😁). I wish they'd play more songs from these two albums and it would be even better if they'd invite Blaze so him and Bruce could sing them together live. Oh, that's a dream for sure! 🙏😍🤩 I wish I could have talked to you when I first started listening to Maiden. You understand them so well. Thank you again! You're awesome! 👌👏👋

This is one of my favourite album from the band. Every song is perfect for except one thing, that is the chorus of the Educated fool. I don't agree with you when you said you liked the chorus of The educated fool. It sounds like a sick Eminem. I hate that but everyone got his opinion. Otherwise, I am thankful that you made a video on that lovely album. I also really like the album cover. Great video, it's always interesting to see someone else's opinion on that album

Great video

I could listen to you talking about Iron Maiden the whole day long. And sometimes I actually do😅

Muy bueno!!

For me it sounds more like demo of potentially killer album, than a final produckt. I still like it, especially solos and Blaze's vocals.

Thanks to this video, I was today years old when I realized Virtual XI had no guitar harmonies on it. Wow. My brain hears them even when they're not there. Speaking of which, Nico, that harmony you added on Futureal is so killer! It actually makes the song better, fuller, more Maiden - and it's already a great song. If I ever learn that one I'm using your harmony with it :D It's a good video overall, and your criticisms are valid. Following along this line of the 90s and the Blaze era, you should cover Bruce's return to metal with Adrian on Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. At the time, a lot of people thought those two albums were better and more Iron Maiden than The X-Factor and Virtual XI. Like Bruce said at the time, however, just because people say he made a good album doesn't mean they or he has to slag Iron Maiden's work. There's an interview from that time where Bruce said he'd love to tour as much as Iron Maiden, but he doesn't sell enough tickets to do that. He was very humble about his solo popularity versus even the diminished 1990s popularity and brand that Iron Maiden was. You could do an extremely cool video of how the careers of Bruce and Adrian and that of Steve and Maiden dovetailed in 1999, lifting all of them out of the 90s darkness and leading the resurgence of classic metal that saw Iron Maiden become bigger than they ever were - something they've amazingly maintained for some 24 years now.

I've always liked this album. Its by no means my favorite but it has some great songs and has decent production and although I don't listen to it as often as their other albums I do listen to it on a semi regular basis. It doesn't deserve all the hate it gets, like many have already said if this was an album by anyone other than Maiden the reviews would have been completely different. The biggest issue with this album IMO is that Maiden like almost all other metal bands at that time just didn't know what to do anymore. Music/metal evolved in the early 90s (for better or worse) and what they'd done so successfully before wasn't new or groundbreaking anymore and it was essentially considered "uncool". They were struck between trying to be new/relevant and clinging to the formula that worked so well for previously. This problem affected pretty much all the major bands who'd been successfully in the 80s - their 90s output is often a low point. Second issue is Blaze. That is not a shot at him at all - I like him, I think he is a decent vocalist and I enjoy some of the work he did with Maiden a lot. The problem is his range isn't the same as Bruce's but Steve and co hired him to sing the songs like Bruce... they should have either changed approaches to accommodate Blaze or chosen a singer closer to Bruce's style .I've always felt that Steve made the wrong decision but it was Blaze suffered the consequences. That said there are some great songs on this album Futureal and The Clansman are bangers

By the way, is there a video where you tell us how you started playing the guitar? The way you analyze Maiden songs and the way you play the songs correctly is amazing.

Aside from the obvious The Clansman and Futureal here I'm a big fan of Lightning Strikes Twice and When Two Worlds Collide. There's a lot of hit and miss with this album but when it hits it's fantastic. I just always found X Factor more consistent and it holds my attention more. That said I'd never thought about all the different key signatures on this album. The inconsistencies could very well point to the fact that they were deliberately trying to experiment and push the envolope. It was an awkward time for record sales and of course heavy metal in general and that's not to be understated either. I could totally see Dream Of Mirrors and even The Mercenary and Blood Brothers on this album. When you hear them now you can tell they were leftover ideas from the VXI sessions for sure. Enjoyable in places for sure and forgettable in others. I respect Blaze for keeping the flame alive and for giving us some great material with Maiden but I'm also glad he left because his solo career post Maiden has been absolutely top drawer!

I had to ask my local hmv to order the new single for me. That was a first and a real low point. It got even lower when I picked it up, ran home and got The Angel and the Gambler. As for the album: futureal and The Clansman are good. There are good moments on the other songs but I couldn't believe this was how they responded to the plodding X Factor. I'd seen them in a tiny venue on the X Factour but I knew they wouldn't even fill that venue on the back of this. Thankfully Bruce and H were back a year later...

Two worlds collide is one of my favourite maiden songs and I love lightning strikes twice, this album has some fine work from Dave, the futureal solo is awesome and I do enjoy Angel and the gambler but it does need a little editing, I find the short single too short, it needs both solos and the last verse. Steve and manager rod small wood had an argument, rod said Futureal should be the single but Steve got his own way and Angel and the gambler was single, I think Rod may have been right.

A great record. Futureal is a fantastic single way better that what will follows.

While it has glaring problems (don't you think I'm a saviour) it also has super strong song like Futurreal, Clansman, Educated Fool and Como Estais Amigos.

I actually love VIRUS 🎸 jajaja but Futureal and Clansman are great!

Nice analysis Nico. Virtual 11 and X Factor would be have been excellent if Bruce sang and the band used shorter or less intros and outros similar to older albums. Just imagine Nomad, Dream of Mirrors, Mercenary and Blood Brothers were written during the sessions for Virtual XI, these songs sound very good in Brave New World!

Don't look to the eyes of a stranger is another one that could have been better if shortter

Jajajajaja The greench jajajaja. I actualy like this eddie, it's like forming from all the destruction around...

A weak album overall for me, I've certainly tried over the years to approach it differently, but can't latch on to most songs. The Clansman with Bruce is a killer track and fun to play. All that said, every Maiden album is important for the bands journey and longevity.

Hey Nicko, what do you think of Adrian Smith"s Lado Earth guitars. Would like to hear your opinion on these guitars and why Adrian never played them again?

I really like this album, and I have done since the day it was released. It holds a special place in my heart, as this tour was the first time I saw Maiden play live, and I thought Blaze sounded great. The X Factor is still my favourite of the 2 Blaze albums, and I put it in my top 5 all-time favourite Maiden albums, but Virtual XI for me is still better than No Prayer and Fear, and most of the post-2000 albums. I think Virtual gets completely unfair hatred from many fans. Yes, the production and mix could be a lot better, and The Angel & The Gambler is ridiculously overlong, but there are still many killer songs on it. My favourite song on the album is Como Estais Amigos, which for me is one of Blaze's best performances with Maiden.

Actually, there is a guitar harmony on the Futureal solo, but you are right in general. Maiden in the '90s dropped their harmonized style because they wanted to dissociate themselves from the elements that may have been perceived as cheesy and '80s.

I believe I’ve heard a harmony in Futureal when Maiden Canada plays it. 😉🎸

You must to play some song of these álbum virtual 11 and tutorial complete please Very nice that you play and good channel

Shorter arrangements would made the album way better. Some of the songs are not as bad as they are way to long. it was the first Maiden album i’ve bought. Futureal and Clansman are by far the best ones.

La prossima volta sarebbe bello quando hai parlato della tonalità specificare anche quali sono quelle canzoni. Le due in E Minor sono le due di Murray, Lightning Strikes Twice e When Two Worlds Collide? Io pensavo che anche Clansman lo fosse. E qual è quella in Sol#?

Polka part? Listen to Carry On, from brazilian band Angra.

Virual XI is an album that seems more suited to Bruce rather than Blaze. I also think the songs here just needed a better production, the mixing is horrifically bad and a slight reworking and it would have been the best 90s album from Maiden. Lightning Strikes Twice is a great track and I wish they would play it live. I much prefer this to x factor, probably because it isn't quite so drab in atmosphere. This is a solid 6/10 album that could be an 8/10 with a few tweaks here and there.

'When Two Worlds Collide' chords sound would fit in a Dream Theater song quite nicely

Blaze has gotten a lot of negative criticism for his live work with Maiden. I agree that Blaze had to perform Paul’s and Bruce’s songs, live, under unfair conditions. There were songs that either should have been left out of the setlists completely, or songs that should have been adapted for his voice.

Although this is my least favourite maiden album, the clansman is still on of my favourite maiden songs

My least favourite song is The educated fool, although it has some great solos on it., I actually like Angel and the gambler, sure it need a bit of trimming towards the end but I find it a pretty catchy song overall, love lightning strikes twice and two worlds collide. Don't look to the eyes of a stranger could be good the solos are awesome but it needs a lot of editing. Overall I think the guitar work on this album especially from Dave is awesome and blaze sings very well but maybe writing and recording the whole album in just 6 weeks was a bit rushed

We never know what if Steve were turn down the tuning, like Helloween did when Andi Deris come in.

It's so strange to hear it said "Virtual Eleven" when I've been pronouncing it "Virtual Ex Eye" all my life

Would you consider tabbing out Iron Maiden material in Guitar Pro 7??

I adore x factor and it is in my top 3 maiden albums. Virtual xi is fine but it felt like a let down and almost pandering to fans. The album has some great songs but the production is even flatter than x factor and really hurts it. Also angel and the gambler should have bee the single edit. It's still not great but much better than the terrible album version. Virus was a great song and I loved how dark it was. Blaze does a killer version of this in his own band (and to be fair all his maiden stuff) I saw them on the virtual xi tour and I had a blast, yeah blazes voice struggled like hell at times but the passion he had carried it through. Seriously why didn't they tune down? Absolutely maddening.

I’m surprised that you say that “Como estais amigos” is the shortest album closer since the “Killers “. What about “Only the good die young “? Otherwise, I like it a lot when you are more critical. Great review!

If "Virus" and "Justice of the Peace" had been put on The X-Factor, it would have been a much better received album. "The Clansman" is a very overrated song, one dealing with subject matter that does not suit Maiden, which Steve showed us on "The Death of the Celts," which is the better and improved "The Clansman," or what "The Clansman" should have been all along. "The Angel and the Gambler" is a really cool song with a rock'n'roll vibe that is infectious, so the runtime of around 10 minutes doesn't bother me as much as it does most fans. I think the runtime is necessary to fully develop the song and the mood, as is the case with most post-2000 material, where it is the short songs that feel out of place, not the super long songs. "When Two Worlds Collide" is a really great song. I wish they would play it live again. And, finally, Janick really peaked around this time in the band. He and Dave were really in-sync at that point, unlike during the post-2000 era, where Janick became a parody of himself, playing the same ideas over and over.