About Me
THIS IS NOT THE OFFICAL IRON MAIDEN
"VIRTUAL XI" (1998)
1. Futureal (Harris, Bayley)
2. The Angel And The Gambler (Harris)
3. Lightning Strikes Twice (Murray, Harris)
4. The Clansman (Harris)
5. When Two Worlds Collide (Murray, Bayley, Harris)
6. The Educated Fool (Harris)
7. Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger (Harris)
8. Como Estais Amigos
Foreward taken from maidenfans.com/imc
Virtual XI is Iron Maiden's second studio album with Blaze Bayley as vocalist. It retains the Maiden feel while at the same time continuing their musical evolution and maturation. Although there will always be people who are unable to accept this evolution, Virtual XI demonstrates that the band has indeed overcome their painful transitional period and are now continuing to do what they do best – making great music.
The album cover is once again by Melvyn Grant, and returns to the familiar comic-book style. It is perhaps the most complex album cover since Somewhere In Time, depicting a boy who is immersed in a virtual reality of flaming holocaust where the line between virtual and reality is beginning to blur.
Musically, Virtual XI is not as dark and brooding as its predecessor The X Factor, and perhaps has more in common with Somewhere In Time both in its futuristic mood and musical style. Like all of the Maiden albums since Somewhere In Time, Virtual XI has a touch of light synth in the background of some songs. Also, there is a bit more vocal harmonies than we've seen before, on songs such as 'The Clansman' and 'The Educated Fool'.
One complaint about the Virtual XI North American edition is its promotion of America Online (AOL) both on the CD packaging and on the enhanced (computer readable) portion of the CD – apparently, the UK and European versions escaped this unfortunate commercial gimmick. Albums should not be subject to such commercialisation and advertising gimmicks, which in my opinion only cheapen the mood and feeling of the album. Perhaps it is an attempt to foster the "virtual" aspect of the album, but there could hardly have been a worse choice than AOL, which is reviled by the internet community. Fortunately, if you ignore the enhanced portion of the CD, the rest of the album is rather good.
The CD packaging also contains pictures from the computer game Ed Hunter from Synthetic Dimensions. The game is a 1st-person (Doom-style) shooter, featuring familiar terrain from many Iron Maiden album sleeves. The problem with computer games is that their technology is virtually obsolete almost before they even hit the shelves. In 20 years the music will still be as powerful as it is today, but the computer game will be a technological dinosaur.
In any case, the bottom line of any album is its music, and in this respect Virtual XI lives up to its potential, solidifying Iron Maiden's position as one of the few surviving heavy metal powers from the 80's. If anyone remained unconvinced by The X Factor, Virtual XI should lay their doubts to rest.
Layout Created at KillerKiwi.net
