Paschendale wrote:This must be one of those everyone posts how much they like Blaze Bailey era Maiden so we can look unconventional, not mainstream, and cool boards.
Right?
I bought X Factor and took it back to trade it in for something else the next day.

Um, no actually, I really like Blaze's singing (I have his solo work too) true he was never going to be the same as Dickinson, but it was foolish to expect anyone to be able to sing like Bruce anyway. He has a deeper and more aggressive sounding voice which suited the stuff on the album. The X-Factor is a far stronger album than either No Prayer for the Dying or Fear of the Dark, I don't think anyone can deny that.
And to clarify, I don't just like it because it's 'unconventional'. My tastes have never been affected by convention in any way, shape or form. Plus, I really don't like Virtual XI apart from a couple of songs on it which Bruce managed to perform in a better way anyhow.
The reason I like the X Factor is because it's so atmospheric and really has its own unique sound amongst Maiden albums. It's really dark and moody, which reflected the personal lives of the band at the time. And I honestly don't think anyone can claim that 'Sign Of The Cross' is anything less than a total masterpiece, even with Blaze singing it.
It's not an accessible album, it requires more than just a few listens to really appreciate it. However, all the best albums are always like that.