Virtual XI
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| Virtual XI | ||
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| Studio album by Iron Maiden | ||
| Released | March 23, 1998 | |
| Recorded | Barnyard Studios, Essex, England, 1997 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 53:10 | |
| Label | EMI (U.K.) CMC International (U.S. original) Sanctuary/Columbia (U.S. reissue) |
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| Producer(s) | Steve Harris, Nigel Green | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iron Maiden chronology | ||
| Best of the Beast (1996) |
Virtual XI (1998) |
Ed Hunter (1999) |
Virtual XI is the 11th studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The album was released on March 23, 1998. It was the second and final Iron Maiden album recorded with vocalist Blaze Bayley. The album is slightly unique in the Iron Maiden catalogue for it's extensive keyboard use. For this album all the keyboard parts were performed by band founder/bassist Steve Harris whereas on previous albums the keyboard parts were handled by session musician Michael Kenney. The album also had a reduced songwriting input from Janick Gers compared to the previous Iron Maiden albums since he joined the band in 1990.
This is the third album by Maiden that was not named after a song on the album (similarly to Piece of Mind and the previous album). The limited edition of the CD came with a lenticular cover.
The songs on the album vary greatly thematically. Futureal and When Two Worlds Collide both appear to hold futuristic themes; The Angel and the Gambler deals with obsessive gambling; Lightning Strikes Twice appears to deal with a childhood fear of thunder-storms; The Clansman tells of the Scots' battle for indepence in medieval England; The Educated Fool deals with a person high in intellect but lacking a goal in his life. Como Estais Amigos is a tribute to the soldiers on both sides in the Falklands War[1].
Just like the tour of The X Factor album, the tour for this album was cut short when Bayley suffered from an allergic reaction caused by certain elements used on the stage.
"The Angel and the Gambler" and "Futureal" were released as singles. "The Clansman" would become a popular live track on all tours through 2003.
[edit] Track listing
- "Futureal" (Steve Harris, Blaze Bayley) – 2:55
- "The Angel and the Gambler" (Harris) – 9:52
- "Lightning Strikes Twice" (Dave Murray, Harris) – 4:50
- "The Clansman" (Harris) – 8:59
- "When Two Worlds Collide" (Murray, Bayley, Harris) – 6:17
- "The Educated Fool" (Harris) – 6:44
- "Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger" (Harris) – 8:03
- "Como Estais Amigos" (Janick Gers, Bayley) – 5:30
[edit] Credits
- Blaze Bayley - lead vocals
- Dave Murray - guitar
- Janick Gers - guitar
- Steve Harris - bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Nicko McBrain - drums
[edit] External links
[[sk>Virtual XI]]
