It’s finally time – today I present my ranking of the Iron Maiden albums. This is one I sort of fussed over for a bit. I was disrupted in my original plan to do it when I started the blog because of the arrival of Senjutsu. Now that it’s had nearly two years to work itself into the system, I can get this out since it looks like it’ll probably be a bit before a new one. We’re also at the point where we can wonder how many “new ones” we’ll get, but I’d say at least one more is a safe bet.

This ranking comprises the 17 full-length studio albums. I’m not bothering with ranking EP’s and singles, that’s too much of a headache. I’ll provide some links at the bottom to my singles series and also my album cover ranking.

This will be a bit of a beefy boy, no way around that since there are 17 albums. I’m just gonna keep everything on one post for this one so it’s all in one place and easier to reference in the future. I’ll also include links where I’ve discussed an album prior, several of these have been Album of the Week before. That’s about all for the lead-up, so off to the ranking.

#17 – Virtual XI (1998)

The bottom of the barrel here is the band’s second album with singer Blaze Bayley. Never a heralded era of the band, this album exemplifies what’s wrong with that time period, and it’s not Blaze. The songs here are just kind of ghastly. Futureal is pretty good and The Clansman is a triumph. Beyond that, these songs don’t resonate. The Angel And The Gambler is a turd that should have been flushed rather than released, and many other songs on here feel like sort of jokey things or just scraps that were aired out. This album just doesn’t have much going for it.

#16 – No Prayer For The Dying (1990)

Up next is the first of the rather unhallowed ’90’s era. Adrian Smith had left and the band worked in a basic rock style rather than the epic stuff they had ended the ’80’s with. The songs here are fairly consistent in quality. It’s just one those albums with a very low ceiling, nothing happens on here that’s really great. It is cheesy and goofy, which isn’t a problem on its own but that’s all there is here. I don’t even mind playing this album, I can enjoy hearing it but I can also recognize that it doesn’t go much of anywhere.

#15 – The X Factor (1995)

It’s quickly into the first Blaze album. This one holds far more consistent than the second one, and has a fair few good songs with stuff like Sign Of The Cross and Lord Of The Flies. It doesn’t really fall off in quality, the other songs on here are pretty solid. It also doesn’t achieve a great deal and the darker atmosphere and “grunge-like” touches don’t much enhance the Maiden experience, but there is an album worth listening to here.

#14 – Fear Of The Dark (1992)

Probably not a huge shock that all of the ’90’s albums fill out the bottom. This one, the final album with Bruce for several years, does offer a some more variety. A few of these songs are great – the title track has been a Maiden institution since release, Judas Be My Guide is a fantastic gem of a song, and Afraid To Shoot Strangers is really good. All of the album’s singles were pretty quality efforts too.

The only problem here is with the whole rest of the album, which is a lot. It’s a mixed bag of meh song like Fear Is The Key and truly awful stuff like Weekend Warrior and The Apparition. Some editing would have done wonders for this one and it’d rank a hell of a lot higher, its top end of quality is sterling.

#13 – Killers (1981)

The second opus with singer Paul Di’Anno checks in here. This album is a bit of a grab bag, with some crushing metal songs, a couple of instrumentals, an odd stylistic departure and also some other stuff. It does have quality tracks on it but it’s also kind of a comedown off the debut’s crazy energy. Overall it works and is worth a listen but it does kind of pale in comparison to others.

Killers has previously been an Album of the Week feature.

#12 – Senjutsu (2021)

And here is where the most recent album lands. When this came out I was very hyped for it, gotta have something to be excited about and a new album from my favorite band should do it. I played the album a lot on release and I found plenty on there to like – the lead single Writing On The Wall is great, as is the title track. The finale Hell On Earth is in conversation for the best reunion-era song they’ve done. What led to this being dragged down some is, well, most of the rest of it. There are songs on here that are fine but they also don’t quite achieve what Maiden has done, especially elsewhere through the reunion albums. I like hearing them but they’re also not doing a whole lot, and that’s kind of a problem with an album as long as this is.

Senjutsu was previously an Album of the Week feature on release, and one I should revisit someday. That first post is a giant mess.

#11 – The Final Frontier (2010)

This was the band’s fourth reunion album, and the point where we could say the reunion had become its own era – hell, it’s now the band’s longest with a constant line-up. This one kind of flew under the radar at the time. It isn’t an immediate album but there’s some stuff to check out on here. The two epic songs Where The Wild Wind Blows and The Talisman are spectacular, and the ballad Coming Home hits a lot harder than it would have seemed at first. The album is filled out with songs of pretty good quality, nothing here really grates on me. It’s kind of a quiet moment in the band’s catalog but it does pack a punch.

#10 – Iron Maiden (1980)

The band’s debut offered up a platter of metal the likes of which was unheard of at the time. This one has a number of bangers on it, like Prowler, Running Free and the title track. Nothing here is bad, I enjoy it all. Several of these songs see play to this day, it was a remarkable debut record.

Iron Maiden has also been an Album of the Week feature.

#9 – Dance Of Death (2003)

The second reunion album offers up a variety of stuff. Most of it is pleasant yet mid-tier fare, while some songs like the title track and Paschendale are amazing. Face In The Sand is also great and is my pick for Maiden’s most underrated song. The cover art is absolutely horrible but the songs help make up for it.

Dance Of Death has been the subject of the Album of the Week series.

#8 – The Book Of Souls (2015)

Maiden had a 5-year album gap here and the long wait fueled hype over this one. I was all over the hype train when the album was announced and 8 years later I’m still on that train. The title track on this one is amazing, as is the opener If Eternity Should Fail. The Red And The Black is another epic nearly equaling the size of Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, and then this album’s finale Empire Of The Clouds blows past that by 5 minutes. I’ve always liked this one a lot and nothing has diminished for me as time has passed.

#7 – Brave New World (2000)

This was the “reunion” album and it was pure joy to hear Dickinson and Smith back with Maiden. The 1990’s were tough for Maiden and metal in general, but here was the sign that metal was back. This was a nice blend of the classic Iron Maiden sound and a look to the future. Blood Brothers is a magnificent anthem, The Wicker Man a great lead single and stuff like the title track and Ghost Of The Navigator are epic journeys no one had been on since the ’80’s. This was the kick in the ass that everyone needed at the start of the new millennium.

Brave New World was an Album of the Week.

#6 – The Number Of The Beast (1982)

For those who might think your eyes are deceiving you, rest assured they are not. This is the slot for the band’s third album and the debut of Bruce Dickinson. This one does come fairly loaded – Hallowed Be Thy Name is perhaps the band’s best song ever, and cuts like the title track and Run To The Hills are stone cold classics. The Prisoner is another maybe underrated gem, and 22 Acacia Avenue and Children Of The Damned are both nice songs. But Gangland really weights this one down, as does the opener Invaders. A 2022 vinyl reissue of this one put B-side Total Eclipse on the album instead of Gangland, and honestly that version might gain a spot in my rankings, but overall I’m going with the OG stuff. It’s a case of splitting hairs at this point to decide what goes where and just a few bumps in the road give this classic album a bit of a knock in the rankings.

#5 – Piece Of Mind (1983)

And now to the following album, with its crazy cover and fistful of worthy songs. The Trooper is pretty well Maiden’s signature song at this point. Where Eagles Dare, Flight Of Icarus and Revelations are all badass tunes, and Still Life is a nice cut from the second side. The remaining three aren’t great songs but are varying degrees of nice to listen to. This was Maiden truly rounding into form and is a classic album.

#4 – A Matter Of Life And Death (2006)

This 2006 set was grim, grave and absolutely epic. This album heads into war, death and other topics of grand importance. It’s probably wrong to say “Maiden went prog” but fair that there was some prog influence here and there, this is still an Iron Maiden record and not really the first time the band showcased their prog leanings. There are several prime songs here like These Colours Don’t Run, The Longest Day and The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg. And there are three totally badass epic tracks, with Brighter Than A Thousand Suns and The Legacy being completely awesome, and For The Greater Good Of God being on another level than that even. This album was a masterpiece and just mind-blowing stuff from a band about 30 years old at that point.

A Matter Of Life And Death was an Album of the Week.

#3 – Somewhere In Time (1986)

This album marked the first of Maiden’s two-record “synth” arc. It’s eight songs that work together fantastically and not a dud among the bunch, the synth elements only enhanced the presentation rather than seeing Maiden fall into the “slap some 80’s shit on here” trap. The cover art is totally mind-blowing, with a billion things to be found for the discerning eye. This was also the first Maiden album I ever heard so that’s going to hold a special place, obviously. I have no way of knowing this, but it’s possible that I’ve heard this one more than any other Maiden record, somehow it always winds up on mine or my friends’ stereos.

#2 – Powerslave (1984)

This is the album that turned Iron Maiden into a metal institution. The two singles, Aces High and 2 Minutes To Midnight, are among the best songs Maiden have done, and the album concludes with two monstrous epics – the title track and Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, a 13 minute long plunge that is one of the band’s most celebrated offerings. Between all that is some swordfighting and a return to the realm of The Prisoner. This album is prime Iron Maiden and the reason a great many legions came to follow the band.

Powerslave was also an Album of the Week previously.

#1 – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988)

Topping the list is this epic sort-of concept album that capped off the synth era. There is a theme revolving around mystical things, the title concept of a person born with extraordinary powers, seeing the future and all of that. Everything is encased in a prog-like shell and provides some of the band’s most ambitious and realized music. It is a bit dense and ponderous but still pretty accessible, songs like Moonchild and The Evil That Men Do fit in quite nicely next to other Maiden songs. And the title track is more low-key one of Maiden’s best epics. This album was a whole world for my then 10-year old self to get lost in and that I certainly did, some may say I never came back from it.

That wraps up this pretty epic undertaking, but one I needed to get done. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments below. Here are a few links to other Maiden things I’ve done, plus a placeholder for the upcoming live album series.

The Iron Maiden singles series (starts with the first one, there are 29 total)

The album cover ranking (a two-part affair)

The live album series (coming in September)