Most of these reviews say that if you like this album, you must not be a a loyal Maiden fan. Well, I am a hardcore Maiden fan and I think this album is more than exceptional. It is definitely a change from there power riff sound, but the dark overtones give it a sinister sound that sounds awesome. Even though the riffs don't sound like typical Maiden, they are still captivating. Hey, nobody likes a slave to routine. I recommend this as a good album if your a hardcore Maiden fan or just someone who enjoys heavy metal. The only setback is that Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, does not have the rawpower of Bruce Dickinson. At times he sounds like a cheap imitation. However the songs overcome this setback. I think perhaps most Iron Maiden fans feel an obligation to hate this CD because it doesn't have the mighty Bruce Dickinson on vocals. If you look past that, You may find that there is some great music to hear.

When I heard about X Factor coming out I was actually kind of excited that Maiden would be producing an album without Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Yes, I am a Dickinson fan, but I don't think a band should be held hostage simply because one member is unavailable, and let's face it, Iron Maiden is Steve Harris' baby, and Bruce only came to Maiden on the 3rd album. And I liked that Maiden chose someone who wasn't a Bruce clone as Judas Priest did with Ripper Owens replacing Rob Halford. Maiden chose someone who was almost the polar opposite of Bruce, with Blaze Bayley.
Musically, X Factor is pure Maiden. The guitar riffs, the heavy bass lines sometimes taking over meloday, the pounding drum work, all sounds familiar. Lyrically...well Blaze just doesn't have the chops to front Maiden. His vocal range is very small, his baritone doesn't fit the music as well, and he just lacks the power needed to be Iron Maiden's lead singer. With Paul Di'Anno you had the lower vocal register, but man...he sang with power and passion. Bruce Dickinson's vocal range is amazing, and when he sings, you take notice. Blaze was just kind of there, a mediocre lead vocalist at best. I can appreciate what Maiden was trying to do, and there are some moments that work on the album, "Sign of the Cross" and "Lord of the Flies" are two, pretty good rockers, just not up to the Iron Maiden level we are used to.
I think the thing with X Factor, is that Maiden fans will always wonder what if......what if Dickinson had sung lead, or what if Di'Anno had rejoined the band for this record? Though full of potential, X Factor doesn't really get off the ground.

Looking at the recent reviews on THE X FACTOR, it seeems at last that Blaze Bayley's tenure in Iron Maiden is being looked upon in a more favourable light. After the lacklustre NO PRAYER and FEAR OF THE DARK, the arrival of Blaze was a like a breath of fresh air. A darker, deeper voice than Bruce's , but for me just as impressive in it's own way, he opened up new avenues for Harris & Co, resulting in this, their most mature album to date.

Classics such as SIGN OF THE CROSS, MAN ON THE EDGE, LORD OF THE FLIES, BLOOD ON THE WORLD'S HANDS, 2AM and so on, combine to produce a dark exploration into the harsh experiences of real life, and in particular war and it's after effects.

How anyone can slate this album and hark on about how "Blaze will never be as good as Bruce", just aren't really listening to what is actually going on during the album. It's certainly Maiden's most angry moment (probably due to the fact that Steve Harris was just recovering from his divorce!).

Blaze's contribution to MAIDEN can not be underestimated, and THE X FACTOR remains my second favourite MAIDEN album after SEVENTH SON. Go on, give it a go of you haven't already! You may well be surprised!

God, I've gotta stop listening to people on the internet so much, at least when it comes to giving things negative reviews. Frankly, it's pretty damn tough for a metal band that I like to make an album that I dislike. And this tendency plays out here. Hell, I even think this would be a pretty first rate IM album were it not for the 2 most notable filler tracks. ('Search for the Truth' and 'Blood on the World's Hands') And yeah it's pretty far removed from classic Maiden, but much of what we all loved about IM remains. (And don't get me started about those conceited a**holes who claim that this 'isn't Iron Maiden'. Sorry friends, but Iron Maiden determines what Iron Maiden is, not you. As a matter of fact, you haven't got a damn thing to do with it.) It's got the darker, more epic edge, which I think works well with Blaze's voice. As for Blaze himself, he's certainly not great, but I really can't find anything particularly wrong with him. Not much range, admittedly, but, again, I think it's pretty well suited for the material.

The album opens with 'Sign of the Cross', which is brilliant and among the best song IM has ever recorded. (That's a pretty damn long list, however) The intro is perhaps a bit drawn out, but it's got a fabulous chorus and an excellent, very drawn out middle section. 'Lord of the Flies' is a solid, moderately speedy rocker. Nice, catchy chorus. 'Man on the Edge' is the only speed metal song here, but it's a great one, and about as catchy as any one they've ever done. 'Fortunes of War' is very slow building and moody, but it comes to a fine climax and is effective throughout. It's a sorta descendent of the 'Children of the Damned' school of song writing. 'Aftermath' is similar, but less moody and less effective. Still a strong track, however. 'Judgment of Heaven' is one of the few relatively energetic, vaguely happy sounding songs on the album. It's got one of the stronger choruses as well. 'The Edge of Darkness' is one of the very best songs here. Again a multipart epic, pretty low key much of the time, but about as energetic as this albums gets at other parts. '2 AM' is one of the more ignored tracks, but I really like it. Again, I just really like the chorus and it's effectively depressive, considering the subject matter. 'The Unbeliever' is effective if not truly remarkable. Nice instrumentation, even if the ox are a bit lacking.

If this album were lacking those two aforementioned filler tracks it would be a lot stronger. This is particularly significant as this is a very long, often slow album, which makes it especially important that the song writing be strong throughout. Some fast thrash or death albums can get by on sheer force of personality, but not a contemplative 70 minute work like this.

Some have complained about the production, but I like it pretty well. Again, it's darker with bassier, compressed guitars and thudding powerful bass and an immediate, snappy drum sound.

Overall, a very good album. Try and give a serious, unbiased listen and you may be surprised.

I'm writing this review a few years after I got this album, around the time when I first started getting into Maiden. At the time, I couldn't appreciate the album, but now that I'm older, I understand just how good it is.

A lot of people have criticised Blaze, but I'm one of the minority that likes him. I can't imagine Bruce Dickinson doing this album, and I think that Blaze's vocals are the best for this darker, moodier, borderline gothic Maiden album.

Each song has an almost epic feel to it, especially Sign of the Cross and The Unbeliever. It's like Maiden decided not to just make songs, to make works of art.

The lyrics have matured very much, as I doubt we'll ever see a song like 2 A.M. now that Bruce & Adrian are back and Blaze is gone.

There are a few problems I have with the album. Sign of the Cross, while really damn good, has an intro that takes just a little too long, just like Blood on the World's Hands. The Aftermath, Look for the Truth, and Fortunes of War all sound a little too the same.

Also, Blaze's vocals aren't perfect, as he tends to warble, like in Edge of Darkness with the line, "Your mission terminate - with extreme prejudice." The word prejudice sounds more like prejUdiiIIIiiiSSS.

But aside from that, I loved the album, and some of my all-time favorite Maiden songs came from this album, such as the aforementioned Edge of Darkness. I can't get a line from that song out of my head, it goes, "Here I am with the knife in my hand, and now I understand why the genius must die." I don't know why, but I like that line.

Lord of the Flies is another favorite, and an underrated one at that. 2 A.M., The Unbeliever, and Sign of the Cross are also my favorites.

Hell, every song is a favorite of mine.