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THE REVIEW
All the greatest metal bands in history have at least one dud album in their discography: Forbidden for Black Sabbath, Reload for Metallica, Six degrees Of Inner Turbulence for Dream Theater, The Triumph Of Steel for Manowar, and indeed Fear Of The Dark for Iron Maiden, an album born in 1992 during a crisis due to Adrian Smith's departure and Bruce Dickinson's solo ambitions.
Fear Of The Dark offers in its tracklist colossal flops like Fear Is The Key, Wasting Love, The Fugitive, Chains Of Misery, The Apparition, and Weekend Warrior (6 songs out of 12) which showcase a horror gallery of clichéd lyrics, a lackluster performance by the singer, and headache-inducing solos: in short, it's a true scraping of the barrel (I wouldn't be surprised if these songs were poor outtakes from the previous album).
So, let's analyze the six remaining songs, and even here they're not all that impressive: the opener Be Quick Or Be Dead is quite gritty and fast, let's say a 6.5 piece ruined by Bruce's questionable performance (where the hell has the divine chanter of Revelations and Alexander The Great gone!?). From Here To Eternity (a piece that closes the Charlotte The Harlot saga) is the most pandering and unoriginal offering ever proposed by Iron Maiden (they could have at least credited it as an AC/DC cover, for truth's sake!). However, Childhood's End is very beautiful, full of pathos, epicness, and tension, showcasing one of Nicko McBrain's best performances, and the fast and catchy Judas Be My Guide, which deserves a good solid 7. As a testament to Iron Maiden's greatness, even in a highly mediocre album like this, they managed to include not one but two masterpiece tracks: Afraid To Shoot Strangers is stunning, with its nocturnal and subtle atmosphere that leads into an epic and solid riff that will forever remain etched in heavy metal history. The title track is another knockout piece (listen to the live version from Rock In Rio, it truly sends shivers down your spine) and constitutes the archetype for future masterpieces like The Clansman, Dream Of Mirrors, Dance Of Death, Paschendale, Brighter Than A Thousand Suns, and The Legacy, just to name a few.
In conclusion, two stars like the two best pieces, the rest is truly awful.
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Summary by Bot
Fear Of The Dark is regarded as one of Iron Maiden's weaker albums, marred by poor songwriting and vocal performances. While half the tracks fall flat, two songs—'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' and the title track—stand out as powerful metal masterpieces. The album suffered from internal band turmoil but still contains moments worthy of fans.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Iron Maiden
British heavy metal band formed in 1975, led by bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris. Famous for epic studio albums, theatrical live shows featuring vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and the mascot Eddie.180 Reviews
Other reviews
By jigoro
"The three points I give it go respectively to 'Be Quick Or Be Dead,' 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers,' and the magnificent title track, a rose among the trash of a job born and lived simply badly."
"The times of 'The Number Of The Beast' are just pleasant memories, and age (and money) are beginning to be felt all too forcefully."
By Kenny
Damn, what an album! What more can be said about this record?
The building would burst when "Be Quick or Be Dead" played, or maybe with another track because, in the end, they’re all great.
By carloirons
Fear Of The Dark is a heartfelt, warm album, made with heart, and precisely for this reason with some imperfections that reason would have removed.
The song alone manages to embrace all metal components: hard and powerful sound, sudden acceleration, great voice, dark theme.
By creative
"Fear Of The Dark is an album that, when listened to for the first time, is scary!"
"If you don’t know who Iron Maiden are, listen to this album and you too will become a True Metaller!!!!!"
By Reguz92
"Fear of the Dark has not only become one of the most loved pieces by Iron Maiden fans and an omnipresent track in every concert but is also one of the most well-known songs in all metal music history."
The tracks included can be divided into three groups, from mediocre to excellent, with some pieces that could have easily been left out.
