STEVE HARRIS Defends BLAZE BAYLEY-Era IRON MAIDEN Albums: “People Will Appreciate Them Later”

The mid-’90s marked one of the most turbulent chapters in Iron Maiden‘s storied history. Following the departure of Bruce Dickinson in 1993, the band recruited Wolfsbane frontman Blaze Bayley as their new vocalist.

With Bayley at the helm, Iron Maiden released two records — 1995’s The X Factor and 1998’s Virtual XI. While neither album achieved the critical acclaim or commercial success of the band’s earlier output, bassist and bandleader Steve Harris insists those years produced powerful music that deserves a fair reassessment.

Speaking to Metal Hammer, Harris said: “I said it at the time and I still believe it – those two are really strong, powerful albums and people will appreciate them later. And people are going back and discovering them and realizing they’re good.”

Of the two, Harris highlighted The X Factor as particularly special, though deeply shaped by personal turmoil: “The X Factor in particular is really good, but it’s a dark album. Probably ‘cos I was in a bit of a dark place with Bruce leaving and me going through a divorce at the time, all this stuff going on. But what came out of that was a powerful album. You take negative stuff and you turn it into a positive and those emotions come out, and that’s what you can do with music. Music’s such a powerful thing.”

Released at a time when grunge and alternative rock dominated the charts, both The X Factor and Virtual XI struggled to connect with the wider audience. For many fans, Bayley‘s lower, grittier vocal style was a jarring contrast to Dickinson‘s soaring delivery, and the band’s darker, more brooding material often polarized listeners.

Still, Harris rejects the idea that Iron Maiden came close to calling it quits, despite the challenges: “Only for a couple of hours. It’s like when West Ham lose – I sulk for two hours, but you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and get on with it. It’s the only way it’s going to work.”

In hindsight, the Bayley years remain divisive but fascinating — a period of experimentation that produced cult favorites like “Sign of the Cross,” “The Clansman,” and “Futureal.” And with Harris championing the era’s merits, more fans may be encouraged to revisit a time when Maiden‘s future was anything but certain.