The Most Underrated Iron Maiden Album of All Time

2025-07-12

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden.

Iron Maiden has so many fantastic albums that it’s easy for some to go unnoticed. Audio Ink Radio names the most underrated of all time. – Author: Anne Erickson, Photo from John McMurtrie

Iron Maiden is the kind of heavy metal band that has such a rich, 50-plus year history and long discography that it’s impossible for some albums to not get overlooked. Just the sheer number of records that Iron Maiden has released makes it easy for a handful of those to be underappreciated and underrated.

As with any band that’s created as much music as Iron Maiden, it’s just hard to enjoy every single piece, because it’s human nature to go back to the favorites. But, it’s also just not right to ignore these incredible records that didn’t get their due. In that spirit, Audio Ink Radio is naming the most underrated Iron Maiden album of all time. It’s time to get this album out, dust off the cobwebs and give it a listen.

Most Underrated Iron Maiden Album Ever

While a handful of Iron Maiden’s albums never quite got their due, one that clearly stands above the rest is 2003’s “Dance of Death.” This album has incredibly strong songwriting, complex textures, diverse musical arrangements and the hard-hitting riffs and rhythms for which Maiden is known. It didn’t sell as well as some of the band’s other releases, but that likely had something to do with the time it came out, in 2003, which was a changing time for rock and metal. Post-grunge ruled the airwaves at the time, leaving the only space for metal really being Metallica, at least when it came to mainstream listening. Another reason the album didn’t fly was because of its controversial artwork, which was unfinished and generally frowned upon.

But, with its fantastic songs and beautifully dark motifs, “Dance of Death” is an album that begs to be listened to and celebrated. Many Maiden enthusiast agree that it’s underrated, too. “Often overlooked due to the crummy cover but I consider it to be on the same level as Brave New World,” one Iron Maiden follower stated on a Facebook post about the album being underrated. “As far as I am concerned, that was their last great album,” one more said.

If we had to pick a No. 2 most underrated Iron Maiden album, it would easily be 1995’s “The X Factor.” This album was the band’s first with singer Blaze Bayley, so not having Dickinson is perhaps a reason why it often goes overlooked. This album is super dark and menacing in the best possible way with themes of individual struggle, isolation and searching for hope. It’s not an uplifting listen, but there’s at time and place for a gloomy album, too. What makes “The X Factor” stand out its unique sonic quality and bursts of emotion. It’s too epic a set to go unnoticed.

When it comes to Maiden’s greatest album of all time, Audio Ink Radio recently crowned 1984’s “Powerslave” the best. The album was also named Rolling Stone’s 38th best metal album of all time. It’s simply impossible to beat songs such as “Aces High,” “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” all of which live on this set.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Metal, Music

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