While 1992's Fear of the Dark was definitely more of a return to form for Iron Maiden, it still wasn't quite on par with their exceptional work from the '80s.
Easily an improvement over 1990's lackluster No Prayer for the Dying (both musically and sonically), the album debuted on the U.K.
charts at number one.
The opening "Be Quick or Be Dead" proved Maiden could easily hold their own with younger thrash metal bands, "From Here to Eternity" contained lyrics that seem better fitted for Mötley Crüe, while the expected epic album-closing title track would become a concert staple (all three tracks were released as U.K.
singles).
While Maiden records of the past would contain an album's worth of first-rate material, Fear of the Dark is again weighed down with too many drab compositions -- "Childhood's End," "Chains of Misery," "Judas Be My Guide," and more.
The serene "Wasting Love" proves to be one of Maiden's better ballads of the '90s, while the rockers "Fear Is the Key" and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" are also standouts.
Fear of the Dark would be singer Bruce Dickinson's final studio album with the band (until their late-'90s reunion), as he publicly voiced that he felt the band had run its course.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Be Quick or Be DeadBruce Dickinson, Janick Gers | Iron Maiden | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | From Here to EternitySteve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Afraid to Shoot StrangersSteve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 06:56 | 15 MB | 46 MB |
| 4 | Fear Is the KeyBruce Dickinson, Janick Gers | Iron Maiden | Play | 05:35 | 12 MB | 40 MB |
| 5 | Childhood's EndSteve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | Wasting LoveBruce Dickinson, Janick Gers | Iron Maiden | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 7 | The FugitiveSteve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 8 | Chains of MiseryBruce Dickinson, David Murray | Iron Maiden | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | The ApparitionJanick Gers, Steve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Judas Be My GuideBruce Dickinson, David Murray | Iron Maiden | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Weekend WarriorJanick Gers, Steve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 12 | Fear of the DarkSteve Harris | Iron Maiden | Play | 07:17 | 16 MB | 50 MB |
| 58 mins | 134 MB | |||||
| 58 mins | 412 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Anstice | Photography |
| 2 | Martin Birch | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 3 | George Chin | Photography |
| 4 | Bruce Dickinson | Composer, Vocals |
| 5 | Janick Gers | Composer, Guitar |
| 6 | Melvyn Grant | Artwork |
| 7 | Steve Harris | Bass, Composer, Guitar (Bass), Mixing, Producer, Vocals |
| 8 | Iron Maiden | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Nicko McBrain | Drums |
| 10 | Mick McKenna | Assistant Engineer |
| 11 | David Murray | Composer, Guitar |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |