The X Factor is the tenth studio album by Iron Maiden, released on October 2, 1995 through EMI Records. CMC International released the album in North America. It is the first of two albums by the band to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career.
It also saw the departure of the band’s longtime producer Martin Birch, who retired shortly after the release of their previous album, Fear of the Dark (1992). The album takes a darker tone than the band’s first nine releases, due to the lyrics being based on personal issues surrounding Steve Harris at the time, who was in the midst of a divorce.
This is reflected in the cover artwork, which graphically depicts the band’s mascot, Eddie, being vivisected by a machine. The cover art, depicting Eddie undergoing another lobotomy, was created by Hugh Syme. Due to the cover’s “lifelike” style, the band was forced to release the album in a reversible sleeve, with a less graphic view of Eddie from a distance.
The album was the last until 2015’s The Book of Souls to use the classic variant of the band’s logo: every studio release from Virtual XI to The Final Frontier used an alternate that removed the extended ends of the “R”, “M”, and both “N’s”
The X Factor was Maiden‘s tenth consecutive UK top ten album but spent only four weeks on the chart, making it their shortest-staying studio album.
The band supported the album by touring. Much like the tour for the following album, Virtual XI, several dates in the United States were canceled as Bayley suffered from occasional vocal issues from the band’s heavy concert schedule.
Tracklist:
SIDE A
- Sign Of The Cross (by Harris)
- Lord Of The Flies (by Gers, Harris)
SIDE B
- Man On The Edge (by Bayley, Gers)
- Fortunes Of War (by Harris)
- Look For The Truth (by Bayley, Gers, Harris)
SIDE C
- The Aftermath (by Bayley, Gers, Harris)
- Judgement Of Heaven (by Harris)
- Blood On The World’s Hands (by Harris)
SIDE D
- The Edge Of Darkness (by Bayley, Gers, Harris)
- 2 A.M. (by Bayley, Gers, Harris)
- The Unbeliever (by Bayley, Gers)
Iron Maiden
Blaze Bayley: vocals
Dave Murray: guitars
Janick Gers: guitars
Steve Harris: bass, production, mixing
Nicko McBrain: drums
Additional musicians
Michael Kenney: keyboards
The Xpression Choir: Gregorian chants on “Sign of the Cross”
Production
Nigel Green: producer, engineer, mixing
Ronal Whelan: mastering
Mick McKenna: assistant engineer
Les Lambert: assistant engineer
Hugh Syme: digital illustration, sleeve design, art direction
Ross Halfin: photography
Simon Fowler: photography
Tony Frederick: photography
Rod Smallwood: management
Merck Mercuriadis: management
Andy Taylor: management
Aky Najeeb: management
Harry Mohan: management
