10 Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The 1990s

After the departure of Bruce Dickinson in the early 90s, Iron Maiden brought in vocalist Blaze Bayley to record their tenth studio album, The X Factor. The album did not perform as well as previous releases, partially due to Dickinson's departure, but this was an unfair comparison when judging Bayley's talent as a singer. While his vocals arguably weren't quite as powerful, they did mark a return to a rawer sound for the band, and similarities can be made with Paul Di'Anno's era in the early 80s.

Going darker than previous albums, The X Factor (like with a lot of albums on this list) dealt with personal issues for the band members - namely bassist Steve Harris, who was going through a divorce at the time. The artwork is enough to make any casual Maiden listener think twice - it features mascot Eddie being vivisected by machine.

The tracks themselves though are powerful. 'Man On The Edge' features some racing riffs with Bayley clearly enjoying himself keeping up with his lyrics, and there's some great melodies through the album by Janick Gers and Dave Murray. Ones that stand out in particular are 'Fortunes Of War', which has one of the greatest guitar build-ups ever, and it's direct follow-up on the album, 'Look For The Truth', arguably features the best of Bayley's vocals on the album.

It may not be part of Dickinson's time with the band, but it's still worth a listen.