Iron Maiden – From Fear To Eternity (2011)
Their time has come! The classic gems of modern day Iron Maiden are finally being collected on a late era only, 2-disc compilation. Donning their hits from 1990 – 2010, Iron Maiden has released a 2-disc set of powerful songs tilted From Fear To Eternity. The title is a nice word play off two of Iron Maiden’s better known hits from the early 90s. From Fear To Eternity is a great tribute to latter day Iron Maiden songs that seem too often to be ignored.
Obviously the fans love the classic material. If you’re seeking a collection of Maiden’s 80s hits, Somewhere Back In Time was released in 2008 and can be easily found. However, if you’ve been wondering what the band has been up to lately, but haven’t picked up any of their newer albums, this is the collection for you.
Not since 2005’s Essential Iron Maiden set have this many post modern Maiden tunes been available in one collection. Combining classics like “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter” with modern smashes like “These Colours Don’t Run” is excellent work. And while there are some key tracks that have been excluded (most notably “Futureal” from Virtual IX), the songs that are included pack quite the wallop.
Some of the key moments on this 2-disc collection of hits come from the past decade of Maiden greatness. “Coming Home,” “For The Greater Good Of God,” and “Paschendale” all show the brilliance that Maiden has recently crafted. If you haven’t given the newer music a chance, then this is a fantastic way to reintroduce yourself to the band. The last four Iron Maiden studio albums have all been brilliant and some of the best tracks from each of those discs are captured on From Fear To Eternity.
Another nice inclusion is the rare B-side “Man On The Edge” live with Bruce Dickinson singing lead vocals. I’m not sure what tour this was recorded during, but it was nice to hear Dickinson’s take on the song. However, the decision to not include any songs that Blaze Bayley sang on comes as quite a disappointment. His rendition of “Afraid To Shoot Strangers” is exceptional and it would have been nice to see a few songs with his vocals featured on this set. As it is though, the band opted to only include the Bruce Dickinson versions of all the tracks.
As happens with any greatest hits package, there are bound to be debates over the songs that were not included in the final cut. Both “Wildest Dreams” and “The Final Frontier” are surprising absences on From Fear To Eternity. Other missed opportunities include: “From Here To Eternity,” “The Angel And The Gambler,” and “Journeyman,” just to name a few.
Overall From Fear To Eternity is a great collection of repackaged material. It you own the entire Maiden catalog, feel free to skip over this set. If you’ve missed out on some of the latter material though, then this is the perfect album to catch you up.
U.S. fans can get free downloads of the songs, “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, and “The Wicker Man” at this link. Check it out!!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
DISC ONE:
- The Wicker Man
- Holy Smoke
- El Dorado
- Paschendale
- Different World
- Man On The Edge (Live)
- The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
- Blood Brothers
- Rain Maker
- Sign Of The Cross (Live)
- Brave New World
- Fear Of The Dark (Live)
DISC TWO:
- Be Quick Or Be Dead
- Tailgunner
- No More Lies
- Coming Home
- The Clansman (Live)
- For The Greater Good Of God
- These Colours Don’t Run
- Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter
- Afraid To Shoot Strangers
- Dance Of Death
- When The Wind Blows
Iron Maiden Is:
Bruce Dickinson – Vocals
Steve Harris – Bass
Janick Gers – Guitar
Dave Murray – Guitar
Adrian Smith – Guitar
Nicko McBrain – Drums
Leave A Comment ↓
Janick Gers. Why. I still like Maiden, but I’m an old school fan. Powerslave was about the last one I bought. To me, they all started sounding the same. I think I checked in a while back and bought that one that had Wicker Man to see how they sounded, and nothing much had changed.
I still don’t understand the point of Janick.
I bought this CD just because I am an out of control Metalhead who needs every Iron Maiden release… regardless if I already have the songs. With that said, the liner notes are incredible, the artwork inside is pure Maiden.
Long live Hard Rock Hideout and Iron Maiden. \m/