IRON MAIDEN Fear If The Dark CD (1992)

The title track alone justifies the album's existence. That intro riff, the crowd singalong at every live show since, the way it became one of the most reliable moments in Iron Maiden's setlist for the next three decades. Fear of the Dark is the album that ends an era, and it goes out with a proper send-off.

Released in 1992, this was the last Maiden studio record before Bruce Dickinson's departure, and the tension of that moment is woven into it. It's not a perfect album by the band's own standards, they'll tell you that, but it's got more going on than its reputation sometimes allows. Be Quick or Be Dead opens things with genuine aggression. Afraid to Shoot Strangers is one of the more underappreciated tracks in their catalogue, a slow build that earns its runtime. The production is big 90s metal but the songwriting still has the scope that made Maiden matter. Essential NWOBHM and heavy metal history, the kind of record that belongs in a proper collection.

Format: CD. Full length studio album. Released 1992. Country of origin: UK. Genre: NWOBHM, Heavy Metal.

Fans of: Judas Priest, Dio, Accept, Motörhead.