Accident Of Birth

With the failure of Skunkworks, Bruce found himself at a crossroads - he could keep trying to make new music, or throw in the towel and spend the rest of his days as an aviator. Luckily, a phone call from an old friend, Roy Z, helped him make up his mind. Roy played a riff that would evolve into the song "Accident Of Birth" - which is exactly what this was - and Bruce realized that giving up music was no longer a viable option. Instead, he birthed a metal classic that would reinvent the image of what people thought of when they heard the name "Bruce Dickinson".

Joining Bruce and Roy were Eddie Casillas on bass and David Ingraham on drums; they previously worked with Bruce on Balls To Picasso and were now ready to tackle something much heavier. Also joining this lineup was another Iron Maiden renegade, Adrian Smith, who had left that band before Bruce had and was now trying his hand at various projects, none of which had seen success. The resulting sound of the record was heavier than anything Bruce had participated in up to that point, but there was also a wonderful sense of warmth. This album was made by a group of people with a real zest for creating music.

The lyricism on display here was also fantastic, with several of the songs giving off a mystical sort of style that could weave around the minds of any listener that pressed play. Bruce and the boys cover all sorts of topics, from fairy tale ideas and the end of the world, to Hell's children and Aleister Crowley. The breadth and scope within its twelve tracks were just what metal fans were looking for from the singer, and it kept calling people back in to engage with its material.

Given the two previous albums, Accident Of Birth was not the biggest success, but many of those who gave it a spin were stoked to hear something so magnificent. It was the album that put Bruce back in the spotlight, and though he would go on to bigger and better heights with next album, it still holds up extremely well among the giants of '90s metal.