IRON MAIDEN – From Fear To Eternity: Best Of 1990-2010

It appears that Iron Maiden has decided to pick up where they left off with a new double album compilation. Universal Music Enterprises decided to grab the baton and run with From Fear To Eternity: The Best Of 1990-2010, and to continue from where things left off with Somewhere Back In Time, which covered the 1980-1989 decade. This time, the material from the band’s last twenty years comes from their last eight studio releases. There are two discs and each album is adequately represented with three or four selections making the final cut, except for Virtual XI (only one track) and The X Factor (just two tracks).

While “Best Of…” releases always seem like a good idea at the time, they are inherently problematic (to say the least) because no two individuals can ever agree on what tracks should have been included to make up the album’s final arrangement. The only thing that can be done is to put the album out there for the fans and hope for the best… and when you’re dealing with music from a great band, how bad can it really be in the overall scheme of things?

Twenty-three songs from the eight studio albums make up this double disc, with the first disc logging in twelve songs (76 minutes) and the second disc coming in with eleven (78 minutes). It should be noted that even though this release is a double disc set, a concerted effort and calculated decision was made to ensure it charges the same cost as if it were a single disc release. Music fans should be aware of that fact and give praise to the label (and band) for not being as greedy as they could have been.

True Maiden fans will know and recognize each track from beginning to end and can make a good argument for each track’s inclusion. There is enough material to satisfy most Maiden fans, and there’s enough quality here from top to bottom for those with enough curiosity to enter the Iron Maiden kingdom for the first time. If you are a true fan of the band, then you probably have all of their albums to begin with, so there may be no urgent need to run out and buy this new release, but it’s nice to get a break every so often too — thanks guys!!