Review by O.M.O.M. 

It always boggles me when I see an Iron Maiden greatest hits release.  I mean, doesn’t every card-carrying metalhead already own the entire catalog?  Then I remember that not everyone in the metal scene is as decrepit as I am; most of my peers have moved on to the bland pursuits of SUV’s and Jimmy Buffett concerts.  Every few years a new generation of metal fans come along and need to be exposed to the classics.  The Essential Iron Maiden is as good a place as any for the burgeoning rocker to begin. 

The Essential Iron Maiden does a damn fine job giving the listener an introduction (2 songs) to each of the past Maiden studio albums.  The collection starts off with “Paschendale” from 2003’s solid release Dance Of Death and continues in reverse chronological order.  Four tracks from the Blaze Bayley era represent Virtual XI and The X Factor, newbies fear not, the Blaze years were rough for quite a few Maiden fans.  Things begin to pick up again as the disc returns to the Bruce Dickinson era and hit warp speed as things hit the Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son era.  Three tracks represent the early days with Paul Di’Anno as the disc wraps up with live version of “Iron Maiden” from the upcoming concert CD/DVD Death On The Road.  

Bottom line: Long time fans more than likely already have a good chunk of the material represented here but this is a must own for people unfamiliar with the band.  If you are new to the Maiden camp, welcome aboard; give The Essential Iron Maiden a few dozen spins then get yourselves back to the record shop to start completing your Iron Maiden catalog.