I was devastated when Bruce left Iron Maiden. I didn't know what would happen with the band. He was one of the strongest vocalists in the metal genre at the time (and still is). I wasn't too thrilled with what I had heard with Bruce's earlier solo work. That all changed with Accident of Birth.
Enter Adrian Smith, arguably the best song writer in Maiden, joining Bruce for this album. The result is nothing less than one of my favorite traditional metal albums ever recorded.
While Accident of Birth contains some facets of Iron Maiden, this is very much it's own album. For one this is much heavier than any Maiden release. Secondly the variety showcased on here not only showcases Bruce's voice to the greatest extent possible, but also the songwriting chops of both Adrien and Roy Z.
There are slow emotional songs - Man of Sorrows in particular is highly emotionally charged, with Bruce's voice echoing the loss of a father figure in a child's life. When he screams "Do what thou wilt, do what thou wilt he cried..." goosebumps, shivers... vocal perfection.
There are faster songs - Road to Hell immediately comes to mind as the most Maiden influenced song on here, though again it is more focused on the lower frets. There are epics - Road to Aquarius has no business being as good as it is in such a short time frame. It feels like a ten minute song wrapped up into just over six minutes.
There are a couple of duds on here as well. Both The Magician and Welcome to the Pit don't do much for me. The fact that they are back to back on the album also breaks me out of the flow somewhat. Luckily they are soon forgotten by the excellent songs that follow - including the flawless Arc of Space to close the album.
Accident of Birth gave Bruce's solo career life. It put him on the map again as a force to be reckoned with. With this and the follow up, in my humble opinion, Bruce released two of the most essential traditional metal albums from around the turn of the millennium. Actually make that of all time.
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