Bruce Dickinson - The Chemical Wedding (Special Edition) (1998)

Like its consistently excellent (and slightly superior) predecessor, Accident of Birth, Bruce Dickinson's fifth solo effort, The Chemical Wedding, continued to provide a welcome sanctuary (blatant reference intended) for disgruntled Iron Maiden fans suffering through the all-too-long mediocrity of the Blaze Bayley era. By avoiding the experimental pitfalls of prior solo outings to fully embrace his metallic origins, Dickinson the solo artist is at his creative peak on these two records. The importance of co-songwriter, producer, and guitarist Roy Z's guidance in this revival cannot be overstated, and reuniting with fellow Maiden alum Adrian Smith wasn't a bad idea, either. Muscular anthems such as "King in Crimson," "Killing Floor," and the title track manage to deliver with aggression, confidence, and, most importantly, a modern metal aesthetic sorely missing in Iron Maiden's efforts of the time. The album's second half does dip in quality somewhat, but a storming parting shot of "Machine Men" (a classic Dickinson-Smith collaboration if ever there was one) and "The Alchemist" (which revisits the title track's main theme in Seventh Son fashion) offer a worthy finale to this very impressive album.