"Paschendale" stands out as one of the greatest war-themed heavy metal songs ever written. A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
The 1990s saw the departure of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, but Iron Maiden persevered, releasing , which, although not as commercially successful, still maintained their loyal fan base.
Without Adrian Smith, and later without Bruce Dickinson, Maiden struggled commercially. However, the songwriting remained brutally complex.