Accident of Birth

This was Bruce Dickinson's fourth solo album, the previous three being Tattooed Millionaire (1990), Balls to Picasso (1994) and Skunkworks (1996). Dickinson was the lead singer of the British metal band Iron Maiden from 1981-1993. He replaced Paul Di'Anno, who had a distinctive raspy singing style. Dickinson, on the other hand, had loud, distinct, and powerful vocals which earned him the nickname "the air-raid siren" (his interest in flight helped this). After six critically acclaimed albums, he adapted a similar singing style for the less popular albums No Prayer For the Dying and Fear of the Dark. When he left the band to pursue his interests, he was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who recorded two albums (both with X in the title) until Bruce returned in 1999.