Former Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton criticized the way the documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition detailed the band's early years. According to him, the production "rushed through" the history of the Iron Maiden's first years.
In an interview with the Paulleflix, Dennis, who watched the film twice, stated that he holds no grudges for not continuing in the band, but criticized the speed with which the era of the band he was part of was referenced in the movie.
“I don’t want the Maiden family or the fans to say ‘it’s sour grapes’ or ‘he’s upset because he’s not [in the band]’. I’m not. It’s a film for the fans. I’m proud of what I did in Maiden in the early years and also of what I brought to the band working on those early songs. The fact is that we worked on those first two albums and I think they turned out very well. So, as I said, the film is fantastic for the fans, but for me, it’s just a little sad that they rushed through the initial phase, that’s all,” he stated [transcription via Blabbermouth].
Dennis also criticized the way Blaze Bayley was portrayed in the Iron Maiden documentary
In the same interview, the musician also revealed that he met former vocalist Blaze Bayley on the red carpet at the documentary's premierein London on May 5th, and deeply regretted the way the singer's time with the band was portrayed.
According to Stratton, the film portrays Blaze as solely responsible for the group's commercial decline in the 1990s. “Watching the film, I felt very sorry for Blaze because, the way it was narrated, it seemed like the minute he joined the band, they went downhill. People start burning records, talking about devil worship, and then they're playing in clubs. It seemed like Blaze was taking the blame for the band's downfall, which isn't true. He made some very good albums,” he explained.
The former guitarist also praised the hard work Bayley put into replacing Bruce Dickinson in 1994 and criticized the staging of the scene detailing the return of the classic lineup in 1999.
“The way it was portrayed was like, ‘Oh, now they’re playing in clubs.’ And then the final joke came when Bruce came back and Steve [Harris] said, ‘Why do you want to come back?’ And he replied, ‘Because I’m fed up with playing small shows. I want to play big shows.’ So it was like the minute Bruce came back, the band was huge again. It didn’t sound very friendly, if you know what I mean,” he concluded.
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