I wouldn't call Maiden "cheese metal". That is a term reserved for the lipstick-wearing, girlie-boys of the late 1980's, like Poison, Bon Jovi, Warrant, etc. That should not be confused with "real metal", like Metallica (well, old Metallica at least), Slayer, Iron Maiden, and others.
I was a HUGE Maiden fan in high school. I must have had like 10 shirts and 20 posters. Although I prefer Bruce Dickinson as a lead singer, I'm a bit partial to the first two albums as they're from that late 70's/early 80's New Wave of British Heavy Metal--very punk sounding. That being said, I love all their albums up through Seventh Son...they evolved in a very natural way, as opposed to Metallica's overnight sellout with The Black Album and their concession to radio-friendly song lengths. Maiden never failed to write intricate and more challenging songs, always giving you an epic or two on each record. Considering how many bands became terrible as the 80's wore on, Maiden retained their dignity, even managing to introduce synthesizers into their music without losing their edge.
The two albums released since Dickinson returned to the band in 2000, while not as overall pleasing as the classics, still sounds like the same band working in much the same way. They are still amazing in concert.
laz
