Iron Maiden
Biography
Known for such powerful hits as "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "The Trooper," Iron Maiden were and are one of the most influential bands of the heavy metal genre. The often-imitated band existed for over 30 years, pumping out wild rock similar to Judas Priest. Iron Maiden have always been an underground attraction; although failing to ever obtain any real media attention in the U.S. (critics claimed them to be Satanists due to their dark musical themes and their use of grim mascot "Eddie"), they still became well known throughout the world and have remained consistently popular throughout their career. Iron Maiden were one of the first groups to be classified as "British metal," and, along with Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and a host of other bands, set the rock scene for the '80s.
Iron Maiden were first formed in 1976 by bassist Steve Harris, who would soon join up with rhythm guitarist Tony Parsons, drummer Doug Sampson, and vocalist Paul Di'Anno. Before finally obtaining a record deal, the group played in local areas throughout the '70s, receiving a fair amount of London airplay. Parsons replaced Dennis Stratton, and the band made its record debut in 1980 with the self-titled Iron Maiden album. Although the release was recorded in a hurry, it was nonetheless a hit in the U.K. due to the single "Running Free." Iron Maiden's 1981 follow-up, Killers, displayed a harder approach to their music than before, and also saw the replacement of Stratton with Adrian Smith. Due to his uncontrollable alcohol addiction, Di'Anno was forced to part company with the group and would soon be replaced with vocalist Bruce Dickinson in 1982 for the band's groundbreaking Number of the Beast. This album, boasting such songs as the title track and "Hallowed Be Thy Name," would come to be known as one of the greatest rock recordings of all time. Since the unexpected worldwide success of Beast made Iron Maiden international rock superstars, they changed very little of their style for their next album, Piece of Mind. They undertook two major tours before recording 1983's Powerslave, which would go on to be another cult hit. The product of Powerslave's 11-month tour was 1985's Live After Death, a double live album that featured all of their biggest hit singles.
By the release of Live After Death, Iron Maiden had already established themselves as a powerful and unique metal band. Their long-awaited 1986 supplement album, Somewhere in Time, showed a bit of departure from their past releases, showcasing the use of synthesizer guitars and songs more relevant to the same themes. Released in 1988, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, a concept album like its predecessor, featured the singles "The Evil That Men Do" and "The Clairvoyant," and soon became Iron Maiden's most critically acclaimed album since Number of the Beast. After another exhausting tour, Smith departed and the band took a one-year hiatus. With new guitarist Janick Gers, the band resurfaced with No Prayer for the Dying in 1990, a record that returned to the classic sound the group used when recording its earlier releases. One of the album's singles, "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter," was granted the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Song of the Year, but it nonetheless gave the band its first number one U.K. hit. By the time the group finished its 1991 tour, Dickinson expressed desire to leave and work to promote another band he had founded, the Skunkworks. Fear of the Dark, the band's last album with Dickinson, debuted at number one on the U.K. charts and became one of Iron Maiden's biggest-selling albums to date. After their supporting tour, two live albums were released in 1993: A Real Live One, which contained live versions of their newer hit singles, and A Real Dead One, which featured the more "classic" Maiden songs live.
Dickinson's replacement, Blaze Bayley, marked his debut in 1995 with The X Factor. While the record failed to chart as well as some of its predecessors, it was still a minor success in England. Iron Maiden marked the end of 1996 with Best of the Beast, a double compilation album. In 1998, little interest in the Virtual XI album prompted Bayley's termination; Dickinson and Smith returned to the band for a tour in 1999, and a new album, Brave New World, emerged the following year. The band toured throughout the early 2000s, releasing the live Rock in Rio and the greatest-hits collection Edward the Great in 2002, followed by a new studio album, Dance of Death, in 2003. They followed DOD with the Rainmaker EP, as well as the live DVDs History of Iron Maiden, Pt. 1: The Early Days and Raising Hell in 2004. Sanctuary put out the two-disc The Essential Iron Maiden in 2005 to coincide with the group's co-headlining Ozzfest tour with Black Sabbath, a tour that found Maiden pulling out due to a series of confrontations with Ozzy's wife/manager, Sharon Osbourne. They released the live CD/DVD Death on the Road in September of 2005 and a collection of new material, Matter of Life and Death, in 2006. In 2009 the band released the soundtrack for the film Flight 666, a documentary/concert film recorded in 16 different cities during the group's first leg of their 2008 "Somewhere Back in Time World Tour". ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989
2008

The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
2006

The Essential Iron Maiden (CD 1)
2005

Death On The Road (Live)
2005

Dance Of Death
2003

A Real Live One (Live)
2002

Brave New World
2000

Somewhere In Time
1998

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
1998

No Prayer For The Dying
1990
I can't believe Powerslave isn't on here. I'm going to e-mail them and ask it to be analyzed and put up. It wouldn't hurt if a few others of you did the same thing -- send an e-mail to suggestmusic @ p a n d o r a . c o m .
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they are the best band in the UNIVERSE and whoever doesn't like them can go suck a dick !!!!! -iron maiden fan #1
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Name a heavy metal band that has had a dam airliner with their name on it!!!
Maiden is the best heavy band in world. All others are wannabes. Don't forget that!!!! |
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Willow... Why the hell did you post Godsmack lyrics on the Iron Maiden page?? And yeah, I thought the "failing to ever obtain any real media attention in the U.S." was a little bogus too, lol.
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"Failing to obtain any real media attention in the U.S." Im glad it worked out that way or else avery nimrod I know would have been listening to them.
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Willow is just a chode and mooooo needs to be skinned alive,beside s the best part of both of em ran down their mamas leg!!!!!
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Check out the Selected Discography. . . t h e y left out Powerslave, Fear of the Dark, Dance of Death and their newest one, which alludes me at the moment. If you're going to put them up there, put them ALL up there....UP THE IRONS!!!
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This music critic is a piece of crap. Iron Maiden rocked the USA and all of the Earth.
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correct me if i'm wrong but it sounds like iron maiden to quite a bit of influence from deep purple
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latem EURT ot netsiL
slateM ekaf rof elttes ton oD .hguone doog ton era (s)dnab ruoY dna latem eurT tuoba eno emos llet dluohs uoY !KCAMSDOG tuoba |
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maidentroope r : If you're right, it may have been both. Sharon did have a problem with some stuff Bruce was saying about reality shows, allegedly (hence the egging incident and turning off Maiden's equipment.) Anyhow, great band. A real R'N'R Hall of Fame would have them in instantly. Oh well.
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latem EURT ot netsiL
slateM ekaf rof elttes ton oD .hguone doog ton era (s)dnab ruoY dna latem eurT tuoba eno emos llet dluohs uoY !KCAMSDOG tuoba |
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Wow Elicoor. Thanks for stooping down off your soap box to talk with us annoying Iron Maiden fans. Ya 'effkin homo. YOu are a friggin retard. Now no disrespect - it's just that I haven't read such ignorant drivel since I read an interview with Barry Nobama. Don't take offense ya jagoff but I've unhooked DD cup bra's with more intellect than you possess. Now I don't mean to offend you ya Richard gobbling mangoo eater, but you are a pretentious little 'uck aint ya?
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metalica did sell out thats why maiden took their place when i was 7
steve harris is also the reason i became a bassist and the triplete gallop is fenominal |
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Iron Maiden is a good band, but they are held down by idiot fans. There, I said what was on every intelligent metal fan's mind. Jesus, Maiden fans are almost as annoying and dumb as some of the retards who follow Slayer around. I mean no disrespect to either Slayer or Maiden, I like them both, but the fans for both of these bands turned me off them for a while.
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