Iron Maiden are a heavy metal band founded by Steve Harris with a decades-spanning career that includes albums like The Number of the Beast.
Formed in East London by ever-present member Steve Harris – also their main songwriter – Iron Maiden’s dedication to the New Wave Of Heavy Metal is beyond dispute. Odd then that, while they’ve sold well over 90 million albums and notched up 35 Top 40 singles, including ‘Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter’, ‘Be Quick Or Be Dead’ and their signature song, ‘The Number Of The Beast’, not many outside their fanatical following are familiar with the group’s sonic achievements.
The original Iron Maiden line-up cut their teeth performing in British pubs and settled as a quartet with guitarist Dave Murray (another long-hauler), drummer Doug Sampson and vocalist Paul Di’Anno, the Chigwell-born metal-punk rocker whose earthy skinhead rasp enriched the first Iron Maiden releases. Despite various changes in personnel, the group have maintained a ferociously high-quality body of work and, in their best-known singer, Bruce Dickinson, they also boast a genuinely charismatic frontman and star.
If those outside the magic circle have yet to catch up, the Iron men boast an impressive array of acolytes, including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, as well as the melodic death metal genre. On the alt.pop scene, they’ve been immortalised by Wheatus in ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, and by Weezer, Aqua and Sum 41. They can also count Trivium, Slipknot and even Dream Theatre as fans. Thanks to their comic-book graphics and mascot Eddie The Head, Iron Maiden have taken metal down the horror route with often sardonic panache. Maybe you have worn the T-shirt… time to catch up with the music.
