Iron Maiden (musical group)

Iron Maiden is a British heavy metal band known for its powerful rock anthems and recognized as one of the genre’s most influential acts. Originally formed in 1975, the primary lineup of Iron Maiden includes bassist Steve Harris, guitarist Adrian Smith, vocalist Bruce Dickinson, guitarist Janick Gers, and drummer Nicko McBrain. Several other performers, including vocalists Paul Di’Anno and Blaze Bayley, have also been part of the band at various times. Over the course of their long history, Iron Maiden have produced numerous popular studio albums featuring such hit songs as “The Number of the Beast,” “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” and “The Trooper.” In addition to succeeding in their own right without the benefit of significant radio airtime and in the face of considerable controversy, Iron Maiden set the tone of heavy metal in the 1980s and inspired many of the subsequent giants of metal that followed in their footsteps.

Background

Many fans consider Iron Maiden one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. When they rose to prominence in the early 1980s, Iron Maiden were part of the so-called New Wave of British Heavy Metal that radically altered the direction of the already well-established genre. The historic roots of heavy metal can be traced back to the 1960s. In the first half of that decade, bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones revolutionized popular music with their increasingly loud and rebellious form of rock and roll. In the latter half of the 1960s, early hard rock acts like Led Zeppelin and The Jimi Hendrix Experience further pushed the boundaries of rock and roll with even louder sounds and lyrics infused with blunt social commentary. All this created the perfect storm for the creation of heavy metal.

The true birth of heavy metal came with the 1968 formation of a band called Black Sabbath in Birmingham, England. Influenced by their experience living in an economically depressed industrial town, the Ozzy Osbourne-led Black Sabbath fashioned a uniquely heavy and ominous sound by combining traditional rock and roll, hard-edged blues, and the tritone, a distinct musical element also known as the “Devil’s Interval.” With songs like “Iron Man” and “War Pigs,” Black Sabbath offered an intense and powerful presentation that permanently set the standard for what distinguished heavy metal from ordinary rock and roll.

Soon after Black Sabbath laid the groundwork for heavy metal, another English band called Deep Purple elevated the emergent genre in the 1970s. Featuring a lineup of professional musicians with far more technical prowess than the members of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple crafted a more musical version of earlier heavy metal with more complex songs. In doing so, Deep Purple solidified heavy metal as a genre and took it to the next level.

The early 1980s marked the beginning of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), a movement that once again redefined the parameters of heavy metal and introduced the next generation of heavy metal bands. In addition to Iron Maiden, some of the most notable of these bands included Motörhead, Saxon, and Diamond Head. These acts stripped heavy metal of its earlier blues influences and instead added some elements of punk rock to create a faster, more aggressive sound. Many of the bands that were part of the NWOBHM also pushed lyrical boundaries through the exploration of fantasy and mythology. Most importantly, they inspired many of the acts that would continue and further evolve the heavy metal genre in the years that followed.

Overview

One of the earliest so-called “British metal” bands, Iron Maiden is one of the most successful and unique groups in heavy metal history. Known for their ambitious songwriting, high-intensity guitar work, and powerful falsetto vocals, Iron Maiden have garnered a large following of devoted fans around the world. Over the course of their existence, Iron Maiden has produced more than a dozen studio albums, additionally making them one of heavy metal’s most prolific acts.

Iron Maiden began in 1975, when the act was first formed by bassist Steve Harris in the Leyton district of East London. In addition to Harris, the other founding members of the group included vocalist Paul Day, guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance, and drummer Ron Matthews. This lineup ultimately remained intact for only about a year, however. From that point forward, Iron Maiden’s lineup was quite volatile. Over time, the band has had more than twenty members over thirteen distinct lineups. The first concrete lineup, which came together in 1978, included Harris, vocalist Paul Di’Anno, guitarist Dave Murray, and drummer Doug Sampson. Harris remained the only musician to be a consistent member of Iron Maiden since its creation.

When Harris formed his new band in 1975, he called it Iron Maiden as a nod to the supposed medieval torture device of the same name. Although thought to be largely mythical, iron maidens were human-sized boxes lined with interior spikes that allegedly penetrated victims’ bodies when they were placed inside. Iron Maiden first found success after recording a four-song demo in 1978 and distributing it to club owners and other key people in London’s music industry. The demo was so popular that the band eventually released it in extended play (EP) form as The Soundhouse Tapes the following year. Landing a record deal with EMI, Iron Maiden subsequently released their self-titled debut album in 1980. Powered by the hit single “Running Free,” it was a smash success. The follow-up was 1981’s Killers. By that point, Iron Maiden’s lineup was already quickly changing. Most notably, Di’Anno was fired over his substance abuse problems after the 1981 Killer World Tour.

Iron Maiden’s greatest success came with the 1982 release of The Number of the Beast. A ground-breaking album, The Number of the Beast transformed Iron Maiden into international superstars and cemented their reputation as rock icons around the world. It also raised the ire of conservative critics in America, many of whom wrongly accused the band of being Satanist. Regardless, Iron Maiden continued producing hit albums for the remainder of the 1980s, releasing such works as Piece of Mind (1983), Powerslave (1984), and Somewhere in Time (1986). Album sales eventually weakened in the 1990s before rebounding in the 2000s as Iron Maiden returned to their 1980s roots. Some of their top twenty-first century albums included Dance of Death (2003), A Matter of Life and Death (2006), The Final Frontier (2010), The Book of Souls (2015), Nights of the Dead, Legacy of the Beast: Live in Mexico City (2020), and Senjutsu (2021).

Bibliography

Angle, Brad, Richard Bienstock, and Jeff Kitts. “The 50 Best Iron Maiden Songs of All Time.” Guitar World, 28 Jan. 2020, www.guitarworld.com/artists/the-50-best-iron-maiden-songs-of-all-time. Accessed 14 July 2020.

“The Band.” Iron Maiden, ironmaiden.com/the-band. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

“A Brief History of Metal.” MIT Heavy Metal 101, 2020, metal.mit.edu/brief-history-metal. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Hopper, Alex. "Behind the Band Name: Iron Maiden." American Songwriter, 27 Dec. 2023, americansongwriter.com/behind-the-band-name-iron-maiden/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

“Iron Maiden.” Discogs, www.discogs.com/artist/251595-Iron-Maiden. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Ling, Dave. “Iron Maiden’s Iron Maiden: The Debut Album That Changed Metal.” Louder, 14 Apr. 2020, www.loudersound.com/features/iron-maiden-inside-the-debut-album-that-launched-the-legend. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Morton, Luke. “Iron Maiden: Everything You Need to Know.” Louder, 25 May 2018, www.loudersound.com/features/iron-maiden-everything-you-need-to-know. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Are Iron Maidens Really Torture Devices?” LiveScience, 6 Sept. 2016, www.livescience.com/55985-are-iron-maidens-torture-devices.html. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Weber, Barry. “Iron Maiden.” AllMusic, 2024, www.allmusic.com/artist/iron-maiden-mn0000098465/biography. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.