- Fear of the Dark · 1992
- The Number of the Beast · 1982
- The Number of the Beast · 1982
- Piece of Mind · 1983
- The Number of the Beast · 1982
- Somewhere In Time · 1986
- The Number of the Beast · 1982
- Powerslave · 1984
- Killers · 1981
- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son · 1988
- Brave New World · 2000
- Powerslave · 1984
- Iron Maiden · 1980
Essential Albums
- Having become international metal heroes with The Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind, Iron Maiden tested themselves with 1984's Powerslave. The band's fifth album is lyrically and musically complex without ever tipping over into Spinal Tap-style self-indulgence. Opener "Aces High" throbs with brutal intensity, while the 13-minute epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" hints at the conceptual weight and instrumental complexity to come in the band's late '80s work. This is Maiden at their most powerful and uncompromising.
- Original lead singer Paul Di’Anno left Iron Maiden after their 1981 world tour. His replacement—Bruce Dickinson—proved more than up for the job. Bassist and chief songwriter Steve Harris caught lightning in a bottle with a collection of tunes that became cornerstones of the Maiden catalogue. There isn’t a weak song here. The title track and “Run to the Hills” are crowd-pleasers while “Children of the Damned", “The Prisoner" and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” are exemplary displays of the group’s instrumental prowess, its uncanny knack for writing accessible riffs, and a perfect launchpad for Dickinson’s commanding operatic vocal style.
- It all started here: the galloping basslines, the soaring choruses, the skeletal Eddie mascot snarling on the sleeve. Released in April 1980, Iron Maiden’s full-length debut was nothing short of revelatory. Led by bassist mastermind Steve Harris and fronted by ex-skinhead Paul Di’Anno, Maiden set the gold standard for the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal with the punk-injected single “Running Free”, the highlander prog of “Phantom of the Opera” and their harmonised signature ripper “Iron Maiden”. But they also flashed a talent for ghostly atmospherics on “Remember Tomorrow” (later covered by Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats) and for serialised fiction on “Charlotte the Harlot”, a character who would go on to appear in future Maiden epics. With a grittier, streetwise sound and fewer historical themes than they would later adopt when Bruce Dickinson took over on vocals, Iron Maiden stands as an essential building block in the infrastructure of heavy metal.
Artist Playlists
- Their operatic power and galloping rhythms define heavy metal purity.
- Spine-chilling sides from the heavy metal pioneers make the perfect soundtrack for All Hallows’ Eve.
- A visual feast of studded leather, creepy imagery and Eddie cameos.
- Bow down to Eddie the Head.
- Scorching metal anthems haunted by the tortured visage of Eddie the Head.
Singles & EPs
Compilations
About Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden embody the sound and spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a scrappy, late-’70s/early-’80s movement that revolutionised heavy music. The London-formed band wield a twin-guitar attack driven by both speed and nuance—a perfect match for Bruce Dickinson’s vibrato-heavy yawp—as well as smart lyrics that draw on Greek mythology (1983’s “Flight of Icarus”) and English poetry (1984’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”). Bassist Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden on Christmas Day 1975, and the band cycled through many lineups in the subsequent years, adding guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith—and a mighty shape-shifting mascot named Eddie—along the way. After debuting in 1980 with a self-titled LP recorded with vocalist Paul Di’Anno, Iron Maiden came into their own with 1982’s The Number of the Beast. Their first album with frontman Bruce Dickinson, it topped the charts and produced the signature screamers “Run to the Hills” and “The Number of the Beast”. The ensuing decades have been kind to Iron Maiden, as the band have earned numerous worldwide No. 1 albums (including 2015’s The Book of Souls) and continue to be a popular live act known for elaborate, theatre-like stage productions. Above all, however, the group have elevated metal to an art form, proving that academic and musical inspirations can coexist loudly.
- FROM
- London, England
- FORMED
- 1975
- GENRE
- Metal