The term “legendary” gets thrown around in music a lot, so let’s say “legendary” refers to a band whose feats of music are so outlandish that, when recounted, they appear to be the stuff of mythology. By that definition, the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden truly is legendary.
The group has sold over 130 million albums worldwide with minimal support from the radio or mainstream media. Its music has gone silver, gold, and platinum over 600 times. It has won Grammys, Brit Awards, and countless other accolades. Iron Maiden played over 2,500 live shows, which are still regarded as some of the best out there.
Iron Maiden’s hard-hitting sound practically defined the genre of heavy metal and inspired bands like KISS, Metallica, and Avenged Sevenfold. Combine that with the band’s intelligent lyrics on topics like history, mythology, war, society, and literature, and it’s easy to understand why its appeal hasn’t faded.
Iron Maiden formed on Christmas Day of 1975. Bassist Steve Harris put together a short-lived original lineup, with only Harris and guitarist Dave Murray remaining in the band to the present day. By 1978, the rockers found vocalist Paul Di’Anno, whose raspy voice fit the group beautifully. Finding the right people occupied the group throughout the rest of the ’70s, and was a challenge for much of the band’s career, but it was by no means stagnant during this time.
Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album dropped in 1980. It landed at number four on the UK Albums Chart and was lauded by journalists around the world. Iron Maiden included fan favorites like “Transylvania,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and “Running Free.” The group’s headline tour of the UK gained it devoted fans, as did its stints opening for Judas Priest and Kiss on tours. Its show at the Reading Festival in the UK 1980 drew 40,000 fans.
The band released Killers, its second studio album, in 1981. With better production and songs like “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” this album inspired decades of speed metal to come. Iron Maiden’s success launched a world tour that took it to the United States for the first time.
1981 saw the dismissal of Paul Di’Anno due to drug use and his replacement by Bruce Dickinson, who remains the lead singer today. Over the next ten years, the band’s eight subsequent albums like The Number of the Beast (1982), Piece of Mind (1983), and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) are living testaments to the prolific creativity and work ethic of the group.
By the end of the ’80s, Iron Maiden was arguably the best metal band in history. Its live shows had progressed to unprecedented grandeur, with a 100,000-watt sound system and highly-innovative light shows. It toured with groups like Anthrax and headlined events like Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
Bruce Dickinson departed from the band on August 28, 1993, playing a final farewell concert to mark the occasion. It wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that he rejoined. The band’s next album, Brave New World, was a return-to-form with progressive elements and complex melodic work. Brave New World charted around the world and re-established Iron Maiden’s place at the top of the metal world.
The band continued releasing cutting-edge albums in the 2000s and 2010s, from 2002’s Rock in Rio to Senjutsu in 2021. The intervening decades have seen the band tour the globe extensively and take its infamous live shows to even greater heights. From stadiums to outdoor festivals and beyond, Iron Maiden is uniquely able to captivate tens of millions of fans, elevating its art to new levels while pushing the boundaries of what metal is and can be.
Catch the band in concert — it’s an experience you’ll never forget.
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