The Final Frontier

The Final Frontier is British heavy metal band Iron Maiden's upcoming fifteenth studio album, set for release in late summer 2010. It will be their first album since the release of A Matter of Life and Death in 2006, the longest gap to date between two Iron Maiden studio albums. The North American leg of the The Final Frontier World Tour in support of the album will start in Dallas, Texas on June 9th, and end in Washington, D.C. on July 20th, with a European tour beginning in Dublin on July 30th. On April 6, 2010, producer Kevin Shirley told Blabbermouth.net that he had completed mixing the new album.

A Matter Of Life And Death (album)

A Matter of Life and Death is the fourteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 25 August 2006 in Italy and in Finland, 28 August worldwide, and 5 September 2006 in the United States, Canada and Japan. It is the first heavy metal album to debut at #4 in India, and made it to #2 in the Indian charts. It is also one of the few rock/metal albums to go platinum in India. It is the first album in Iron Maiden's more than 30 year career to enter the U.S. Billboard charts in the top 10 and the third album where Steve Harris has had a song writing credit on every track, and has seen significant chart success in many other countries. While the album is not a concept album, war and religion are recurring themes in the lyrics throughout the album, as well as in the album's artwork. The title is also linked with the war theme, as it shared with a 1946 film whose primary character is a WWII Royal Air Force pilot, though singer Bruce Dickinson has stated that the title and dark lyrical themes came partly from the band members' childhood experiences having grown up in the Cold War era amid common fears of imminent destruction and war. A Matter of Life and Death Tour was the tour supporting the album.

Overview

The band, still consisting of the same lineup as their previous two studio albums (making it the second most stable lineup; see Powerslave), started to write the songs near the end of 2005 after their hugely successful appearances in the U.S. and Europe. By the end of the year, the songs were done and they started rehearsing at Sarm West Studios in London.

At 72 minutes, A Matter of Life and Death is the band's longest album to date (exceeding 1995's The X Factor by approximately one minute) and its average song length (7:12) also makes it the longest Iron Maiden album by song average.

In order to provide a more "live" sound, the album was not mastered. Producer Kevin Shirley said, "Spoke to 'Arry on Friday, who has decided against mastering the Iron Maiden album... It means that you will get to hear the new album exactly as it sounded in the studio, no added EQ, compression, analog widening, etc., and I must say, I am pretty happy with the end result."

This is the band's fourth studio album that is not named after a specific song on the album, following Piece of Mind, The X Factor and Virtual XI.

The album cover was created by Tim Bradstreet, an American artist, currently best known for his covers on the Hellblazer and Punisher comics.

During their North American, Japanese and European tours, they performed the entire album in full. They announced after the show at Earl's Court, London on December 23, 2006, that the album would never be played in its entirety again.

Dance Of Death (album)

Dance of Death is Iron Maiden's thirteenth studio album, released first in Japan on September 2 and rest of the world on September 8, 2003. This album marks the first participation in songwriting by Nicko McBrain, who co-wrote the song "New Frontier" and also is the first (and so far only) time that all members of the band get a songwriting credit. It is sometimes mistakenly said that Steve Harris performed all the keyboard parts on the album because no credit is given to usual collaborator Michael Kenney, but this is actually due to an oversight in the printing of the album booklet (no instrument credits are given to any of the full band members either). The band's usual message in every album (a variation on the line "Up the Irons!") is absent too.

Give Me Ed... 'til I'm Dead Tour & Dance of Death World Tour was the tour supporting the album. Dance of Death once again brought costumes to Maiden's stage show. During "Dance of Death," Bruce Dickinson would wear theatrical masks and a cape while moving around the stage; at the end he would dress as the Grim Reaper for the final chorus. During the song "Paschendale", Dickinson would sometimes wear a traditional British Infantryman suit as worn during World War I and act out his death onstage during the song.

The title of the album refers to the late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's station in life, the dance of death unites all. This philosophy is more commonly known as Danse Macabre.

Songs

The song "Montségur" was inspired by Bruce Dickinson's holiday stay near Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars conquered by the Albigensian Crusade in 1244. The lyrics include verse As we kill them all so God will know his own, referring to a well-known quote of the papal legate before the massacre of thousands in Béziers in 1209. It also mentions "Templar believers," as it is frequent popular belief today that there was some link between Knights Templar, Cathars and Montségur.

The song "Paschendale" is about The Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War.

"Journeyman" is Iron Maiden's first fully acoustic song in over 20 years. According to Bruce Dickinson, before playing the song on the Death on the Road live album, the song is about "the whole process of song writing and being a musician," though the lyrics seem to be more focused on appreciating life while you have it.

Other lyrical themes are current events in the world ("Face in the Sand" and "Age of Innocence"), religion ("No More Lies", "Montségur"), and realizing yourself ("Wildest Dreams," "Rainmaker," "Journeyman"). The title track features lyrics in a more classic storytelling vein, being about a man who experiences the Danse Macabre and has many similarities to both the poem Tam o' Shanter and "The Number of the Beast". The album is also notable for its heavy Celtic influences in the guitar melodies, especially the title track, "No More Lies," and "Montségur."

Brave New World (Iron Maiden album)

Brave New World is the twelfth studio album by Iron Maiden, released on 30 May 2000 (see 2000 in music). It marked the return of longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith to the band, who left in 1990, replaced by Janick Gers. It was also the band's first studio recording with three guitar players, as Gers stayed with the band after Smith's return.

The album art and title song are references to the novel of the same name written by Aldous Huxley. The upper half of the album art was done by Derek Riggs, and is the last new artwork done by Riggs to be used on an Iron Maiden release. The bottom half was done by digital artist Steve Stone. Similarly, the line 'Brave new world' is repeated in the pre-chorus in an earlier song by the band, "Stranger in a Strange Land", from Somewhere In Time.

The songs "The Wicker Man" and "Out of the Silent Planet" were both released as singles. "The Wicker Man" was released in the U.S as a promo single with extra vocals in the chorus.

Brave New World Tour was the tour supporting the album. During the tour, the show in Rock in Rio was released as a live album.

Brave New World peaked at the seventh spot of the United Kingdom charts, and has since been certified Gold. In the United States, it debuted at 39th of the Billboard 200, and sold over 307,000 copies.

Songs and composition

Most of the songs were written before The Ed Hunter Tour, and after that tour was finished were recorded in Paris. It was the first time the band recorded live at the studio. "The Nomad", "Dream of Mirrors", and "The Mercenary" were originally written for Virtual XI, according to Adrian Smith in an interview. He said there was a fourth song, but he didn't know which one it was and that Steve Harris did not remember either. Apparently, former singer Blaze Bayley also co-wrote "Dream of Mirrors", but wasn't credited.

The song "Brave New World" was covered in 2008 by Ghostlines on the tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine.

Two of the songs, "The Nomad" and "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate", were never played live.

At the end of the song "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate", there's a recording of a small conversation at the studio.

Nicko: "Awww, I fucking missed him" (referring to Bruce Dickinson's return to the band)
Kevin Shirley (on the talkback microphone, laughing): "I see that was taped."
(laughter from the band)
Nicko: "Fucking missed him"
(more laughter)

Virtual XI

Virtual XI (pronounced: Virtual Eleven) is the 11th studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The album was released on March 23, 1998. It was the second and final Iron Maiden album recorded with vocalist Blaze Bayley. The album is slightly unusual in the Iron Maiden catalogue for its extensive keyboard use. For this album all the keyboard parts were performed by band founder/bassist Steve Harris whereas on previous albums the keyboard parts were handled by session musician Michael Kenney. The album also had a reduced songwriting input from Janick Gers compared to the previous Iron Maiden albums since he joined the band in 1990.

The album cover and tour tied in with two extra-musical events: The band played football games alongside their tour (the album title relates in part to the eleven players on a football team), and the Iron Maiden videogame Ed Hunter provided much of the album art.

This is the third album by Maiden that was not named after a song on the album (similarly to Piece of Mind and the previous album). The limited edition of the CD came with a lenticular cover.

Just like the tour of The X Factor album, the tour for this album was cut short when Bayley suffered from an allergic reaction caused by certain elements used on the stage.

As of April 2009 Virtual XI had sold 84,987 copies in the United States and more than 1,050,000 worldwide according to Billboard. It is the poorest selling album of the band's career.

The Songs

The songs on the album vary greatly thematically. "Futureal" and "When Two Worlds Collide" both appear to hold futuristic themes, while relating to lyricist Blaze Bayley's accommodating to a different lifestyle after joining a major musical group; "The Angel and the Gambler" deals someone who won't be dissuaded from taking risks; "Lightning Strikes Twice" deals with not rejecting something just because it's improbable; "The Clansman" tells of the Scots' battle for independence in medieval Britain, with a "freedom!" chorus that echoes Braveheart; "The Educated Fool" deals with having the increased responsibility of maturity without having all the answers; "Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger" is inspired by Steve Harris's observation of the dangers of the world now that he's a parent; "Como Estais Amigos" is a tribute to the soldiers on both sides in the Falklands War^[1] and marked the first and as of 2008 only time the closing track on an Iron Maiden album was not a Steve Harris composition.

Many fans felt that tracks like "The Angel and the Gambler" and "Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger" were overlong, which was the basis of much of the criticism aimed at the album. For example, the chorus line in "The Angel and the Gambler" ("Don't you think I'm a saviour, don't you think I could save you, don't you think I could save your life?") is repeated 22 times.

"The Angel and the Gambler" and "Futureal" were released as singles. After Bruce Dickinson came back to the band, Iron Maiden continued to play both "Futureal" and "The Clansman" in concert. While "Futureal" only was performed live in 1999, "The Clansman" would become a popular live track on all tours through 2003. Live versions of both songs with Dickinson on vocals can be found on "The Wicker Man" single and the Rock in Rio album, respectively.

The track "The Clansman" has been sampled by singer Brandy in her song "I Tried"

The X Factor (album)

The X Factor is the tenth studio album by Iron Maiden, released in 1995. It is the band's first album to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career.

The album title came about in the early part of the recording. According to producer Nigel Green:

"We all felt that the way things were progressing - the songs, Blaze's new involvement, the sound, the commitment - the new album really would have that extra quality, that bit of magic, that X Factor. This became the working title for the album and we liked it, so we kept it. It is also very apt as this is our tenth studio album and "X" can bring up many images."

Supporting the album was the X Factour tour. Much like the tour for their following album, Virtual XI, it was cut short after Blaze suffered a violent allergic reaction to certain elements used on the stages where the band performed^[1].

The X-Factor's cover art depicts the operation which left Eddie's head broken (first seen on the Piece of Mind album cover) and was created by Hugh Syme. In some releases, the cover was replaced with a less graphic alternative, showing Eddie from a distance, with the original artwork on the back of the booklet. The idea to bring Iron Maiden's longtime mascot Eddie into 'real form' came from band guitarist Dave Murray, up to that point having always been an animated caricature.

This is the second album (Piece of Mind being the first) that did not have a title track on it, as well as the first album to not feature the album title in any of the song lyrics.

This album is also unusual for the band in that it produced several band compositions that did not make it onto the album. "Justice of The Peace" and "Judgement Day" would turn up on the Best of the 'B' Sides collection and the Eddie's Archive box set, but "I Live My Way" would not. All three were released at the time of the album as B-sides.

Fear Of The Dark (album)

Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album released by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It topped the UK albums chart. Released on 11 May 1992, it was the final studio album to feature Bruce Dickinson as lead vocalist who left the band following the album's support tour to pursue a solo career. He was succeeded by Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, for two studio albums until Dickinson returned to Iron Maiden for the 2000 release of Brave New World.

History

The album cover of Fear of the Dark was the first Iron Maiden album cover not to be designed by artist Derek Riggs. In an interview with MTV, Bruce Dickinson said they had asked three different artists to design a cover, and they then picked the best one. Melvyn Grant's illustration was chosen over the one Riggs submitted. Melvyn Grant has since drawn two more album covers for Iron Maiden, and the cover for their single "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" makes him the second most-used artist for Eddie after Riggs.

The album's musical style showed some experimentation with "Be Quick or Be Dead", a speed metal song released as the album's first single, and "Wasting Love", the group's sole power ballad. The Gulf War track "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" was the band's most political song since "2 Minutes to Midnight". The album featured first time songwriting credits for Janick Gers and featured more keyboard work than the previous album.

Only two songs from the album, the title track, and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers", would survive on tours past 1993. "Fear of the Dark" became a popular live track and was the only song played on the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour not from the 1980s. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" became a frequent addition on setlists during Blaze Bayley's tenure with Iron Maiden.

Both critics and fans saw the album as a stale offering from an increasingly tired band. Dickinson's commitment to the band was in question and the inclusion of a ballad left veteran fans disillusioned. Much mocked was Harris' 'Weekend Warrior,' which was viewed as an outdated view on 80's football hooliganism. The line "what you gonna do on Monday?" came in for much abuse. Metal Hammer criticised the lyrics on such tracks as 'The Apparition' and 'The Fugitive', but said the guitar solos redeemed the otherwise mediocre songs. "Be Quick or Be Dead," "From Here to Eternity," "Wasting Love," and a live version of the title track were released as singles. Fear Of The Dark Tour was the tour supporting the album.

No Prayer For The Dying

No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the first album recorded following the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith who left the band during the pre-production phase of the album. Smith does have one co-writing credit on this album, for "Hooks in You", the third installment of the ongoing story of Charlotte the Harlot. The album ushered in a change of vocal style for Bruce Dickinson from the operatic sound of the '80s to a raspier way of singing.

No Prayer for the Dying also produced Maiden's only number one single to date, "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", originally written and recorded by Dickinson alone for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack. The version that appears on No Prayer for the Dying was rerecorded by the band as a whole. "Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" were released as singles, with the latter reaching the #1 position in the UK charts.

Adrian Smith was replaced by Janick Gers who had assisted Dickinson in the recording of his first solo-album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Fish and Ian Gillan, among others.

No Prayer for the Dying is the only Iron Maiden studio album to date without a song exceeding six minutes in length. The album was also the band's first for Epic Records in the US after the band left Capitol Records but remained with EMI for all territories outside the US. Despite promising initial U.S sales, the album did not sell as well as previous Iron Maiden albums, being the first not to turn Platinum in the U.S.

Following Bruce Dickinson's departure from Iron Maiden in 1993, songs from No Prayer for the Dying have been largely ignored at live performances. Only "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" has survived in concerts since, but it was only included on a nightly basis in setlists from May-July 2003.

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is a concept album by heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 1988 as the band's seventh studio album on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US (it was re-released by Sanctuary/Columbia Records in the US in 2002).

History :

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son was the last Iron Maiden album to feature guitarist Adrian Smith until the album Brave New World in 2000 (he did write a song that Bruce Dickinson finished for the next album, No Prayer for the Dying, titled "Hooks in You", a loose tie-in to the Charlotte the Harlot saga).

"The Clairvoyant" was the first song written for the album. According to Steve Harris, the song's lyrics were inspired by the death of psychic Doris Stokes, saying "if she were really clairvoyant, if she were really able to see the future, wouldn't she have been able to for see her own death?"
At least five of the album's songs ("Moonchild", "Infinite Dreams", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", "The Prophecy" and "The Clairvoyant") can be directly related to a main lyrical storyline inspired by the folklore concept.
Lyrically, the album centers around some main philosophical ideas: good vs. evil, mysticism, prophetic vision, reincarnation and afterlife. Almost all the album includes direct or indirect references to questions regarding to these concepts and poetically refers the answers.
Stylistically, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son develops the sounds first heard on Somewhere in Time (1986), and continues the band's lyrical exploration of topics related to mysticism, power, and the occult.
The album debuted at #1 in UK charts (their only since The Number of the Beast) as well as #12 in the U.S, while the singles "Can I Play with Madness", "The Evil That Men Do", "The Clairvoyant (live)" and "Infinite Dreams (live)" reached #3, #5, #6 and #6 positions, respectively. Of all the songs in the album, "The Evil That Men Do", "The Clairvoyant" and "Can I Play with Madness" remained on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours subsequently following the 7th Tour of a 7th Tour.

Somewhere In Time (album)

Somewhere in Time is the sixth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 29 September 1986 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US (it was re-released by Sanctuary/Columbia Records in the US in 2002). The studio follow-up to the hugely successful Powerslave/Live After Death pair, it was the first Iron Maiden album to feature guitar synthesizers. Bruce Dickinson's song material was refused in favour of the songs of guitarist Adrian Smith, who wrote the bulk of the songs identified with the album (including the singles "Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land"). While many of the songs from Somewhere in Time have all but disappeared (and some like, "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" being only played once) from the band's live shows over the years, "Wasted Years" and "Heaven Can Wait" have been consistent mainstays of the band's live setlist. Performances of "Heaven Can Wait" have featured a group of local fans and celebrities invited onstage to sing along during the song's middle section.

The album also marked a change for Iron Maiden, as it was their first album to introduce synth, although this style was expanded upon in their next album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. This is also their first studio album not to be released a year after their previous one. The band has never released a studio album a year after the previous again as of 2010. The band began to put more time into writing and recording their albums as well as touring for an extensive time after the release of Powerslave.

The 2008 tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine features covers of two songs from this album: "Wasted Years" by Devildriver and "Caught Somewhere in Time" by Madina Lake. Somewhere On Tour was the tour supporting the album.

Powerslave

Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on September 2, 1984 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US (it was re-released by Sanctuary/Columbia Records in the US in 2002). It is notable for its Egyptian theme displayed in the album art, as well in the title track's musical style. It contains a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which uses pieces of the original poem as lyrics, and is the longest song Iron Maiden have ever recorded at a length of 13 minutes and 38 seconds. The album is also notable amongst the band's albums as being the first album to feature the same lineup as the previous one. As of 2010, this is the last of the band's albums to contain an instrumental track: "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)."

"2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Aces High" were released as singles, the former being a staple in nearly all of the band's concert tours.

World Slavery Tour was the tour supporting the album.

The lyrics to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" are mainly influenced from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem of the same name, and directly quote two passages from the poem, the former including the famous lines of 'Water, water everywhere - nor any drop to drink'. The song can be divided into three phases, the first subscribing to the quintessential 'galloping' metal, the second (around 5 minutes in) being simple and quiet yet dark, and the final stage returning to an upbeat instrumental, and lastly repeating the initial tune. Often played in set lists from its release, the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a very popular and highly-regarded song from the band. During the 'Somewhere Back In Time World Tour', Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris cited the song as their favourite to play.

Background

According to Iron Maiden's DVD Live After Death, the recording of the album took place in the Bahamas in 1984, in the same way its predecessor, Piece Of Mind, was in early 1983. After weeks of drinking and partying on the island, which singer Bruce Dickinson recalls in the video of consisting of 'lethal' Banana Daiquiris^[4], the band set about recording the songs. Steve Harris recalled how, under time pressure, the song 'Rime Of the Ancient Mariner' was written in a short period of time. The video to '2 Minutes to Midnight' was apparently filmed close to where Bruce lived as a student, and illustrated the rate at which computers in the '80s were taking over the world. Once finished, the band began the infamous 'World Slavery Tour', beginning in Europe and ending in California, USA in late 1985. It was the first time a heavy metal band had taken a full set behind the Iron Curtain into Poland, a landmark achievement at the time. The tour continued into South America for the first time where they play to an estimated audience of 300,000 fans at the inaugural Rock In Rio as special guests to the band Queen. The 'Live After Death' album and video, recorded over 4 gigs at Long Beach Arena in LA, are released and respectively go to Nos. 2 and 1 in the UK charts.

In total, the tour was 11 months long and touched 26 countries. Powerslave debuted at No. 2 in the UK charts, as a result of their record companies (EMI)'s very first 'Now....That's What l Call Music' pop compilation. According to both Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith, 'Powerslave' began making Iron Maiden famous 'very fast, very quickly', as, in South America, hundreds of fans waited outside hotels and restaurants for the band.

Piece Of Mind

Piece of Mind is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was originally released in 1983 (see 1983 in music) on EMI, and on Capitol in the US; it was reissued later on Sanctuary/Columbia Records. It was the first album to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who had recently left the Paris-based band Trust. The album ranked 21 on IGN's list of the top 25 metal albums. In 1983, Kerrang! magazine published a poll of the greatest metal albums of all time, with Piece Of Mind ranking number 1, and with The Number of the Beast at number 2. In 1989, Steve Harris announced that Piece Of Mind was the 'best studio album' Iron Maiden had recorded^[4]. Until 2000's Brave New World, this album was Bruce Dickinson's favorite album. It is also the first album to feature their mascot, Eddie, full bodied.

Background

Lyrically, the album reflected the group's interest in books and film. For example, "To Tame a Land" is based on Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune. "The Trooper" is inspired by Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. "Still Life" is inspired by fantasy/horror writer Clark Ashton Smith's pre-World War II short story Genius Loci. Other inspirations include "Where Eagles Dare", a film by Brian G. Hutton, and screenplay & novel by Alistair MacLean; "Quest for Fire", based on the film by Jean-Jacques Annaud; the writer G. K. Chesterton who is quoted at the beginning of "Revelations", and "Sun and Steel", based on Japanese writer Mishima's eponymous essay about samurai legend Miyamoto Musashi. More exotic influences include Greek mythology, albeit slightly altered for "Flight of Icarus". Aleister Crowley influenced a good piece of the remaining lyrics of "Revelations," which was written by Dickinson.

This is the first of four Iron Maiden albums that were not named after a song featured on the album itself (though the words "peace of mind" appear prominently in the album's sixth song, "Still Life"). In its earliest phase the album was named Food for Thought but was changed so it would suit the artwork more. The name of the last track was meant to be titled "Dune," but Frank Herbert, who disliked heavy rock bands, denied permission to use his book's name and thus a new name had to be chosen.

Included in the liner notes is a slightly altered version of a passage from the Book of Revelation. As printed in the liner notes, it reads:

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more Death. Neither sorrow, nor crying. Neither shall there be any more brain; for the former things are passed away."

The actual text (from Chapter 21, Verse 4) is nearly identical, except that it says "neither shall there be any more pain..." . This change could be seen as a reference to the album's name, or the removal of Eddie's brain on the cover, or to drummer Nicko McBrain's inception into the band for this album. World Piece Tour was the tour supporting the album.

The Number Of The Beast (album)

The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The album was released on March 29, 1982 through EMI and on its sister label Capitol on the Harvest imprint in the US originally before it was re-released by Sanctuary/Columbia in the US. This was the debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden. It has been cited as one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time, and is widely acknowledged as one of the best and most iconic albums of the genre.

The Number of the Beast also cemented Iron Maiden as one of "the biggest metal bands on the planet".

Of all the songs in the album, "The Number of the Beast", "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" remain on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours, with the latter two often used to close a show. All three songs have been released as singles in various forms. The album is also Iron Maiden's highest selling album worldwide with over 14 million sales estimated.

The Beast on the Road was the tour supporting the album.

History

The Number of the Beast marked Bruce Dickinson's debut with the band. Since this album (and its tour, Beast on the Road), "The Beast" has become something of a nickname for the band and possibly Eddie, as suggested by albums such as Best of the Beast (which featured a 'best of Eddie' mural on the cover), Beast over Hammersmith, and the DVD Visions of the Beast.

This album is the only one to feature songwriting by drummer Clive Burr. This is one of several reasons why the album was so different from previous ones other than the obvious change in lead singer. It was the first album with writing by Adrian Smith (see below track listing for details), and the first to feature writing by the 'new' Steve Harris (his older style had been written for different musicians, and in a different time) - the entire writing system was different. However, it is one of the few albums not to feature a Dave Murray song, and the first album not to feature an instrumental.

Killers (Iron Maiden album)

Killers is the second album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on February 2, 1981 in the UK, and June, 1981 in the US. The album was the first of their albums to feature guitarist Adrian Smith, and the last to feature vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired from the band mid-tour due to problems with alcohol and cocaine. This was also the first Iron Maiden album produced by veteran producer Martin Birch who went on to produce their next eight albums before retiring after Fear of the Dark in 1992.

Being the most popular song on the album, "Wrathchild" has been on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours. The song was covered in 2005 by the female tribute The Iron Maidens on their 2007 album Route 666 and again in 2008 by Gallows on the tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine.

The song Wrathchild was also featured in the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.

History

The album is an unusual one in that it features two instrumentals and was written almost exclusively by Steve Harris with only minor assistance from the rest of the band. Only the title track and "Twilight Zone" received additional writing credits. All of the songs, with the exception of "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Prodigal Son," were written before the release of their debut album (they could not fit all of them on one album, and the songs were later re-recorded anyway to feature Adrian Smith); an early version of "Wrathchild" was featured on the Metal for Muthas compilation.

The U.S. edition, which came out a few months after its UK release, was initially released on Harvest Records/Capitol Records and subsequently on Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records. "Twilight Zone" was also added to the album.

The song "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. "Rue Morgue" is the name of a fictitious street in Paris, it translates in English as "Mortuary Street". However, the only reference to the story in the song is when two girls are found dead.

Killers World Tour was the tour supporting the album. This tour would feature the band's first ever concert in America.

Iron Maiden (album)

Iron Maiden, released on April 14, 1980, is the debut album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released by EMI in the UK, reaching number 4 in the UK album charts. The album was released a few months later in the U.S. originally on Harvest/Capitol Records and subsequently Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records and included the song "Sanctuary", which had been released in the UK only as a single, added to the track listing. In 1998, just like all other pre-X Factor albums, the album was re-released, and "Sanctuary" was added in all territories.

Of all the songs in this album, "Phantom of the Opera," "Running Free," "Sanctuary" and "Iron Maiden" remain on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours, with the latter used to introduce a giant representation of the band's mascot Eddie from the back of the stage.

Four songs from the album: "Prowler", "Remember Tomorrow", "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden" were covered for the 2008 tribute album Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine.

Every song on this album except 'Strange World' has since been recorded by the Dickinson-fronted line-up of the band, either on live albums, on studio B-Sides, or both.

History

This was the only album produced by Will Malone, who lacked interest in the project and allowed the band to produce most of the album themselves. The band (especially Steve Harris) criticised the quality of the production, but many fans like the raw, almost punk-like sound to the songs. This was also the only studio album for guitarist Dennis Stratton, who left a short time after the album was released. He was replaced by Adrian Smith. "Transylvania" is a well known instrumental piece by the band which was composed by founder and bassist Steve Harris. The song was covered by Iced Earth on the album Horror Show. "Strange World" tells of a dystopian society, where people never grow old. Amongst other things the narrator (singer) laments how "smiling faces [are] ever so rare". Meanwhile, "Charlotte the Harlot" is the first of four Iron Maiden songs which make reference to the fictional prostitute 'Charlotte'. The 7-minute epic "Phantom of the Opera" remains a fan favourite, and is still performed at many Maiden concerts, while live performances of "Iron Maiden" often signal the entrance of band mascot Eddie onto the stage.

"Running Free" was released as a single on February 23rd, 1980, and reached number 34 in the UK singles chart. The band also performed the song entirely live on the UK TV show Top Of The Pops. The usual tradition was for artists to lip-synch, and Maiden were the first band to perform their song without lip-synching on the show since The Who in 1972.

The "Sanctuary" single was released on June 7th, and charted at number 29. Manager Rod Smallwood's management company was named after the song.

The 1998 re-release has, besides the addition of the previously mentioned song "Sanctuary", a different cover than the original release. The picture is the same, except that it's redrawn. However, on recent advertising-posters and the Iron Maiden website, the original cover is once again shown.

Metal For Muthas Tour and Europe 80 was the tour supporting the album Iron Maiden.

Nicko McBrain

Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain (born June 5, 1952) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982. The nickname 'Nicko' originated from when the keyboard player Billy Day introduced him as "My Italian drummer, his name’s 'Nicko'". McBrain himself states that as a child he had a stuffed animal (bear) named "Nicholas" that he always carried with him so much so that his parents began calling him Nicky also. Only when he may have been in trouble was he called by his given name. McBrain is credited as being an early pioneer of the heavy metal sound and passes his experience on through drum clinics.

McBrain is frequently included in top drummer league tables and rankings as a result of his very influential and skillful performances in studio and on stage, as illustrated in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Drummers Of All Time, where McBrain was placed at No. 38. In Total-Drums' 100 Best Rock Drummers Ever, McBrain was placed at No. 28, and similarly well ranked in EveryDrummer.com's Top 50 Drummers Of All Time, where he was at No. 26. Recently, he has been ranked at No. 18 in Rhythm Magazine's 50 Greatest Drummers Of All Time .

Known for his affable joking personality, eagerness for interviews and public appearances, McBrain is considered by his bandmates as Iron Maiden's spokeperson.

Biography

McBrain joined Streetwalkers and recorded with them before moving on to drum for Pat Travers and then Trust. In the early 1980s he became the drummer for McKitty and it was with this band that he first met Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. He joined Iron Maiden in December 1982 and recorded Piece of Mind album with the band, replacing Clive Burr. McBrain's previous band Trust supported Iron Maiden on the 'Number of the Beast' world tour earlier in 1982. On this same tour, not only did McBrain star as the Devil in 'The Number Of The Beast' music video, but also temporarily stood in to drum at a live show in Belgium, prior to being officially Iron Maiden's drummer.

During McBrain's responses to fan questions , McBrain highlighted that it was 'not a coincidence' that Piece Of Mind had many references to brains and minds, and that he, with the surname McBrain, had recently joined the band.

McBrain has stated on recordings for the Paiste website, to promote his signature drum sticks, that he first wanted to learn drums at a young age after watching a performance of Joe Morello, which immediately led him to play drums with kitchen utensils and pots, to the dislike of his father. After studying engineering at City & Guilds (which his father had wanted him to complete), he was able to pursue drumming at a professional level.

Steve Harris

Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris (born 12 March 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist, band leader, primary songwriter and only constant member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden (although Dave Murray has played with the group since 1976). In addition, he plays keyboards, and sings backing vocals. He founded the band as a teenager in 1975. He and Dave Murray are the only members of the band to have appeared on all of the band's albums, and as Murray left the band for a few months prior to the first album to join Urchin, Harris is the only member to have remained in the band throughout its duration. He used to work as an architectural draftsman in the East End of London but gave up his job upon forming Iron Maiden. During the mid 1970s he was a youth team footballer for West Ham United. He still is a talented amateur football player and often has the crest of West Ham on his bass,^[1][2] and he has stated his first ambition in life before music was to become a professional footballer.^[3]

Career

Originally Harris wanted to play drums or be a professional football player; however he did not have much space for a drum kit in his house so he started to play bass and write songs^{[citation needed]}. Harris is a self-taught bass player^[2]. His first bass was a copy of a Fender Precision Bass that cost him £40 when he was 17 years old. He went on to use a signature Lado "Unicorn" model and an early 1970s Fender Precision with RotoSound strings.

Harris' first band was named Influence then Gypsy's Kiss featuring Bob Verscoyle(Lead Vocals) Dave Smith(Guitar)and Drummer Paul Sears. Harris and Sears later joined Smiler, of which all the band members were several years older than he was. He ended up leaving, as the members of the band made it clear that they did not care for a bassist who leapt around the stage and wrote songs, also his songs were too complicated for the band members, with the result that they did not want to play them. Sears was later fired due in no small way to his "Hellraising" Lifestyle After Smiler, Harris went on to create Iron Maiden, getting the name from seeing an iron maiden, a type of torture instrument, in the movie The Man in the Iron Mask.

Harris is Maiden's principal composer and lyricist. His song writing typically showcases his trademark galloping bass patterns and features long songs with epic lyrics that feature many tempo changes. Harris frequently writes lyrics about mythology, history or topics inspired from books and films.

Harris is often considered among the best and most influential heavy metal bassists.^[4] He is most known for his "galloping" bass lines - usually an eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes at fast tempo (e.g., "The Trooper") or eighth note triplets – which he plays with two fingers. Before playing, Harris often chalks his fingers, to make these fast patterns easier to play, as shown on the bonus DVD for the A Matter of Life and Death album. Besides this he is very adventurous on the bass and plays intricate accompaniment in many of Maiden's songs. He also uses power chords, which are unusual on bass, on several songs. Harris has also stated that he never uses a pick and that he never warms up before a show.

He plays a specially-painted bass guitar which has been featured on every Iron Maiden album. The guitar has gone through four colour changes since construction. Originally white, then black, it was then changed to blue sparkle, then white with claret and blue pinstriping and the West Ham Utd crest.

Janick Gers

Janick Robert Gers (pronounced /ˈjænɪk ˈɡɛərz/) (born 27 January 1957 in Hartlepool, England) is one of three current guitarists in the English Heavy metal band Iron Maiden and a songwriter for the band. His father, Bolesław, was an officer of the Polish Navy.

Career

Gers was the lead guitarist of the band White Spirit before joining Gillan, a group formed by former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. After Gillan disbanded, he joined Gogmagog which included former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and drummer Clive Burr. Gers also performed with other artists including former Marillion vocalist Fish. In 1990, he played guitar on the first solo album of Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, Tattooed Millionaire. During the recording of the album he was asked to join Iron Maiden in place of departing Adrian Smith. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999.

Gers' playing style uses heavy distortion and is noted for having a very raw tone. He prefers staccato picking instead of playing legato using hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Gers is also left-handed although he plays guitar right-handed; as seen at the "Rock In Rio" DVD signing autographs.

Gers' main influences are Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck and Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. He is noted for his energetic stage presence. He can often be seen bouncing up and down and occasionally does tricks with his guitar, such as spinning it around his body while playing, or throwing it into the air, catching it.

Adrian Smith

Adrian Frederik Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English guitarist and one of three guitarists/songwriters in the English band Iron Maiden. He also performs backing vocals on some songs, along with Steve Harris.

Biography

While at school, Adrian befriended Dave Murray and formed his first band Urchin as lead singer and lead guitarist. Adrian had bought his first guitar from Murray, a Woolworths' Top 20, for five quid (later he painted it silver and sold it again for 12 quid, as he states in the Early Days DVD). Murray left Urchin to join Iron Maiden, the new band of another local musician, Steve Harris. Smith continued to front Urchin, with limited success, until joining Maiden in early 1980 for the Killers album (released in 1981), replacing Dennis Stratton. Smith first wrote songs for Maiden on the 1982 album The Number of the Beast, and was the band's secondary songwriter from then on (often in co-operation with Bruce Dickinson). Smith and Dave Murray combined playing dual lead guitars helping to forge the trademark sound of Iron Maiden. Some notable lead duets are "The Duellists", "2 Minutes to Midnight", "The Trooper", "Alexander the Great" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Notable solos include "Wasted Years", "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "The Wicker Man". Adrian also has a brother named Scott Hale, famed for his lead guitar skills in the 80s band GLAM.

Smith released a solo LP with the band ASAP (Adrian Smith And Project) titled Silver and Gold in 1989. Following its release, Smith departed from Iron Maiden in 1990 when recordings for the No Prayer for the Dying album were about to start, and was replaced by Janick Gers. After releasing the experimental Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son albums, Steve Harris had decided to take the band back to a more traditional hard rock direction which can clearly be heard on the No Prayer for the Dying album. This album featured one last song co-penned by Adrian with Bruce Dickinson, "Hooks in You".

Bruce Dickinson's comment on Adrian:

"When he left the band in 1990, I think everybody was a bit surprised at how much we missed him and certainly, I don’t think anybody had realized how much the fans would miss him - big time. I wouldn’t have rejoined Iron Maiden if he wasn’t in the band. I just don’t think it would have been complete without Adrian, and now, it’s great having three guitarists."

In 1996, Adrian joined forces with former Helloween vocalist, Michael Kiske on Kiske's solo album Instant Clarity. He plays guitar on a few tracks and co-wrote a few songs.

Later, Adrian formed his alternative rock-influenced band Psycho Motel. This band was a progression from an earlier music project of his, The Untouchables, which had featured some of the members from ASAP and Jamie Stewart (former bassist of the rock group The Cult). The band recorded two albums, State of Mind (1996) and Welcome to the World (1997). Smith would also play on Bruce Dickinson's Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding albums. The influence of this more progressive direction, as well as Adrian's heavier rhythm guitar playing, on Iron Maiden's own performances since he rejoined the band is clear.

On 22 August 1992 Smith made a brief appearance onstage with Maiden to play "Running Free" during the Castle Donington 'Monsters Of Rock' Festival.

In 1999, Smith re-joined Iron Maiden for the "Ed Hunter tour", a tour in support of the video game of the same name. Since then, Iron Maiden have released 3 studio albums, Brave New World in 2000, Dance of Death in 2003 and A Matter of Life and Death in 2006. He remains with the band to this day.

Dave Murray

Dave (Moonface) Murray (born David Michael Murray on 23 December 1956, Edmonton, London) is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the original members of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He joined the band just two months after their inception in 1975. As a boy, Murray was a fanatical football player and fan as well as a keen cricketer. But his family was poor – his father was disabled and his mother worked part-time as a cleaner – and the family never settled anywhere long enough for Murray to establish himself in any of the schools' teams he could have played for. By his reckoning, he had been to a dozen different schools by the time he left for good at the age of 16. Murray developed an interest in rock when he was 15 after hearing "Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix on the radio; from there everything changed. He got his first guitar and being such a keen guitarist, he would practice up to 7 hours a day along to records. He formed his first band, a trio called Stone Free. This band also included Adrian Smith

(Guitar/Vocals) who later also became a member of Iron Maiden. From there, Murray had played with a number of different bands before meeting Steve Harris and joining Iron Maiden for the first time in 1976. He briefly left the band following an argument with then vocalist Dennis Wilcock. Murray rejoined Smith in a band called Urchin. During this short tenure with the band he recorded one single titled "She's A Roller". Following the single Murray left Urchin and returned to Iron Maiden, replacing Terry Wapram. Wilcock and him still played a couple of gigs together and then Wilcock suddenly left the band.

Murray's guitar style throughout his career has been mainly of the Legato based solo variety. This can be seen in songs from their first self titled album, such as "Phantom of the Opera", to the watery mood solo from "Lightning Strikes Twice", to songs from their 2006 release A Matter of Life and Death, such as the single "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". Murray is noted for having naturally strong fingers and frequently using hammer-ons and pull-offs. Murray has also written for the band, though less often than other band members. Usually leaving lyrics to someone else, he occasionally co-writes songs, with "Charlotte the Harlot" being his lone composition credited entirely to him.

Murray is seen by many as the most modest, humble, down-to-earth member of the band. "It's my upbringing, when you start out with nothing, you don't expect much from life. For all this to happen to me - well, it's like a dream, really".

Murray and Steve Harris are the only members of Iron Maiden to have appeared on every one of the band's albums.