Iron Maiden

This article covers the band. For the music album see Iron Maiden (album) .

Iron Maiden
General information
origin	London , England
Genre (s)	Heavy metal
founding	December 25, 1975
Website	ironmaiden.com/
Founding members
singing	Paul Day (until 1976)
guitar	Terry Rance (until 1976)
guitar	Dave Sullivan (until 1976)
bass	Steve Harris
Drums	Ron Matthews (until 1977)
Current occupation
singing	Bruce Dickinson (1981-1993 and since 1999)
guitar	Dave Murray (1976 and since 1977)
guitar	Adrian Smith (1980–1989 and since 1999)
guitar	Janick Gers (since 1990)
Bass, keyboard	Steve Harris
Drums	Nicko McBrain (since 1982)
former members
singing	Dennis Wilcock (1976–1978)
singing	Paul Di'Anno (1977-1981)
singing	Blaze Bayley (1993-1999)
guitar	Bob Sawyer (1977)
guitar	Tony Parsons (1979)
guitar	Dennis Stratton (1980-1981)
Keyboard	Tony Moore (1977)
Drums	Doug Sampson (1977-1979)
Drums	Clive Burr † (1979-1983)
guitar	Paul Todd (1979)
Drums	Thunderstick (1977)
guitar	Paul Cairns (1979)
guitar	Terry Wapram (1977-1978)

Iron Maiden [ ˈaɪən ˈmeɪdn ] ( English for Iron Maiden ) is a British musical group that was founded in 1975. Building on the hard rock and heavy metal music of the 1970s, she developed her own style, which helped shape heavy metal of the 1980s. Her debut album of the same name, Iron Maiden , was released in 1980.

The group is assigned to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal along with bands such as Saxon , Angel Witch , Praying Mantis , Diamond Head , Tygers of Pan Tang and Def Leppard .

Iron Maiden have been one of the most consistent and commercially successful metal bands since the 1980s. Their music was style-defining and significant for subsequent bands in a wide variety of metal sub-genres. The band around mascot Eddie has sold over 100 million records to date.

history

Prehistory (1975–1979)

The group was formed on December 25th, 1975 by London bassist Steve Harris after he quit his first band called Gypsy's Kiss due to musical differences. The original line-up of the band included singer Paul Mario Day, guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance, and Ron Matthews on drums. Initially without a name, the formation soon called itself Iron Maiden . Harris became aware of the term while watching the film The Man in the Iron Mask , which primarily describes an instrument of torture . As he emphasized in an interview, it should not be a reference to the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, often referred to as the "iron lady" . The band later made reference to the then party leader of the Conservatives and later British Prime Minister by using Thatcher, together with the band mascot Eddie , as a cover motif on the singles Sanctuary and Women in Uniform .

Steve Harris , founder and bassist

Iron Maiden 1982 in San Sebastián, on the microphone Bruce Dickinson

The band's early years fell at a rather unfavorable time for hard rock and heavy metal . Big bands like Deep Purple , Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin either disbanded or passed their creative zenith. The interest of the music consumers turned more towards the emerging new wave music, the disco music that is currently in fashion ( Saturday Night Fever ) and, especially in England, punk . Metal bands like Judas Priest and Motörhead already existed, but were still relatively unknown. Therefore, Iron Maiden were encouraged by their record company in their early days to try it with punk music and the corresponding image for the purpose of better marketability.

The first live performance took place on May 1, 1976 at St. Nicholas Hall in Poplar, London. By then, Dave Murray and Bob Sawyer had already replaced the original two guitarists , and Dennis Wilcock had taken over the microphone. Sawyer left the band and Iron Maiden now appeared as a four-piece formation. In 1978 Dennis Wilcock was replaced by Paul Di'Anno and Doug Sampson took the place on drums instead of Matthews. With this line-up, Iron Maiden played a demo recording on December 31, 1978 , which was later pressed on record as The Soundhouse Tapes in small numbers.

In 1979 Rod Smallwood was hired as manager of the group, which had meanwhile gained popularity through various concerts in London and the surrounding area. Due to the ongoing success, Iron Maiden received their first record deal with EMI in November 1979 .

First successes (1980–1982)

In 1980 there were personnel changes in the band: With Tony Parsons Iron Maiden joined a second guitarist, who was soon replaced by Dennis Stratton . Doug Sampson was replaced by Clive Burr . As a reason for his departure from the band, Sampson explained that the hard touring life endangered his health .

In the line-up with Di'Anno, Murray, Stratton, Harris, Burr, the group recorded their debut album Iron Maiden . Since then, the musicians have been accompanied to every concert by their mascot Eddie , who is also featured on all album covers. With the single Running Free Iron Maiden appeared on BBC's Top of the Pops and played there as the first band since The Who without playback . This made them known outside of the London area. This was followed by an extensive tour of Great Britain as the opening act for Judas Priest , a European tour with the American hard rock band KISS and an appearance in the opening act of UFO as part of the Reading Festival .

Martin Birch , producer of the hard rock band Deep Purple , produced the second Iron Maiden album Killers in 1981 . The collaboration with Birch lasted until the 1990s. Guitarist Dennis Stratton was replaced by Adrian Smith due to musical differences with Harris prior to the recording of this album . Also Killers with the fans came, as well as its predecessor, good. The 129-concert Killer World Tour took the band to 14 countries.

At the end of 1981 Paul Di'Anno could no longer withstand the pressure that was on the band. He started drinking, became unreliable and eventually had to leave the band. He was succeeded by Bruce Dickinson , who had previously sung with the band Samson . At Samson Dickinson still had the stage name "Bruce Bruce". Dickinson proved to be an asset to the band in the following years. With him, the band recorded the album The Number of the Beast in early 1982 . The success of this album meant the worldwide breakthrough for Iron Maiden. The Number of the Beast has sold over a million copies and is now the definition of heavy metal in fan circles . Many of the eight pieces included are still considered classics of the genre today. However, because of the controversial issues raised on the album, there was a scandal that led, among other things, to demonstrations before concerts and burns of the album - free advertising for the band. After the release of the album The Number of the Beast , they accompanied the Scorpions on their US tour for their album Blackout as the opening act.

Nicko McBrain, Iron Maiden drummer since late 1982

At the end of 1982 Clive Burr was replaced by Nicko McBrain , a well-known drummer at the time, who last played with the French band Trust and before that was a member of Pat Travers' band and Roger Chapman's Streetwalkers , among others . The band Trust filled the vacant position with Clive Burr. With the line-up Dickinson / Murray / Smith / Harris / McBrain, Iron Maiden recorded a total of four studio albums.

Breakthrough (1983–1988)

With Piece of Mind (1983) and Powerslave (1984) the band further established itself. In December 1983, a concert with the Scorpions , Ozzy Osbourne , Def Leppard , Judas Priest , Krokus , the Michael Schenker Group and Quiet Riot in Dortmund was recorded by ZDF and broadcast in a shortened form in February 1984. Further albums cemented the reputation of the five musicians as a guarantee for solid, technically perfect, melodic metal. After the extensive World Slavery Tour in 1984 and 1985, the live double album Live After Death was released in 1985 .

The following album Somewhere in Time in 1986 caused rather mixed reactions due to the use of guitar synthesizers . Iron Maiden had changed their sound slightly for the first time. In 1988 an LP followed with the concept album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , which was as controversial as its predecessor when it was released. The album reached number twelve in the US album charts, while it reached number one in the UK. The title Can I Play with Madness made it into the German Top 10. During the subsequent tour, the limited CD Maiden England and the accompanying video were recorded. On this tour, Iron Maiden headlined the Monsters of Rock festival .

First turbulence (1989–1993)

Dave Murray and Janick Gers live, 2007

Blaze Bayley , singer from 1994 to 1998

After the band had followed a more experimental path with the albums Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , band leader Steve Harris wanted to return to the rough sound of the early albums, which Adrian Smith refused. The latter no longer felt really comfortable within the group. Harris asked him to give everything or leave the band on the upcoming album. Because Smith hesitated, he was finally advised to leave in 1989. In the following years he devoted himself to his solo project ASAP

Singer Bruce Dickinson recorded his first solo album, Tattoed Millionaire , but initially remained an Iron Maiden member. Dickinson brought guitarist Janick Gers (previously White Spirit / Gillan ) into the group as a result of his solo excursion , who from then on replaced Smith at Iron Maiden. In 1990 the album No Prayer for the Dying was released . Written by Bruce Dickinson for the film Nightmare 5: The Trauma , Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter was the band's first and to date only number one single in the UK charts. Even so, No Prayer for the Dying received rather negative reviews from both fans and the press. In 1992 the album Fear of the Dark was released , which received slightly better reviews than its predecessor and contains other Maiden classics with the title track of the same name and Afraid to Shoot Strangers .

When Dickinson announced his departure from the band at the end of the 1992 tour, the fans reacted disappointed. There were three more live CDs with Dickinson on the microphone ( A Real Live One , A Real Dead One and Live at Donington ) and his farewell concert on video ( Raising Hell ). At this concert, the American magician Simon Drake brought in magic interludes, at the end of the concert Bruce Dickinson was locked in an iron maiden .

Crisis (1994-1998)

After a year of musical hiatus, Iron Maiden found a new singer in Blaze Bayley , who had previously been a member of the band Wolfsbane . With him they recorded their tenth album The X Factor , which caused mixed reactions, on the one hand due to the rather dark and melancholy style of music and on the other hand to Bayley's voice, which was very limited compared to Dickinson's. The scheduled tours were not very successful, Iron Maiden sometimes played in half-empty halls, although the band had already chosen much smaller concert halls compared to previous tours. Bayley had great difficulties at concerts, especially with the pieces from the era with Bruce Dickinson, as these were not written for his rather deep voice.

In 1996 the best-of album Best of the Beast was released , which contained a new song called Virus . Virtual XI followed in 1998 , which, like The X-Factor, met with little approval from the majority of the fan base. Since Bayley got significant voice problems on the tour, it was canceled in late 1998. Iron Maiden parted ways with him.

Reunification (1999-2006)

Bruce Dickinson on his return to Stuttgart in 1999

Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith returned to Iron Maiden on February 10, 1999. Dickinson replaced Blaze Bayley, guitarist Janick Gers stayed in the band; the group has since played with three guitarists. The tour that followed became a commercial triumph. The first album of this line-up, Brave New World , was released in 2000. Iron Maiden then headlined the Dynamo Open Air on June 6, 2000 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

At a concert in Mannheim in July 2000, guitarist Janick Gers, known for his spectacular contortions while playing the guitar, fell from the stage into the photo pit during the song The Number of the Beast and had to be taken to hospital with bruises. However, the concert could be played to the end with the two remaining guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as it was only the encore part of the concert. Iron Maiden canceled the next gig the next day. When in Rio Rock played festival 2001 Iron Maiden will headline a quarter of a million people and released the recording of it as a live album and DVD.

Adrian Smith performing live in 2010

On September 8, 2003, Iron Maiden released their thirteenth studio album, Dance of Death . While this album sold better than Brave New World , it was more controversial because of some progressive elements such as orchestral passages and a ballad. The subsequent Dance of Death World Tour took the band back to Germany, so there were sold out performances in the Dortmund Westfalenhalle and in the Stuttgart Schleyerhalle.

In the meantime, three best-of publications have appeared:

• Eddie's Archives - a collection of three double CDs of previously unreleased material (recordings from Reading Festival , Donington , Hammersmith Odeon and other BBC recordings) and a B-side collection. The CDs sold in a metal box came with a signet ring, shot glass, and a family tree of the band on parchment.
• Edward the Great - the band's most successful singles.

Furthermore, after Rock in Rio, the DVD Visions of the Beast was released, on which all promo videos can be seen. On the occasion of the Dance of Death tour, the No More Lies EP was also released , with different versions of songs from the new album (drummer Nicko McBrain also sings once), a live video (no live sound) and an Iron Maiden Sweatband.

At the end of 2004 the DVD The Early Days - Part I was released , in which the band's history from 1976 to 1983 was summarized. It contains a 90-minute documentary and parts from three live concerts from 1980, 1982 and 1983. The series is to be continued.

In 2005 Iron Maiden played at big festivals like With Full Force in Leipzig and Rock am Ring / Rock im Park . They also performed on July 12, 2005 in front of over 55,000 fans at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. This concert was broadcast live on Swedish television and was the first live broadcast in Sweden since Live Aid 1985. The tour was played in front of over 450,000 fans, an average of 22,500 per concert.

On August 29, 2005, the live CD Death on the Road was released . It contains a live recording of the concert played in Dortmund during the Dance of Death World Tour in November 2003. The accompanying DVD was released on February 6, 2006 via EMI and contains, in addition to the concert in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle, a 75-minute documentary on Dance of Death and the corresponding world tour.

Progressive phase (since 2006)

Since 1999 in this bass and guitar constellation: Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, Steve Harris

Already on Dance of Death from 2003 there was a certain change in the sound of Iron Maiden. This became particularly clear with the song Paschendale , which, according to Bruce Dickinsons in a BBC interview, can be seen as a kind of pioneer or stepping stone for the following album. After Dance of Death , according to Dickinson, a path "somewhere between Dance of Death and Paschendale " was indicated as positive.

In March 2006, together with producer Kevin Shirley, the recording of the new album A Matter of Life and Death began, which was completely recorded in two months. The band spent three weeks writing the songs, three weeks practicing the titles, and finally three weeks recording. It was released in Europe on August 25, 2006. With this album Iron Maiden reached number 1 in the German album charts. A Matter of Life and Death was also at the top in countries such as Sweden, Italy, Finland, Greece, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland and Brazil .

In February 2008, the concert video Live After Death , which was released on VHS in 1985, was released as a revised version on DVD, together with the second part of the band documentation. The Somewhere Back in Time Tour also began in February 2008 , on which mostly (similar to the Early Days Tour 2005) pieces from the Live After Death DVD were played.

On July 31, 2008, Iron Maiden performed in front of around 75,000 fans at the Wacken Open Air . The band headlined the festival and, with the exception of Fear of the Dark, only played songs from the albums Iron Maiden , The Number of the Beast , Piece of Mind , Powerslave , Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son .

On March 14, 2009, the documentary Flight 666 premiered. The film follows the band on the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour in 2008 and was created by the makers of Metal - A Headbanger's Journey . The official release followed in April 2009. In the following month, EMI announced that the documentary, originally only planned for the cinema, would also be made available on Blu-ray Disc , DVD and CD. In addition to the Blu-ray version, there is a double DVD and a double CD with the pieces of music that were recorded for the video recordings.

On August 5th, 2010 Iron Maiden were again in Germany at the Wacken Open Air . In March 2010, the release of their fifteenth studio album was confirmed, which bears the name The Final Frontier , was released on August 13, 2010 and entered the German album charts at number 1. Iron Maiden published the song El Dorado in advance as an exclusive free MP3 file on their homepage and on July 13, 2010 the video for the title track The Final Frontier .

On March 16, 2011 the band announced that they would donate the proceeds from the sale of the Tokyo tour shirts to the Japanese Red Cross to support the victims of the Tōhoku earthquake . However, the performances in Tokyo had to be canceled due to the natural disaster.

On March 27, 2012, the band released the concert recording En Vivo , recorded on the Final Frontier World Tour 2011 ( Around the World in 66 Days ) on April 10, 2011 in the Estadio Nacional in Santiago de Chile in front of 50,000 fans. Again there was a Blu-ray, double DVD and double CD version. As on the entire tour, five of the new songs were presented, including the longtrack When the Wild Wind Blows . The video formats also contain the documentation Behind the Beast .

On June 5th, 2014 the band played as headliner at the Rock am Ring festival in Germany and on June 9th at the parallel Rock im Park .

In December 2014 Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with cancer of the base of the tongue. At this point the recording work for a new studio album had already been completed. The release, scheduled for February 2015, has been postponed due to Dickinson's cancer treatment. On May 15, 2015, the band's management announced that the therapy had been successfully completed and the band was now working on completion, so that the album will be released in 2015. A new tour was planned for 2016 to give the singer the opportunity to continue recovering.

A month later The Book of Souls was announced as a double album with 11 songs and a total running time of 92 minutes, which was released on September 4, 2015, after the single Speed ​​Of Light had already been released with a corresponding video.

Membership development

Musical style

general characteristics

Iron Maiden's music is largely made up of the rhythmic models, riffs and power chords common in heavy metal .

By combining different rhythmic patterns and the occasional installation of slow passages, the band makes the songs more varied. In the title Powerslave, for example, the riff made up of an eighth and two subsequent sixteenth notes is abandoned in order to create tension for the following section in continuous sixteenth notes in a power chord sequence held in longer note values. The striking semitone steps evoke a fitting “Arab feeling” to the text, which expresses the thoughts of an Egyptian pharaoh in the face of his approaching death. A quieter passage is built into the middle part of the same song: a melodic electric guitar solo is laid over the plucked, undistorted ("clean") played guitars, restrained drums and the melody-leading bass. The title The Rime of the Ancient Mariner often alternates between the familiar pattern (one eighth note - two sixteenth notes) and a part made up of quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes, in which the drums introduce rhythmic variations.

The band also has a feel for melodic riffs and guitar figures as well as catchy melodies and choruses , such as the British chart positions of titles such as Run to the Hills (# 7), 2 Minutes to Midnight (# 11), Bring , which are considerable for a metal band Your Daughter… to the Slaughter (# 1) or Wasted Years (# 18).

Another common style characteristic of the band is the constant repetition of a melodic phrase on the guitar while the bass creates a cadence over different pitches . An example of this is the song Hallowed Be Thy Name , in which a striking figure is repeated in E minor for four bars. In the first bar the bass accompanies on e, in the second on c ( subdominant parallel C major) and in the third on d ( dominant parallel D major), which leads back to the tonic in E minor. Sometimes entire riffs are performed in a cadenced manner.

bass

A distinctive feature of Iron Maiden is Steve Harris ' bass sound and play. He plays flatwound strings made by Rotosound , mostly on Fender Precision or Lado basses. His "crisp" bass sound, his sometimes extremely fast playing without a pick and the "short excursions" in very high pitches are particularly noticeable . A “galloping” (bass) rhythm, which consists of groups of one eighth and two sixteenth notes, is often typical of the band. No less typical for Harris' bass playing are open chords (power chords) on accented beats, e.g. B. in the intro of The Evil That Men Do and in Fear of the Dark . Most Iron Maiden titles are very much oriented towards the bass line (especially e.g. Killers , Wrathchild , The Number of the Beast ).

guitar

The guitar sound has some typical characteristics: The guitarists mainly play Fender Stratocaster with humbuckers on current Marshall amps, with Adrian Smith often playing Gibson Les Pauls and a white Jackson San Dimas DK, which was specially made for him. He can also be seen in the booklet of A Matter of Life and Death and in various live performances by Children of the Damned with a Jackson doubleneck guitar.

For solos, at least Dave Murray mostly uses a phaser and switches to the neck pickup at times, which creates a blues-heavy sound. The phaser creates a very special, iron-maiden-typical lead sound. Furthermore, two-part, often alternating guitar solos are a Maiden trademark. In the title Aces High, for example, the two guitars play the same run in the interval of the third . Three guitarists have been playing in the band since 2000, Smith left the band in 1990 and was replaced by Janick Gers. In 1999, Smith returned. Gers stayed in the band anyway. Ger's game is also shaped by a Fender Stratocaster, but like Murray he plays it with retrofitted pickups. Gers plays fast solos as well as heavily distorted rhythm guitar.

Dave Murray and Adrian Smith live in Stuttgart (2007)

singing

The rough voice and powerful vocals of Paul Di'Anno brought punk elements to the style of the early Maiden albums. That changed when Bruce Dickinson joined the band. Dickinson's singing is characterized by the extensive use of the head register. In the chest register, his tone often has a rough character. This type of song brought Dickinson early the nickname "Air Raid Siren" (to German air raid warning siren ) a. Especially the first Maiden album with Dickinson as the front man, The Number of the Beast , brought out the best of his voice. Dickinson sometimes uses delay effects live, especially on long and high notes.

After Dickinson left the band, Blaze Bayley took over the vocals . Due to his limited voice compared to Dickinson and unusually deep for Maiden, he was not very well received. This became particularly clear at live concerts, where he lagged far behind Dickinson's achievements, as he did not manage to keep the tone and he often lost his way. After two albums without him, Dickinson returned to the band.

Keyboard instruments

On Somewhere in Time the band used guitar synthesizers for the first time , which were mainly used in intros ( Caught Somewhere in Time , Heaven Can Wait ) or outros ( Alexander the Great ) for long, filling tones in the background. On Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , keyboards were already present in every song . These had already been used here as full instruments for flat tones in the background. Mostly they were arranged and played by Steve Harris. From No Prayer for the Dying , the keyboards were standard and, in addition to the surface effect, also recorded melodic turns of the guitar runs (cf. Mother Russia ). Since then, the keyboards have been an integral part of the songs, but they never get a solo role. As you can see on the bonus DVD for Death on the Road , Steve Harris' long-time bass technician Michael Kenney plays the keyboards at live concerts, who hides behind a curtain in a niche in the stage set-up during the performances. On the video for Maiden England , Kenney appears briefly on stage with a mask and cloak in the spherical middle section of the song Seventh Son of a Seventh Son . The keyboard is also used by Steve Harris on the album A Matter of Life and Death .

Musical development

Only a few musical developments can be observed within the band's work. In the music of their early days, despite a clear orientation towards hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple , Black Sabbath , Led Zeppelin , Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest, influences of punk cannot be ignored.

With the album Somewhere in Time from 1986, on which guitar synthesizers were used for the first time, the band took a somewhat gentler, more mainstream- oriented direction. Titles like Stranger in a Strange Land or Wasted Years with its continuous eighths of bass and guitars can definitely be described as suitable for radio. On the other hand, with Alexander the Great include a longer, existing of several parts title with oriental embossed melodies and time changes of ⁴ / ₄ to ³ / ₄ , ⁷ / ₈ , and ¹² / ₈ also shows progressive influences. With Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , a concept album came out two years later, on which a melody-leading keyboard is used. On the follow-up album No Prayer for the Dying , the band returned to their usual rough style. The albums The X Factor and Virtual XI , which were created without Dickinson, seem rather dark and melancholy, with critics criticizing the frequent repetitions of the refrains .

On the albums Brave New World and Dance of Death from 2000 and 2003, the band then moved a bit in the direction of Progressive Metal , which is continued with A Matter of Life and Death from 2006. Characteristic for this development is the trend towards very long pieces (7 to 10 minutes) with numerous musical changes (rhythm, tempo, dynamics) and many references between musical form and textual content. This development reached its peak in 2015 with her current studio work The Book of Souls .

Iron Maiden live at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (2008)

Influences on other musicians

Due to their great success in heavy metal in the 1980s, Iron Maiden have significantly influenced countless younger musicians and bands. For example, Kirk Hammett ( Metallica ) and Dave Mustaine ( Megadeth ) highlighted the importance of Iron Maiden for their own musical careers in interviews. The influence can also be seen in the fact that many other metal bands have re-released songs by Iron Maiden as covers or play at concerts. There are a number of tribute samplers that focus on the band.

The progressive metal band Dream Theater describes Iron Maiden as one of their most important musical roots. This is expressed, among other things, in the fact that Dream Theater sometimes play entire albums such as The Number of the Beast as an encore at their concerts.

The band's influence extends beyond the metal realm. Groups from the punk spectrum such as Strung Out , Sum 41 or Red Tape also refer to Iron Maiden.

Text reference

A special feature of the band is that songs are regularly published that fall back on specific historical, literary and / or cinematic models.

Historical events

• Invasion (1979 on The Sound House Tapes ): the invasions of the Vikings in England
• The Ides of March (1981 on Killers ): Anniversary of Julius Caesar's death on the " Ides of March" (March 15) 44. BC. Chr.
• Genghis Khan (1981 on Killers ): the historical figure Genghis Khan
• Invaders (1982 The Number of the Beast ): the invasions of the Vikings in England
• Run to the Hills (1982 on The Number of the Beast ): Genocide against the Indians of North America
• The Trooper (1983 on Piece of Mind ): about the militarily senseless attack by the British Light Brigade on October 25, 1854 during the Crimean War
• Sun and Steel (1983 on Piece of Mind ): about the legendary Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645)
• Aces High (1984 on Powerslave ): refers to the Battle of Britain during World War II
• Two Minutes to Midnight (1984 on Powerslave ): The arms race between the USA and the USSR during the Cold War is discussed.
• Powerslave (1984 to Powerslave ): Reference to the role of the pharaoh in the Egyptian cult of the dead
• Intro to the album Live After Death (1985): Excerpt from the We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech by Winston Churchill on June 4, 1940 in front of the House of Commons
• Alexander the Great (1986 on Somewhere in Time ): reference to the Macedonian king Alexander the great
• Tailgunner (1990 on No Prayer for the Dying ): Description of the British air raid on Dresden in 1945 from the point of view of a British rear gunner.
• Mother Russia (1990 on No Prayer for the Dying ): about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the supposed freedom of the Russian people afterwards
• Afraid to Shoot Strangers (1992 on Fear of the Dark ): about the US-led military intervention in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991 ( Second Gulf War )
• Blood on the World's Hands (1995 on The X Factor ): about the Bosnian War
• The Clansman (1998 Virtual XI ): through the eyes of William Wallace wrote, apparently by the film Braveheart inspired
• Como estais amigos (1998 on Virtual XI ): This song was written in honor of the soldiers who died during the Falklands War in 1982 .
• Montsegur (2003 on Dance of Death ): describes the siege of the Montségur fortress in 1244
• Paschendale (2003 on Dance of Death ): the fate of a soldier during the total annihilation of the city of Passendale in Belgium during the First World War
• The Longest Day (2006 on A Matter of Life and Death ): about the Allied assault on Hitler's Atlantic Wall in 1944 ( D-Day ), inspired at least by name by the film The Longest Day .
• Brighter Than a Thousand Suns (2006 on A Matter of Life and Death ): about the throwing of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima , all about nuclear wars. ( Brighter than a thousand suns is the title of a famous book about the atomic bomb researchers by Robert Jungk .)
• These Colors Don't Run (2006 on A Matter of Life and Death ): a cynical reckoning with any war propaganda.
• The Pilgrim (2006 on A Matter of Life and Death ): Jesus of Nazareth is discussed.
• The Alchemist (2010 on The Final Frontier ): It sings about the meeting of the alchemists John Dee and Edward Kelley and the transition from magic and science.
• The Talisman (2010 on The Final Frontier ): Is about the age of discovery and thematizes the dangers such as storms or scurvy to which the seafarers were exposed.
• Tears of a Clown (2015 on The Book of Souls ): Refers to the suicide of actor and comedian Robin Williams in 2014.
• Death or Glory (2015 on The Book of Souls ): Describes the situation of the three- decker pilots in the First World War .
• Empire of the Clouds (2015 on The Book of Souls ): Refers to the accident involving the British R101 airship in 1930.

Literary templates

• Phantom of the Opera (1980 on Iron Maiden ): the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
• Murders in the Rue Morgue (1981 on Killers ): the short story The Double Murder in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
• Revelations (1983 on Piece of Mind ): the works of Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
• The Flight of Icarus (1983 on Piece of Mind ): the flight of Icarus
• To Tame a Land (1983 on Piece of Mind ) and The Nomad (2000 on Brave New World ): the novel Der Wüstenplanet by Frank Herbert
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1984 on Powerslave ): based on the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1986 on Somewhere in Time ): the novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe ( The loneliness of the long-distance runner (short story) )
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988): several songs on the album contain motifs from the Alvin romance cycle by Orson Scott Card ; the first volume is entitled The Seventh Son
• Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter (1990 on No Prayer for the Dying ): the poem To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell . Theme song from the movie Nightmare 5: The Trauma .
• Lord of the Flies (1995 on The X Factor ): the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Sign of the Cross (1995 on The X Factor ): the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco; this was the template for the 1986 film of the same name
• Brave New World (2000 Brave New World ): the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Out of the Silent Planet (2000 on Brave New World ): the novel Beyond the Silent Star by CS Lewis
• When the Wild Wind Blows (2010 on The Final Frontier ): the graphic novel When the Wind blows by Raymond Briggs
• The Man Who Would Be King (2010 on The Final Frontier ): the short story The Man Who Would Be King ( short story) by Rudyard Kipling

Cinematic templates

• Children of the Damned (1982 on The Number of the Beast ): the British horror film Children of the Damned (1963)
• The Prisoner (1982 on The Number of the Beast ): the British television series The Prisoner on the BBC
• Quest for Fire (1983 on Piece Of Mind ): the French fantasy film In the beginning was fire
• Where Eagles Dare (1983 on Piece of Mind ): The film of the same name Agents Die Lonely with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton
• The Duellists (1984 on Powerslave ): the film of the same name The Duelists by Ridley Scott
• Back in the Village (1984 on Powerslave ): the British television series The Prisoner on BBC
• Somewhere in Time (1986): The album cover was inspired by the Blade Runner movie . The title track Caught Somewhere in Time was inspired by the film Time After Time ( Escape into the future ).
• Heaven Can Wait (1986 on Somewhere in Time ): the two films of the same name from 1943 (German A Heavenly Sinner by Ernst Lubitsch ) and 1978 ( Heaven should wait by Warren Beatty ).
• Run Silent, Run Deep (1990 on No Prayer for the Dying ): The submarine film of the same name (Ger. U 23 - Tödliche Tiefen ) with Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable
• The Fugitive (1992 on Fear of the Dark ): the television series of the same name (Eng. On the run )
• Man on the Edge (1995 on The X Factor ): Falling Down with Michael Douglas
• The Edge of Darkness (1995 on The X Factor ): Apocalypse Now, starring Marlon Brando . The name of the song comes from the book Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad . This book served as the template for Apocalypse Now .
• The Clansman (1998 on Virtual XI ): the film Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson
• When Two Worlds Collide (1998 on Virtual XI ): inspired by films like Deep Impact or Armageddon
• The Wicker Man (2000 on Brave New World ): the film The Wicker Man with Christopher Lee
• The Mercenary (2000 on Brave New World ): the film Predator (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Out of the Silent Planet (2000 on Brave New World ): the film Forbidden Planet (Eng. Alarm im Weltall ) (1956) with Leslie Nielsen
• The Longest Day (2006 on A Matter of Life and Death ): about the Allied assault on Hitler's Atlantic Wall (see above), inspired by the film The Longest Day .

Musical templates

• To Tame a Land (1983 on Piece of Mind ): Parts of the instrumental part in the second half were inspired by Asturias by the Spanish composer Isaak Albeniz .
• Mother Russia (1990 on No Prayer for the Dying ): based on Rhebe dich, du Russisches Volk by Sergei S. Prokofjew from the score for Alexander Nevsky .

Discography

→ Main article : Iron Maiden / Discography

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1980	Iron Maiden EMI	DE- gold DE	-	-	UK4th platinum (17 weeks)UK	-	First published: April 14, 1980 Sales: + 550,000
1981	Killers EMI	DE10 gold (33 weeks)DE	AT20 (2 weeks) AT	-	UK12 gold (8 weeks)UK	US78 gold (23 weeks)US	First published: February 2, 1981 Sales: + 1,000,000
1982	The Number of the Beast EMI	DE11 gold (25 weeks)DE	AT3 gold (16 weeks)AT	CH- gold CH	UK1 platinum (35 weeks)UK	US33 platinum (65 weeks)US	First published: March 22nd, 1982 Sales: + 2,075,000
1983	Piece of Mind EMI	DE8th gold (19 weeks)DE	AT10 (8 weeks) AT	-	UK3 platinum (18 weeks)UK	US14th platinum (45 weeks)US	First published: May 16, 1983 Sales: + 1,775,000
1984	Powerslave EMI	DE9 gold (14 weeks)DE	AT15 (6 weeks) AT	CH10 (7 weeks) CH	UK2 gold (13 weeks)UK	US21st platinum (34 weeks)US	First published: September 3, 1984 Sales: + 1,500,000
1986	Somewhere in Time EMI	DE8th gold (16 weeks)DE	AT10 (12 weeks) AT	CH22 (4 weeks) CH	UK3 gold (11 weeks)UK	US11 platinum (39 weeks)US	First published: September 29, 1986 Sales: +1,450,000
1988	Seventh Son of a Seventh Son EMI	DE4th gold (30 weeks)DE	AT6 (12 weeks) AT	CH2 gold (10 weeks)CH	UK1 gold (18 weeks)UK	US12 gold (23 weeks)US	First published: April 11, 1988 Sales: + 975,000
1990	No Prayer for the Dying EMI	DE7 (18 weeks) DE	AT19 (9 weeks) AT	CH11 (12 weeks) CH	UK2 gold (14 weeks)UK	US17th gold (18 weeks)US	First published: October 1, 1990 Sales: + 700,000
1992	Fear of the Dark EMI	DE5 (25 weeks) DE	AT8 (16 weeks) AT	CH5 (15 weeks) CH	UK1 gold (5 weeks)UK	US12 (13 weeks) US	First published: May 11, 1992 Sales: + 250,000
1995	The X Factor EMI	DE16 (10 weeks) DE	AT19 (7 weeks) AT	CH27 (3 weeks) CH	UK8th silver (4 weeks)UK	US147 (3 weeks) US	First published: October 2, 1995 Sales: + 60,000
1998	Virtual XI EMI	DE16 (6 weeks) DE	AT24 (6 weeks) AT	CH39 (3 weeks) CH	UK16 silver (3 weeks)UK	US124 (1 week) US	First published: March 23, 1998 Sales: + 60,000
2000	Brave New World EMI	DE3 gold (16 weeks)DE	AT10 (10 weeks) AT	CH9 (11 weeks) CH	UK7th gold (5 weeks)UK	US39 (10 weeks) US	First published: May 29, 2000 Sales: + 556,316
2003	Dance of Death EMI	DE2 gold (9 weeks)DE	AT3 (6 weeks) AT	CH2 (10 weeks) CH	UK2 gold (5 weeks)UK	US18 (4 weeks) US	First published: September 8, 2003 Sales: + 232,028
2006	A Matter of Life and Death EMI	DE1 gold (13 weeks)DE	AT4 (8 weeks) AT	CH2 gold (11 weeks)CH	UK4th gold (7 weeks)UK	US9 (7 weeks) US	First published: Aug 25, 2006 Sales: +315,382
2010	The Final Frontier EMI	DE1 gold (12 weeks)DE	AT1 (8 weeks) AT	CH1 gold (11 weeks)CH	UK1 gold (6 weeks)UK	US4 (8 weeks) US	First published: Aug 13, 2010 Sales: + 487,510
2015	The Book of Souls Parlophone	DE1 gold (32 weeks)DE	AT1 gold (10 weeks)AT	CH1 (24 weeks) CH	UK1 gold (12 weeks)UK	US4 (6 weeks) US	Initial release: September 4th, 2015 Sales: + 386,546

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Mascot Eddie

Eddie the Head, stage puppet from 2008

Eddie is Iron Maiden's mascot. It is shown on every album cover and, with four exceptions, on every single cover. He also frequently appears as a larger than life puppet during live performances. Eddie also appears in a first-person shooter called Ed Hunter , which was released in 1999 along with a fan-compiled best-of CD. He is also involved as a character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 . Eddie's appearance was never uniform, but changed considerably over time and was thematically adapted to each newly released album. Characteristic features of the face, such as the nasal region and the lipless mouth with free-standing teeth, were largely retained.

The original Eddie was just a theatrical mask, which can be seen on the band photos of the first Iron Maiden album and on the cover of the single Running Free . During live concerts, the mascot was connected to a pump on stage that could dispense different types of liquids. That fluid was via Doug Sampson, who was the drummer for Iron Maiden at the time. Fans then tried to throw objects into the mascot's mouth.

Eddie's full name is Edward the Head , see the inscription Edward TH–– on the cover of the album Live After Death . The rest of his surname is covered by a clod of earth.

Eddie's character was designed by Derek Riggs . On the cover of the single Running Free from 1980, the silhouette of a tall and skinny, zombie- like creature can be seen in the background . When the band were looking for a possible cover for their first album, they also came into contact with the other illustrations by Derek Riggs. These should ultimately contribute to the artwork of the self-titled Iron Maiden album from 1980. The band took a liking to it and felt that the template was what the silhouette might originally have looked like.

Derek Riggs initials hidden in most cover art

Derek Riggs designed more than 60 cover illustrations for Iron Maiden, including those of the first eight studio albums, three live albums ( Live After Death , A Real Dead One and A Real Live One ) as well as the upper half of the cover for the twelfth studio album Brave New World . In each of his cover illustrations there is, mostly more or less "hidden" integrated into the picture, a logo used as a signature (now out of date), which represents a graphic stylization of his initials DR. The designs for Brave New World and the accompanying singles were Derek Riggs' last work for Iron Maiden.

Eddie can also be found on the Ed Force One , a specially converted airplane that the band used to travel for their recent tours. From 2008 a Boeing 757 transported band and equipment to their performances. A Boeing 747 was used for the tour for The Book of Souls 2016 , also with Eddie on the tail unit.

Other bands were also inspired by the mascot Eddie. Some bands have given their mascot names, which are always recurring on cover artwork, which are sometimes very reminiscent of Eddie, such as Vic Rattlehead from Megadeth or Fangface from Gamma Ray , who was also designed and drawn by Derek Riggs.

Ed Force One

• 

  Eddie on the Ed Force One (Boeing 757)

• 

  Logo on the tail of the Boeing 747 from Iron Maiden

• 

  Ed Force One at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)

• 

  Ed Force One - List of venues below the cockpit

Ed Force One (borrowed from the names of presidential aircraft such as the Air Force One and the Japanese Air Force One ) was the baptismal name of several commercial aircraft that Iron Maiden chartered for their world tours. Singer Bruce Dickinson holds a commercial pilot license and has been a pilot and operator since the 1990s. For the tour for the album "Somewhere Back in Time" in 2008 and 2009, Iron Maiden used a Boeing 757 with the license plate G-OJIB . It was built in 1989 and was part of the Astraeus Airlines fleet , where Dickinson worked as a pilot alongside his music career was. For “The Final Frontier World Tour” in 2011, a Boeing 757 with the registration number G-STRX from 1992, also on loan from Astraeus, was used. For the world tour "The Book of Souls" Iron Maiden leased a Boeing 747 built in 2003 from Air Atlanta Icelandic with the license plate TF-AAK . Dickinson advanced for this tour his type rating, so the type rating on the Boeing 747 and flew it, among other salaried pilots, even himself.

incident

On March 12, 2016, the Boeing 747 used by Iron Maiden collided with an aircraft tractor at Santiago de Chile Airport , injuring the two occupants of the vehicle and severely damaging two engines. Despite the damage, which was classified as severe, the machine was able to resume operation just ten days later after a repair.

Whereabouts of the machines

After the dissolution of Astraeus Airlines, the two Boeing 757s formerly used by Iron Maiden were sold. While G-OJIB went to FedEx and has been used as a cargo aircraft under the name Isabella since 2013 after a conversion , G-STRX was scrapped at Phoenix Goodyear Airport in July 2012 . After completing the tour in June 2016, the Boeing 747 TF-AAK was returned to Air Atlanta Icelandic, which continues to operate it for Saudi Arabian Airlines .

Trivia

During the break between the opening bands and the appearance of Iron Maiden, playback music is played, the last song always being Doctor Doctor by UFO from their album Phenomenon . The first song of the playback music after each concert is Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Monty Python , known from her film The Life of Brian .

Individuals who had sold bootleg CDs on Ebay were faced with warnings from a law firm hired by Iron Maiden. The Live USA series, which was available from various publishers and most of which was the subject of the warning, was available for a while in various electronic stores and supermarket chains in the 1990s, but it contained illegal live recordings.

In the summer of 2009 in particular, there was a veritable wave of “warnings” that sparked great indignation and discussions among the fans.

In 2006 the London Evening Standard reported on a band that claims to have called themselves "Iron Maiden" before. The famous band would have copied their name and outfit after attending a concert. In the summer of 2012, this band released the album Maiden Voyage under the name The (Original) Iron Maiden .

At the end of 2015, the band, in cooperation with the Japanese electronics company Onkyo Corporation, launched the ED-PHON3S headphones, which are said to have been specially designed for playing heavy metal music.

Californian cover band The Iron Maidens is all women.

In collaboration with Robinsons Brewery from Stockport , England, the heavy metal band sells different types of their own beer called Trooper . Singer Bruce Dickinson claims to have contributed to the recipe.

literature

• Iron Maiden with John McMurtrie: Iron Maiden - On Board Flight 666 - An exclusive look behind the scenes . Hannibal Verlag, Höfen 2012, ISBN 978-3-85445-374-1 (Original edition: On Board Flight 666 )
• Matthias Mader: Burning Ambition - The Iron Maiden Fan Book. IP Verlag Jeske & Mader, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-931624-17-X .
• Mick Wall: Run to the Hills - The Official Biography of Iron Maiden. IP Verlag Jeske & Mader, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-931624-29-3 .

swell

1. ↑ 10 Facts About Iron Maiden . ChronicleLive.co.uk, accessed May 15, 2017 . 
2. ^ Harris' statements on band name finding ( memento from June 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) on www.nwobhm.com in the web archive; English
3. ↑ Classic Albums: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (DVD). Eagle vision.
4. ^ Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast. Retrieved March 21, 2020 . 
5. ↑ IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666 - THE MOVIE. IronMaiden.com Ltd, January 20, 2009, accessed April 22, 2009 . 
6. ↑ “IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666” - DVD release. EMI Music Austria GesmbH, April 15, 2009, archived from the original on September 29, 2011 ; Retrieved April 22, 2009 . 
7. ↑ "Iron Maiden back in Wacken". Wacken.com Ltd, December 16, 2009, accessed March 28, 2010 . 
8. ↑ IRON MAIDEN: "The Final Frontier" release. IronMaiden.com Ltd, March 4, 2010, accessed April 28, 2010 . 
9. ↑ Sound spy: Sneak Preview
10. ↑ ironmaiden.com: El Dorado Free Download ( Memento of October 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
11. ↑ tape.tv: Video for The Final Frontier
12. ↑ metalnews.de Donation for earthquake victims ( memento from December 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 17, 2011.
13. ↑ [1] Official Homepage: Bruce Dickinson Update
14. ^ New Iron Maiden Studio Album "The Book ff Souls". In: ironmaiden.com . June 18, 2015, accessed August 18, 2015 . 
15. ↑ https://www.airlinersillustrated.com/product/ironmaidenjets
16. ↑ Iron Maiden conquer the airspace Stuttgarter Nachrichten, February 18, 2016
17. ↑ https://www.aerotelegraph.com/ed-force-one-unfall-santiago-chile-boeing-747-von-iron-maiden-stark-beschaedigt
18. ↑ N938FD Federal Express (FedEx) Boeing 757-23A (SF) Planespotters.net, accessed March 12, 2018.
19. ↑ EI-ETR ILFC Boeing 757-28A Planespotters.net, accessed on March 12, 2018.
20. ↑ TF-AAK Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-428 Planespotters.net, accessed March 12, 2018.
21. ↑ Warning to Iron Maiden Holdings Ltd. Ratgeberrecht.eu - Warning of Iron Maiden Holdings Ltd., July 27, 2009, accessed on July 27, 2009 . 
22. ↑ Evening Standard of January 30, 2006: The original Iron Maiden!  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on July 17, 2012)  
23. ↑ Iron Maiden & Onkyo Launch ED-PHON3S. In: IronMaiden.com . December 4, 2015, accessed March 25, 2016 . 
24. ↑ Iron Maiden beer has been 'big door opener': UK brewer Robinsons. In: beveragedaily.com. May 12, 2013, accessed July 4, 2019 . 
25. ↑ https://www.ironmaidenbeer.com/
26. ↑ Rock Hard , No. 369, February 2018 (36th year): Bruce Dickinson: Was ist schon normal Interview by Matthias Mader. Rock Hard Handels- und Verlags-GmbH, Dortmund. P. 22

Web links

Commons : Iron Maiden  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website (English)
• Iron Maiden at Allmusic (English)
• Iron Maiden on MusicBrainz (English)
• Iron Maiden at laut.de
• Iron Maiden at Musik-Sammler.de
• Follow me Ed Force One