IRON MAIDEN
Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band formed in Layton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, eleven live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.
Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several line-up changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums, including 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Power slave, 1985's live release Live After Death, 1986's Somewhere in Time and 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band have undergone a resurgence in popularity, with their 2010 studio offering, The Final Frontier, peaking at No. 1 in 28 countries and receiving widespread critical acclaim. Their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, was released on 4 September 2015 to similar success.
An album that neatly encapsulates Iron Maiden’s huge creative range, The Book Of Souls is nothing less than a 92-minute masterpiece - a cannon-blast of exuberant, anthemic bravado that serves as cast-iron confirmation of just how much they have left in the tank. From the infectious, stadium-skewering hooks of The Red And The Black to the lofty ambition of the 18-minute Empire Of The Clouds, it’s the artistic summation of everything that’s given Iron Maiden such deep resonance and universal appeal. Like the breathless excitement and scale of their stage shows, their remarkable new double-album is emblematic of a stout-hearted refusal to do anything by half-measures and an irrepressible sense of fun.
The Number of the Beast, featuring new vocalist Bruce Dickinson (b. Paul Bruce Dickinson, Aug. 7, 1958, Worksop, Eng.), topped the album chart in Britain and initiated a streak of seven consecutive platinum or gold albums in the United States, despite virtually no radio or MTV exposure. The followup, 1983's Piece of Mind, reached Number 14 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, and 1984's Power slave went to Number 21 on the Billboard 200. By then, Iron Maiden were superstars of heavy metal and remained in the Top 25 of Billboard's dominant album chart for several subsequent releases: Live After Death (Number 22, 1985), Somewhere In Time (Number 23, 1987), Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (Number 12, 1988), No Prayer for the Dying (Number 17, 1990), Fear of the Dark (Number 12, 1992).
Even more so than most bands, the course of Iron Maiden’s career has been affected and defined by a series of lineup changes — each of them challenging yet always overcome by their stalwart founder and leader Steve Harris. But perhaps best of all for fans interested in all things Maiden is how well these periodic personnel upheavals have been documented — even those that took place before the band recorded their first album. So it is with that comprehensive mindset that we dive into our complete guide of Iron Maiden lineup changes.
Origin Leyton, London, England
Genres Heavy metal
Years active 1975–present
Labels
EMI
Parlophone
Universal
Sanctuary
Columbia
Portrait
BMG
CMC
Epic
Capitol
Harvest
Associated acts
The Entire Population of Hackney
Gogmagog
Praying Mantis
Samson
Trust
Urchin
Website ironmaiden.com
Members
Steve Harris
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Bruce Dickinson
Nicko McBrain
Janick Gers
Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band formed in Layton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, eleven live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.
Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several line-up changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums, including 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Power slave, 1985's live release Live After Death, 1986's Somewhere in Time and 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band have undergone a resurgence in popularity, with their 2010 studio offering, The Final Frontier, peaking at No. 1 in 28 countries and receiving widespread critical acclaim. Their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, was released on 4 September 2015 to similar success.
An album that neatly encapsulates Iron Maiden’s huge creative range, The Book Of Souls is nothing less than a 92-minute masterpiece - a cannon-blast of exuberant, anthemic bravado that serves as cast-iron confirmation of just how much they have left in the tank. From the infectious, stadium-skewering hooks of The Red And The Black to the lofty ambition of the 18-minute Empire Of The Clouds, it’s the artistic summation of everything that’s given Iron Maiden such deep resonance and universal appeal. Like the breathless excitement and scale of their stage shows, their remarkable new double-album is emblematic of a stout-hearted refusal to do anything by half-measures and an irrepressible sense of fun.
The Number of the Beast, featuring new vocalist Bruce Dickinson (b. Paul Bruce Dickinson, Aug. 7, 1958, Worksop, Eng.), topped the album chart in Britain and initiated a streak of seven consecutive platinum or gold albums in the United States, despite virtually no radio or MTV exposure. The followup, 1983's Piece of Mind, reached Number 14 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, and 1984's Power slave went to Number 21 on the Billboard 200. By then, Iron Maiden were superstars of heavy metal and remained in the Top 25 of Billboard's dominant album chart for several subsequent releases: Live After Death (Number 22, 1985), Somewhere In Time (Number 23, 1987), Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (Number 12, 1988), No Prayer for the Dying (Number 17, 1990), Fear of the Dark (Number 12, 1992).
Even more so than most bands, the course of Iron Maiden’s career has been affected and defined by a series of lineup changes — each of them challenging yet always overcome by their stalwart founder and leader Steve Harris. But perhaps best of all for fans interested in all things Maiden is how well these periodic personnel upheavals have been documented — even those that took place before the band recorded their first album. So it is with that comprehensive mindset that we dive into our complete guide of Iron Maiden lineup changes.
Origin Leyton, London, England
Genres Heavy metal
Years active 1975–present
Labels
EMI
Parlophone
Universal
Sanctuary
Columbia
Portrait
BMG
CMC
Epic
Capitol
Harvest
Associated acts
The Entire Population of Hackney
Gogmagog
Praying Mantis
Samson
Trust
Urchin
Website ironmaiden.com
Members
Steve Harris
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Bruce Dickinson
Nicko McBrain
Janick Gers
