London, UK · heavy metal

Iron Maiden

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Up the irons — metal's greatest live institution, Eddie included, galloping twin leads and Bruce Dickinson sprinting the stage like it's 1985.

Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden in Leyton, East London, in the autumn of 1975, first calling the band Ash Mountain before renaming it after a torture device that had stuck in his mind from a film of The Man in the Iron Mask. They played their debut show at St Nicks Hall in Poplar on 1 May 1976, then held a residency at the Cart and Horses pub in Stratford while working through several early singers and guitarists.

They emerged as one of the central acts of the new wave of British heavy metal, and their sound, built on galloping bass, twin and later triple guitar harmonies and long songs drawn from history, literature and film, became a template for much of the genre that followed. Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Di'Anno on vocals in 1981.

The run of albums that followed, The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Powerslave, established the band internationally. The Number of the Beast alone has sold close to 20 million copies worldwide, and the band's mascot, Eddie, has appeared on nearly every sleeve and stage set since.

After lineup turbulence through the 1990s, the returns of Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999 brought a resurgence in the band's fortunes. Its last three studio albums, The Final Frontier, The Book of Souls and Senjutsu, each reached number one in more than twenty-five countries, and Iron Maiden's total sales now stand above 130 million albums worldwide.

By October 2019 the band had played more than 2,500 live shows around the world, and their elaborate, high-energy live production, with Eddie looming over the stage sets, has remained central to their reputation for four decades.

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heavy metal