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Iron Maiden

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band, founded in 1975 in Leyton in east London by the bassist Steve Harris. He wrote most of the songs. The name came from an instrument of torture, the iron maiden. After many changes in the line-up, the band found the singer Paul Di'Anno in 1978. A demo that a DJ played in a London metal club quickly made Iron Maiden known. The band released those recordings themselves as The Soundhouse Tapes, and the pressing sold out within a few weeks.

Music and breakthrough

With the albums Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981) the group became a pioneer of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the wave of new British metal bands around 1980. In 1981 Bruce Dickinson replaced Di'Anno as singer. His first album with the band, The Number of the Beast (1982), which includes Run to the Hills, became one of the most popular metal albums ever. Iron Maiden's sound revolves around Harris's fast, galloping bass lines, two guitarists playing melodies together and Dickinson's high, powerful voice. The lyrics are about history, war, mythology, literature and science fiction.

Influence

On almost every sleeve appears the mascot Eddie, a monstrous figure who also appears on stage. After a difficult period in the 1990s, Dickinson and the guitarist Adrian Smith returned in 1999, and the band then grew again. Iron Maiden is regarded as one of the most influential metal bands and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Run to the Hills and notice the galloping rhythm of bass and drums, like a horse at a trot. Hear how the two guitars play the melody together and how Bruce Dickinson wails high in the chorus.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsNWOBHM and thrash metal