IRON MAIDEN HISTORY

...and the story begins!

Iron Maiden (pronounced aɪən meɪdən) is an English heavy metal band from Leyton, London, formed in December 1975 by bassist and main composer Steve Harris. They are considered one of the greatest and most popular bands in the genre and one of the best and most influential live bands in history. The group's work was a model for the further evolution of contemporary metal and heavy rock. Iron Maiden were also one of the first bands in history that consistently, from the very beginning of their activity, co-created and fully identified with the musical style and subcultural phenomenon called 'Heavy Metal'.

Over the course of over 45 years of their global career, the band's musicians have won hundreds of music awards, including Grammy Awards and its equivalents awarded in many countries, Brit Awards 2009, Silver Clef Award, Spanish Music Awards, Top.HR Music Awards, Žebřík Music Awards, Public Choice International, Classic Rock Roll of Honors Awards, Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, Nordoff Robbins Award, Ivor Novello Awards - for outstanding achievements in the international arena and contribution to the development of British music and many others. In 2005, Iron Maiden were inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame and Kerrang! Hall of Fame and in 2011 to the BPI Hall of Fame. The band's musicians were also included in the prestigious Metal Hall of Fame and. Iron Maiden are also part of permanent displays at, British Music Experience, Metal Across America, and Wacken Hall of Fame. The group's mascot is part of the exhibition of the Rock Legends Wax Museum located in Ontario, Canada. In September 1996, the band was introduced to Madame Tussaud's Rock Circus. Numerous memorabilia related to the band's activity can be found in Hard Rock Cafes around the world, including in Poland. Individual musicians of the band were honored with state awards and distinctions and special awards in many areas of activity. During their career, the band received over 600 "silver", "gold" and "platinum" records.

The members of Iron Maiden are considered opponents of the establishment - especially in the context of the influence of representatives of opinion-forming show business institutions on the issue of freedom of expression and artistic independence. The team included he did not express interest in either the official nomination from the decision-makers or the results of the fans' votes who demanded that the band be admitted to the "Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ". The musicians also resigned from participating in the Grammy award ceremonies and repeatedly criticized the conservative approach to assessing artistic work represented by opinion-forming magazines such as Rolling Stone or decision-makers of music stations such as MTV. Despite little promotional support from the mainstream media, Iron Maiden remains one of the most successful heavy metal bands in rock history, while achieving significant commercial success.

According to many sources, the total circulation of the group's catalog albums is estimated at over 150 million copies sold, including over 130 mln sold under the label of EMI/Parlophone. All Iron Maiden audio-visual releases have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, including all kinds of albums, singles, VHS tapes, DVDs, promotional publications, and record compilations. The band's most famous album, a turning point in the history of heavy metal, The Number of the Beast, has sold approximately 20 million copies in the 40 years since its release. Over several decades of stage activity, the band has repeatedly played individual stadium and open-air concerts in 60 countries around the world. Iron Maiden is the second band after Metallica, boasting the largest number of albums sold in the entire history of the genre.

 The group is also famous for its archetypal mascot named Eddie - a terrifying monster that is the progenitor of many dark characters appearing after 1980 on album covers or in the gadgets of rock and metal bands, as well as penetrating the world of pop culture. Eddie has appeared on the covers of almost all Iron Maiden albums and singles and is also an integral part of the stage design of concerts. The group's mascot is the most famous fantasy character in history created by a musical band. Gadgets with Eddie's image sold millions of copies, and the band's impressive range of merchandising proposals included several thousand different products that appeared on sale over several decades of the band's professional career.

Introduction  

The group performs classic heavy metal with progressive and epic elements. Its music is based on sharp, yet noble and melodic guitar riffs, dynamic and dense work of the rhythm section, varied playing of drummer Nicko McBrain, and the characteristic-sounding bass guitar of Steve Harris. A special feature of most of the group's work (1981–1994 and since 1999) is the wide range of Bruce Dickinson's vocals. This musician is considered one of the best frontmen and rock and heavy metal vocalists of all time. Iron Maiden's musical style is complemented by expressive solos by two, and since 1999 three lead guitarists, guitar parts played in unison, characteristic chord progressions and melodic harmonies created by the Adrian Smith/Dave Murray tandem, following expressive vocalizations, constituting an inseparable element of the group's musical style. The mentioned guitarist duo is considered one of the leaders in the industry.

The band's catalog of songs is formally quite diverse. Iron Maiden created fast, strong, sometimes thrash metal or speed metal compositions such as "Be Quick or Be Dead", "Futureal", " Aces High ", "Purgatory", "Murders in the Rue Morgue", " Man on the Edge " or "Killers", songs referring to the classic school of punk rock such as "Iron Maiden", "Wrathchild", "Invasion", "Burning Ambition" or "Charlotte The Harlot" progressive, often multi-part suites with a varied structure with an epic flair and graduated drama such as: "Paschendale", "Sign Of The Cross", "Dance of Death", "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", " Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", "Phantom of the Opera", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "The Talisman", "Isle of Avalon", "When The Wild Wind Blows", "The Nomad", "The Legacy", "Empire of the Clouds" or "Alexander The Great". A different side of the group is shown by power ballads such as "Remember Tomorrow", "Children of the Damned", "Revelations", "Infinite Dreams", "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Afraid to Shoot Strangers", and the acoustic-orchestral "Journeyman". ", the semi-acoustic "Prodigal Son" and finally the psychedelic-tinged "Strange World" or experimental compositions such as "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" or "Brighter Than a 1000 Suns". The band's catalog also includes instrumental songs - "Transylvania", "Losfer Words", "Ides Of March" and "Genghis Khan". The British are also distinguished by melodic heavy-rock compositions, such as "Running Free", "Drifter", "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter", "Holy Smoke", "Flight of Icarus", "Run to the Hills", "Can I Play with Madness", "Chains of Misery", "Rainmaker", "The Clairvoyant", "Tears of the Clown" and " Wasted Years ", which achieved considerable commercial success thanks to their accessibility. Compositions such as: "Phantom of the Opera", "Aces High", "Powerslave", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "Fear of the Dark", "Where Eagles Dare", "The Trooper", "2 Minutes To Midnight", "Run to the Hills", "The Number of the Beast", "The Evil That Men Do" and "The Wicker Man" are considered canonical for metal as a musical trend.

According to many critics, on the album A Matter of Life and Death from 2006, the group presented a different musical style, which was an extension of the dark, apocalyptic atmosphere known from the controversial album The X Factor from 1995. The music produced by these albums became the subject of numerous disputes and digressions among both reviewers and fans.

Most of the repertoire was composed by the leader - Steve Harris, however, other musicians often participated in the composition process: Adrian Smith, Janick Gers, Dave Murray and Bruce Dickinson. Additionally, Blaze Bayley took part in creating the vocal melodies on the albums The X Factor and Virtual XI, recorded with his participation. Two drummers - Nicko McBrain and Clive Burr had a marginal contribution to the creation of the band's music. Over the course of several decades, Steve Harris has been repeatedly recognized as the best bassist and composer in the history of the heavy metal/hard rock genre.