The legendary Metal band has been inducted into the RockinTown.com Hall of Fame – Class of 2024
Iron Maiden took its name from a particularly nasty medieval torture device. As a reaction to the U.K.’s rising late-70’s Punk scene Iron Maiden aimed at preserving the Metal ethos and set down a blistering path with chain saw twin guitars and manic, rage filled vocals, extolling a dark side that welcomed annihilation. How could they miss? They didn’t, selling over 50 million albums before the dust settled.
The band was formidable, but they were upstaged by their mascot. Eddie stole the show. He was the ideal monster—a wrinkled, rotting beast that appeared on numerous Maiden record covers. As much as anything else, that picture conveyed the essence of Iron Maiden.
Iron Maiden was formed by guitarist Dave Murray and bassist Steve Harris. However, Murray packed it in after a falling out with the band’s then-vocalist Dennis Wilcock. However, Wilcock left quickly. Murray returned when singer Paul DiAnno joined.
Iron Maiden’s first two albums, their self-titled debut (1980) and “Killers” (1981), were experiments in audio violence. Their third album, “The Number Of The Beast,” their first with Dickinson, brought the band to the attention of the general public with the track “Run To The Hills” leading the way.
Years later, an online survey conducted by retailer HMV named “The Number Of The Beast” the greatest album in British music released during Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year reign. Iron Maiden topped Pink Floyd and The Beatles to win the ’12 title.
“Women In Uniform” and “Twilight Zone” (from “Killers”) and “Flight Of Icarus” (from ’83’s”Piece Of Mind”) became the band’s signature efforts.
Iron Maiden became a staple in the lives of headbangers with “Powerslave” (’84) and “Live After Death” (’85), which possessed an unmatched Metal ferocity.
After Dickinson left in ’94, Blaze Bayley took over, and the remainder of the ’90s were essentially a repeat of the previous, superior Maiden.
In ’99, Dickinson rejoined Iron Maiden which was marked by “Brave New World.”
Their next trip to the studio produced ‘03’s “Dance Of Death.”
“Somewhere Back In Time: The Best of 1980-1989” launched the group on trek consisting of 23 concerts on five continents in 45 days. Of course, a tour like that had be documented and this one was. “Iron Maiden: Flight 666,” a DVD/CD, came out in ’09.
Ed Force One, a Boeing 757 bearing Eddie’s likeness on the tail, carried Iron Maiden during their journey. As he had been on the “Somewhere Back In Time” tour, Dickenson, a licensed airline pilot, was at the controls.
The double album “The Book Of Souls” dropped in ’15. “By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that it needed to be a double album,” stated Dickinson. The set debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 after opening week sales of 75,000 copies.
In 2021, Iron Maiden released their 17th album, “Senjutsu,” with “samurai Eddie” on the cover, featured ““The Writing On The “Wall.” Recorded in Paris, producer Kevin Shirley and Harris collaborated on Maiden’s first album in six years.
“Senjutsu,” which translates to “tactics and strategy” in Japanese, became the band’s highest-charting album ever when it debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart on sales of 64,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
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Joining Iron Maiden in the RockinTown.com Hall of Fame – Class of 2024 are Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Tina Turner.
See all the bios for RockinTown.com Hall of Fame members.
