Online Encyclopedia Search Tool

Your Online Encyclopedia

  

Online Encylopedia and Dictionary Research Site
Online Encyclopedia Free Search Online Encyclopedia Search    Online Encyclopedia Browse    welcome to our free dictionary for your research of every kind

Online Encyclopedia


Iron Maiden (band)

(Redirected from Iron Maiden)
Iron maiden is also the name for a medieval torture device.


Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band from east London, England, which was formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris, formerly a member of Gypsy's Kiss and Smiler .

Iron Maiden is considered to be one of the most influential bands in the heavy metal music genre, having sold more than 100 million albums world-wide. They have also inspired other sub-genres of heavy metal music, including power metal and speed metal. One example of their far reaching influence is that, among others, the thrash metal band Slayer list Iron Maiden as one of their major influences, as do the more pop-punk band Sum 41.

The band's mascot, Eddie, is a perennial fixture in the often violent album cover art, as well as ever present in live shows. Eddie also featured in a first-person shooter video game, Ed Hunter .

They have released 13 studio albums, 2 best of's, 5 live albums, and with a string of festivals arranged for 2005, show no sign of stopping yet.

Contents
1 Statistics
2 History
3 Current Lineup

3.1 Previous members

4 Discography

4.1 Albums
4.2 Best Of... Albums
4.3 Live
4.4 Videos/DVDs

5 External links

Statistics

History

Iron Maiden was formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris. However, it was not until 1980 that the band released their first full album, titled Iron Maiden. At the time, the band members were Harris (bass), Dave Murray (musician) (guitar), Clive Burr (drums), Dennis Stratton (guitar) and Paul Di'Anno (vocals). This first album introduced fans to the raw metal style of the band and for the first time they got a glimpse at their mascot Eddie.

In 1981 the band replaced guitarist Dennis Stratton with hot-shot Adrian Smith, who was a close friend of Dave Murray. That same year, they released their second album, titled Killers. This new album contained the first hit songs for the band and they were introduced to audiences in the United States. It was at this time, when the band joined the movement called New Wave of British Heavy Metal, in which bands from England flooded the market of the United States.

In 1982 the band replaced vocalist Di'Anno with Bruce Dickinson due to his alleged drug use. Dickinson provided much better interpretation of their songs and had a greater vocal range. Dickinson's debut with Iron Maiden was 1982's album The Number of the Beast, which is recognized as a classic of the heavy metal genre. This album was a world-wide success providing classic songs as The Number of the Beast and Run to the Hills. For the first time the band went on a world tour, visiting the United States, Japan and Australia. However, the band was marred by controversy coming from religious groups that claimed Iron Maiden was a satanic group because of their dark lyrics which openly spoke of Satan. The band denied these rumors and no Iron Maiden album to date has ever carried an "explicit lyrics" stamp.

After their success with The Number of the Beast, the band entered a period called by their fans "the golden years". They replaced Clive Burr with heavy drummer Nicko McBrain and went on to release three albums which went platinum world-wide: Piece of Mind (1983), Powerslave (1984) and Somewhere in Time (1986). The band gathered huge audiences everywhere they went, especially in South America were they remain legendary to this date.

In 1988 the band tried a different approach for their seventh studio album, titled Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. This was a concept album featuring a story about a mythical child who possessed clairvoyant powers. However, this album was different from their previous "golden years" albums because it experimented with keyboard and synthesizer sounds. The change was well-received by many fans, but some claimed the band was selling-out their true roots. This claim was strengthened when guitarist Adrian Smith left the band after the tour ended, saying he was not content with the new direction of the band.

Janick Gers was chosen to replace Smith, and in 1990 they released the poorly received album No Prayer for the Dying. This album went back to the heavy style of the band but the lyrics were more simple and did not carry dark messages as previous ones. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson also began experimenting with a raspier style of singing that was not well received by fans. This album began a period called "the decline years".

Fear of the Dark was the second album of this period. Released in 1992 it had a few songs that were popular among fans, like the title-track and Afraid to Shoot Strangers, a critical song about the Persian Gulf War. Still, Dickinson continued with his raspier vocals and the lyrics were a downgrade from their previous successes. By the end of 1993, Iron Maiden hit a low-point in their career, when Bruce Dickinson left the band to pursue a solo career.

The band auditioned hundreds of vocalists and finally chose young gun Blaze Bayley in 1994. This began a period called "rejuvenation years" in which they released two albums, The X Factor (1995) and Virtual XI (1998). Bayley proved to be a worthy vocalist, but he did not have the range Dickinson possessed. Also, during the tours for both albums, Bayley fell ill due to allergic reactions to certain environments and the tours had to be cut short.

In early 1999, Bayley was let go from the band. Months later, the band shocked the world when they announced that both Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith were rejoining the band. This led to a reunion tour that gathered huge audiences all over the world.

In 2000, a new period, "the progressive years", began for the band when they released the album Brave New World. The songs were longer and the lyrics spoke about both dark themes and social criticism. The band gained a new fan base when they began exploring the genre of progressive metal. The world tour for the album ended in January 2001 with a show at the famous Rock in Rio festival. It was a return to glory for the band.

The band continued with their progressive trend in the album Dance of Death released in 2003. The album went platinum in several countries and left no doubts that the band was still a heavy metal sensation.

As of 2004, Iron Maiden has announced a tour for the up-coming year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of their first album and the 30th anniversary of their formation.

Current Lineup

Previous members

Discography

Albums

  • Iron Maiden (1980) chart position 4 (UK)
    • Soundhouse Tapes, 1979 EP
    • "Running Free", 1980 Single
    • "Sanctuary", 1980 Single
    • "Women in Uniform", 1980 Single
  • Killers (1981) chart position 12 (UK)
    • "Twilight Zone", 1981 Single
    • "Purgatory", 1981 Single
    • "Maiden Japan", 1981 EP Single
  • The Number of the Beast (1982) chart position 1 (UK)
    • "Run to the Hills", 1982 Single, no. 7 (UK charts)
    • "The Number of the Beast", 1982 Single
  • Piece of Mind (1983) chart position 3 (UK), 18 (US)
    • "Flight of Icarus", 1983 Single, no. 12 (UK charts)
    • "The Trooper", 1983 Single, no. 11 (UK charts)
  • Powerslave (1984) chart position 2 (UK)
    • "2 Minutes to Midnight", 1984 Single, no. 12 (UK charts)
    • "Aces High", 1984 Single
  • Somewhere in Time (1986) chart position 3 (UK), 11 (US)
    • "Wasted Years", 1986 Singles
    • "Stranger in a Strange Land", 1986 Single
  • Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) chart position 1 (UK), 12 (US)
    • "Can I Play With Madness", 1988 Single, no. 3 (UK charts)
    • "The Evil That Men Do", 1988 Single, no. 5 (UK charts)
    • "The Clairvoyant", 1988 Single, no. 6 (UK charts)
    • "Infinite Dreams", 1989 Single, no. 6 (UK charts)
  • No Prayer for the Dying (1990) chart position 2 (UK)
    • "Holy Smoke", 1990 Single, no. 3 (UK charts)
    • "Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter", 1990 Single, no. 1 (UK charts)
  • Fear of the Dark (1992) chart position 1 (UK), 12 (US)
    • "Be Quick or Be Dead", 1992 Single, no. 2 (UK charts)
    • "From Here to Eternity", 1992 Single, no. 21 (UK charts)
    • "Wasting Love", 1992 Single, europe only
  • The X Factor (1995) chart position 8 (UK)
    • "Man On The Edge", 1995 Single, no. 10 (UK charts)
    • "Lord of the Flies", 1996 Single, europe only
    • "Virus", 1996 Single
  • Virtual XI (1998) chart position 16 (UK)
    • "The Angel and The Gambler", 1998 Single
    • "Futureal", 1998 Single, europe only
  • Brave New World (2000) chart position 7 (UK)
    • "The Wicker Man", 2000 Single, no. 9 (UK charts)
    • "Out of the Silent Planet", 2000 Single
  • Dance of Death (2003) chart position 2 (UK), 18 (US)
    • "Wildest Dreams", 2003 Single, no. 6 (UK)
    • "Rainmaker", 2003 Single, no. 13 (UK)
    • "No More Lies", 2004 EP Single, Europe only


All albums from Iron Maiden through Fear of the Dark were released as remastered editions in 1998.

Best Of... Albums

Live


Live After Death was remastered in 1998. The remastered version had an extra CD with 5 songs on it. These songs were present on the vinyl edition, but not on the original CD. A Real Live One , and A Real Dead One were merged, and remastered, to form A Real Live Dead One in 1998. Live at Donington '92 was remastered and re-released in 1998, as the original album was released only as a limited edition.

Videos/DVDs

External links

  • Official Homepage http://www.ironmaiden.com/
  • Official Message Board http://www.ironmaiden.org/



Last updated: 02-07-2005 04:03:29
Last updated: 02-25-2005 21:01:11