The standout band of the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ (NWOBHM) Iron Maiden is the brainchild of bassist-songwriter Steve Harris – the only member present in all records along with guitarist Dave Murray. They are well known for music revolving around twin-lead harmony guitars (inspired by Judas Priest), galloping bass, and operatic vocals, along with lyrics dealing with themes that are either spooky, historical or literaturemovie-based. Their most famous songs are either fast-paced rockers that usually open albums and become singles (“Aces High”, “The Wicker Man”) or long-winding epics that tend to close their records (“Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Fear of the Dark”). Also noteworthy is mascot ‘Eddie the Head,’ an albino zombie that adorns their artwork created by Derek Riggs, long-time Maiden artist and album cover designer. Eddie appears on stage as both set decoration and a man dressed in a large costume.

Founded in London in 1975, the band struggled in the club scene with a revolving door of musicians until their 1979 demo, The Soundhouse Tapes arranged them a record deal with EMI. Their first two albums had some success, and once singer Bruce Dickinson joined for the third, The Number of the Beast (1982), Iron Maiden became one of the biggest bands in the metal scene. The band has sold over 85 million records worldwide (in a discography that includes 16 studio albums, 7 compilations, and many live albums and videos), and visited 59 countries while performing over 5000 concerts.

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Members

Current

Steve Harris – bass (1975-present), keyboards (1997-present)

Dave Murray – guitars (1976-1977, 1978-present)

Adrian Smith – guitars (1980-1990, 1999-present)

Bruce Dickinson – vocals (1981-1993, 1999-present)

Nicko McBrain – drums (1982-present)

Janick Gers – guitars (1990-present)

Past

Doug Sampson – drums (1977-1979)

Paul Di'Anno – vocals (1978-1981)

Dennis Stratton – guitars (1979-1980)

Clive Burr – drums (1979-1982)

Blaze Bayley – vocals (1994-1999)

Touring

Michael Kenney – keyboards (1988-present)