For those who know me, I believe is not a far stretch to say that Iron Maiden is my favorite band of all time. What makes this band so attractive to me and to so many others around the world? Well, I guess I’ll take you to the first time I heard Iron Maiden and describe its impact it had on my life.
Just before I started my freshman year of High School, I
discovered metal music. My friend and I were playing video games together on
the Xbox 360 and my friend asked me if I have ever heard of the band Quiet
Riot. I said no, so he suggested I listen to one of their songs. That song
turned out to be “Metal Health” and
I was impressed by the music. He then recommended that I listen to other songs
like “Cum on Feel the Noise” and “The Wild & The Young”. My friend
then introduced me to other bands like Skid
Row and Mötley Crüe. After a
while, I felt like I was stuck in a rut listening to my friend’s suggested play
list repetitively. When I told my friend how I was feeling, my friend ask me if
I had ever heard of the band Iron Maiden.
Up to this point I have not. Additionally, he suggested that I listen to their
song “Out of the Silent Planet” and although
I like that song, it wasn’t until I listened to the song “Ghost of the Navigator” that this band’s music really clicked with
me. To this day I get goosebumps when I hear that opening riff of “Ghost of the Navigator”.
Initially, I downloaded the two Iron Maiden songs that my
friend had recommended from iTunes. Later, I decided I wanted to download the
entire album which contained these two songs, Brave New World, but found
out that the album was no longer available on this platform. After I discovered
Maiden, I listened to many of their songs that ranged from hits such as “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper” to the more obscure songs such
as “Montsegur” and “Back In the Village”. What I realize
now, was at this point I had cemented myself as a hardcore Iron Maiden fan. I bought most of their albums, both studio and
live, and to this day I frequently go back and listen to them.
I’d like to share with you why I believe Iron Maiden has had such a large fan
following over the last four decades. I think it comes down to two things; one
is Bruce Dickinson’s dynamic voice
and the second is the band’s overall instrumentals. If you compare Maiden to the more recently formed
heavy metal bands, Iron Maiden isn’t
going to sound as heavy or fast as these bands. The second thing is that in
most new bands the vocals seem to be more screaming than singing. This heavy
metal style can either attract or detract new fans. I believe that Bruce’s vocals are one of the great
selling points of Maiden. Their
songs have catchy melodies and riffs which makes it easy for fans to sing along
to them. “Fear of the Dark” is a
good example that demonstrates Maiden’s
musical style.
Iron Maiden’ fame is due to a number of hit songs, their
ever changing mascot Eddie, and their amazing live shows. Back in 2012, I had
the opportunity to see Maiden Live during their Maiden England Tour. This was
the first time for me and my friends to experience a Maiden concert live, as
well as it was my first real rock concert. My friend that introduced me to their
music and I were having the time of our lives. Maiden’s performance was
awesome! It only takes one viewing to understand what I am talking about. If
you have never seen them live, check out one of their live DVDs to see how
great they perform.
Iron Maiden is a
great band and I have compiled a list of my top five favorite Maiden studio albums below. So if you
want to get into maiden or have never heard of them before, this is a good
gateway into the band. Additionally, I suggest that you listen to their live
album, Flight 666, because it’s all classic Maiden tracks and they’re just phenomenal live performances.
Top 5 Favorite Albums:
1) The Number of the Beast
2) Brave New World
3) Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
4) Powerslave
5) The Book of Souls
“Iron Maiden’s gonna get… Iron Maiden’s gonna get… Iron
Maiden’s gonna get all of you!!!”
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