Facts about Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden was founded in 1975 by Steve Harris in London. After numerous changes in the line-up in the early years of the band, Iron Maiden expanded their popularity beyond London’s borders after a live performance of their song “Running Free” at BBC’s Top Of The Pops. After that, they played as the opening act for Judas Priest on their UK tour and for KISS on their US tour. At this time, their mascot Edward the Head, called Eddie, was born. Eddie is seen on almost every one of Iron Maiden’s album covers and is sometimes even integrated in their stage shows.
Iron Maiden’s international breakthrough came in 1982 with their album “The Number Of The Beast”. In 1988, the album “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” appeared and, despite initial skepticism from the fans, achieved good chart positions in the US and number one in the UK. Around this time, first turbulences occurred within the band, so guitarist Adrian Smith eventually left Iron Maiden. In 1992, singer Bruce Dickinson announced his withdrawal from the band. In the eyes of their fans this loss equalled the demise of the entire band. the following album “The X Factor” which appeared in 1995 with their new singer Blaze Bayley, tuned out to be a real flop among fans. Furthermore, with their following album and almost empty concert halls, Iron Maiden headed towards their all time low. The band and Blaze Bayley finally split amicably.
In 1999, Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith surprisingly returned to Iron Maiden. To the great delight of their fans, a huge reunion tour with the name The Ed Hunter Tour, followed short time after. The album “Brave New World” celebrated great success in the Top 10 charts and was awarded numerous gold records. The following album “A Matter Of Life And Death” also reached number one in several countries and was celebrated by critics. Iron Maiden received several awards in the year from 2008 to 2010 and were appointed the best band in the UK. The albums “The Final Frontier” (2010) and “The Book Of Souls” (2015) were well received by critics and once again found themselves in very good chart positions. Iron Maiden has been a role model for many artists including Kirk Hammet from Metallica and Dave Mustaine from Megadeth.