Many bands have worshiped at the foot of Iron Maiden. Such is the staying power of the band that more than 3 decades after its inception, it continues to move albums and music merch off shelves to reach platinum and gold status.

To date, Iron Maiden is credited for having sold records numbering 75 million. Because of their enduring music and pronounced influence, they have been deemed worthy of occupying a spot on the Hollywood RockWalk. As proof of its widening scope of influence, the group continues to be notably featured in movies, games and songs by other artists.

Band History

Iron Maiden has had its fair share of ups and downs in line-up changes. Steve Harris formed the original group on Christmas Day 1975 with the name being taken from the iron maiden torture device seen on the movie The Man in the Iron Mask. Harris (bass, backing vocals and studio keyboards) and David Murray (guitar) are the longest-standing members of the group.

Presently, band members include Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals who is joined by Janick Gers on guitar; Adrian Smith on backup vocals and guitar and Nicko McBrian on percussion and drums. Michael Kenney takes on the keyboards for live performances. Former members include Dennis Stratton, Dennis Wilcock, Paul Day, Paul Di’Anno, Clive Burr and Doug Sampson. As with many other bands, not all former members left in good standing with the group. Some had to be forced out or had to leave due to professional altercations.

Albums Released

The studio Iron Maiden albums released since 1975 until 2010 now number 30 in all comprised of 14 studio albums, 4 extended plays (EPs), 5 compilations and 7 live albums. With such an impressive collection of albums to its name, the band has been cited in many music industry rankings including the VH1 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, the MTV Top 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time and the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement, amongst other accolades heaped on the band.

Just to describe a few of the 14 studio albums released in the three-decade long career of Iron Maiden:

• Iron Maiden- This was released in 1980 and is the group’s debut album. Among its memorable songs are Sanctuary and Phantom of the Opera. Of course, the song Iron Maiden is in it too.
• The Number of the Beast- This is a 1982 release that first includes Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals. It is regarded as the band’s bestselling album, having sold fourteen million copies. A number of bands turn to this piece of work for inspiration.
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son- This came out in 1988 and is highly prized for its lyrical display. It tackles themes revolving around mysticism and reincarnation among others.
• The Final Frontier- This is a yet to be released album and will be the band’s fifteenth. Its scheduled release will be late summer.

The group is definitely not in danger of disappearing from band posters any time soon. As the fans of Iron Maiden always say in greeting and farewells, up the irons!