What’s the definition of success in the music industry? Some people would say it’s the number of awards you’ve won, while others would say it’s all about profits and the cash money. It’s a matter of opinion, though we’re more likely to align our definition with the second. There are some artists that don’t have a lot of “official” industry support that are still some of the best bands of all time. Iron Maiden is an example.

They’ve only won one mainstream award, but have plenty of supporters and awards in their genre/niche of metal-rock. They’re not only one of the greatest metal-rock bands of all time according to public opinion, but they’ve sold over 100 million albums. Not too shabby for a band who’s been performing for over 40 years.

The Maiden Voyage of Iron Maiden

Before the band was Iron Maiden it was just an idea in the head of songwriter and bassist Steve Harris in London, around 1975. He was influenced by the current metal scene to make a band and that band (Iron Maiden) forged a path for British heavy metal music. The band first started gaining traction in the 1980s, though they had some hiccups with band member transitions. There are Iron Maiden purists who will only listen to a select few of their twenty-plus albums, but obviously (since you’re reading this) you’re not one of them.

Success and Reemergence

During the 80s the band had six albums that went either gold or platinum, making them one of the most successful metal bands of all time. They kept making music in the 90s, but their popularity lulled for a while, with the emergence of softer grunge-rock music (like Nirvana).

But that lull didn’t last forever. Their original head singer Bruce Dickenson re-joined the band in 1999, spiking their popularity and making sure there haven’t been any more lulls, since. Since the band has been playing together for over 40 years and some of the members are in their 60s, it’s best to get tickets to see them live, now.