Iron Maiden

Looking for Iron Maiden chords? You came to the right place! The heavy metal group Iron Maiden was formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris in East London. After making a name for themselves in the London metal scene they were picked up by EMI Records in 1979. During the band’s first years, Harris had been joined on stage by various musicians, yet by the time of their full debut release he had settled on guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, drummer Clive Burr and vocalist Paul Di’Anno. However, over the years, the group’s line-up would remain unstable. A proponent of the “new wave of British heavy metal”, together with bands like Def Leppard and Mötorhead, Iron Maiden picked up where earlier successful British heavy rock acts like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath had left off. Known for their daring lyrics, polished harmony guitar lines and power chords, Iron Maiden became one of the most influential metal acts of all time. Despite minor airplay on radio and television, they managed to acquire worldwide success, selling over 100 million records and playing more than 2000 live performances in 63 different countries.

Breakthrough

Iron Maiden released their self-titled debut album in 1980. It did reasonably well, debuting at number four on the UK album charts. Its follow-up, Killers, arrived a year later and featured Adrian Smith on guitar, having replaced Stratton. The band went on a world tour to promote the album, whereafter lead singer Di’Anno was dismissed as his performance deteriorated due to his boundless use of cocaine. Bruce Dickinson got hired as his replacement and with him on board, Iron Maiden recorded their third album, The Number Of The Beast, issued in 1982. Later to be considered an all-time classic, it was their first album to top the UK album charts and features the song “Hallowed By The Name”, seen by many as one of the greatest heavy metal songs in history. Interested to learn which chords Iron Maiden used on this famous track? You will find them below! While subsequently touring the US, the band acquired additional fame as Christian activists, and conservative politicians in America blamed Iron Maiden for being Satanic, an accusation which the group dismissed as being “silliness”.

Far from done

Undeterred by the replacement of Burr by drummer Nicko McBrain in 1983, Iron Maiden released four more studio albums during the 80s. Although all of them hit albums, it was 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son which received most critical acclaim. The record saw the band experimenting with new sounds, incorporating synthesized basses as well as keyboards into their music. Following the 1992 release of Fear Of The Dark, Bruce Dickinson left the band to work on his own music, his place being taken by vocalist Blaze Bayley. Also with Janick Gers on guitar instead of Smith, this configuration of the band released two albums during the latter half of the 90s. Both releases were relatively unsuccessful though and Dickinson and Smith returned to the line-up in 1999, with Bailey dropping out again. Now containing three guitarists, Iron Maiden were to repeat their success of the 80s during the 2000s, releasing new albums like Brave New World and Dance Of Death and performing for massive live audiences all over the world. Apparently still having enough left in the tank, Iron Maiden released their sixteenth studio album, The Book Of Souls, in 2016. All Iron Maiden chords can be found below, enjoy!