Iron Maiden is Coming to Get You

Coinciding with the release of the long awaited 'Live After Death' concert footage on DVD, pre-sale tickets have already been snapped up for the upcoming Iron Maiden tour 'Somewhere Back in Time'.

Fans are still buzzing about the last tour, supporting Iron Maiden's 2006 release of 'A Matter of Life and Death' a powerful example of how the latest incarnation of Iron Maiden remains relevant in today's modern rock world. The tour sold out in arenas all over the world and surely introduced many new fans to the legions of dedicated metal heads who have followed the bands' music for years. The 2008 'Somewhere Back in Time' tour takes us back to the golden age of Iron Maiden's career, a retrospective in music of the albums that they released in the 80's. The choice of songs and the stage setup will be based on the Egyptian motif that was used on the 1984 -1985 'World Slavery Tour'. Band leader Steve Harris commented on next year's tour on the official site.

"l always loved the Powerslave show which I think was arguably our most spectacular ever, so taking it out again is really going to be a lot of fun. Taking our own 757 really makes it a lot more flexible for us and we intend to ram into the specially constructed cargo holds as much of the show as we possibly can."

A quick glance at the 2008 Tour Dates indicates how much distance the band will cover, made possible by the commission of their own commercial jet, from Astraeus Airlines, to facilitate moving the stage props and gear, which would ordinarily be transported by sea or other means. Singer Bruce Dickinson is a trained pilot and has been flying commercial passenger jets for Astraeus for a few years. He commented on the acquisition on the band's website

"It will go in for overhaul, painting and conversion in November which will then give us time to ensure we have all the necessary safety documentation, especially with regard to fire safety. It also means it could possibly be flying commercial air routes decked out in Maiden colours for a couple of months before we start!"

This time around the band will be visiting such far reaching places as Australia and Japan, as well as places where they never performed before, including India, Columbia and Costa Rica. Live After Death Last week's announcement of the release of the 'Live After Death' concert footage on DVD has raised the excitement amongst fans that have been waiting for this for ages. The original 'Live After Death' double album, released in 1985 captured the essence of the so called golden age of the band at the tail end of the extensive 'World Slavery Tour'. The footage was recorded in 1984 over four sold out shows at Los Angeles, Long Beach Arena and released on video the following year, but it's been a rare find for years, as long standing manager Ron Smallwood explains

"Fans have been begging us to do this DVD for some time now but we wanted to wait until we were able to recreate that whole tour to go with it and also to make it part of a series of DVDs that we are putting together around the band's history. And of course we are making sure that now we have got to it we will be giving the fans everything we can find from that period!!"

The Golden Years Iron Maiden began as one of the most unique sounding and creative acts that were a part of the so called NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal). Driven by founding member Steve Harris' pulsating bass and signature twin guitar sound, the band has become a pillar of the heavy metal, without ever compromising its sound for the latest trend in music. There have been some member changes in Iron Maiden's career which has now spanned more than 30 years, but two of it's members have always been there through the course. Founder Steve Harris who reputedly formed the first version of the band in his 'Nan's front room' and Dave 'the blond bomber' Murray who has been a constant presence since Maiden's first studio release. At the time of the concert recordings that resulted in the 'Live After Death' album, Iron Maiden was made up of a lineup that remained stable until the end of the 80's. Guitarist Adrian Smith had joined shortly before they headed to the studio to record their second album 'Killers' in 1981. Interestingly enough he had been offered the gig years before, having gone to school with Dave Murray and playing together in his band Urchin, but he had turned them down because that band had just released their own single in 1979. Two years later it was a chance meeting in the street that got him the second invitation and this time he jumped at the chance. By the end of 1981, Iron Maiden were just returning to England from their first world tour and they shocked fans with news that singer Paul Di'Anno had been dismissed from the band. There was much speculation on the group's future at the time, as Di'Anno's voice and delivery had been a signature part of the early Maiden sound. However he had become unreliable and it was getting to the point where the group was having to cancel gigs, because he was unable to perform. Though it may have seemed like a gamble at the time, when former Samson singer Bruce Dickinson joined the group in time for their third and most notorious release 'Number of the Beast', but his incredible vocal range and dynamic, easily recognizable voice won the fans over quickly and opened up new possibilities for the band's sound. The album itself became a catalyst for the worldwide fame that was to come, shooting to No.1 on the strength of the single 'Run to the Hills' and selling over a million copies worldwide. But Iron Maiden was not finished growing, their glory days of the 80's were just beginning and the final piece to the puzzle that would complete their golden era lineup came in the form of one man by the name of Nicko McBrain. Life on tour had taken it's toll on the band's young drummer Clive Burr and he was replaced by Nicko whose skill and range brought a new dimension to Iron Maiden's music, making their fourth album, 'Piece of Mind' one of the best they ever recorded. Though Steve Harris has penned many of the great Maiden songs, the beginning of the song writing team of Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson was marked by this album, a 'partnership that would blossom as the years went by.' as rock reporter Mick Wall writes. One more successful world tour later and the stage was set for the 'Powerslave' album that would define the band that performed the legendary set of concerts that ended up on the 'Live After Death' DVD. Many of the songs including the immortal 'Powerslave' and the epic 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' are among the best that any metal band has recorded, and fit perfectly into the ancient motif that made up the ambitious stage setting. The album art itself is a cornerstone of the brilliant and complex cover art that was produced by Derek Riggs for the band's early imagery. The story does not end there, because the albums were getting more complicated and innovative, with the introduction of futuristic guitar synths on 'Somewhere in Time' and the pinnacle achievement of the lineup that ended the 80's era, Maiden's full-fledged concept album 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'. The success of their tours and albums commercially surpassed anything they had done before and they ended the decade at the top of their game, one of the most influential and famous metal bands in the running. The 90's It's not that Iron Maiden has ever broken up, or taken more than a few years off from their work, but the 90's marked a new era and saw the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith and singer Bruce Dickinson, who both went on to work on solo projects. Joining the band to fill in for the departed Smith was Janick Gers, who's guitar wizardry brought a different kind of edge to the Maiden sound. He had been introduced to the band by Bruce who had worked with him on a solo project, while he was still a member of Maiden. This lineup lasted for two albums, the raw, back to basics approach of 'No Prayer for the Dying' and the triumphant 'Fear of the Dark', before Bruce finally left the band two months after that tour, feeling that he needed a change. Iron Maiden auditioned hundreds of new singers before they finally settled on Blaze Bayley formerly of Wolfsbane. They recorded two albums in the late 90's with Blaze, which are great to listen to, but nonetheless won a mixed reception from the fans, over the change. Reunion So the 90's passed and in 1999 Blaze left the band, by mutual consent, and Iron Maiden shocked fans by announcing that both Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith would be returning to the group and also that Janick Gers would be staying. That magic intangible combination of sound and talent was back and the band could now explore the powerful possibilities of three guitarists. The first offering 'Brave New World' was very well received by fans and critics alike. Seen by many as a comeback album, a fan who had followed their work throughout the years would probably hear a band that had mastered its sound many years ago and was playing now with an energy that seemed to be ushering in a new era of their music. Followup 'Dance of Death' and last year's 'A Matter of Life and Death' have proven that they have the drive and the boundless creativity to continue making the kind of music that their fans adore for years to come.

Iron Maiden

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