O God of earth and altar Bow down and hear our cry Our earthly rulers falter Our peolple drift and die The walls of gold entombe us The swords of scorn divide Take not thy thunder from us But take away our pride (g. k. chesterton: english hymnal)
Iron Maiden Revelations (live 2006)
Iron Maiden has been carrying the torch of heavy metal for over twenty years. I still remember the day I saw their video playing on MTV. Yes, on TV. It was late at night on Head Bangers Ball. It was an odd show that would mix the thrash of Testament and the hair of Bon Jovi. Yet on came a video of their legendary performance at Castle Donington in England in 1988 in front of over 70,000 fans for the Monsters of Rock festival. The bass line had me hooked. They were different.
It wasn’t what they looked like or what clothes they wore; no to my sophisticated teen mind I knew that this was metal.
They had a classic singer in Bruce Dickinson who had and still has an energetic stage presence and could sing with ease. The leader, bassist and head song writer Steve Harris has taken the band through many different eras and over eighteen albums.
They have never had a top radio hit in the U.S., something the band almost embraces as most of their songs are too long for radio play. However they have sold over 50 million albums in twenty three years and just recently played to over 300,000 fans in Brazil. Yet beyond longevity they can be considered one of the most influential bands in music influencing an entire generation of metal. They have won awards, been inducted into halls of fame, and are respected in all circles of music.I leave with the video that hooked me.
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