Iron Maiden

Formed in London in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris, Iron Maiden emerged as definitive pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal. [1, 6] The band's sound is forged by Harris's galloping basslines, intricate twin—and later triple—guitar harmonies, and the operatic vocals of Bruce Dickinson. [5, 7] Their compositions are structurally ambitious and thematically expansive, drawing lyrical inspiration from history, literature, and mythology. [1, 8] Fusing the velocity of punk with the complexity of progressive rock, Iron Maiden established a distinct sonic signature that has codified a subgenre and exerted a substantial influence on subsequent generations of metal. [7, 10, 16]