Steve Harris formed the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which has a decades-long history that includes albums like The Number of the Beast.

Iron Maiden was founded in East London by the indisputable Steve Harris, who is also the band’s primary songwriter. They are unquestionably committed to the New Wave of Heavy Metal. Strangely, despite having sold well over 90 million albums and scoring 35 Top 40 hits, such as “Be Quick Or Be Dead,” “Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter,” and their hit song, “The Number Of The Beast,” very few people outside of their ardent fan base are aware of the group’s musical accomplishments.

With drummer Doug Sampson, guitarist Dave Murray (another long-hauler), and vocalist Paul Di’Anno—a metal-punk rocker from Chigwell whose earthy skinhead rasp enriched the first Iron Maiden releases—the original Iron Maiden line-up made their teeth performing in British pubs. Despite a number of adjustments With Bruce Dickinson as its most well-known vocalist, the group has managed to retain a fiercely impressive body of music and a really compelling frontman and star.

The Iron Men have a remarkable roster of acolytes that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, in addition to the melodic death metal genre, in case others outside the magic circle haven’t caught up yet. They have been immortalized in the alt-pop culture by Weezer, Aqua, Sum 41, and Wheatus in “Teenage Dirtbag.” As fans, they may also list Dream Theatre, Slipknot, and Trivium. With a frequently satirical flair, Iron Maiden has taken metal down the horror road, thanks to its comic-book-style artwork and mascot Eddie The Head. Perhaps you already wore the T-shirt. It’s time to listen to the music again.

Thanks to the Harris and Murray axis, Iron Maiden, who formed in Leyton in the mid-1970s, were always known for their exceptional skill. First heard on the 1980 collection Metal For Muthas and the elusive EP The Soundhouse Tapes, Iron Maiden made their official debut with the intriguingly named album of the same name, which was produced by Wil Malone. This disk pushed metal to a punky new level and included early hits like “Sanctuary” and “Running Free.” Those tracks are being played today.

Produced by metal virtuoso Martin Birch, the trio immediately made a splash with their follow-up Killers. They also relinquished the lovely “Wratchchild” and added “Twilight Zone” to the US edition.

With Bruce Dickinson joining them, The Number of the Beast became their alter ego and a No. 1 album. Run To The Hills, the album’s title track, and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” solidified the legend and made the record a must-listen. The same is true of Piece Of Mind, Powerslave, and Live After Death’s accompanying on-stage blitzkrieg. The doomsday chiller “2 Minutes To Midnight” and the ballad “Aces High” were now new essential tracks.

Adrian Smith, the second guitarist, contributed the songs “Wasted Years” and “Stranger In A Strange Land,” which helped the band break out in the US. The legendary Urchin cover “Sheriff Of Huddersfield,” recorded by a Maiden/Urchin/FM combo under the moniker The, was reissued in 1995.

Producer Birch fully utilized the technological advancements at Musicland Studios, Munich, to create a progressive sound for Maiden’s 1988 album Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, which features heavy guitar synths and thunderous drum fills and patterns by drummer Nicko McBrain. This album is regarded as a masterpiece. The highlight of this performance is the eerie “The Clairvoyant,” which was released as a single in live form as one of three sets from the band’s historic 1988 Monsters of Rock performance at Donington Park. Later, it was included in the box set Eddie’s Archive, a 2002 collector’s item that came in an embossed metal box.

Included in No Prayer For The Dying are the creepy “Holy Smoke” and “Bring Your Daughter,” whose video was

created by Harris. Janick Gers takes over on the third guitar as well. The Hartlepool native Gers was a member of White Spirit and Gillan before his opulent playing adorned Bruce Dickinson’s first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire.

Bruce’s final album before his comeback in 1999 was Fear Of The Dark, released in 1992. It’s disregarded a lot, but not at all. Fans’ favorites are “Be Quick Or Be Dead” and the Grammy-nominated “Fear Of The Dark,” but when Blaze Bayley (former Wolfsbane) took over for Dickinson and Martin Birch, there was concern among the loyal. Virtual XI later caused controversy, but Bruce’s comeback on Brave New World in 2000 thrilled the hard rock community, who devoured the album and the smash song.