Maiden

Closing out the week and the I's is the mighty Iron Maiden. Without a doubt one of the most influential metal bands of all time. Even the mascot, Eddie, is iconic. Some three decades after first emerging on the scene Iron Maiden still remains a force to be reckoned with. Currently on tour reliving the Maiden America phase, the band still puts out quality records. The band has any number of classic records, whether you're a fan of Paul D'ianno or Bruce Dickinson, the albums are all timeless. But for my money it's the self-titled debut. The album opens with 'Prowler' and ends with 'Iron Maiden' not a single bad track in there. Every one worthy of an epic singalong. Sure I can argue 'Number Of The Beast' or 'Piece of Mind' was better, but the raw energy on the debut is what sells it. Plus c'mon the iconic Eddie album cover. A must for every self respecting metal head.

Maiden was prolly one of the first metal bands I got into, along with the likes of Metallica, The Misfits, and Motorhead. I remember knowing a dude in High School who had the debut Maiden record and I would listen to it all the time. The bass lines, the vocals, the twin guitar attack, it was all there. It drew me in, it made me want more. And once again, Eddie, what an awesome mascot. And with every album or single he took on another persona. Eddie is up there with the Motorhead skull, or the Misfits skull, or even Metallica's Scary Guy. Simply a genius mascot. There's always been something so epic about Maiden too, every record pushes the envelope. Still one of my favorite metal bands.

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