This is because the band doesn’t make music fans want to hear — Iron Maiden makes music Iron Maiden wants to hear, which is to say, material that represents a continuous journey onwards. This is evinced by Senjutsu, its 17th studio album, which was officially released on Sept 3. While sharing DNA with the refined melodies of the turn-of-the-millennium’s Brave New World, the album that saw lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith rejoin the band following a mid-Nineties exile, Senjutsu feels very forward-looking. Rather than indulge in the musical style that once made them so famous — Metallica did this with Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, for example — Iron Maiden’s new works are just that: new.
For a band that’s never had a No 1 hit on the global musical charts — we aren’t taking into account chart-topping singles so 1992’s Send your Daughter to the Slaughter doesn’t count — English heavy metal band Iron Maiden has not had a problem selling albums or filling stadiums in its 41 years.
Lady Gaga once commented that “the devotion of the fans moving in unison, pumping their fists, watching the show, when I see that, I see the paradigm for my future and the relationship I want to have with my fans. Iron Maiden‘s never had a hit song, and they tour stadiums around the world, and their fans live, breathe and die for Maiden, and that is my dream”.
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