u/KCIMBJGnR

I, probably like many others on here, can remember the first time I heard Maiden. It was during a music lesson in first year of high school when we were being taught about different styles of music and the example of heavy metal we were given was Iron Maiden and the song we were played was run to the hills. At the time I was learning guitar but I was a massive Bon Jovi and AC/DC fan at the time, I still am truth be told. I enjoyed the song but didn’t pay it overall much attention and occasionally listened to it again. Then there was a classic albums deal on iTunes when I was about 15 and number of the beast was purchased to ad listened to far too many times over the course of a family holiday in 40 degree heat in Italy. Shortly after that I watched Flight 666 and bought the album. I enjoyed it, maiden were good to listen to. I remember the announcement of the book of souls album, I remember giving it a cursory listen in my grand parents front room and being impressed by Bruce’s vocals given everything that happened in the run up to it.

Throughout all of this I was quite a big Shinedown fan and then maiden announced the UK leg of the book of souls tour with Shinedown in support. Tickets for Christmas/birthday were asked for from parents and duly supplied. I have always been very lucky musically with my parents (even if Bruce Dickinson’s voice gives my dad a headache).

I’ll be honest and say I wanted to go more for Shinedown than maiden. I still love Shinedown, I’ll follow you and I’m not alright are still two of my favourite songs. Amaryllis is a beautiful album.

I liked maiden and knew a quite a few of their songs, I looked at the setlist and decided I’d probably get more into them so I listened to the album The Book of Souls properly. That album will now always be one of my favourite of all time. When it gets to the title track though that is where everything clicked for me. For me that song is Maiden. It is everything anyone could possibly want from Iron Maiden. 9 minutes long, about some mythical historical thing, hard powered and beautifully melodic. It is a song that has always captivated me (I am listening to it now as I type this). The first time I properly heard the “Ascending the throne wearing feathers and shells…” portion of the song I knew I had found a song that would never ever leave me. In many ways I was very lucky that I fell in love with that song while they were still on that tour and was able to see it live. That is a memory that will never leave me. And even better one of the songs on the “live chapter” was recorded at a gig I was at.

This is my favourite maiden song, it is everything that maiden are and now nearly 10 years down the line from me first hearing it, it is still putting a smile on my face every single time I hear it. Been lucky enough to see them live another twice since then and everytime there is a new tour (hopefully there is many more to come) I will always keep my fingers crossed that they might include “The Book Of Souls” in the setlist.

The candidate must “Demonstrate the club’s values regarding equality, diversity and inclusion”

Get Status Quo going on the jukebox