Tour Alert: Iron Maiden North American Tour Dates

JUN 21	Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
JUN 23	Atlanta, GA Aarons Amphitheatre
JUN 26	Boston, MA Comcast Center
JUN 27	Wantagh, NY Jones Beach
JUN 29	Philadelphia, PI Susquehanna Bank Center
JUN 30	Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
JUL 02	Newark, NJ Prudential Center
JUL 05	Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank
JUL 08	Quebec, QC Colisee Pepsi Arena
JUL 11	Montreal, QC Bell Center
JUL 13	Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
JUL 14	Sarnia, ON Bayfest
JUL 16	Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
JUL 18	Detroit, MI DTE Music Theatre
JUL 19	Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Centre
JUL 24	Winnipeg, MB MTS Center
JUL 26	Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
JUL 27	Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
JUL 29	Vancouver, BC Pacific Coliseum
JUL 30	Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
AUG 01	Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
AUG 03	San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
AUG 06	Phoenix, AZ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
AUG 09	Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
AUG 12	Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Pavilion
AUG 13	Denver, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
AUG 15	San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
AUG 17	Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
AUG 18	Houston, TX The Woodlands

Earlier this week, British metal greats Iron Maiden announced the North American dates of their Maiden England World Tour.

This 29-stop trek (with more dates to be announced) will mimic the live concert VHS Maiden England, shot in November 1988 when the band was touring on the album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The set list will likely include most or all of the following Maiden classics:

• Moonchild
• The Evil That Men Do
• The Prisoner
• Still Life
• Die With Your Boots On
• Infinite Dreams
• Killers
• Can I Play With Madness?
• Heaven Can Wait
• Wasted Years
• The Clairvoyant
• Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
• The Number Of The Beast
• Hallowed Be Thy Name
• Iron Maiden

Lead singer Bruce Dickinson commented in the press release, “Our intention is to play about two thirds of the original track list of Maiden England, including some songs we have not played live in a very, very long time.”

Shock rocker Alice Cooper will open for Maiden on all shows up to July 21, at which time he will separately tours Europe. After July 21, Maiden will be accompanied by Coheed and Cambria.

Tickets for most shows go on sale March 2 and 3. When possible, the band will sell paperless tickets to counter scalping efforts.

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Top 5 Black Sabbath Covers

Black Sabbath is considered one of the forefathers of heavy metal; Tony Iommi’s vinyl-tipped right middle and ring fingers are credited with single-handedly (or double-fingeredly) creating the original sound that sparked an entire genre of music.

In respect to the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal, many groups and artists have covered Black Sabbath’s work. Here’s the best of the best.

Related Articles Top 5 Deathproof Rockstars Top 5 Name-Dropping Heavy Metal Songs HEAVY Rotation: Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”

5. “War Pigs” by Cake

An unusual choice, Cake is the only group on this list that isn’t metal. Alternative rock is the shortest way to describe their music, but they are known for covering a wide variety of genres. Their cover of “War Pigs” appears on their 2007 compilation album, B-Sides and Rarities, along with a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night.”
The addition of sirens between verses and singer John McCrea’s sprechgesang monotone are a refreshing contrast of Ozzy Osbourne’s high-pitched shrieking. (But no one really gets sick of that.)

4. “Paranoid” by Megadeth

For Megadeth’s cover of “Paranoid,” the thrash band turned up the distortion, doubled the double-kick and inserted Dave Mustaine’s raw vocals. The uptempo, two-and-a-half minute rendition was recorded for the 1994 Sabbath tribute album, Nativity in Black, and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Metal Performance (but lost to Nine Inch Nails). Still, Megadeth’s signature style and Mustaine’s distinct voice make for the best “Paranoid” cover possible.

3. “Sabbra Cadabra” by Metallica

Metallica’s 1998 two-disc cover album, Garage Inc., is made up of metal influences. The Bay Area band couldn’t have recorded the album without a Sabbath song, and they picked “Sabbra Cadabra” and put the Metallica finish on it: James Hetfield’s powerful voice, Kirk Hammett’s high-note solos, Lars Ulrich’s drum-thumping and then-bassist Jason Newsted’s… well, there’s a bassline, if you listen very closely. With that recording, Metallica saluted Sabbath and went on to play onstage with Osbourne at their 2009 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2. “Hole in the Sky” by Pantera

I’ve watched the dogs of war enjoying their feast, I’ve seen the western world go down in the east “Hole in the Sky” Sabotage (1975)

One of the lesser-known covers, “Hole in the Sky” was released on Pantera’s 2003 greatest hits compilation, The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits!. The Cowboys from Hell but their southern-metal spin on the 1975 song, with Phil Anselmo’s aggressive vocals growling out the lyrics. Vinnie Paul’s steady, cymbal-accented drumbeat drives the song and Dimebag Darrell’s high-gain lead guitar mimics Iommi note for note. It’s a song you can nod to if you don’t feel like headbanging and still throw up the horns violently.

1. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Anthrax

If anyone could come close to Ozzy Osbourne’s voice, it’s Joey Belladonna of Anthrax. Their cover of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” for their 1987 EP, I’m the Man, ousts all other imitators (sorry, Bruce Dickinson). The energy in the song illustrates the influence Sabbath had on Anthrax and how they wished to dedicate this cover to their mentors. Scott Ian progresses with the wickedly heavy riff from start to finish, throwing in some solos over a bassline that would make Geezer Butler proud.
To them, it’s not just Sabbath. It’s Sabbath. Bloody. Sabbath.

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Top 5 Name-Dropping Heavy Metal Songs

In this Top 5, I’m listing the best heavy metal songs that mention the name of the band performing. This type of self-praise isn’t prevalent in heavy metal, but that’s the only genre in which I could find five examples from five relatively well-known songs within the subculture. If you listen to metal, you may already know the name-dropping lyrics, but if not, here’s some trivia for you.

5. “Bring Tha Noize” by Anthrax & Public Enemy

Arguably the most well-known heavy metal and hip-hop collaboration, “Bring Tha Noize” name-drops a number of musicians with Anthrax among them. As guitarist Scott Ian raps the last verse, the rest of the band sneaks in the shout-out, “Wax is for Anthrax” with gang vocals. Those four words are what barely got them on this list.

4. “Whiplash” by Metallica

A headbanging classic, “Whiplash” off of Metallica’s 1983 debut album, Kill ‘Em All, name-drops the band six tracks in:

Hotel rooms and motorways, life out there is raw
We’ll never stop, we’ll never quit ’cause we’re Metallica

Boastful? Perhaps, but to be fair, lead singer James Hetfield often alters the lyrics in concert to, “we’ll never quite ’cause you’re Metallica,” referring to the fans. For nearly 30 years and several line-up changes, they’ve stayed true to their word and they’re still touring to this day.

3. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath

The title track to Black Sabbath’s 1973 album, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is an oft-skipped fan favourite. While the song doesn’t contain the band’s full name, Black Sabbath is among a handful of bands that are recognizable by the last word in their name. (That list also includes Zeppelin, Priest and Maiden.) The words “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” are heard in the final verse, so technically, the song mentions them twice.

On a side note, the song, “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath did not make the list because the song does not mention Black Sabbath in its lyrics, only the title.

2. “We Are Motörhead” by Motörhead

In yet another Motörhead song that slightly modified the “Ace of Spades” riff, “We Are Motörhead” is two minutes and twenty-one seconds of ego-stroking braggartry. But Lemmy’s line, “We are Motörhead, born to kick your ass” is an entirely accurate statement in the band’s live shows. Despite the masturbatory nature of it, the song’s energy and ferocity makes it one of the better name-dropping tunes. Not to mention that it was released 25 years after they started playing, so I think they earned the right to self-praise.

1. “Iron Maiden” by Iron Maiden

The song “Iron Maiden” by Iron Maiden (off of the band’s 1980 debut album, self-titled Iron Maiden) has original lead singer Paul Di’Anno sing boastfully, though with a double-meaning, of the band:

Iron Maiden can’t be fought,
Iron Maiden can’t be sought
…
Oh Well, wherever, wherever you are,
Iron Maiden’s gonna get you, no matter how far

The song is considered an anthem for the fans and is still played with current lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson. To Maiden fans, it’s up there with “Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills,” earning it the number one spot on this list.

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HEAVY Rotation: Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”

In April 1982, Iron Maiden released “The Number of the Beast” as a single off of the album of the same name. Penned by bassist Steve Harris after a having nightmare from watching Damien: Omen II, the song became a heavy metal classic to fans and the devil’s music to social conservatives.

The Number of the Beast was controversial, to say the least. In traditional Iron Maiden form, the cover featured the band’s frightening mascot, Eddie, puppeteering a red devil (pitchfork and all) from the fingernails of his flesh-and-bones skeleton. But lyrically, the title track was most scrutinized.

The song begins with two Bible verses:

“Woe to you O earth and sea for the Devil sends the beast with wrath because he knows the time is short … Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number. Its number is six hundred and sixty six.”
- Revelation 12:12, 13:18

Then the intro begins a near-five-minute metal anthem so heavy, it requires two lead guitarists. Add the following lyrics from all three choruses:

In the mist, dark figures move and twist
Was all this for real or just some kind of hell?
6! 6-6! The number of the beast
Hell and fire were spawned to be released
…
In the night, the fires burning bright
The ritual has begun, Satan’s work is done
6! 6-6! The number of the beast
Sacrifice is going on tonight
…
6! 6-6! The number of the beast
6! 6-6! The one for you and me

The chanting of 6-6-6 and the dark imagery caused American right-wingers to label Iron Maiden as a “Satanic band.” However, the album became a critical success that yielded two other hit singles (“Run to the Hills” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name”) that supported their 1982 Beast on the Road world tour.

So, despite the uproar at the beginning, it led to global recognition, a 187-date tour and multi-platinum certification between the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Satan’s work is done…