Iron Maiden

Since their inception in the mid-'70s, Iron Maiden have not only delivered, but also defined the very essence of British heavy metal. Their imagery is that of hell, damnation, and warfare; their sound harnesses volcanic power to a vast horizon of octaves; and their mascot is a wild-eyed, sinewy zombie chap called Eddie.

Iron Maiden's 1980 self-titled debut and the harder-edged follow-up, Killers, both feature Paul Di Anno on vocals. By 1982 he would be gone, the victim of a drinking problem, and replaced by Bruce Dickinson, whose incredible set of lungs and thinking rocker's persona led the band to its strongest incarnation.

By 1986, with their standing in the world of heavy metal as solid as granite, Iron Maiden took a creative risk by stirring synths into their cauldron of sound. The result was Somewhere In Time. On the back of fizzing tracks like "Sea of Madness" the band proved they could run with the times without diluting their molten life force.

Of all Iron Maiden's many conquests, perhaps the most satisfying was knocking squeaky-clean Cliff Richard off the first U.K. #1 spot of 1991 with "Bring Your Daughter…To the Slaughter." Despite a few inevitable lineup hiccups, Maiden remains a force to be reckoned with. Blaze Bayley made a valiant stab at replacing singer Bruce Dickinson (an Olympic-caliber fencer to boot) in the early '90s, but the reunited 2005 touring lineup is keeping Maiden's sulphurous flame alive.