Iron Maiden Rock Opera

Although the definition of epic style in metal music is something different; the solid rhythm of Iron Maiden music is somehow epic by term definition, particularly when it is accompanied by epic lyrics. From the second album, Iron Maiden have reserved a constant position for their characteristic epic songs in every album, which are usually long tracks with operatic lyrics.

As a part of the Steve Harris leadership, almost all of these operatic tracks have been solely written by Steve Harris. These songs are usually placed as the last track of the album.

Iron Maiden (1980): Phantom of the Opera, a French novel by Gaston Leroux, was the basis of many musical works, and even the famous <a href="https://emag.co.uk/top-50s-rock-roll-music-hit-songs-dance-fun/”>rock opera of Andrew Llyod Webber with the same name. Although the track, Phantom of the Opera, is also an operatic song; the characteristic operatic songs were recorded with Bruce Dickinson.

Bruce Dickinson Vocals

Probably, one of the reasons for the band interest in this kind of operatic songs was the flexibility of Bruce Dickinson vocals for this purpose. On the other hand, strong bass rhythm could provide a solid background for an epic rock opera. It should be a natural tendency towards epic opera when performing a rock opera in the realms of heavy metal.

The Number of the Beast (1982): The last track, Hallowed Be Thy Name, is the story of a man condemned to execution, as he narrates his feeling in such a strange situation.

Piece of Mind (1983): To Tame a Land, which was inspired by the classic science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert, is about a “true leader of men”.

Powerslave (1984): as the track title suggests, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, based on a poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (written in 1978), is a story about a journey of an ancient mariner across the seas.

Somewhere in Time (1986): Alexander the Great is a historical story of the Macedonian king, and how he got the power and died in fever.