Iron Maiden are, without question, the greatest metal band of all time. Yes, I said it. If you don’t share my opinion, you fail as a metal fan and I hate you then it’s perfectly fine. The originators of the genre, Black Sabbath, surely would have something to say about this title. You can also throw in Judas Priest and Metallica into the mix, as well.
I’ll be honest and admit composing a top 10 Iron Maiden list was quite a challenge. But after countless nights of no sleep and ridiculous pressure and physical abuse from the Dose of Metal crew (to deliver the absolute best 10 Iron Maiden tracks), I actually succeeding coming up with a legit list.
So, what are you waiting for? Make the jump to view the 10 greatest Iron Maiden songs!
#10 – Stranger in a Strange Land (1986)
To me, Somewhere in Time is usually the 80s Iron Maiden album that people usually forget about. Well, not necessarily forget, just usually not in any fan’s top 3. I think it’s beyond underrated and that ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ is the strongest song on the album. Very catchy riffing throughout the track, and why isn’t the solo brought up more often? It might be a little slow paced for some fans, but I still think it’s Iron Maiden’s 10th best song.
#9 – Die With Your Boots On (1983)
Alright, now we got ourselves a song with more of a punch to it! The tune is basically a straight up headbanger. Everyone shines on here and lyrically — it’s top notch. They obviously started to get more epic lyrically when Bruce joined the band for Number Of the Beast, and it really shows on Piece of Mind. I don’t consider Iron Maiden to be power metal at all, but clearly they have a few songs that could pass for that genre – and ‘Die With Your Boots’ On’ is one of them.
#8 – Iron Maiden (1980)
As we all know, they sounded completely different in the Di’Anno era. They were raw sounding and had a more old school metal feel to them. To me, the track ‘Iron Maiden’ is their shinning point in the Di’Anno days (everyone will have a different opinion, some will say ‘Wrathchild,’ some will say ‘Phantom Of The Opera’, etc). The line ‘Oh well, wherever, wherever you are, Iron Maiden‘s gonna get you, no matter how faaaaar’ gets to me every single time! I swear, I can’t help to head bang like a crazy mofo when I hear that line. The defining song from the Paul DiAnno era.
#7 – The Legacy (2006)
It’s rare for me to put a song that was released five years ago in a top 10 list of a band that’s been around forever. Surprisingly enough, ‘The Legacy’ from Iron Maiden‘s A Matter Of Life And Death made the list. ‘The Legacy’ builds up beautifully halfway through the song and I get chills when I hear Bruce singing again in the 6:44 mark (okay, saying chills might have been the wrong word, but you know exactly what I mean).
Maiden‘s most epic song to date.
#6 – 2 Minutes to Midnight (1984)
‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ is the first of three from Powerslave. This is clearly one of Iron Maiden‘s most concert-friendly songs Well, why not? The guitar intro is incredible. Nicko’s fills at the beginning also rule and a really catchy singalong chorus for the crowd. That’s why it’s a huge fan favorite live. No way a so-called Maiden fan can dislike ‘2 Minutes to Midnight.’ No way.
#5 – Flash Of The Blade (1984)
Here’s the 2nd song from Powerslave to make the top 10, another song that I think is underrated in the Maiden catalog. Have they even played this live? Does anyone else think this is one of their best? Does Bruce also agree it’s a top 5 song from his band? Who knows? Steve, Bruce, whoever in the band, I know you are not reading this, pleeease play this live next time and release it on your next DVD. Thanks.
#4 – Aces High (1984)
The third and final song from Powerslave (best album?). Let’s be honest with ourselves… ‘Aces High’ is possibly the best opener ever. Do you agree? Well, too bad, because I think so (although ‘Painkiller’ might have a say). Anyway, this is probably the song I’d introduce to anyone that is interested in this band. ‘Aces High’ has it all: speed, amazing vocals, galloping, kickass drumming. What an amazing song!
#3 – Can I Play With Madness (1988)
Probably Iron Maiden‘s most commercial song. I think the reason why I’m putting this at number 2 is because the chorus is the most catchiest thing I’ve ever heard. You can listen to this song and then you automatically get it stuck in your head for the rest of the day (I like it when that happens). In the end, ‘Can I Play With Madness’ is not your most technical Maiden song, but it gets the job done for being ridiculously catchy and a fun straight-forward metal song (kinda like in the DiAnno days, eh?).
#2 – Infinite Dreams (1988)
I love ‘Infinite Dreams.’ This was so close to taking the number one spot (who knows I might even change my mind). The reason I love this song so much is because it’s all over the place, musically speaking. Actually, the whole Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album is like that. It was the most polished, most progressive sounding album yet back in ’88. Anyway, ‘Infinite Dreams’ doesn’t really sound like your typical Maiden track, but it’s awesome and deserves all the credit it gets.
#1 – The Wicker Man (2000)
I knew Iron Maiden for as long as I can remember. I’ll be honest, they didn’t really do much for me at one point in my life. That was until I was watching an episode of Loud (a show on Much Music). They debuted ‘The Wicker Man’ and holy crap, I was blown away! This was their big comeback song and it didn’t disappoint. They did good things with Blaze Bayley but Bruce coming back was the best thing to happen to Iron Maiden going into the new millennium. As for ‘The Wicker Man,’ it sounds so old school. I honestly think this song is easily good enough to be on classics like Powerslave or Piece of Mind. It’s fast, has the energy Maiden are known for and it’s an instant classic for old fans and new ones alike (like myself in 2000). ‘The Wicker Man’ is the best Iron Maiden song. Period.
