To date, Iron Maiden is credited for having sold records numbering 75 million. Because of their enduring music and pronounced influence, they have been deemed worthy of occupying a spot on the Hollywood RockWalk. As proof of its widening scope of influence, the group continues to be notably featured in movies, games and songs by other artists.

Band Past

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Iron Maiden especially when it comes to band lineups. Steve Harris started the group in 1975, taking the name from the iron maiden torture tool featured in The Man in the Iron Mask. Harris who is the bassist and studio keyboardist is joined by guitarist David Murray as the only two members who have endured the longest with the band.

Presently, band members include Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals who is joined by Janick Gers on guitar; Adrian Smith on backup vocals and guitar and Nicko McBrian on percussion and drums. Michael Kenney takes on the keyboards for live performances. Former members include Dennis Stratton, Dennis Wilcock, Paul Day, Paul Di’Anno, Clive Burr and Doug Sampson. As with many other bands, not all former members left in good standing with the group. Some had to be forced out or had to leave due to professional altercations.

Albums Out

Iron Maiden has had an outstanding thirty releases spanning more than three decades of their music career. Of this number, fourteen are studio albums, four are EPs, five are compilations and seven are live Iron Maiden albums. Their work has led to the band’s inclusion in numerous charts and lists including the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement, the VH1 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and the MTV Top 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time.

Just to describe a few of the 14 studio albums released in the three-decade long career of Iron Maiden:

• Iron Maiden released in 1980 is the self-titled album that carries such popular pieces as The Phantom of the Opera, Sanctuary and the self-titled song Iron Maiden
• The band’s highest selling album Number of the Beast came out two years later with Bruce Dickinson on vocals and is thought to be one of the top influential albums of all time in the genre of heavy metal, having sold more than 14 million copies
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son was a 1988 release and is regarded as a lyrical composition focusing on mysticism, reincarnation and the afterlife
• The Final Frontier is the most recent body of work that is scheduled to come out this year some time in summer

The group is definitely not in danger of disappearing from band posters any time soon. As the fans of Iron Maiden always say in greeting and farewells, up the irons!

Band Story

Misfits was formed in 1977 in New Jersey with Glenn Danzig as singer and songwriter, Jimmy Battle on guitar, Diane DiPiazza on bass guitar and Manny Martinez on drums. During its first six years as a band, the band had so many changes in its line-up that it began to take on the look of musical chairs, with Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only as the permanent fixtures. As of last count, there were a total of 17 official members of the Misfits with as many as 8 drummers.

The band disbanded in 1983 but was resurrected, in a manner of speaking, in 1995 but only after a series of nasty legal battles for the right to use the name. It was to be expected as, during the official hiatus of the band, its influence in the punk rock, alternative rock and heavy metal genres has been firmly established. Thus, any person who will take on the name will have almost instant appeal in the new music market.

At present, the members of the group are Jerry Only (a.k.a. Gerald Caifa) on lead vocals and bass guitar, Des Cadena on backing vocals and guitar as well as Robo (a.k.a. Roberto Valverde) on drums. Music fans may hope that there will be no musical chairs coming up but it is still a possibility given the band’s rocky history, pun intended.

Studio Albums Released

The Misfits are considered the pioneers of the subgenre known as horror punk or death punk. This musical style blends punk rock with other musical influences coupled with liberal doses of morbid imagery particularly of death, thus, the name assigned to the genre.

In its more than three decades in the music industry, the band has released 6 studio Misfits albums, 2 live albums, four extended plays (EPs), one box set, five music videos, one DVD, 12 singles and, sadly enough, one cancelled Misfits album. In many ways, the band is one of the most productive and most influential rock bands in the industry.

The following are the studio albums released in the market to date by the group:

• Walk Among Us- Fans consider Static Age and 12 Hits from Hell as the true first Misfits albums but this piece of work is the first release for 1982
• Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood- This December 1983 release is important for being Glenn Danzig’s last recording with the group
• American Psycho- The title of this album was taken from a Bret Easton Ellis novel and was released in 1997
• Static Age- This was released in its complete form in 1997 but was really originally recorded in 1978
• Famous Monster- Lady Gaga may be dominating the airwaves now but this 1999 album came before she ever became a household name
• Project 1950- As the title suggests, this one is a collection of songs from the 1950s

The Misfits don’t have to work hard to stay popular. They are every bit as popular now as they were before and fans continue to eagerly wait for band and music merch developments.

Age however doesn’t seem to be an indication of how successful a group can become. Despite being young, the group is on the road to greater achievements. Current members include Rian Dawson on drums, Jack Bakarat on rhythm guitar and backup vocals, Zachary Merrick on bass guitar and Alexander Gaskarth on lead guitar and lead vocals.

Band History

The members of All Time Low began playing together when they were only in the eighth grade. True to their genre, they started playing songs by the pioneers of pop punk, Blink 182. The group however that has exerted the most influence on them is New Found Glory. This established band has been so influential that the young band’s name is lifted from their song “Head On Collision.”

It didn’t take long for the group to eventually get out of their cover band status. The All Time Low music merch already boasts of a growing collection of work. They now have three albums, eight singles and two extended plays. A DVD is set for release this year.

Albums Out

After becoming a group, the band was able to grab a deal with Emerald Moon Records. This led to the production of their EP, “The Three Words to Remember in Dealing with the End.” This was followed by the first All Time Low album “The Party Scene.” This was the highlight of the band’s career in 2005.

The next year, however, the group signed on to Hopeless Records. This was before the band members even graduated from high school, which gives an idea of just how talented the new kids on the block were in terms of their music. The first result of this new record deal was the re-recording of songs from the debut album with the addition of 2 new materials for the EP release, the latter of which entered the Top Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts. One might say that this was the start of All Time Low’s ride to an all-time high in the business of music.

In 2007, the band released “So Wrong, It’s Right”. This was the album that paved the way for mainstream exposure, with the accolade of 2008 Band of the Year awarded by the Alternative Press Magazine to prove it.

To hammer the point of their rise to fame, the band teamed up with Blink 182′s Mark Hoppus on its third All Time Low album, “Nothing Personal” which was released in July 2009 still under the Hopeless Records label and available in both CD and digital download formats. In more recent news, the band’s upcoming fourth album will be released through Interscope Records.

The band’s name isn’t all too accurate. For a group called All Time Low, they don’t seem to be at the bottom of their game. From all appearance, they are well into an all time high.