In the summer of 1979, due to Maiden and other heavy rock bands playing the clubs and pubs, Heavy Metal began to reestablish itself at a grass-roots level and soon the media began to take notice, calling the movement "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal." Maiden released a three-track single, "the Soundhouse Tapes," on their self-financed label, Rock Hard Records, and were soon overwhelmed by orders through the mail. The first pressing sold out in less than a week.

Record company interest was hot on the heels of the media, and in December 1979 Maiden signed a long-term, worldwide deal with EMI Records. The first single, "Running Free," was released in February 1980 and crashed into the Top 50 in the UK during the first week of release, leading to a I "Top Of The Pops" appearance (which the band insisted on doing totally live; becoming the first to do so since The Who eight years previous). In March, Maiden sup- I ported Judas Priest on their UK tour, then immediately released their first album, Iron Maiden, which shot straight into the album charts at No. 4. Maiden followed this with a 45-date headline concert hall tour of the UK, climaxed by their first sell-out at the Rain- bow Theatre in London.

After a long, hard beginning, a great deal had happened for the band in a very short time in the UK, and the rest of Europe was not far behind. Following a triumphant appearance at the Reading Festival in August 1980, the band went to Europe for 30 concerts as the special guests of Kiss. Word obviously preceded them, as the tour proved to be an enormous success with the band raising thunder everywhere.

In the winter of 1980 the band recorded their second album, Killers, with producer Martin Birch, noted for his work with Deep Purple, Rainbow and Black Sabbath. The LP, released in February 1981, heralded an enormously successful year for the band. They embarked on the colossal "Killer World Tour," encompassing over 120 concerts in 15 countries, including the band's first visits to the U.S.A. and Japan. In 1981 Maiden sold well over a million albums and crashed into the album charts of every major market in the world, with Killers cracking the Top 10 in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Belgium, and tearing into the Top 70 in the U.S.A.

In Germany police were called to quell small riots in record shops where the band had arranged autograph signing sessions for the fans. In the U.S.A., the only country where the band did not headline, the fans were buying more Maiden t-shirts (featuring their notorious pal "Eddie") than many headline acts could expect. And their three concerts in Tokyo were sold out in less than two hours - three months prior to the gig. The Japanese concerts, by the way, were recorded and four of the tracks - "Running Free," "Remember Tomorrow," "Killers," and "Innocent Exile" - were released on a four-song mini-LP, Maiden Japan, in October 1981.

At the end of the tour, the band took on new vocalist Bruce Dickinson who, following a handful of gigs, was christened the "Air Raid Siren" by the fans. In February Maiden began recording their third LP, The Number Of The Beast. Originally scheduled for a March 5th release, the album had to be delayed to March 25th because of mysterious malfunctions of equipment in the studio and the unusual difficulties the band had in laying down the title track.

As soon as the band began recording The Number Of The Beast, the incarnation of Evil, the Beast 666, equipment which had proved totally reliable on an eight-month world tour started to behave mysteriously. Steve Harris' bass stack blew up and Dave Murray's guitar stack kept cutting out at irregular intervals. Then, as producer Martin Birch finally got ready to mix the track, he was involved in a car crash on his way home from the studio. When the bill for repairs arrived a few days later, the fee was 666.66. Following this, the band decided to change the British catalogue number of the album, originally set at EMC 0666. They felt they had had enough of a warning.

The album will be released simultaneously around the world on March 25th, after which the band will undertake their second immense tour. "The Beast on the Road: World Tour '82" takes in major venues in 18 countries around the world, and runs until the end of November, after about 150 concerts. The band are unveiling their biggest show ever, with a specially designed set, huge P.A. and lighting rigs, and a number of outrageous special effects. A show not to be missed by those who have the stamina.

So, if you're not prepared for the Beast, you'd better do as Iron Maiden say in their latest UK single (which crept to the Top 10 on the British charts) - "Run To The Hills!"

(from the Number of the Beast press release)