Metal Reviews

Because they sell more. And they sell more because they're more accessible then Priest. Less piercing, less agressive. Many people are actually put off by Halford's more agressive screams. Maiden can also be enjoyed by people who are not that much into metal, Priest are usually targeted only by metalheads. There's also the ladies, who will definitely choose Maiden. It makes much more sense for them to hum to themselves Fear of The Dark or Afraid to Shoot Strangers when brushing their hair then "This is the painkiller, Wings of steel painkilleeeeeeeeer!". Dickinson's charisma may help too.

But I'm not sure they are less big now then in the 80's. Their tours are usually sold out months ahead (and tickets are expensive), and they're playing stadiums. Was that the case in the 80's?

Oh, agreed about Priest, only mentioned them in comparison.

And I was thinking in terms of visibility. In the eighties it wasn't unheard of for Maiden to get top ten hits with their singles- no way that'd happen now. Lots of people know and love them and would go to see their shows, but they're hardly a household name now as much as they were.

Funnily enough Iron Maiden do still get top 10 singles, because they have enough of a hardcore fanbase who'll buy the singles. And how many do you have to sell to go top 10 these days, 4? [/b]

I think that's more about normal people not caring about Maiden's new stuff than the band's lack of popularity.

about 45,000 copies in the first week. I recently read that is what hellyeah sold to enter the top 10.

Yes, isn't that what the point of the thread is - a metal band that 'normal' people can like? If we're talking non-normals, then all bets are off...

I'm saying they're still just as much as a household name. They're not topping the charts now because nobody cares about their new stuff except the minority who have heard most of their other stuff.

Funnilly enough I remember when 'Bring Your Daughter...' went straight in at number 1 when it was released and laughing my arse off because Top of the Pops were all like jumpy and hesitant to name it like they expected potential viewer complaints. Brilliant!

Maiden had a barren time in the 90s', especially when Blaze Bailey came along. 'A Matter of Life and Death' is an awesome Maiden album and has gone a long way to winning new fans whilst keeping the hardcore following happy. I'd say that Maiden are way bigger then Metallica, always have been!

Difference is that Maiden aren't as radio friendly as Metallica, so you never hear or heard their tunes on commercial TV & Radio as much. Remember 'Nothing Else Matters'? Got on the prime time radio & MTV rotation playlists so much you ended up hating Metallica for it.

(In fact, I hated NEM first time I ever heard it and it became the main reason why I gave up on Metallica as relevant to the Metal. Sure, they crossed over with that song and album and made shitloads of fans and money, but for me they stopped making the music I wanted to hear at that point and this has been more justifiably so with every subsequent album Metallica have released since.)

Simple repetitive music is what's popular now and metal doesn't fit that. I can't listen to what's on the radio or watch the top50 on tv it's just rubbish. Most people follow what's popular I certainly don't I would have missed some great bands.

Well said! I totally agree with you