Iron Maiden a road warrior (Updated December 12, 2012)

One of the first groups to be classified as "British metal," Iron Maiden was largely shunned by U.S. media despite hits like "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "The Trooper." The band is renowned throughout the world, and has been since it was founded in 1975 by bassist and songwriter Steve Harris. Along with more than 30 years of songs, they have been shadowed by their famous mascot, "Eddie," who has appeared on the art for nearly all their album and single covers, as well as popping up at their live shows.

In just a snapshot of their career, it's hard to lay out all of Iron Maiden's significant achievements. There were albums like "The Number of the Beast," "Piece of Mind," "Powerslave" and "Somewhere in Time." Even their most recent studio project, 2010's "The Final Frontier," reached the top of the charts in 28 different countries. Still, their most significant milestone is not measured by album sales, but instead by fans in seats.

As of August 2011, Iron Maiden was closing in on 2,000 live shows throughout their career. Their most recent tour – The "Maiden England World Tour" -- began with North American shows in June 2012 and will be followed by worldwide dates in 2013. This is set to include their record-breaking fifth headline performance at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, and a return to the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.

Iron Maiden has sold over 85 million records worldwide. The band won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement in 2002, and was also inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in 2005.

About Iron Maiden

Any real discussion of Heavy Metal and its impact on the rock world cannot be complete without the addition of this seminal, influential British band. From their original creation in 1975 and through all their various line-up changes spanning a career of over three decades, Iron Maiden has always remained faithful to their musical legacy of hard, heavy, take-no-prisoners Metal. Whether in the studio, or on tour, this is one band who always delivers the goods and can only be considered one of the true godfathers of Metal, influencing countless generations and numerous musicians to follow in their heavy, hard and intense wake. With too many accolades to mention, too many sold-out world tours to count and with millions and millions of their recordings still selling throughout the world, Iron Maiden has certainly earned the title bestowed upon them in 2009 as - The Greatest Heavy Metal Band in the World. Grab your Iron Maiden tickets now to watch the action live!