“Whether any illicit cigarettes were involved isn’t clear, but this is the sound of Maiden floating in space”: Four Iron Maiden songs that sound nothing like Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden posing for a photograph in 1987.

From Steve Harris’ galloping bass to Bruce Dickinson’s instantly recognisable voice, few bands sound as distinctive as Iron Maiden. No one is going to hear Run To The Hills or Fear Of The Dark and confuse it with anyone else, which is precisely why they’re one of the most successful bands of the last 50 years.

But Maiden have delivered some surprises along the way. Their illustrious back catalogue is studded with a handful of songs that stray from their sound for which they’re known, from strange intergalactic ballads to obscure hard rock b-sides. Here are four Iron Maiden songs that sound nothing like Iron Maiden.