Self-expression through music is I believe the sharpest, most direct way a person can take to establish a sort of identity which was actually very common among the immigrants of the 20th century Britain. Music was a way to form a voice which was supressed by the government, for example people such as Lord Kitchener or Lord Shawty.[1] The resulting explosion of Caribbean, mainly Jamaican and Trinidadian music styles then formed many modern-day styles.
Iron Maiden is among my personal favourite musical acts of all time due to their vibrant and energetic live performances, poetry and other literature stuffed music, and unapologetically heavy metal sound. The band was formed in Leyton, East London in 1975 by Bassist Steve Harris and have since become one of the most recognisable, prestigious, and successful heavy metal bands in history with an estimated 100 million worldwide album sales.[2]
One of the most interesting things about iron maiden is their heavy influence from history and literature, something no everyday person would suspect of a bunch of ‘satan worshipping metalheads’, or so did the public would have thought. In fact, most of Iron Maiden’s catalogue is some form of re-telling of various historical stories (e.g.: Second World War) and literature (e.g.: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). The latter is an exceptional piece of poetry which was reiterated in the form of a 13-minute-long epic under the same name on the 1984 album Powerslave.[3]
When we associate self-expression with music, Maiden cannot be excluded. As stated, “Steve Harris penned the song, changing the perspective of the original poem from first to third person, but keeping the horror and vision of Coleridge’s epic”.[4]
Iron Maiden’s reimagining of literary classics such as Coleridge’s poem shows how you can be influenced by something whilst adding a little bit of yourself into the mix. Not only does Iron Maiden help bring literature to the masses but teaches history in a similar fashion. A notable example is an equally amazing musical composition titled Alexander the Great which follows the life and achievements of Alexander the Great. There is a clear mixture of history and culture in Iron Maiden’s music which combined with the unique sound of heavy metal makes for an epic eye-opening experience on certain themes you otherwise might have overlooked.
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z6grnrd
[2] https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/iron-maiden-net-worth.html/
[3] https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-unsung-influence-of-poetry-on-iron-maiden/
[4] Ibid
From Local to Global: The History of Music in London Group 1 