Iron Maiden: Album by Album, Updated Edition

by Martin Popoff

Required reading for any metalhead, this updated compendium of in-depth, entertaining, and profusely illustrated conversations spanning all of Iron Maiden’s studio albums includes 2021’s Senjutsu. In this new edition of Iron Album by Album, prolific rock journalist Martin Popoff pays tribute to Iron Maiden’s discography through a series of in-depth, frank, and fascinating conversations about all of the legendary heavy metal band’s studio albums. Inside, Popoff gathers together metal journalists, authors, and musicians, who offer insights, opinions, and anecdotes about every release. Richly illustrated with thoughtfully curated performance and offstage photography, as well as rare memorabilia, the conversations comprise a unique historical overview of the band,   Early albums with original lead singer Paul Di’Anno The songwriting of founder and bassist Steve Harris The impeccable talents of drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers Mega tours undertaken in support of the LPs Fights within the band And much more—even their iconic mascot Eddie is sure to make an appearance or two! Popoff also includes loads of sidebars that provide complete track listings, details on album personnel, and information on where and when the albums were recorded. Reignite your passion for the masters of metal with this captivating album-by-album exploration. Up the Irons!

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

About the author

At approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-have collectible for Iron Maiden fans! A fantastic book to either read in one go or dip into. Top Canadian rock journalist and massive Maiden fan, Martin Popoff, takes us through every Maiden album, from Iron Maiden to Senjutsu.

Each album's history is explored, with a mix of facts and chats with 15 contributors involved in the metal scene across the eras – from Blaze Bayley to Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, Trivium’s Matt Heafy and The Iron Maidens’ lead singer Kirsten Rosenberg, there’s loads of different expertise represented.

We’ve also got live photos, record sleeves, gig posters, merch and tickets and a huge deep-dive into every era of Maiden and the whole NWOBHM scene. There’s a decent 16 pages per album and lots of photos I’ve not seen before.

This has been a great read – I love the blend of the factual stuff and the different memories and perspectives of the interviewees, who are genuine Maiden fans, and which put each album era into that wider context of punk and metal in both the UK and US, and what makes Maiden special.

There’s genuinely something for everyone, whether you’re interested in the production methods and performance of the band as musicians, or how the band has influenced the musicians interviewed, or the wider view of what else was going on musically through the epic history of the band.

If there is anything to know about any Maiden album that is not in this book, I’d be surprised!
I’m not sure just looking at this preview copy on my computer is quite enough and I’ll be adding this to my Christmas list so I can enjoy a proper look through all the photos!

This is an updated edition of the (unofficial) book which originally came out in 2018. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.