Iron Maiden at San Siro: discography album by album (8-17)

On 17 June 2026 Iron Maiden will perform at San Siro for their “Run For Your Lives World Tour”. The event celebrates fifty years since the founding of the band, proposing a special lineup focused on the songs published between the self-titled debut of 1980 and “Fear of the Dark” of 1992. For the occasion, we retrace the group’s discography chronologically, dividing it into three significant eras (and into two episodes: the first was published yesterday, Saturday 7 June).

2. The Nineties: Transition and crisis

“No Prayer for the Dying” (1990):

Deliberate return to essential, dry and raw sounds, far from the aesthetics of synthesizers, but also from the inspiration of the past, with Eddie rising from the grave grabbing an undertaker. The more minimal sound supports the lyrics focused on contemporary social criticism: the irreverent “Holy Smoke” attacks the hypocrisy of religious televangelists, “Tailgunner” takes up war themes from the point of view of aerial bombers, just as the cheeky “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter” plays with fun and immediate horror atmospheres. Discreet work and at times, yes, underrated.

Signature song: “Holy Smoke”

“Fear of the Dark” (1992):

Characterized by a marked alternation between classic heavy riffs and melodic digressions, the album features an Eddie on the cover that sinisterly merges with the bark of a tree under the moon (not exactly the best, visually speaking). The departure of Adrian Smith, replaced by Janick Gers (already with Dickinson in the solo project under his name), is heavily felt, although the songs reflect a certain structural variety: “Be Quick or Be Dead” hits the listener with an almost speed metal rhythm; the melancholy “Wasting Love” explores emotional loneliness through an unusual structure for the band, just as the famous title track, beloved by many fans, expresses the visceral phobia of darkness and emptiness. Divisive record in itself.

Signature song: “Fear of the Dark”

“The X Factor” (1995):

Marked by the traumatic farewell of Bruce Dickinson, the album sees the debut of Blaze Bayley (formerly with the insipid Wolfsbane), whose baritone timbre imposes slower rhythms and dark sounds on the band, consistent with the Eddie subjected to mechanical vivisection on the (terrible) cover. The literary and cinematographic inspiration supports this darkness: “Man on the Edge” translates the alienation of the film “A day of ordinary madness”; “The Edge of Darkness” takes up the novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and the film “Apocalypse Now”, while the more complex “Sign of the Cross” introduces dark Gregorian chants inspired by Umberto Eco’s “Name of the Rose”. This is where a certain commercial and inspirational decline began for Maiden.

Signature song: “Sign of the Cross”

“Virtual XI” (1998):

A modern hard rock work influenced by digital sampling and repetitive melodic structures, while on the cover Eddie is an infernal monster who grabs a boy with a VR headset over his eyes. The lyrics explore pre-millennium technological alienation: the quick “Futureal” addresses the loss of the mind in virtual reality; “Como Estais Amigos” (impossible title) pays homage to the fallen of the Falklands war, but it is still “The Clansman” that focuses on the historical level, evoking the fight for Scottish freedom. Despite the strong production limitations, it remains an interesting album to be re-evaluated which Steve Harris, together with the predecessor album, still proudly defends today.

Signature song: “The Clansman”

3. The new millennium and rebirth

“Brave New World” (2000):

Historic return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith which marks the birth of the three-guitar band (Gers also remains in the band), capable of generating an airy and epic sound. Eddie’s face appears in the clouds of a futuristic London, a clear dystopian reference to the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. “The Wicker Man” opens the album with a driving riff inspired by the 1973 cult horror film of the same name; “Blood Brothers” introduces moving orchestrations dedicated to Steve Harris’ father, while “Ghost of the Navigator” combines the mysticism of sea voyage with intertwined guitar licks. One of Iron Maiden’s most important albums, yes, but only after those of the first historical era.

Signature song: “The Wicker Man”

“Dance of Death” (2003):

Experimentation with orchestral elements and folk-metal compositions with fast-paced rhythms, while Eddie takes on the role of the Grim Reaper during a macabre dance. The themes deal with historical myths and mortality: “Paschendale” describes the tragic battle of the First World War with raw sonic realism; the title track develops a Celtic crescendo inspired by medieval dances; “No More Lies” focuses on long melodic rides (read ‘sleepy’).

Signature song: “Paschendale”

“A Matter of Life and Death” (2006):

Dense album, dark and devoid of real commercial singles, mirror of Eddie driving a tank governed by skeletons. The main theme of the entire work is war analyzed from a religious and human point of view: “For the Greater Good of God” explores the paradox of conflicts unleashed in the name of faith; “The Longest Day” revisits the Normandy landings with heavy and anxiety-inducing sound dynamics, while the successful “Brighter Than a Thousand Suns” addresses the atomic horror of the Manhattan Project through asymmetrical riffs.

Signature song: “For the Greater Good of God”

“The Final Frontier” (2010):

Long and complex tracks, characterized by articulated instrumental introductions, while Eddie takes on the appearance of a monstrous sci-fi alien. The lyrics deal with space exploration and the fate of the universe: “Satellite 15… The Final Frontier” experiments with an industrial and alienating introduction; “El Dorado” presents itself as a critique against illusions, predominantly of contemporary economic well-being, and “When the Wild Wind Blows” adapts Raymond Briggs’ graphic novel about end-of-the-world paranoia. A job that is only intense at times, where boredom makes itself felt due to certain working hours.

Signature song: “When the Wild Wind Blows”

“The Book of Souls” (2015):

The band’s first double studio album, warmly received upon its release. Majestic and full of long instrumental breakdowns, here Eddie is represented as a tribal warrior within the Mayan civilization. The lyrics in fact explore the end of great civilizations, as well as the concepts of soul and eternity. “Speed ​​of Light” offers screeching hard rock whose video references classic video games. “If Eternity Should Fail” opens the album with shamanic (and somewhat repetitive) atmospheres, while the monumental “Empire of the Clouds”, an eighteen-minute epic composed on the piano by Dickinson, narrates the tragic disaster of the British airship R101.

Signature song: “Empire of the Clouds”

“Senjutsu” (2021):

Heavy and lilting rhythms, enriched by cinematic synths used as a sound carpet, with Eddie who, dutifully still on the cover, wears the traditional armor of a Japanese samurai. The themes deal with military strategy, isolation and desperate resistance: examples are the title track, as well as “Hell on Earth”, which closes the album with a melodic and melancholy suite about the suffering of the current world. “The Writing on the Wall” instead combines hard rock with a post-apocalyptic biblical text. Although the album was seen as a welcome return, after six years of silence, to rediscover the true and unsurpassed essence of Iron Maiden you can’t help but take you back to the golden era of the Eighties.

Signature song: “The Writing on the Wall”