HEROES OF THE IRON ARMY

STEVE HARRIS 'Arry bass since 1975 & production since 1990 March 12, 1957 Leytonstone, England

Steve Harris is , period. He is the founder and deus ex machina of a band that would have created no more than two or three albums, since he writes most of the lyrics and music. He also has taken most of the accusations depicting as a static entity out of time. To be true, even if his bass-playing style hasn't changed in 23 years, I think that 'Arry is not that much against progression. Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son were great works, and experimented, but a lot of people bashed them saying that had died (there's always somebody with enough spare time to say it). So 'Arry went back to its roots (rusty roots), and tried another change in X Factor, an album with the sole guilt of a bad production but with lots of great ideas, and tied all his career in Virtual XI, which seems a gallery of every style the band tried in its career. When it comes to dictatorship, I think Steve has some right to steer the band as he created and protected it from all the difficult moments. Steve is , as I said before, and the band will live as long as there is him. Nobody would do it for the money (he's already rich enough, I think).

BLAZE BAYLEY blaze voice since 1995 May 29, 19??

Blaze Bayley is probably the most complext issue about the latest era. Many have complained that he can't sing as Bruce Dickinson (and I ask if did someone listen to A Real Dead One where he lost all his qualities). Others simply said he's good on the new tracks and that changes are always a shock. I think Blaze is the right singer for now and he will probably be the best even after. I don't want to enter in the Bruce versus Blaze arena, it's like asking if Savatage gained something with the new singer, it's just that things couldn't be the same as before (and I worship Jon Oliva). What Blaze lacks on the technical side he gains on the feeling, something Bruce has found again during his (hard) solo career. This man has passion and believes in what he sings (don't laugh), and I'm not talking about The Angel And The Gambler (good riffs, good lyrics, good breaks, rotten structure and mixing) but about things like 2 AM, Como Estais Amigos, all the war-songs of X-Factor, The Clansman and The Educated Fool. All right, too bad I missed the chance to see the last tours with Bruce, I'll never expect Blaze to get the right pitch on another one's voice, but I see more than a showman in him, I see someone true (you see, nobody would rationally try to "ride" the crowd with air-drumming). Now it's a new era, and I think is almost ready and geared up to shine once again...

DAVE MURRAY the Blonde Bomber (Nobby) guitar since 1976 December 23, 1958

Think about guitar solos, think about Dave Murray. Dave has been at Steve's side since the start; excluding the first months, in 1975, and his escape towards Adrian Smith's Urchin during the early 1977, he as always been part of the band, and created its history. His twin-solos with Adrian are the best guitar parts of history, and only after 4 albums he is getting along the same way with Janick Gers. This led much people to think that Dave is getting old, and that Janick is no good in his role. No way, if I can say. We all miss Adrian, that's sure, but I think the (d)evolution of the guitar sound is due to a will to change its basis, looking for something new after all those years. If the band has to search for a new identity, so has Dave's sound. I must admit that the last works