The Iron Maiden Commentary

If you’re a diehard Iron Maiden fan, then you probably already know about the most comprehensive Iron Maiden fan site there is, the Iron Maiden Commentary. However, for those unaware, cousin Ryo is going to fill you in.

Chronicling the history of the English band from their earliest days in support of their eponymous debut all the way through A Matter of Life and Death, the Iron Maiden Commentary is the definitive site for the history of Maiden. Billed as the Encyclopedia of all things Maiden, this website has it all, except for the latest news, which the sites author says can be found on any number of other fan sites. The intent of the commentary was to provide an in depth look at the history of Iron Maiden.

Containing the most detailed portrait of each individual release, the album page is a great place to start. The overall feel and time of each disc is captured in an intro paragraph. That is followed by a song-by-song breakdown which includes historical references, outside influences, band quotes on each song, commentary on how the song was influenced, and a deep interpretation of the lyrics as well as the overall theme of the album. The writing is excellent. Each song breakdown is professionally written and enjoyable.

There is also a singles page which contains a breakdown of every single Iron Maiden ever released, including the artwork, a die-hard Maiden fan’s dream! The singles commentary contains information on when the single was released, which B-sides were included, and an in-depth commentary about each single and B-side on the release.

A videos page is available to detail every video Maiden has ever released. However, since the site has not been updated since 2006, the inclusion of Death on the Road and Live after Death the DVD which contains the History of Iron Maiden Part 2, are omitted.

The tours section of the website contains what must be the most definitive history of touring Iron Maiden. Going all the way back to Maiden’s club gigs of the late 70s every tour is captured up to The Early Days tour, done in 2005 in support of the video by the same name. A detailed description of the tour, stage setting, setlist, opening acts, tour dates and locations are contained.
The coolest feature on the site has to be the bootlegs page. While there is no access to the actual bootleg recordings, there is a listing of every bootleg from every tour, including the track list and artwork for each. Wherever possible, small comments from that evenings’ performance are included to help the reader get the feel for what that particular concert was like and what was going on with the audience, band, opening act, etc.

The Iron Maiden Commentary is quite simply the best fan based Iron Maiden website there is and it rivals Maiden’s own site as the best Iron Maiden site ever. Anything that you ever wanted to know about Iron Maiden or their history is contained on the commentary. If you’re a true Maiden fan, you could lose hours of your life to this site. I know I did.

Visit the site here: www.maidenfans.com/imc

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