Is it possible to be a true Maiden fan without being a metal fan?

Back in the Village

Back in the Village

Invader
The only reason I ask is that I have been a fan of Maiden since about 1985. I have seen them live six times and love the music. However that is probably where my affinity with metal pretty much ends. I have never bought a metal album by another band (I dont class AC/DC as metal - am I right?) and other than the odd track here and there such as "One" and "Battery" by Metallica, "AntiSocial" by Anthrax I dont think I've got any other metal in my collection.

Does this make me odd in the general Maiden fan community? Can you really call yourself a fan of Maiden (and all that they represent) if you are not really into metal??

I would class Maiden as my favourite band but then after that I've got a pretty varied collection from Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Williams, Gary Moore, Boston, right through to dance music (house/trance) etc. Christ I even enjoy stuff like American Idol and X Factor!!!

I would be interested if anyone could suggest other bands I might like that are similar to Maiden. No Slayer, Napalm Death, Testament suggestions please!!
 
If you're not into Metal - you are not my friend!
(said around 1:20 in Metal Warriors - Manowar)
:)

Six times live in 25 years doesn't exactly sound often for a Maiden fan, in my eyes.
About other bands: This forum is full of people who mainly like classic metal bands. In fact, I find this the most oldfashioned metal forum I have ever been on.  Musicwise of course.  :D

There are tons of people in the world who are not very open towards metal music of bands who just started.
They are not odd people, perhaps a little conservative when it comes to metal.

People on this forum who are enthousiastic about metal bands that started out less than 5-10 years ago:
Perun, National Acrobat, Onhell, my own person, perhaps Shadow, and maybe a few others who can be counted on one hand. We are the odd ones. ;)

My recommendation to you:

The Arcane Order: At times some Slayer riffs but with much better lead guitar work and one of the best drummers of the European metal scene.

The Arcane Order - Death is Imminent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-6ZDxBkt0g
The Arcane Order - Bloodlust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmJdHTZxfT0
The Arcane Order - The Superior Collission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAJ-cMkz ... re=related

+ 4 other songs on
http://www.myspace.com/thearcaneorder
 
Hey, that's not bad at all!

To answer your question, I think that you can.
For two of the three years I've been a Maiden fan my favorite genre was prog rock, and Maiden were my favorite.
Now I listen to some thrash and some power and some death, but I think that you don't really have to like the genre to like a specific band of that genre.
 
To be a fan of Iron Maiden, there is no requirement other than enjoying Maiden's music. Who says you have to enjoy an entire genre just to be a fan of one  band? You can be a Maiden fan and not a metal fan.

Put it this way, very few people who enjoy Maiden seem to go further and try Death or Black metal. Are these people any less fans of Maiden because they haven't explored or enjoy the more extreme sides of the genre?
I don't see why it matters anyway - who gives one what people think? (in this case)

Suggesting similar things to Maiden is difficult though...it depends what aspects of Maiden you particularly enjoy. If its the softer sound compared to most metal bands, then probably sticking to hard rock stuff would be the suggestion. An easy suggestion would be to say the rest of the NWOBHM scene, but most of it is not really like Maiden.
Maybe try Bruce Dickinson's solo material, as its quite varied.

If you're feeling adventurous with trying some extreme forms of metal then I suggest Emperor's first or second album for Black metal and any Bolt Thrower for Death metal.

Some stuff thats similar to Maiden:
Queensryche
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQeitJiBDlA
Scorpions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2COawqMJQ
Judas Priest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1B_pZC8aWU

A bit of variety:
Bruce Dickinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=689OuBJEzGA

The extreme stuff
Emperor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJo9kE4kTdU
Bolt Thrower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxMJDTJXleI

Personally, I'm more of a rock/metal/madchester/electronica person. With a bit of prog and shoegaze thrown in too.
 
Of course it is possible to be a true Maiden fan without calling yourself a metalhead. What makes you a true Maiden fan is the way you view the music, the way you listen to it and the effect it has on you. Not some label stuck on it. Appreciation for an artist does not enforce appreciation for a genre, whatever the art. You don't need to be a baroque freak to like Rembrandt (am I comparing Maiden to Rembrandt?). It never hurts to look to the right or left of something, but if you can't find anything there that you like, then that's how it is.

As for recommendations, the problem is that Maiden is a very unique band, and that's why we all love them so much. It really does depend on what you consider "sounding like them". I've heard a lot of people say bands like Helloween or Rage sound like Iron Maiden, without me being able to agree on that. Somebody once even told me they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Iron Maiden and AC/DC.

One band that has often been labeled as a "thrashy" version of Maiden is Iced Earth. If you're not into metal in general, you might have difficulty getting into them. They are not quite as melodic and a bit darker, but they have a very heavy Maiden edge to their music. They also tend to be very popular with Maiden fans. They are easily the second most popular (non-Maiden related) band on this board.

You may find Dio a very good band to get into. Apart from the fact that Ronnie James Dio is one of the best vocalists ever, at least the 80's work is fairly poppy while never losing its metal edge.
 
Perun said:
[...] You don't need to be a baroque freak to like Rembrandt [...]
Click to expand...

Excellent example !! I hate baroque (or I believe so), but Rembrandt is one of my 3 top painters -not to say the best.
Plus, I've never realized that Rembrandt belongs to baroque until now!!

:ok:
 
Will-I-Am said:
Excellent example !! I hate baroque (or I believe so), but Rembrandt is one of my 3 top painters -not to say the best.
Plus, I've never realized that Rembrandt belongs to baroque until now!!

:ok:
Click to expand...

That might be because Rembrandt's style is more modest and somber compared to the average baroque painter. And his playing with light isn't exactly unattractive either.
 
I recommend you Black Sabbath, Rush, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Cathedral, Spiritual Beggars, Rainbow. And sincerelly, I think you're the right kind of fan - you like the band, not the style. I myself, for instance, detest most bands similar to Maiden (I mean that copy Maiden) like Iron Savour, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear (that's a Priest clone, even visually) and all the lesser artists that copy the fathers of a genre; I also got a very varied taste in music. The truth is that there's only 2 types of music - good and bad. Just filter it.
 
I think the more safe suggestion is Iced Earth ...I can't imagine someone who likes Maiden not to like Earth

@Foro : Dutch & French painters!  :wub: If I had to choose only two 'nationalities' regarding painting, it would be them, not a doubt.
But it comes hard if I had to choose one only, maybe French  :innocent:
 
Jeffmetal said:
Iron Savour, Gamma Ray
Click to expand...

These two bands have more in common with Priest than with Maiden. Though GR is really doing Maiden as well, see their one but last album. Terrible copying.

Both Iron Savior and GR  have made some brilliant albums in the past which haven't much to do with Maiden nor Priest. Their later stuff is more uninspired.
 
When i was a kid all i would listen to was metal/hard rock but now i listen to all sorts.
In my opinion if you enjoy maiden then your a fan.
 
Sure you can, though I couldn't see myself as being a Maiden fan but not a metal fan.  Metal came before Maiden for me (well, hard rock first, Maiden was one of my first metal bands), and though I worship Maiden, it is still for me a "part" of me being a metal fan, not a separate thing.  But, also, I can see why a non-metal fan might love Maiden and not other metal bands.
 
Will-I-Am said:
Dutch & French painters!  :wub: If I had to choose only two 'nationalities' regarding painting, it would be them, not a doubt.
But it comes hard if I had to choose one only, maybe French  :innocent:
Click to expand...

IMHO, judging artists by their nationality is just as pointless as judging them by their style.
 
Or even better like judging a horse from its colour (William Blake)

But it's not judging, it was like a wave, we speak about Dutch school of painting for example
No, certainly was not a judging, only a notice that these two countries produced a big number of important painters, that was all.

Also a -poor sometimes- mean to categorize things, yet people do it all the time : NWOBHM, British Blues, etc etc 
 
Jeffmetal said:
I recommend you Black Sabbath, Rush, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Cathedral, Spiritual Beggars, Rainbow. And sincerelly, I think you're the right kind of fan - you like the band, not the style. I myself, for instance, detest most bands similar to Maiden (I mean that copy Maiden) like Iron Savour, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear (that's a Priest clone, even visually) and all the lesser artists that copy the fathers of a genre; I also got a very varied taste in music. The truth is that there's only 2 types of music - good and bad. Just filter it.
Click to expand...

Everything is eventually a copy of something, there are only so many different rhythms and combinations we can come up with. Take for instance 2 Minutes to Midnight...a copy of a certain White Spirit riff by a Mr Gers ;).
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with copycats, after all, it is the "sincerest form of flattery". Its just that I've already got an Iron Maiden I enjoy, so these copycat bands are not adding anything particularly different.

Will-I-Am said:
I think the more safe suggestion is Iced Earth ...I can't imagine someone who likes Maiden not to like Earth
Click to expand...

That would be me. I actually don't understand the love for that band, it has never appealed to me and ironically its one of the few bands that I dislike the vocals. (ironic in the sense that I enjoy many bands that others hate the vocals of, such as Rush, Faith No More, etc).

Will-I-Am said:
Also a -poor sometimes- mean to categorize things, yet people do it all the time : NWOBHM, British Blues, etc etc  
Click to expand...

The reason people categorise things is to make it easier to find similar things to what they like and also to help describe what their particular tastes are. Some sub-genres are over the top though, like pirate metal.
There's nothing wrong with liking a particular nation's products, as long as its not at the expense of your judgement (in other words, as long as you aren't overlooking bad quality just because of the nation who produced it and shunning other nation's work as a result).
 
First: fonzbear fix your signature please. Make that image 100 or fewer pixels tall, or the moderators will find a new and creative way to spread despair and destruction. :bigsmile:

Second: how did Dragonforce get on your list? The rest are great ... did someone whack you in the head with a blunt object while typing that entry? :P


More generally on the topic, I'll say it, since no one else has the guts... yes of course you have to be a metal fan to like Maiden.

It's like asking: can you be a Yankees fan but not a baseball fan? Can you be a George Carlin fan but not a comedy fan?

Maiden has affected every single metal group since their appearance. The only other bands who did that are Sabbath and Metallica. All metal bands borrow from Maiden. Maiden freaking personifies metal. If you like Maiden, then you also like metal, end of story.

Now you don't have to be a fan of every metal subgenre. But just a plain old metal fan? You already are one!
 
^I disagree purely because Maiden have elements which make them more appealing to those who don't like the rest of metal music, so clearly they have something your average metal band doesn't.
I would also argue that Maiden are closer to the blurred line between hard rock and metal than most and as such its easy for someone to say they don't consider Maiden a metal band. What you may consider metal to someone else may be just hard rock. The best example is AC/DC, they forever seem to be defined differently by different people.

Perhaps the problem is really with the phrasing here rather than the idea. What he should have said is "Is it possible to be a true Maiden fan without being a fan of the rest of the metal genre?". But honestly, this is all being a bit pedantic and in my experience with music genres, there are no strict definitions just broad generalisations.

The baseball analogy doesn't work in my opinion, because the baseball team cannot be defined as anything other than a baseball team, whereas with music genres it is not so clear.
 
Back in the Village said:
Christ I even enjoy stuff like American Idol and X Factor!!!
Click to expand...
Considering what music I really do love, it goes totally against my grain to sit down and watch - and actually enjoy - The X Factor* - but I rather ashamedly do. But I draw the line at American Idol.

Personally,  if you enjoy "Battery" and "One" I would recommend you explore more of Metallica.



*The Simon Cowell show, not the album - if you need to ask. ;)
 
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