BEYOND THE EMBRACE Vocalist: IRON MAIDEN's Genius Is Its Musicianship

Sean Mccarthy of the Standard-Times reports that BEYOND THE EMBRACE vocalist Shawn Gallagher is understandably psyched by the new IRON MAIDEN CD, "Dance of Death", which will be released tomorrow (September 9).

"[When I first heard IRON MAIDEN at the age of 15], I was listening to mainstream rock like SKID ROW and DEF LEPPARD," Mr. Gallagher says of his introduction to his favorite band. "When I heard MAIDEN, I was drawn in completely. They drove me crazy right off the bat."

The element that set MAIDEN apart from other bands was their devotion to musicianship. The band's main trademarks are their dueling guitars and guitar harmonies.

"They would do guitar breaks for two minutes at a stretch," Mr. Gallagher says. "There was more of a band focus and that made them special. There was a lot of music without vocals but it was never too technical."

Mr. Gallagher points out that MAIDEN's sound was taken up a step from bands such as THIN LIZZY, BOSTON and JUDAS PRIEST. The group's span of influence is most obvious in the Swedish melodic metal movement of the 1990s.

IRON MAIDEN has influenced all of the members of BEYOND THE EMBRACE.

"People have called us IRON MAIDEN on steroids," Mr. Gallagher says.

Coincidentally, when BEYOND THE EMBRACE formed in 1990, Mr. Gallagher suggested a three-guitar approach. Their music was notable from the start. But later that year, IRON MAIDEN reunited with former guitarist Adrian Smith — and decided to go on with their own three-guitar attack.

"It made the comparisons stronger," Mr. Gallagher says. Read more.