HEATHEN Celebrates IRON MAIDEN's 50th Anniversary With Cover Of 'The Prisoner'

In celebration of the mighty IRON MAIDEN's 50th anniversary, San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans HEATHEN have taken a stab at "The Number Of The Beast" classic "The Prisoner". Pulling samples from the TV show of the same name, enlisting artist Dan Goldsworthy (known for his work with ACCEPT, INHUMAN CONDITION and HAKEN) to Eddie-ify the goblin from "Goblin's Blade" — a callback to their HEATHEN's 1987 record "Breaking The Silence" — and reworking their logo to look like MAIDEN's, HEATHEN pulls out all the stops to ensure this was more than just homage. Mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z (known for his work with 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, MUNICIPAL WASTE and SHADOWS FALL, among others),the lively track showcases HEATHEN's studied reverence of the subject material, unleashing metal greatness with a modern edge and seasoned orchestration.

HEATHEN guitarist Kragen Lum comments: "What can we say about the legendary IRON MAIDEN that hasn't already been said? They've given us 50 years of energetic, melodic metal that's inspired HEATHEN and legions of other bands in the genre.

"'The Prisoner' was an easy choice for us to cover, with its heavy intro, uptempo verses, catchy chorus, and classic instrumental section. We added a few touches to 'Heathenize' the song while staying true to what made it so great when it was first released in 1982.

"Enjoy this recording as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of heavy metal's greatest bands. Up the Irons!"

This cover comes right in time for HEATHEN's extensive North American tour encompassing two legs, the first opening for fellow thrash greats METAL CHURCH, followed by a string of headlining dates over Louisiana horror thrashers VOID. Kicking off July 17 in Derry, New Hampshire the tour supporting METAL CHURCH will hit a series of major cities, including Montreal, Quebec; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Rochester, New York before its conclusion July 26 in Leesburg, Virginia. Not missing a beat, HEATHEN picks up VOID for their headline run kicking off the next day in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 27. The headline run will hit a slew of intimate venues in major cities, including Atlanta, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Detroit, Michigan before wrapping up on August 9 in Toronto, Ontario.

HEATHEN comments: "We're stoked to join the legendary METAL CHURCH on this short tour of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. We'll be bringing our A-game for these shows before heading out on a run of headlining dates across the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada with the killer VOID as direct support. We've put together a set packed with classics, fan favorites, and a few surprises that you won't want to miss. Grab your tickets, and we'll see you in the pit!"

HEATHEN North American tour 2026 supporting METAL CHURCH:

July 17 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
July 18 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Électriques
July 19 - Quebec City, QC - La Source de la Martinière
July 21 - Ottawa, ON - Overflow
July 22 - Newton, NJ - The Newton Theater
July 23 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Crafthouse
July 24 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
July 25 - Reading, PA - Reverb
July 26 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater

HEATHEN headline dates with support from VOID:

July 27 - Raleigh, NC - Chapel of Bones
July 28 - Atlanta, GA - The EARL
July 31 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
August 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Nikki Lopez^
August 02 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
August 04 - Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade
August 05 - Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle
August 06 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
August 07 - Kitchener, ON - Maxwell's*
August 09 - Toronto, ON - The Cave*

* No VOID
^ Matinee show

This past February, HEATHEN announced its new deal with Napalm Records by releasing the first of two rather obscure tracks from other bands the members were involved with. Up first was "Never A God", title track of LAUGHING DEAD's first demo. The band was fronted by HEATHEN vocalist David White in the early 1990s.

HEATHEN is often credited — alongside exodus, testament, forbidden, death angel and VIO-LENCE — as one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s. They have gone through several lineup changes over the years, but still having the foundation of David White on vocals and Kragen Lum on guitar, with Kragen filling in for Gary Holt in EXODUS whenever Holt was touring with SLAYER.

To date, HEATHEN has released four studio albums: "Breaking the Silence" (1987),"Victims Of Deception" (1991),"The Evolution Of Chaos" (2009) and "Empire Of The Blind" (2020).HEATHEN's debut album, "Breaking The Silence", sold well over 100,000 copies worldwide, and the band's latest album, "Empire Of The Blind", hit Top 40 in the charts in Germany, Hungary as well as charting elsewhere around the globe in places like Scotland.

HEATHEN is:

David R. White - Vocals
Kragen Lum - Guitars
Kyle Edissi - Guitars
Jason Mirza - Bass
Blake Anderson - Drums

Photo credit: Ty Fox