IRON MAIDEN Bassist Discusses Current State Of Metal Scene

MetalForever.com recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

MetalForever.com: Why the decision to open this tour in the USA vs Europe? Do you think metal is still strong in the U.S.?

Steve: Well I don't think it was really a case of saying we're going to open in the USA rather than Europe for any special reason in particular. We've always enjoyed a very loyal following in the USA and Canada so when the idea of starting in the USA was brought up there was no reason to not consider it. After all we did open the Ed Hunter Tour back in 1999 so it's not the first time we've done it this way around.

Metal is still very strong in the USA and there's some really great stuff coming out at the moment. Bands like MASTODON and COHEED AND CAMBRIA are bands which are taking the traditional metal and prog sound and moving it on to somewhere new in terms of aggression and sound. That's just a couple I can think of off hand, but I'm sure there's many more. But metal is getting stronger everywhere as the new generation are all looking for something new and different and are moving into areas of music they may not have considered before. Add this to the fact that there's probably more festivals than ever every summer featuring a whole load of great rock and metal acts that over the past five years metal has definitely made a big comeback.

MetalForever.com: The CD ["A Matter of Life and Death"] is already selling well in Europe — and most of he reviews have been favorable. What are your expectations for sales in the U.S.? And how much do you pay attention to reviews? At this point do you even care about sales or reviews?

Steve: As an artist it's always difficult to comment on what reviewers say about your music unless they're just plainly have a dig at you for no reason but we never get involved in all that. IRON MAIDEN, as we've said before, have never really bowed to trends and fashion so in some ways we've never ever thought 'oh we have to write a song like that' just to make sure an album sells. I think people know that and that's what has allowed us to enjoy such loyal support from a large number of fans from all over the world. But from a creative perspective, which is where I'm coming from, the most important thing is that the album is the best it can possibly be. Rod Smallwood, our manager, will be the one ensuring that on the business side of things, the album gets the support it should do from the record companies and of course that's incredibly important but for me personally it's just ensuring that we have created something we're all really proud of in the first place and then taking it on tour.

From what I've seen and read in the last 12 months or so since last year's Ozzfest show appearances, we're viewed very favorably by the media and fans in the USA so I'm sure that in terms of expectations of this album it will be very high. The reviews we've seen and the feedback we've had when being interviewed by journalists in the U.S. about this album has also been incredibly positive so it's all looking good.

MetalForever.com: Can you make a quick comment about the future of metal music? Where do you think the next PRIEST, METALLICA, MAIDEN, SCORPIONS or OZZY is going to come from? There are a lot of metal bands, but do any have the potential to be worldwide phenoms as some of the bands just mentioned? Do you have any plans to stay in the biz beyond the MAIDEN years whenever that might be and try and help find the next big metal band?

Steve: Well, as I mentioned before, there are a few bands out there which are pushing the boundaries and in some cases breaking them. We have two of the most exciting bands around at the moment touring with us on this tour. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will be with us on most of the dates in the USA and they're a band that's been out on most of the major festivals this year and apparently have been picking up plenty of awards. They've been worked really hard but in my book that's the best and only way to become a great band. In Europe we've got TRIVIUM coming along with us and I'm sure you're more than familiar with their stuff. Bruce [Dickinson] went down to see them in London a while back and his son's a big fan and he was pretty impressed with them when he came into the studio the following day. I've read some really great reviews about them so I'm very interested to see them.

As far as where the next metal legend will come from? It's really quite hard to say. There's so many different styles and categories of metal now that in some ways it's got a little diluted, but as I mentioned earlier it really comes down to working really hard and being single-minded and focused on being the best live act you can possibly be. You've obviously got to write great songs as well but metal as a genre is all about reproducing that in front of people and making sure that you're band stands out from all the rest and by hard work.

With regards to me after MAIDEN? I think there's plenty to keep me occupied for a while yet so I'll think about that a little later down the line.

Read the entire interview at MetalForever.com.