Steve Harris: "Metal Is Getting Stronger Everywhere"
MF: Why the decision to open this tour in the USA vs Europe- do you think metal is still strong in the US?SH: 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 Mastadon 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. Thats 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.
MF: What makes the new CD release unique, new and different- what can fans expect when they put this CD on for the first time?
SH: I think with each Iron Maiden album we've made in recent times we've all explored some new areas but we are Iron Maiden so whatever we do it's always going to have that 'signature' to it. We're all really pleased with the new album. Not only with the songs themselves which we're all immensely proud of but also the way it came together. I think Bruce has described as it was almost meant to be 'our third difficult album' but it ended up being anything but that. From the writing through to the recording this was probably the most pleasurable album to make for a long time. I think one thing people will find is that it's a hell of a lot to take in on one listen. Thats one thing most people have said that even after 6 or 7 listens they're still hearing new passages and things they hadn't noticed before and their favourite song seems to change each time.
MF: The CD is already selling well in Europe- and most of he reviews have been favorable- what are your expectations for sales in the US- and how much do you pay attention to reviews-at this point do you even care about sales or reviews?
SH: As an artist it's alway 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 thats 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 thats 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 years Ozzfest show appearances we're viewed very favourably 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 US about this album has also been incredibly positive so it's all looking good.
MF: 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 World Wide phenom's 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?
SH: 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 thats 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 thats 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 went down to see them in London a while back and his sons 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 catergories 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 focussed 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.
MF: Random soccer question-final World Cup thoughts- what happened to England? Also, do you think there are some similarities to soccer & metal- meaning both are huge in Europe and around the World- and both are not as big in the USA- any ideas why that might be?
SH: Similarities between Metal and soccer? I can't really think of any except maybe in terms of having loyal supporters who stick with you through the good times and the bad. In the USA I think football or 'soccer' has too much competition with the likes of Baseball, NBA, NFL and alsorts of other highly publicised sports that have been deeply ingrained into the traditional American way of life for decades. Not sure why the USA doesn't pick up on it but it's certainly a lot more popular than it ever was before and the USA team has been doing pretty well of late.
England? Well although it's still a little painful to talk about we simply didn't perform well enough when we needed to. A lot of people say it but there really is no 'easy' games these days and even sides that would have been easy to beat in years gone by have got a lot better. We made a slow start and it's always a real test of your nerves watching any England game these days
but as the World Cup went on everyone started to think we had a good chance. But as soon as any game with England goes to penalties you just know it's not going to happen! So I'm just looking forward to Euro 2008 now.