Is Metallica much more popular than Iron Maiden in the USA and why?

[WildRanger]

What do you think/know about this?
I know Iron Maiden is bigger in Europe, Japan and South Africa than in America and in these regions it seems they are bigger than Metallica, while in the USA it's totally different. On their last worldwide tour Metallica filled stadiums across America, while Iron Maiden could never achieve it, they are still an arena act. Why?

[max_security]

I would say that the Metallica " Brand " has better identified with the American youth for the past 25 ( or more ) years. This happened during the " Dark Ages " of the 1990's - ( present ? ) Metallica actually made out pretty well  with their if you can't beat em join em approach to the Grunge period ( or whatever that was called with de-tuned guitars with no solo's in the songs ). Maiden stuck to whatever Steve Harris wanted to play which happened to be a watered down re-hash of the 1980's riffs arranged in a watered-down fashion which may have done well elsewhere in the world. That is my opinion of course and it may be more fair to say that both bands earned the right to do whatever they damned well pleased after the run they had during the 1980's and their paths took them in very different directions that seemed to appeal to different markets. My 2cents.

[DT2003]

Yeah Metallica is definitely way more popular than Maiden in the US. With that said though, Maiden is still very popular. There aren’t many bands in the US, let alone a metal band that has been around for almost 40 years, that can fill arenas the way Maiden can.

[mikeyd23]

Honestly, I think Metallica is more popular in America because they are an American band.

[Anguyen92]

That's an interesting question about that.  I mean since the Black Album, Metallica has had six straight number one albums in the Billboard 200 while Iron Maiden was in a position where they had to slowly rebuild and climb up the charts with their albums (the Book of Souls album actually tied their highest charted position in the Billboard 200 at #4 along with The Final Frontier and the Book of Souls sold the most amount of copies in their first week from the 90s onwards, I believe).

I mean in any other countries, if you see Metallica or Iron Maiden showing up in either Europe or South America, they are doing either lengthy arena runs there or they are doing stadiums.  The states, not so much, but that's actually hard to tell.  I mean Metallica doing their stadium run in 2017 was their first time they did an extended tour of North America since 2009 (World Magnetic).  The demand was certainly high for Metallica in North America, while Iron Maiden stuck with doing occasional amphitheater/arena tours about every other year in the states.

Then again, Metallica was riding really hot in the 90s touring the Black Album while Maiden was on the downswing in the 90s.  I would think Metallica's Black Album tours did surpass Maiden's World Slavery Tour in terms of popularity.  Maiden never really did big stadiums tours in the states while Metallica did some stadium tours with great numbers (whether it was with GNR in 1992, Summer Sanitarium shows in the early 2000s, or last year's stadium run).

At the end of the day though, both Iron Maiden and Metallica in the 2000s-onwards can still do whatever tours they want in North American and have no issues selling them out comfortably.  The prices for the tickets though.........

Although, I may agree with Mikey.  Metallica may be the more popular band because they are an American band with their sound being more reliable to an American market.

[King Postwhore]

I wonder if Maiden was affected when Bruce left.  Now that he's back they are doing fantastic in the States but Metallica is at a higher level.


To me, a non issue.  Both are excelling in the States these days.

[Setlist Scotty]

I can't speak for any other cities in the US, but I know in Milwaukee, back in 1988 they started playing One regularly, and over time other songs from their catalog were added. Then, when the black album hit, it was all over the radio. And when Until It Sleeps was released, they were playing it every freakin' hour (terrible song, BTW).

I don't recall *ever* hearing a single Iron Maiden song ever being played on the radio. So I think that's the key right there. Metallica got tons of airplay and Maiden got little to none. Of course, the fact that Metallica went in a more commercial direction in the 90s and Maiden losing Bruce were no doubt contributing factors. But I'd still hold radio as the real key.

[The Walrus]

Just from my personal experience, it seems like Metallica is way more popular. They're both very popular, but Metallica is always the one I see on people's cars and shirts and whatnot. I wish it was the other way around. Everyone could use just a bit more Maiden in their lives... 

[Stadler]

Depends on what you mean by "way more popular". 

[TAC]

Just from my personal experience, it seems like Metallica is way more popular. They're both very popular, but Metallica is always the one I see on people's cars and shirts and whatnot. I wish it was the other way around. Everyone could use just a bit more Maiden in their lives... 

It's actually pretty rare that I see a Metallica shirt. I see Maiden shirts way more often.

[Rattlehead]

I agree with Scotty that the radio has a lot to do with why they're more popular in the USA than Maiden is. I didn't find out about Maiden until much later because I don't recall hearing them much at all on the radio as a kid.

Personally, Metallica never really did much for me. It was bands like Maiden and Megadeth that really got me into metal 

[The Walrus]

Just from my personal experience, it seems like Metallica is way more popular. They're both very popular, but Metallica is always the one I see on people's cars and shirts and whatnot. I wish it was the other way around. Everyone could use just a bit more Maiden in their lives... 

It's actually pretty rare that I see a Metallica shirt. I see Maiden shirts way more often.

Interesting! I live in a rural area. I wonder if that has something to do with it? Some of my friends were into Maiden growing up, just as much as Metallica, but even in high school I was one of the only kids with a Maiden shirt. There was never a shortage of Metallica shirts though!

[Stadler]

I like, not love, Metallica (I like them a lot better now that James sings), but I didn't get them until I saw them on Later... with Jools Holland.   If you're not familiar with the show, it's a live music show with the guy that used to play keyboards for Squeeze. Five or six artists all line up in a room facing each other, and each plays a song or two and they rotate around the room.  Once in a blue moon they'll show the other bands while one is playing, and they're usually tuning, or sitting on the drum riser, or very rarely strumming along quietly.

When Metallica was on, they played Enter Sandman as their second song, and EVERY other band was up on their feet, clapping, singing along, and more than one guitar player was playing along.  I haven't seen that with any other artist - including Neil Diamond or Sir Paul.   And it wasn't like the other artists were metalheads either.  One was this cute singer songwriter from New Jersey (think a solo Susannah Hoffs) and she was rocking out like it was prom night. Awesome thing to see (and the band clearly fed on the energy; at that point James was the coolest man on the planet, and he knew it).

[TAC]

Even though both bands headlined arenas for the first time on their respective 4th albums, it just seemed to take Metallica a lot longer to get there. Maiden had early MTV to give them a boost. Metallica had nothing. Their music was a lot more extreme, and their rise was a slow build, a grass roots kind of thing.

Metallica is great at the supply/demand thing. They built up so much suspense for their first video (One). And as said above, they release albums and tour the states so infrequently, it becomes an event.


But Enter Sandman, and The Black Album just happened to become a transcendent release.  Metallica became the "metal band" for people that were not traditionally metal fans.

[KevShmev]

But Enter Sandman, and The Black Album just happened to become a transcendent release.  Metallica became the "metal band" for people that were not traditionally metal fans.

Bingo. 

[jammindude]

I can't speak for any other cities in the US, but I know in Milwaukee, back in 1988 they started playing One regularly, and over time other songs from their catalog were added. Then, when the black album hit, it was all over the radio. And when Until It Sleeps was released, they were playing it every freakin' hour (terrible song, BTW).

I don't recall *ever* hearing a single Iron Maiden song ever being played on the radio. So I think that's the key right there. Metallica got tons of airplay and Maiden got little to none. Of course, the fact that Metallica went in a more commercial direction in the 90s and Maiden losing Bruce were no doubt contributing factors. But I'd still hold radio as the real key.

I can only speak for the local Seattle area rock station KISW.....but in the mid-80's, Iron Maiden were *staples* of the radio.  Run to the Hills, and Number of the Beast were regulars.   When Piece of Mind first hit, KISW played Still Life as an advance single before the album dropped.  (which was a very odd choice in retrospect)   And by the time Powerslave hit, they were probably THE most popular band in my local area.   Every rocker wore an Iron Maiden T-shirt, I didn't know a single rocker that didn't love Iron Maiden, all the singles were playing regularly on the rock station and the World Slavery Tour was *THE* concert event of the century.   

BUT....the Seattle area rock scene is extremely fickle, and in the mid-80's there was one cardinal rule that could never be broken.   NO SYNTHESISERS.  Period.   The attitudes of the disco backlash were still deeply ingrained in the rocker mindset, and we were at war with new wave.  (literally...."rockers" and "wavers" were practically the "crypts" and "bloods" of my high school).     So when Iron Maiden and Judas Priest introduced synthesisers, there was a collective Exodus.   And that was precisely when the popularity of the "The Big 4" suddenly exploded.      So ya, there was absolutely zero airplay for any post-Powerslave material.   None.     But before that, they had been radio darlings around here.

[Cool Chris]

You are older than me so cannot comment on your experience, but I wanted to acknowledge your KISW comment, as that was a staple of my high school years.

Fun Cool Chris fact, I got to do an hour on KZOK on Sunday night in the late 90s.

[ProfessorPeart]

Just from my personal experience, it seems like Metallica is way more popular. They're both very popular, but Metallica is always the one I see on people's cars and shirts and whatnot. I wish it was the other way around. Everyone could use just a bit more Maiden in their lives... 

It's actually pretty rare that I see a Metallica shirt. I see Maiden shirts way more often.

Interesting! I live in a rural area. I wonder if that has something to do with it? Some of my friends were into Maiden growing up, just as much as Metallica, but even in high school I was one of the only kids with a Maiden shirt. There was never a shortage of Metallica shirts though!

Same here. I was in High School in the 90's and it was Metallica everywhere. Then there was me with my Killers tee.

I'm a big 'Tallica fan but I have never seen them in concert or owned a tee. Seen Maiden several times and own several tee's.

[jammindude]

^^^^^^^^^^^

IMO....this is all tied in to my post and the transition from the 80's heros (Ozzy, Priest, IM, Crue) turning to synths at the exact same time that the "Big 4" rose to power.   It all ties into whether you were a kid during the early 80s, or the late 80s.

[Big Hath]

But Enter Sandman, and The Black Album just happened to become a transcendent release.  Metallica became the "metal band" for people that were not traditionally metal fans.

Bingo.

yeah, as I read through the thread, this is the thought that kept popping into my head.  The Black album release was just so phenomenally huge.  People who I never thought would listen to metal had that album.

[jammindude]

But Enter Sandman, and The Black Album just happened to become a transcendent release.  Metallica became the "metal band" for people that were not traditionally metal fans.

Bingo.

yeah, as I read through the thread, this is the thought that kept popping into my head.  The Black album release was just so phenomenally huge.  People who I never thought would listen to metal had that album.

Another excellent point.   It was the “Back in Black” of its time.   

(Context.... Back in Black was just one of those albums that.....even if you went to the home of someone who liked nothing but disco, and yacht rock, there would be a copy of Back in Black in their record collection.   Even people who hated hard rock had that album)

[TheCountOfNYC]

Metallica is more popular in the USA without question (they spent the summer selling out 80,000 seat football stadiums). With that said, Maiden is probably the only metal band that can come close to Metallica’s success and they probably have the edge in worldwide popularity. They both have no problems selling out arenas here.

[IDontNotDoThings]

And when Until It Sleeps was released, they were playing it every freakin' hour (terrible song, BTW).

 

[Mladen]

But Enter Sandman, and The Black Album just happened to become a transcendent release.  Metallica became the "metal band" for people that were not traditionally metal fans.

And this might be the reason why I think Metallica is not only bigger in the USA, but everywhere. I prefer Maiden, no contest, but I've always thought Metallica was obviously more popular.

[MirrorMask]

Some very valid points raised here. I agree that it essentially comes down with Metallica being able to brave the '90s storm better than Maiden, and their music being slightly more accessible. There are more non metalheads who know Enter Sandman than those who know Fear of the Dark.

[WildRanger]

Honestly, I think Metallica is more popular in America because they are an American band.

And Manowar is an American band and they are a way more famous in Europe than USA. How would you explain that?

[ErHaO]

I think they are more accessible. You can still hear Metallica on the mainstream radio here once in a while (Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman in particular). I don't think Metallica is more popular amongst the metal/rock crowd here in the Netherlands, but amongst the pop crowd (which is the majority), Metallica definitely is.

[MirrorMask]

Same in Italy... for metal people, it's a toss, Metallica and Maiden sell out like bread their concerts here, but among the non metal people, as I said I bet there are more italians who know Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters than those who know Fear of the Dark.

Maiden never really had the crossover ballad like Nothing or Aerosmith's songs. Hell, there was even a girl back in the time where I took singing lessons that was absolutely not into heavy music and she knew Savatage's Believe. Maiden never had a Believe, nor they need one for that matter, but they didn't.

[The Walrus]

Whiskey in the Jaaaaaooooyeauhhh!!

[mikeyd23]

Honestly, I think Metallica is more popular in America because they are an American band.

And Manowar is an American band and they are a way more famous in Europe than USA. How would you explain that?

True. And a lot of bands I listen to are American bands that are more popular elsewhere than in the states. Metallica is different though. They are the biggest metal band of all time and The Black album caught on in the states like pretty much no other metal record ever has in history. I think some people in the states like the fact that they are an American band, that's all. I think Hetfield in particular pulled in an entire demographic of uniquely American listeners (if you know anything about James I think you'll know what I mean).  Its probably a minor contributing factor, not the primary one but still a factor.

[ClairvoyantCat]

Historically melody is more important to Europeans.

[cramx3]

Iron Maiden had their hits a bit earlier than Metallica, but when Metallica exploded with the Black Album in the states, then followed by  the Loads.  Their radio airplay went through the roof.  They were all over MTV, HUGE hits.  Iron Maiden with even thier biggest hits, didn't come close to getting the airplay and consistency that Metallica got in the 90s which was my childhood.  I remember very well those album releases and the huge responses they received.  Even with S&M and the Garage Inc covers, they were radio hits and huge performers in the media here. 

I'd say Iron Maiden has made it a lot closer through the last 20 years as Metallica started to fade, the IM reunion started to bloom.  But Metallica is still a force in the US.  I think they are more popular, but not by as much as you may think. 

As for the Tshirts, there's definitely more IM ones that I see, but I think the IM art work is more popular even with people not fans of the music.

[?]

Same in Italy... for metal people, it's a toss, Metallica and Maiden sell out like bread their concerts here, but among the non metal people, as I said I bet there are more italians who know Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters than those who know Fear of the Dark.

Same in Finland - both bands are massive among metalheads, but The Black Album has sold over 3 times as many copies as the most successful Maiden release, and both Metallica's new singles and classic stuff (including album tracks) get more airplay on rock radio than Maiden. Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters just have more crossover appeal than, say, The Trooper or Fear of the Dark.

[WildRanger]

I think in Britain Iron Maiden is a more popular band than Metallica easily.

[KevShmev]

Yeah, but the British are weird.