Iron Maiden to rock Carnival City

The band will play only two shows during the South African leg of the Book of Souls world tour.

The East Rand will play host to one of these shows on the lawns of Carnival City on May 21.

Fans can look forward to an energetic show during which Iron Maiden will perform songs from their latest studio album, The Book of Souls, which debuted at number four in South Africa in September.

As it has been a few years since the band last toured South Africa, vocalist Bruce Dickinson has promised to include some old fan favourites in the set.

“I think the fans will be delighted by what we have in mind. “We are creating a new show and rest assured we are working hard to bring you all something spectacular, something with a lot of heart,” says Dickinson.

For fans, Iron Maiden are an institution.

Over the course of 40 years they have “come to embody a spirit of fearless creative independence, ferocious dedication to their fans, and a cheerful indifference to their critics that’s won them a following that spans every culture, generation, and time-zone,” says Alexander Milas*, editor-ion-chief of Metal Hammer (a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the UK).

“A story of gritty determination and courageous defiance of the naysayers, theirs has been an adventure like no other, and with the rapturous receipt of their 16th studio album they’re showing no signs of slowing down.

“An album that neatly encapsulates Iron Maiden’s huge creative range, The Book Of Souls is nothing less than a 92-minute masterpiece – a cannon-blast of exuberant, anthemic bravado that serves as cast-iron confirmation of just how much they have left in the tank.

“From the infectious, stadium-skewering hooks of The Red And The Black to the lofty ambition of the 18-minute Empire Of The Clouds, it’s the artistic summation of everything that’s given Iron Maiden such deep resonance and universal appeal.

“Like the breathless excitement and scale of their stage shows, their remarkable new double-album is emblematic of a stout-hearted refusal to do anything by half-measures and an irrepressible sense of fun.”

The band was founded in Leyton, east London, in 1975 by bassist and songwriter, Steve Harris who will be joined on the tour by vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrian and lead and rhythm guitarists Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith.

Iron Maiden’s support band during The Book of Souls world tour is The Raven Age which has been playing shows across Europe with bands such as Mastodon, Gojira, Delain, Rival State, Voodoo Six, Wolf, Santa Cruz and British Lion. In 2014, the band recorded and released their debut self titled album that shot straight to number one in the Amazon Hot New Releases Chart and also climbed to number 16 in the Top 100 Best Sellers in the Rock and Metal Chart on Amazon.

*Alexander Milas’ comments sourced from www.ironmaiden.com