Of The I are a special kind of band. One that understands the special relationship between the listener and the band and make full use of the internet to bring themselves across. This good work ethic would be wasted however, if the music was no good, but it really is. Loading up their myspace, with the first notes of Between Being and Ego washing over you, a different kind of sound comes out. Deceptively simple, if you are content to have it on in the background while you work, it provides a pleasant listening experience. But if you really listen, you notice the textures and layers in the music. I'm not going to analyze the music anymore, you should give it a listen rather than taking my work for it. Of The I are going to be a great band.

Less Than Jake are not a serious band. They do not want to you rock against Bush. They have no particular interest in Iraq or politics in general. In fact, they have no message apart from listen and have fun. It is perhaps this lack of direction that has allowed them to last this long. When a band is founded on a single issue and only really sing about one thing, how long can that band last? Only as long as what they are protesting against. Once that is gone, they have nothing. less Than Jake make music about whatever they want. Most of their early material is totally irreverent. Songs about cheese and how Jen doesn't like me anymore can't be taken seriously. Its just fun.

LTJ have a special talent for writing a catchy, jump up and down songs. Their live shows are full of good natured energy. Copious amounts of alcohol, dancing and a circle pit encompassing the entire crowd are the norm.

Less Than Jake are one of my favourite bands. They were the first band that I saw live and one of the most fun groups on the planet.

Iron Maiden are one of the most important heavy metal bands to ever emerge from Great Britain. Their 1980 release, Iron Maiden, fused the riffs and powerful drums of earlier metal bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Led Zeppelin with the high energy and tempo of punk music. Their second album, Killers, only contained 3 songs originally penned for it. You could say that it was the B-Side of Iron Maiden. The following years saw a major shake up in the band. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno 's drug and alcohol use became unmanageable and he was replaced by Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson. Dickinson's first Maiden album, The Number of the beast, contains such classic tracks as Run To The Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Name and The Number of the Beast. This record set the Iron Maiden sound for years to come. The following release, Piece of Mind, is in my opinion their best work. The galloping guitars, the thundering drums, the screeching vocals, its all there. Songs like The Trooper have come to define British metal and have had a lot of influence on the development of Power Metal. Anything that followed Piece of Mind was going to be a slight disappointment, but that isn't to say that Powerslave isn't a good album. Individual songs shine out, but the whole affair doesn't gel as well as some other albums. The albums Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son followed, and I would definitely recommend checking them out, although they can be slightly experimental for some peoples tastes. This, I am afraid, ends the 'Golden Era' of Iron Maiden. No Prayer for the Dying was raw and felt unfinished. Fear of the Dark was patchy, although the old brilliance does shine through at points. In 1993, Dickinson left the band to pursue his solo career. I shall not mention any of the next two albums, as they are garbage. I would only suggest listening to them if you already own all of their other material. 2000's Brave New world and 2003's Dance of Death marked Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith's return, completing the classic 80's line up. The latest Maiden album, A Matter of Life and Death, is a long overdue return to form. It is heavy, well thought out, lyrical and songs like Different World could have been plucked from Piece of Mind.


Iron Maiden have influenced almost every British metal band of the last 20 years. Their sound is unmistakable, if you hear an Iron Maiden song, you know who it is, even if you don't know what the song is. They are quite simply, the best British band of the last 20 years, and you should love them.