Bruce Dickinson picks “one of the best rock albums of all time”
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is one of his generation’s definitive metal titans. A musical force of nature, it’s reflective of his power that when he replaced Paul Di’Anno as the band’s vocalist, Dickinson helped them take proceedings up a notch and move into an area that would see them become of the most successful groups of all time.
Famously, Dickinson’s wailing vocals embody the metal genre, fusing the raw power of Ozzy Osbourne with the theatrics of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford. Whilst Paul Di’Anno is also an incredible singer, Dickinson joined Iron Maiden at the right time. He proved the perfect element on top of their increasingly rumbling rhythm section and blistering guitars.
As fans of Iron Maiden and his peers know, Dickinson is also one of the most prominent personalities in metal and has never been afraid to discuss his opinions on everything from music to politics. A commercial pilot and author, in addition to being a widely influential musician, the Worksop native has a tendency to keep listeners on their toes.
In his time, Dickinson provided various musical opinions, ranging from the effusive to the damning. Yet, one band he has consistently shared his love for is Black Sabbath, the group widely hailed as the metal genre’s progenitors. From general heavy metal to subgenres such as sludge and black metal, you’d be hard-pressed to find any act in the heavier realms of rock who do not cite Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward as heroes.
When speaking to Australia’s Double J in 2018, Dickinson called 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath one of “the best rock albums of all time”. As well as picking the album as one of his favourites, the Iron Maiden frontman said: “Black Sabbath was the second album I bought in an auction, after Deep Purple in Rock. Sabbath went through a few transitions, then they came out with this album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, which was just immense. To me it’s one of the best rock albums of all time.”
“I’m guilty as charged, I did a terrible cover of this song because somebody offered me money,” he added. “I was out of Maiden and short of a few quid so I went, ‘Yeah, go on then’. It just proved that you should never try and cover legendary things. They should just stay legendary”.
Listen to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in full below.
