What's wrong with Iron Maiden? In a way they are the Status Quo of heavy metal. I think they haven't progressed really as songwriters (as one critic once said: "There are two types of IM songs, ones that start fast and slow down in the middle and others who start slow and then get real fast.") and never reached the elegance of, say, Judas Priest in their best moments, but I respect IM for their work ethic. And that they still bring out new stuff (which in my ears sounds largely like their old one though
) and play it live too even if their fans would prefer them to do the greatest hits package. Dickinson is not a great sinner (LOL, Freudian Slip, I meant to say singer!), on one hand more operatic than Halford, on the other hand less, but I like him as a man. He's not full of himself like, say, Geoff Tate.
I do have the new Steve Harris album but haven't heard it yet.
