Only very few musicians are given this honor. The British heavy metal band Iron Maiden (“Run To The Hills”, “Fear Of The Dark”) will adorn twelve Royal Mail stamps in the future. This was announced by the British postal company on Thursday. This means that the group around singer Bruce Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris belongs to a small select circle that also includes the Beatles, Queen, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Elton John.

“Few bands in the history of rock music can be described as true rock legends,” said Royal Mail, “but Iron Maiden are just that – and more.” Iron Maiden founder Harris said on the band’s official website that the musicians were initially “speechless”. One is “very proud” of the appreciation.

Eight stamps with concert photos

Eight Iron Maiden stamps feature photos from the group’s concerts between 1983 and 2018. Four other stamps show the band’s mascot Eddie, which has appeared in varying forms on every album and single cover of the rock veterans since their debut “Iron Maiden” in 1980 and also adorns T-shirts and fan articles. Royal Mail also offers framed versions of the stamps and special souvenir sets for collectors.

Iron Maiden are among the world’s most successful and influential rock bands in music history. The London-based group has released 17 studio albums and numerous live recordings and claims to have sold more than 100 million records.

From May Iron Maiden will go on a world tour again. As part of the “Future Past Tour”, concerts are planned in several German cities and at the Wacken Open Air Festival.