by Barbara Stiles

Created on: February 24, 2009   Last Updated: March 02, 2009

Over the years, my favorite bands were accompanied by the phases I went through. Many changed, but only one has held my deepest passions. I was given my first Iron Maiden album at 13. It was a tape with the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son set on it. I sat in the darkness, brooding in my room and begun playing it. The morbidity of my gothic lifestyle seemed to harden inside me then shine when the first track begun. A valiant voice, clear and as beautiful as an angel's would hail from the silence, "Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win, seven holy paths to hell and your trip begins. Seven downward slopes, seven bloodied hopes, seven eyes of burning fire, seven your desire.." I didn't know what it meant, just that it was mystical and wonderful.

Moonchild followed from the ascending guitar intro and I listened in a loving stupor suddenly jumping to my feet and dancing like a witch drunk with the powder given to her by the goddess. It was moving and uplifting and I simply couldn't get enough of it. I learned every song and tried to memorize every word. When I was done with Seventh Son I picked up more albums, some older, some newer.

The music was my alarm for school in the morning. It gave me a mysterious confidence. The galloping beats and the climactic melodies barely needed lyrics to make sense, much less powerful lyrics with a powerful voice singing them. Bruce Dickinson, to me is without a doubt, was the best male vocalist in the world. His shrieks pierced my mind like the horn of heaven put right up to my ear. It's corny, I know, and too many people have told me the same thing about the music itself. Never mind what people think anyway, just know that I'm smiling as I say that.

Iron Maiden raised me to be the eccentric, yet deep spirited person I am. Without their influence I believe I would not be the same person I am in such a magnitude that I can't possibly fathom my personality without it. My first tattoo ending up being Eddy, the zombie faced metalhead that diehard Maiden fans all came to adore. My choice of Eddy was from my favorite album "Number of the Beast." I'll always be the wraithchild and the powerslave of my group of friends that will forever have that quiet fear of the dark.

Have you ran your fingers down the wall? And have you felt your neck skin crawl when you're searching for the light ? Sometimes when you're scared to take a look at the corner of the room because you sense something's watching you

...Fear of the dark...

...Fear of the dark!

I have a constant fear that something's always near...

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