With Iron Maiden about to return to the UK as part of their Run For Your Lives world tour, manager Rod Smallwood shares with us what he regards as “the most important and interesting” shows the band have ever played.

Amid the mayhem of his European tour, Joe takes time out to give us a guided tour around his 2025 live gear, delivers the lowdown on some of his more storied guitars, and tells us why his mighty multi-amp rig has to run at breaking point in order to make the earth move and those riffs resonate…

The song that rebuilt the band for the 21st century

The Back To The Beginning show features the greatest metal bill ever assembled. Over the next 12 pages, some of the musicians appearing share just what Ozzy and Black Sabbath mean to them

RICHARD SINCLAIR

Musical: Hercules Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London ...