Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris. Although the line-up changed frequently during the band's early years, the core line-up for much of its history consisted of Harris, vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. Emerging as part of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden achieved international success with albums including "Iron Maiden" (1980), "Killers" (1981), and "The Number of the Beast" (1982), the first album to feature Dickinson after the departure of Paul Di'Anno.