In celebration of Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary, San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans Heathen have released a cover of Iron Maiden’s The Number Of The Beast track “The Prisoner.” The recording pulls samples from the classic British TV series of the same name, enlists artist Dan Goldsworthy — known for his work with Accept, Inhuman Condition and Haken — to Eddie-ify the goblin from “Goblin’s Blade,” a callback to Heathen’s 1987 debut Breaking The Silence, and reworks the band’s logo to evoke Maiden’s iconic lettering. The track was mixed and mastered by Chris “Zeuss” Harris at Planet Z, known for his work with 3 Inches of Blood, Municipal Waste and Shadows Fall.
Heathen guitarist Kragen Lum commented: “What can we say about the legendary Iron Maiden that hasn’t already been said? They’ve given us 50 years of energetic, melodic metal that’s inspired Heathen and legions of other bands in the genre.
“‘The Prisoner’ was an easy choice for us to cover, with its heavy intro, uptempo verses, catchy chorus, and classic instrumental section. We added a few touches to ‘Heathenize’ the song while staying true to what made it so great when it was first released in 1982.
“Enjoy this recording as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of heavy metal’s greatest bands. Up the Irons!”
The cover arrives alongside Heathen’s extensive two-leg North American tour. The first leg opens July 17 in Derry, New Hampshire supporting Metal Church, running through July 26 in Leesburg, Virginia. The second leg sees Heathen headline with support from Louisiana horror thrashers Void, kicking off July 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina and wrapping August 9 in Toronto, Ontario.
The band said of the run: “We’re stoked to join the legendary Metal Church on this short tour of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. We’ll be bringing our A-game for these shows before heading out on a run of headlining dates across the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada with the killer Void as direct support.
“We’ve put together a set packed with classics, fan favorites, and a few surprises that you won’t want to miss. Grab your tickets, and we’ll see you in the pit!”
Heathen North American tour supporting Metal Church:
- July 17 — Derry, NH — Tupelo Music Hall
- July 18 — Montreal, QC — Foufounes Électriques
- July 19 — Quebec City, QC — La Source de la Martinière
- July 21 — Ottawa, ON — Overflow
- July 22 — Newton, NJ — The Newton Theater
- July 23 — Pittsburgh, PA — The Crafthouse
- July 24 — Rochester, NY — Montage Music Hall
- July 25 — Reading, PA — Reverb
- July 26 — Leesburg, VA — Tally Ho Theater
Heathen headline dates with support from Void:
- July 27 — Raleigh, NC — Chapel of Bones
- July 28 — Atlanta, GA — The EARL
- July 31 — Hamden, CT — Space Ballroom
- Aug. 1 — Philadelphia, PA — Nikki Lopez (matinee)
- Aug. 2 — Columbus, OH — Ace of Cups
- Aug. 4 — Milwaukee, WI — X-Ray Arcade
- Aug. 5 — Indianapolis, IN — Black Circle
- Aug. 6 — Detroit, MI — Sanctuary
- Aug. 7 — Kitchener, ON — Maxwell’s
- Aug. 9 — Toronto, ON — The Cave
This past February, Heathen announced a new deal with Napalm Records, marking it with the release of “Never A God,” the title track of Laughing Dead’s first demo — a band fronted by Heathen vocalist David White in the early 1990s.
Heathen is often credited alongside Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, Death Angel and Vio-lence as one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s. The band has released four studio albums: Breaking The Silence (1987), Victims Of Deception (1991), The Evolution Of Chaos (2009) and Empire Of The Blind (2020), the latter charting in the Top 40 in Germany, Hungary and Scotland. Heathen’s current lineup is David White (vocals), Kragen Lum (guitars), Kyle Edissi (guitars), Jason Mirza (bass) and Blake Anderson (drums).
