IRON MAIDEN - TOP 10 RIFFS RANKED 

I think one of my favorite riffs is the section directly after Daves solo in 22 Acacia Avenue right before Bruce starts singing again. Absolutely wild in a live setting.

Shoutout to the heaviest maiden riff and song ever, brighter than a thousand suns.

My #1 will always be the main riff of Caught Somewhere in Time.

Deja Vu is so underrated

Fully agree on Stranger. Such a mesmerizing riff and add the mystical Somewhere in Time tone on top of it, it is quite a perfect riff

I'm so glad you included Deja Vu, even if just as an honorable mention. The melody of the riff is just so orgasmic to my ears.

My honorable mentions: The Trooper, Running Free, Fear of the Dark, Powerslave, 22 Acacia Avenue, Flash of the Blade and of course Wasted Years. Great job as always Nico. You're the Man!

Great video! I really enjoy your channel. The fact that I would pick songs so different from yours (The trooper, Aces high, Hallowed by the name, Purgatory, The loneliness of the long distance runner, Caught somewhere in time, Prowler, Futureal, Different world, etc.), just enhances the musical richness and awesomeness of Iron Maiden. Up the Irons!!

Oooo good choice on Rainmaker. Super underrated tune.

Well, the honorable mentions could have went on for a couple hours LoL. I could never come up with a favorite riff list of this band just too many excellent ones to select from. I would have to think it would be like choosing which of your children you love most....and I agree Adrian is a National Treasure along with Harris two of the greatest metal song writers of their time. Great Job sir. Cheers and Up The Irons!

Fantatsic list! I loved the logic behind it, plus I loved seeing "Rainmaker" get some love!

Excellent choices. I’m glad you gave Senjutsu an honorable mention. Its a nice riff and the song doesn’t get enough love.

Great choices and I love you are taking the time to explain the riffs. By broadening the selection parameters, you could do part 2, 3, 4, 5… 😊

Your a brave man picking a maiden top ten riffs as they are all so good

Beautiful and wonderful, as always, good sir, cheers!

Fun video! At some point early on while catching up on your back catalogue of Licks of the Beast videos, you mentioned a time or two that SIT and AMOLAD were your two favorite Maiden albums. Instant respect. AMOLAD doesn’t get nearly the attention it should IMHO. I really wish I would’ve seen that tour in person.

Great job, Nico. Looking forward to the next top ten list.

Definitely need some more! I'm glad you talked about Deja Vu, that's such a sick riff.

Superb! This channel rocks!

We share the same choice for #1 riff!! It’s one of the heaviest you can find! Amazing song altogether… Please do a full song + solo lesson for it!

You are the first person I see for whom Stranger in a Strange Land is number 1 and this is also my favourite Maiden's song. Definitely It is super underrated.

Really great picks! Thanks for The video, rock on! 🤘🖤

i love the riff in the writing on the wall. the one right before adrian's solo

Love the stories with each riff, thankyou

Awesome as always. Can’t imagine trying to figure out a top 10, but all darn good choices, IMO. Thanks for this!

your Playing and Tone is Perfect for this. the attention to Details and appropriate guitars was all i needed to subscribe.

Your playing is fantastic. Keep up the great work!

Great video...cheers 🍻

Graet Nicko, love your vídeos and the Maiden review, my fav band since i was a child (i grow up with Somewhere and Seventh Son when i was a child…and love it). Follow with rhis Chanel, its really enjoyable For every Maiden fan. Thanks a lot and congrats dude!!!!!

For me i would add: Accacia avenue : second riff with the open A string. Hallowed be thy name riff under solos

I've honestly started hitting the like button before the video has even had a chance to play. You just don't seem to make a bad video. 🤘🤘

Great video, great channel! Up the Irons 🔥🔥🔥

Perfect video - once again. Thx. Up the Iron’s

Excelente como siempre!!

So your wish of bringing back "Stranger In A Strange Land" to the live set finally came true. Brilliant played riffs.

Love the wicker man !!!! Epic

Rainmaker! What a song, I have such a soft spot for Davey, likely one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. Killers and Be Quick also insanely good riffs, and was just thinking the other day how good Lord if the Flies sounds in Death on the Road. You have an admirable taste, sir:)

Just goes to show how many good riffs these guys have. I'd probably have 3 of yours in my top 10. How can people not pick Lord of Light?

Great list Nico! There is something so magical about stranger in a strange land entirely. UP THE IRONS 🤘

Great selection with some "deep cuts" and impeccable playing as always Nico! It may have to do with how I discovered Maiden relatively recently, but a lot of my favourite riffs tend to be from the reunion era: the riff in "When the Wild Wind Blows" after Adrian's solo, the climax of "For the Greater Good of God", and the absolute badassery of the "Book of Souls" main riff. I find it really fascinating how nuanced the "Lord of the Flies" riff is. I always thought it had a quality unlike many other riffs, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Great video, we all have our favourite Maiden riffs mine being..Phantom, Remember Tomorrow, Prowler (so simple but so memorable) the intro to Innocent Exile, Aces High, Speed of Light, but my top one which just builds and builds has gotta be...Brighter than a thousand suns, what an unbelievably evil sounding intro and then those thunderous chords..magical.

The whole rythm track in the middle section of Infinite Dreams would be number one, for me. But very good list. Discovered your channel about six months ago. Although I don't play guitar, I enjoy your work very much Nico. From a Maiden fan to another. Cheers!

Go Nico!!!! Go!!!!! 🤘❤️‍🔥🤘 Awesome Job!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this. I won't read the comment, I guess all the comments will "what about this" or "what about that" I just enjoyed the video, great talent. And btw, what about Afriad to Shoot Strangers 😮

What a coincident: I was relearning 'Rainmaker' this week and the intro sounded somewhat off to me. Your fingering makes much more sense! Man, your videos are the holy grail for maiden fans :D

For me the best riff or melody from maiden is the intro from caught somewhere in time, so good!

Awesome video!! It's so difficult to pick the best riffs of Iron Maiden, they are special according to the year they were made. Amazing work and I'm looking forward to seeing the top 10 solos 😃 cheers from PT

Like Wicker Man selection, that was the riff that announced they are back in full force. Adrian stepping out and opening the show was my fav concert moment.

Loved the story about Adrian coming back from the dentist 🤣

Great selection, Nico!

The Legacy is a monster song, its riff shooks me as an earthquake everytime. It's also true the Benjamin Breeg's riff is like a shockwave... I'd mention also the riff in The Talisman, it's thundering.

This is the list of a good and seasoned Maiden fan. A fan that can play guitar. Well done. I give you credit because I didn't think Deja Vu would be there. All choices stand tall.

Very good choises. As a bassplayer, Phantom, Wratchild and Where eagles dare are favorites of mine because of the great bass lines,. Love that gritty guitar on 2 minutes to midnight (Adrian had where gritty sound in the mid 80’s, didn’t he?) Brigns back a lot of memory for an old man this😊❤️ Anyway, you have done some great work again, Nico😎💪🤘

I loved your #1 choice, good taste! When I bought my first good electric guitar, it was the 1st I needed to learn! :)

Stranger in a stranger land is a jewel!

Wow! Great list.

Very good selection

To my ear as a very long time maiden fan, your playing is the best I’ve heard out there…other than the members of maiden themselves ;-)

Great top ten! It would be interesting if you elect the best riff or solo of each studio album. Best!

Hi. I am an italian fan since 1986, sorry for my english, it is not easy to choose, maybe my favourite riff is that one of "Phantom of the opera", one of my favourite song. I also think that the intro of " The loneliness of the long distance runner" is a masterpiece and maybe a little underrated. It is harder to choose the best album, even quite impossible: maybe I could choose "Somewhere in time", the first album I heard, but " The number of the beast" is the most iconic as for me of Iron Maiden. "The rhime of the ancient mariner" is the song which creates for me an amazing atmosphere, with the beautiful Coleridge's lirycs and the charming reproductions of the wood's noises in the middle of the song. Thank you for this great video and Up the Irons!

Deja vu, a criminally underrated masterpiece..😔

Great list, Nico! But, as everyone here knows, you can't go wrong choosing riffs from Iron Maiden!!!

great stuff Nico, as usual, maybe top 10 harmony licks next, and interlude riffs like that in the still life or phantom of the opera (chorus? "keep your distance..")

Very good list!!!

Am I weird or is it normal these main short famous riffs of the songs aren't mostly my favorite riffs of Iron Maiden as a huge fan. My favorites are almost always those very melodic bridge riffs in their longer songs that usually come before or after the solos where the fans generally could sing along with "ooo"s, where the 3 guitars beautifully harmonize. I prefer the leading riff of melodic section of Phantom Of The Opera, the two riffs in the middle of Fear Of The Dark, the riff at the end of Sign Of The Cross before the chorus repeats, Dance of Death's riff in the middle of the solos and after the solos, Rime of The Ancient Mariner's riff after the solos, Alexander The Great's mid tempo melodic riff before the crazy solo starts, The Parchment's riff after Bruce's last high note and more melodic riffs in When The Wild Wind Blows, The Clansman, The Nomad, No More Lies, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, etc...

I was sure you would pick a riff from SIT as your number one :-D! Excellent selection by the way!

Cool list 😉😉! Probably for me, the most iconic Maiden riff is from Hallowed Be Thy Name, but I cannot decide if it's the harmonized main riff or the one before the solos.

I think they've made another one of their all time classic melodies on the new one. In the middle of Death of the Celts there is that one guitar melody which just soars and the stuff Steve is doing in the background really gives it a dream like quality. Pure classic Maiden.

Yessss to your number 1!

Thank goodness you set parameters for 1 riff per album, or this whole list would be filled primarily with Powerslave and Piece of Mind songs 😄 I love the idea of more top 10s as well. Btw loved the inclusion of Phantom of the Opera and Killers.! Up the Irons, Nico! 🙌💪

It would be very insteresting to talk about guitar solos played y recorded on live albums. They have recreated their guitar solos make them sound so epic during these live albums. Great videos! Great job, sir!

Thanks for your top 10 and all the thought on this video.. Definitely hard one to do since Maiden has unlimited top 10 Riffs. My all time top Maiden riff is DANCE OF DEATH!

Hola Nicko...exelente video, saludos desde Chile!!

This was great to watch, and you explained each riff really well and accurately. (ps. i think you missed out on aces high, can i play with madness and fear of the dark)

Man wicker man is such a great, straight ahead rocker

Great number 1!

That was great. Your Ibanez Destroyer. (I always thought it was called an explorer but I guess Gibson would not like that). looks amazing under those lights. Really nice shade of red

That Les Paul is lovely!🥰

So happy to see two AMOLAD riffs on here - my favorite Maiden album. I'm surprised no one has brought up "Afraid to Shoot Strangers"! I was sure it was going to be #1.

That Deja vu riff is so great and so melodic👌some of my favourite riffs are the chorus riff from moonchild and pre chorus riff from the evil that men do🤘 and What’s your favourite maiden song? Mine’s moonchild for sure! Keep it up man and Up the Irons from Australia 🇦🇺🤘🤘🤘

I actually thought number one would be either Stranger in a Strange Land or Sea of Madness, given how much you love that album. But I really can't disagree with your picks. Excellent choices!

I'd love to see a ranking of iron maidens top ten guitar melody harmonies. For example like the melody before the solos on Alexander the great

Always loved that Rainmaker riff.

Great list Nico, bit surprised you missed that juicy af bridge riff from 22 Acacia Avenue though

Nico, those choices were great, some of my favorite ones are there. I think it was hard limiting to only one per album, Powerslave intro riff is a must, but so is 2 minutes to midnight, so it must have been some tough choices.

My honorable mention is the intro of Moonchild played live by Adrian (with a ton of delay) in the "Somewhere back in time" tour. Just look for it here on YT. Pure awesomeness!!

Been a fan for a couple of decades and really can't come up w a Top 3 easily. PS no way to prove myself but I guessed ur #1. GBY. Up the Irons!

Best band ever! Thank you

Love this!!! Thanks for including The Legacy! I really think that's one of their most epic songs ever! But how could you leave out The Trooper??? And Rime of the Ancient Mariner??? Too much to choose from! Haha! ;)

Brilliant thanks😎

Ghost Of The Navigator is such underrated, it sounds so good.

Excellent Choice. Iron Maiden has always good Riffs. All 6 are Musicians to my Hart.

the intro of prisoner...with the drums for me is their pinnacle of heaviness...for my ears that intro riffs is so fucking crushing

I would love to watch a "a matter of Life and death" review, one my favorite maiden albums

My favorite riff is so underrated afraid to shoot at strangers

Incredible top pick, that song rules

My list would be very different for sure but this is a nice video man

Ides of march!!!!! Great picks btw

One that i somehow really like and used to play a lot when i was younger, is "Heaven can wait". Other great are Powerslave and Hallowed be thy name, that slow beginning. Phantom of the opera is propably the greatest. Very memorable.

LOL, you explained exactly why I've never been a fan of 2MTM since the day I brought the album home....it sounds like a riff done by a 1000 other bands. Whereas something like Phantom still sounds fresh today! Great job, overall. I could see you doing this again with top 10 riffs that weren't on the first list, etc. Cheers!