CD/DVD Releases: Iron Maiden's ''The Final Frontier'' Tops Charts In 21 Countries

EMI Records is proud of its 30-year, career-long involvement with Iron Maiden and the astonishing first-week global chart success of the band's fifteenth studio album, The Final Frontier, which was released on EMI Records worldwide on August 16 (excluding USA, released by UMe on August 17).

Iron Maiden have more than earned their status as one of the foremost contemporary and influential rock bands in the world as they debut at No. 1 in the U.K. (their fourth No. 1 album there, the first being 1982's seminal The Number Of The Beast album) and 20 other countries to date with The Final Frontier.

In addition to the phenomenal number of No. 1 debuts in all parts of the world, Maiden are currently No. 2 in Australia, Belgium and Holland, No. 3 in Ireland Poland and Turkey, No. 4 in USA and No. 5 in Singapore. The debut at No. 4 on the Billboard chart in the USA is the band's highest-ever chart position.

Having recorded the new album at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas earlier this year, in an historic first for the band, they released "El Dorado," a track from The Final Frontier, as a free download on the eve of the opening date of their North American tour to huge excitement from their massive fanbase. Following this a cutting-edge video was released for the opening track, "The Final Frontier," produced by the award-winning production company Darkside Animation Films (Lost In Space, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down) and two innovative computer games were created as companion releases to the album.

Thirty years after their eponymous debut album in April 1980 and with more than 80 million albums sold, Iron Maiden are more creatively vibrant, dynamic and relevant than ever, reaching a new pinnacle in their career and still adding legions of new young fans to their ever-increasing following.

They recently completed one of the most successful North American tours of the summer, playing to over 350,000 fans there across 25 concerts, and followed that success across Europe, where they headlined a series of major festivals, including the huge Sonisphere events in the U.K., Sweden and Finland, alongside their own shows, playing to hundreds of thousands more fans. They will hit the road again in 2011 with further extensive touring, headline dates on the Soundwave series of major festivals in Australia already being on sale for February and further shows to be announced over the coming months. Maiden are on blistering form and ready to take their music into 2011 and beyond.

All chart positions confirmed to date are as follows:

No. 1 - Arabia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K.
No. 2 - Australia, Belgium, Holland
No. 3 - Ireland, Poland, Turkey
No. 4 - USA
No. 5 - Singapore

Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood comments: "On behalf of Bruce, Dave, Adrian, Janick, Steve and Nicko, l would like to thank YOU our Maiden Clan for all for your phenomenal support ? without which these chart entries just wouldn't have happened. You are the BEST."

[Source: Blabbermouth]