โ ๏ธ WARNING: THIS LINE-UP MAY CAUSE SPONTANEOUS HEADBANGING, LOSS OF VOICE, AND EXTREME METAL EUPHORIA
Whatโs occurring, metal faithful? Gather round, pull up a bar stool, grab a pint of whateverโs cold, and brace your neck muscles โ because Iron Maiden have gone and done something absolutely mental.
Theyโve just announced the supporting acts for their 2025 European tour andโฆ mateโฆ this isnโt a tour anymore. Itโs a full-scale metal invasion.
They didnโt add just one giant name.
Not two.
Not even three.
They added four heavyweight bandsโฆ all of which could headline festivals on their own:
๐ฅ Anthrax
๐ฅ Megadeth
๐ฅ Evergrey
๐ฅ Trivium
This is basically the metal equivalent of turning up to a five-a-side match with Messi, Mbappรฉ, Ronaldo, Haaland and the ghost of Maradona all on the same bloody team.
Itโs unfair.
Itโs unnecessary.
Itโs undeniably lush.
And itโs everything we love about rock โnโ roll.
So letโs dive into this monster and break it down Riff Report style โ loud, cheeky, Welsh, and caffeinated to oblivion.
๐ค THE SETUP: WHY IRON MAIDEN DIDNโT HAVE TO DO THISโฆ BUT DID ANYWAY
Iron Maiden could tour alone. They always could. They always will.
Bruce, Steve, Dave, Adrian, Janick, and Nicko do not need any help selling out arenas. These lads could announce a tour where they just played the sound of Harris tuning his bass for two hours and itโd still shift 40,000 tickets per venue.
So why stack the line-up like this?
Because Maiden are in their legacy flex era, mun. And what a beautiful era it is.
This tour isnโt just about promoting the last album or keeping the machine running. This is about reminding every band on Earth โ lovingly โ that Maiden still own the bloody throne.
You want proof?
Theyโve basically created a one-day festival inside every arena they visit.
Anthrax?
Megadeth??
Trivium???
Evergrey????
Thatโs not support.
Thatโs a full-blown metal summit meeting.
Maiden didnโt need to flex this hard.
But they did.
Because they can.
Tidy.
๐ค ANTHRAX โ THE THRASH TITANS WHO REFUSE TO AGE LIKE NORMAL HUMANS
Letโs start with Anthrax โ one of the Big Four of Thrash. A band responsible for some of the most chaotic, high-speed carnage to ever hit a PA system.
Scott Ianโs beard alone has contributed more to metal than some entire record labels.
Charlie Benanteโs drumming is faster than most peopleโs Wi-Fi.
Joey Belladonna sounds like heโs still 28 and drinking lightning for breakfast.
But seeing Anthrax on a Maiden bill? Thatโs nostalgia and modern metal mayhem colliding in one glorious detonation.
Expect the following at every show:
๐ฅ โCaught in a Moshโ creating actual moshing before the sun sets
๐ฅ Audience members losing their minds by song two
๐ฅ People shouting โANTHRAX, MUN!โ in whatever local language applies
๐ฅ Scott Ian pointing at someone in the crowd like heโs summoning a demon
๐ฅ A pit so big it violates at least three EU safety regulations
Anthrax donโt warm up the room.
They launch a riot and dare the next band to follow them.
Itโs going to be beautiful.
๐ธ MEGADETH โ MUSTAINE RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE (AND A VERY SHARP GUITAR PICK)
Dave Mustaine is one of the most iconic, controversial, stubborn, brilliant, and bulletproof figures in the history of heavy music.
If metal had a Mt. Rushmore, heโd be on it. Probably glaring at Lars.
Seeing Megadeth before Maiden is utterly bananas.
This isnโt a support band.
This is a co-headliner disguised as a warm-up act.
Megadeth live is a precision strike โ ruthless riffs, brain-melting solos, and a rhythm section that could survive a nuclear blast.
Expect:
โก โHoly Warsโฆ The Punishment Dueโ leaving bodies on the floor
โก โTornado of Soulsโ inspiring existential crises mid-headbang
โก Mustaine glaring down the microphone like heโs about to challenge God to a guitar duel
โก Audience members discovering new neck muscles they didnโt know existed
This isnโt support.
This is a statement:
Maiden want the best of the best before they step onstage.
Bloody hell.
๐ EVERGREY โ SWEDISH GLOOM MASTERS PREPARED TO EMOTIONALLY DESTROY THE ARENA
Now hereโs the curveball โ but an absolutely lush one.
Evergrey arenโt thrash.
They arenโt classic metal.
They arenโt metalcore.
Theyโre dark, emotional, progressive, atmospheric, heavy-as-a-planet Evergrey โ and theyโre going to add serious depth to this line-up.
Imagine:
You walk into the venue.
Grab your pint.
Say hi to your mates.
Evergrey walk out.
BOOM โ youโre suddenly experiencing an existential crisis wrapped in a power chord.
Their music is:
๐ค Brooding
๐ค Cinematic
๐ค Intense
๐ค Like being punched in the heart by sadness wearing a leather jacket
Tom Englundโs vocals have more emotion than half the Marvel Cinematic Universe combined.
The guitar tone? Smooth but deadly.
The atmosphere? Thicker than Valleys fog.
Evergrey are going to surprise people.
Then convert them.
Then steal their souls.
And somehow make it feel lush.
โ๏ธ TRIVIUM โ MODERN METAL KINGS BUILT FOR WARMING UP ARENAS THE SIZE OF A SMALL COUNTRY
You know a line-up is mad when TRIVIUM are the supporting support band.
Trivium have been selling out venues since most of us were still figuring out how to download music off LimeWire without destroying the family computer.
Matt Heafy is a machine. A samurai of shredding. A king of โGood morning, demon slayers!โ
Paolo? Bass weapon.
Corey & Alex? Riff ninjas.
Their live show is chaos delivered with uncomfortably crisp precision.
Expect:
๐ฐ โIn Wavesโ causing tsunamis in the stands
๐ฐ โThe Heart From Your Hateโ turning couples emotional
๐ฐ Matt Heafy smiling politely before unleashing volume that breaks windows
๐ฐ The audience shouting lyrics like they wrote them
If any band can warm up an arena for Maiden, itโs the mighty Trivium.
๐คฏ WHY THIS LINE-UP FEELS LIKE A FULL FESTIVAL EVERY NIGHT
Letโs be honestโฆ this entire thing feels illegal.
Itโs like Maiden rang up their manager and said:
โFind us every band who can cause absolute carnage โ and put them on the same night.โ
And the manager said:
โYou canโt legally do that.โ
And Maiden said:
โWatch us.โ
This tour gives you:
๐ค Thrash legends
๐ธ Thrash titans
๐ Prog gloom
โ๏ธ Modern metal fury
๐ก๏ธ NWOBHM gods headlining
This isnโt a tour.
Itโs a portable Megadeth-Anthrax-Trivium-Evergrey-Maiden festival.
A five-band apocalypse.
A global metal summit.
A gathering of every sub-genre that has shaped the last 40 years.
Even Eddie must be looking at the poster like:
โSteady on ladsโฆ Iโm only one undead mascot.โ
๐ด THE ATMOSPHERE: WHAT THESE SHOWS WILL ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE
Picture it.
You arrive at the venue.
The place is buzzing like a pub after Wales wins the rugby.
Everyone you meet is hyped.
Everyone is wearing a black T-shirt.
Everyone is on the verge of losing their voice before the doors even open.
You buy your overpriced pint (tradition).
You grab your spot.
The lights drop.
TRIVIUM hit the stage and the arena goes absolutely bananas.
Then EVERGREY descend like Nordic shadows and take you on a journey through existential metal madness.
Then ANTHRAX run out like unleashed pitbulls and turn the place into a riot.
Then MEGADETH step up like a precision metal machine sent from the future to discipline humanity.
And THENโฆ
The lights fall.
The chants begin.
โMAI-DEN! MAI-DEN! MAI-DEN!โ
Bruce comes sprinting out like a caffeinated goat, Steve Harris thunders forward with his bass like heโs about to start a fight, the guitars ignite, the pyro explodes, Eddie emerges 300ft tallโฆ
This isnโt a show.
Itโs an exorcism through metal.
You will scream.
You will sweat.
You will forget your responsibilities.
You will be reborn.
๐บ๏ธ THE GLOBAL IMPACT โ THIS TOUR WILL BE TALKED ABOUT FOR YEARS
Not months.
Years.
People will look back and say:
โRemember when Maiden toured with Anthrax, Megadeth, Trivium AND Evergrey on the same nights? What were they thinking?โ
Other bands will see this line-up and say:
โMaybe weโll just tour alone, ladsโฆโ
Promoters will use this tour as a benchmark for โpeak metal touring insanity.โ
Metal fans will brag about being there for decades.
And honestlyโฆ
Can you blame them?
This is one of the most ambitious, audacious, utterly unnecessary-but-we-love-it-so-much line-ups ever assembled.
๐๏ธ WILL TICKETS SELL OUT? YES. ABSOLUTELY. OBVIOUSLY.
Mateโฆ this tour could sell out even if Maiden didnโt show up.
People would buy tickets just to see the support bands.
Throw Maiden on top?
Forget it.
These tickets will evaporate faster than your hopes on Ticketmaster queue day.
If your mate says:
โI might grab tickets next weekโโ
Tell him:
โNo, butt. You wonโt. Theyโll be gone.โ
Run. Donโt walk.
Get them now.
Your future self will thank you.
Your bank account will cry.
Both are correct.
๐ด FINAL VERDICT: THIS IS THE MOST STACKED METAL TOUR LINE-UP OF THE 2020s
No exaggeration.
No hyperbole.
No fluff.
This is THE tour.
A once-in-a-generation, only-in-Wales-mun level of ridiculousness that will go down in metal history.
Anthrax.
Megadeth.
Evergrey.
Trivium.
Iron Maiden.
One night.
Every night.
Across a continent.
If that doesnโt make you shout โYESS MUN!โ at full blastโฆ
Check your pulse.
