David Crosby calls Iron Maiden "noise", provokes eloquent response from Testament's Alex Skolnick

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The Testament guitarist politely suggests that Crosby go see Iron Maiden live to change his opinion

David Crosby and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson
(Image credit: Getty)

Heavy metal, as many of us know, just isn't for everyone. Nevertheless, legendary singer-songwriter David Crosby raised more than a few eyebrows on Twitter last night (October 22) when he publicly described none other than living heavy metal icons Iron Maiden as "noise", prompting a wave of Maiden defenders to arrive in his mentions.

Replying to a Tweet from guitarist and good friend Vin Downes celebrating his first Maiden show since 1986 (Downes noted: "they’re still as tight as ever [and] put on an amazing show"), Crosby remarked, rather bluntly, "It’s so weird to me that you like that noise." This brought out legions of Maiden's fans to point out that Crosby had, perhaps, been a little hasty in his take on the British metal heavyweights - one of which was Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick ,who politely and eloquently suggested that Crosby should perhaps go witness a Maiden show for himself to fully understand their appeal and power.

"David, it has to be experienced live," Skolnick Tweeted back. "The energy is contagious. Let Vin Downes drag you to one of their shows sometime. You might be surprised!"

While Skolnick's own Tweet drew a fair few responses too - some of which suggested that you shouldn't have to go see Iron Maiden to appreciate them - the general consensus certainly seems to be that Crosby may have missed the mark with this one.

For those that do want to catch Iron Maiden live, they recently announced their Future Past tour, which will take them across the UK, Ireland and Europe next summer. Check out the full list of dates for the tour below.

Iron Maiden Future Past tour 2023 dates


Jun 9: Sweden Rock Festival, SWE
Jun 11: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, GER
Jun 13: Krakow Tauron Arena, POL
Jun 14: Krakow Tauron Arena, POL
Jun19: Zurich Hallenstadion, SWI
Jun 24: Dublin 3 Arena, IRE
Jun 26: Glasgow OVO Hydro, SCO
Jun 28: Leeds, First Direct Arena, ENG
Jun 30: Manchester AO Arena, ENG
Jul 03: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, ENG
Jul 04: Birmingham Utilita Arena, ENG
Jul 07: London O2 Arena, ENG 
Jul 08: London O2 Arena, ENG 
Jun 13: Krakow, Tauron Arena, POL
Jul 11: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, HOL
Jul 13: Antwerp Sportpaleis, BEL
Jul 15: Milan, The Return of The Gods Festival, ITA
Jul 25: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, GER
Jul 29: Frankfurt Festhalle, GER
Jul 31: Munich Olympiahalle, GER
Aug 2-5: Wacken Open Air Festival, GER

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Merlin Alderslade
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.