10 Best Replacement Members In Hard Rock Bands

3. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden performing on the Main Stage at the Reading Festival.
Yui Mok

The singer-songwriter with the air raid-siren voice is about as synonymous with the veteran heavy metal outfit as their mascot Eddie - yet he remarkably only came to the group three albums in, when he was drafted to replace Paul Di'Anno following the latter's struggle with drink and drug abuse.

His first record with the band, The Number of the Beast, is widely considered one of the genre's seminal moments - and Dickinson has the odd distinction of being a double replacement within the group, having returned to the fold in 1999, over five years after he previously left to forge a solo career, to follow on his own original successor Blaze Bayley.

Contributor

Something of a culture vulture, Mr Steel can historically be found in three places; the local cinema, the local stadium or the local chip shop. He is an avowed fan of franchise films, amateur cricket and power-chords.