In honor of the Iron Maiden concert I just returned from this evening (which was awesome!), I bring you the glorious news that come May, 15 classic Iron Maiden songs from the 1980s will be available for free download from the band’s official Web site at www.ironmaiden.com.

On May 13, 2008, New Door Records/UMe will launch the “Somewhere Best In Sound” campaign where users can download for FREE a high-quality WMA audio file of Iron Maiden’s entire album, Somewhere Back In Time, a “Best of” compilation from the band’s 1980’s catalogue. Fans will then be able to listen to the entire album at their leisure — three times before the download expires; then the listener is given an option to upgrade and purchase the album as a full download.

The campaign is geared towards younger music fans who might not know of the band’s back catalogue. (And speaking of the younger generation of music fans, I was sitting next to a very little long-haired boy who couldn’t have been older than 12 and this kid was banging his head and going crazy. Now that brings joy to my heart.)

I HIGHLY recommend grabbing these free downloads come May. The track listing is amazing and includes a few of live tunes, and since Maiden is such a strong live band, you’ll definitely want to check this out. The full track-listing for the album Somewhere Back In Time is as follows:

1. Churchill Speech (0.49)
2. Aces High (4.36)
3. 2 Minutes To Midnight (6.00)
4. The Trooper (4.11)
5. Wasted Years (5.06)
6. Children Of The Damned (4.35)
7. The Number of The Beast (4.53)
8. Run To The Hills (3.53)
9. Phantom Of The Opera — Live (7.21)
10. The Evil That Men Do (4.34)
11. Wrathchild — Live (3.07)
12. Can I Play With Madness (3.31)
13. Powerslave (6.47)
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name (7.12)
15. Iron Maiden — Live (4.50)

Since Maiden in one of my favorite bands in the world, I thought I’d try to recommend a few of these tunes to start with. Problem is, they’re all so awesome, I don’t know where to start. My favorite Maiden era was successive albums, The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, and Powerslave, and the live album Live After Death, so I’d have to go with songs from those albums. My favorite tracks on this compilation album are “Aces High,” “2 Minutes To Midnight,” “The Trooper,” “The Number of The Beast,” “Run To The Hills,” and “Powerslave.”

So, seriously, grab the free downloads while you can this May.

Up The Irons!