Transylvania - Iron Maiden FULL Guitar Cover

Full guitar cover of Iron Maiden's first ever instrumental that I feel should be used as an introduction to all of the 70s Hammer Horror films!
Dennis Stratton's parts: Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Gold Top
Dave's Murray's parts: Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
Plugin: Neural DSP Archetype Petrucci
DAW: Reaper Audio
Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Strings: Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 10-46 / Super Slinky 9-42
Picks: Ernie Ball Heavy

[@Hadogei123456789]

One of the most underrated Iron Maiden tracks and one of the best covers on KZbin.

[@marillionman8811]

Great cover one of my favourite maiden instrumental's along with ide's of March and genghis Khan 👍

[@MrPoilleke]

For me the same and see much clearer now lol, always heard tons of extra notes in there...

[@Hadogei123456789]

Such an underrated Maiden track.

[@Machine138]

Absolutely flawless.

[@MystFGO]

Those solos were so perfect, wow. Did it require many takes or did you ace them?

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you! This one I actually got through pretty quickly but some of my videos really did require many takes 😅

[@Pewtooyou]

This was always a great tune... Some may call it note soup where it gets almost too busy but I call it brilliance...Awesome job....I wish you would Tiktok it so I could duet it with you.

[@superdave7241]

Those songs like Transylvania and phantom of the Opera as well as Genghis Khan are a WORKOUT!!! Great job 👍

[@martymartin2894]

Most spot on cover hes done yet.

[@alessandrofaoro1644]

Eccolo il Nico nazionale!

[@danbal4185]

E' veramente un mostro!!!

[@Wishchrono]

sick triplets

[@CC-qb9sm]

Iron Maiden showed very early in their career that they knew how to open an album side! Also the way this one bleeds into Strange World is just so cool. Nicely done! 🤘

[@jonshaw9472]

Great job, I've always loved this track and tried to cover it in a school band back in 1981...I bought the Iron Maiden musical notation book (song book) but there was no guitar tab in those days so I spent a whole Sunday transcribing it from musical notation into tab then introducing it to the band the next day...unfortunately nobody could do the speed picking on the intro so that's as far as it went..I can play it now though 41 years later!... top job.

[@peterk4626]

ah maaaan, blast from the past Nico, that riff from 0.22, first Maiden riff I ever learned :) I've got to re-visit this again :)

[@GloriaaCristo2011]

Simplemente perfecto.... nice job my friend. Very precise!

[@felippemartins5215]

Perfect cover, your best

[@nikki78225]

This has a raw NWOBHM energy. You captured the orignal 100 percent

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

1000 thanks, man!! 🤜🤛

[@battlemageblitz82]

Dude! That was killer! We all appreciate the time and effort that goes into making these videos ❤ Up the Irons 💪

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thanks so much for the encouragement, man!! Greatly appreciated 🙏🤘

[@ioannisdenton]

I Just lay down for a nap and watched this and got waken up XD. Amazeballs!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you! I hate to get in the way of a good nap though 😄

[@joeverastegui8399]

I feel like that debut album was one of the most groundbreaking metal albums of all time....I saw it on the shelves the first week it came out and bought it for 3 reasons, The cover art, the live concert pics on the back and the song titles. I never knew it was going to start a lifelong love affair ..I still have it today and it has that green Harvest label on the vinyl, I'm sure it's worth more now than the $7.99 I paid for it ....you play it superbly sir. Excellent job Up The Irons!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Wasn't it so amazing to discover bands and albums just because something about the cover art and/or song titles spoke to you? Especially when it ends up being Iron Maiden!! First album too... You're about as OG as it gets!

[@maideneagle79]

First idea was with lyrics. Steve turned into instrumental and he did right thing

[@MrMvidz]

Sweet Jesus.. that was just killer!

[@darrenc8776]

Brilliant Nico. One of my fav maiden instrumentals. Any chance you will do Run silent Run deep?

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Probably not for some time. I love that song but at this stage of the channel, I have to be very careful about the topics and songs I select as I don't yet have a large enough audience to allow myself the luxury of more obscure material. I hope to get there soon! 😃

[@darrenc8776]

@@LicksOfTheBeast Hi Nico I understand what your saying..but I'd argue Transylvania is a more obscure maiden track? Tbh I think whatever you do maiden wise will ne great and well received 👍👍👍👍

[@emilyinoregon6967]

Shred it! You're amazing! I love this one. Maiden's instrumentals, like Satriani's and Band-Maid's, have great melody and structure.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Hey thanks so much!! I agree wholeheartedly...the best intrumentals all have great melody and structure. I can't listen to it otherwise. 🤷🏻 If you like instrumentals, I highly recommend Nili Brosh. Her arrangements, phrasing and sense of melody are too notch. A Matter of Perception is one of my favourite instrumental tracks ever! I'd give a kidney to be able to play like her 😄

[@emilyinoregon6967]

@@LicksOfTheBeast Cool, thanks for the rec! 😄🍻

[@checpneumo5261]

I always remember the somewhere back in time tour intro when i listen to this song. I love it!!!

[@danbal4185]

Super cover! Tracks like Transylvania and Gengis Khan are the reason why i rated the first two albums 5&1/2 stars out of 5, while the following five albums "only" 5 out of 5!

[@user-gd6zl9lo4c]

Thank you for this , especially the close up of the picking , I was playing this wrong for like 5 years at least . Now I can play it correctly thanks to you niko ! Awesome cover best I’ve seen

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Glad to hear this!! That's why always include the neck and picking angles in the cover videos so that if someone wants, they can slow it down on those parts and catch a detail they might have missed. 😃

[@fogzax]

The picking in this track is insane

[@bloodycotti7954]

Damn ! nice show as usual

[@Gorbyrev]

Spot on!

[@yoannarsie3277]

Masterclass!

[@keithfranzen9209]

Amazing, thanks!!!

[@lilgummy265]

Ive been waiting for this!😎

[@tillyvick14]

The best cover of this song that will ever exist!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Ahhh far too kind my friend! 🙇‍♂️🙏

[@juanneman]

Spot on as always, what a great surprise, many thanks Nico!!!

[@mladen1982]

Great!!!

[@steveofarrell4886]

That was amazing!!!!

[@suetruett3812]

great job Nico...this is a song to be inspired to learn to play..

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

It's a fun one, that's for sure!!

[@ChristopherJWalton]

Brilliant, as always!

[@Tony_Kam]

Flawless!!! Damn!!

[@D3Alm3ida]

spot on boss

[@gerryiannuzzi815]

You make it look so easy nico!

[@headleylemarr9328]

Excellent job bro. Absolutely brilliant!

[@kakhak]

This composition is so frikin epic... Love it for many decades.

[@edgarestradajr8014]

well done i like it

[@michaelhealy3923]

Classic track one of my favourites well played

[@coachinho4919]

I love Murray's solo in this song. Killer cover! 💪🏼

[@carzz185]

that's amazing! i love this song... so fun to play

[@nicosteream]

Very nice as always...

[@cesarrobles6771]

Powerful cover 🤘🏻

[@mattmannthree]

Superb, man!

[@MatteoAn93]

Incredibile cover!!

[@jongolsteyn9680]

Awesome! A top ten Maiden song for me.

[@rcameron4091]

Great job . Love the gold top .

[@jerry8323]

What a masterpiece! You nailed it, Nico!

[@paweolearczyk8643]

Excellent work! Keep going!🙂👊🎸🎸🎸

[@PedroCaminoMUFC]

Yes!!!

[@ghastlynavigator]

Killing it Nico!! Awesome song and perfect cover! Love that tone too!! UP THE IRONS 🤘

[@paulmaceachern7185]

Fantastic Nico!

[@ricardo_leoni]

Great job Nico! Love it. Nice background 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@fadetoblack1290]

Great cover man! One of my favorite tunes to play. The way it transitions to Strange World is absolutely beautiful.

[@Skooma_Drinker]

Very good! Keep it up 🤟🏻

[@GeoffSaari]

Damn this is the best way to start your Friday! What a kickass cover of a kickass song! Had to headbang to it Patiently waiting for the Blood Brothers cover! Cheers Nico!

[@sjbelias]

Just a phenomenal track!…I remember first listening to this and thinking that there was no one at that time that played like this!

[@ts8lemonade]

Awesome cover! The tone is spot on! I would love to see a cover video of you playing The Clansman!

[@DolkkarToyznstuff]

I love how this song segues into Strange World as if they're one song. I wasn't sure if you'd cover this one, it was a nice surprise.

[@angelfrankensteel]

Great job with this song Nico, one of the best iron maiden songs to play in guitar in my opinion... The harmonies are just amazing. Up the Irons !!! 🤘

[@jonathandanielmartinez2949]

Nico, thanks! Awesome cover! Transylvania & Genghis Khan are killer instrumentals.

[@crackerfoot]

Amazing! You've even got those 7th fret harmonics happening on the second intro riff, that show up so often on the first record. Up the irons!

[@joaocarlosviana6005]

Classic!!!!! The primitive song from Maiden and still so outstanding song and your peformance is terrific and spotless, You rules Mate!!!!

[@christhiancarvajal4027]

Maravilloso, la perfección!!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Muchisimas gracias!! 🙏🤘

[@greyraven9164]

great

[@wswan81]

I farkn love this song...dude had some shoes to fill covering it.... 2nd video ive seen of him so far... Absolutly farkn nailed imo, technical skill, presicion, energy, versatility. 👍🍺

[@mikecottondrums]

Awesome bro. Im diggin the new setup!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thanks bro! I'd been waiting to put that Trooper frame up for almost a year 🤣

[@FIFASEASONGAMING]

A fairly easy riff, but a very difficult rhythm action. Well done as always 🤘🤘🤘

[@courtmetrage]

Perfect

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Mille mercis!!

[@courtmetrage]

@@LicksOfTheBeast welcome

[@Antwansauce]

playin that joint on a strat too👀

[@fredericoferrari6283]

Cara, não entendo como o seu canal tem poucos inscritos desse jeito. Você é um dos melhores guitarristas cover do Maiden. Todos os seus covers são excelentes. A sonoridade é igualzinho. Parabéns.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Muitissimo obrigado, amigo! 🙏🤘

[@kntzounis]

One of the standard favorites songs of Iron Maiden fans. Spot on again, sound and skills Nico. I will steal Infinite Obscurity comment below "We all appreciate the time and effort that goes into making these videos". It's true!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

It's super encouraging to know you guys enjoy these vids! It pushes me to keep going and working even harder 😃

[@Shazeen82]

Brilliant cover! How about another early song cover? Strange world is one of my favourites!

[@JacobDavis-lc1ug]

God that was hot. And I ain't even that way bub.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the compliment... and the laugh! 🤜🤛

[@josetomastorresguerrero2414]

great job as always. by the way, speaking of instrumentals, can you do a cover of Genghis Khan, it's one of my favorites.

[@maiden4greece572]

Sounds A M A Z I N G ...

[@geovanesilva2198]

Wow

[@miguelangelgomezgonzalez6295]

La técnica de la mano derecha es limpia y ordenada....Eso es maestría y regla para la guitarra eléctrica. Eres el primer KZbinr que veo que la usa ..Wao¡¡¡

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Muchisimas gracias!!! 🙏

[@user-gd6zl9lo4c]

I wish I had a niko from licks of the beast for Randy Rhoads , especially for the live bootlegs (1980-1982)where the audio isn’t great but it’s good enough on most , but my point is there is definitely no lessons for those magical recordings . Awesome cover also as always!!!!!!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

You should check out my other channel, Nico's Guitar World. I do a lot of different stuff there (including a cover of a Randy solo and two videos about Jake E Lee's lead playing on the song Bark at the Moon) and... There may or may not be a Randy Rhoads video coming up in the next week 🤐🤐😃 Cheers!

[@ExcuseMePhoney]

IS IT MAIDEN? Or is it LICKS OF THE BEAST? (I hope enough people get the Memorex parody) Truly PERFECTION++ rendition! UP THE IRONS FROM CASTLE DRACUL IN THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS! 🤘😝🤘

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Omg I had forgotten all about this those Memorex commercials! 😂😂 Thanks so much for the very kind compliment 🤜🤛

[@69spiros]

Kick ass

[@jasonm3602]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Gorbyrev]

Wow that takes me back! That must have been really tricky as some of the original solos sound spontaneous and are hard to replicate.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Yeah that is very true! The trick with some of those more off the cuff solos (especially from Dave and Janick) is to get enough of the notes and phrasing they played on the album but also keeping enough of the spontaneity so that you're also capturing the flow and feel. A bit of a balancing act to get it just right.

[@spaceavenger54]

Let's not forget this was Dave and Dennis Stratton,not Janick .

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

@@spaceavenger54 Seriously? 😑

[@spaceavenger54]

@@LicksOfTheBeast yea seriously, you specifically mentioned Janick... Seriously????

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

@@spaceavenger54 I mentioned Janick and Dave specifically as examples of the challenge of replicating off the cuff solos. Context matters. Also, Dennis is mentioned in the video description as one of the two guitar parts in this song.

[@davidprag969]

You are so fucking talented!! No one does Maiden better except maiden, no one.

[@ironsmith91]

Grande 👏!l’assolo di murray è tosto e😅. Mi divertivo un casino con la mia band a fare sto pezzone 🤘

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Grazie grazie! 🙇‍♂️ Infatti è un bellissimo pezzo da suonare...anche se un po' stancante per la mano destra 😄

[@TailgunnerATC]

When they did Prowler and Charlotte in 88 this is another I wish they had done

[@-bepyandfriends]

Che dire... Maiden forever! T. V. B. Nico.

[@mihirmaiden18]

Up the Irons Nico!!!!

[@GirAddict]

I have watched your channel for awhile. You are a great musician. Do you plan to play Strange World? That song is so underrated. It would be awesome to see that song played out!!

[@malawigw]

This song is a great right hand stamina trainer. Flash of the blade when?

[@ryanhoskins01]

Excellent video, sounded great, really enjoyed that amazing solo work. I could be mistaken but it sounds like your guitar volumes are a little bit higher than usual on this track?

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thanks man! It's possible that they are a bit louder here. I am trying to find a good balance between making my guitars loud and clear yet not drowning the backing track to the point where it's not enjoyable to listen to.

[@curtiswardley6312]

DESTROYED Dave's solo, goddamn. Was totally expecting a fade into Strange World.. is that one next? ;)

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Ah thanks brother! I might do that one later on. Definitely a great, great song 😊

[@felipehoferdenecken9332]

Great vid!! In the Murray solo u have a wah pedal (and what of wha pedal u use) or a uni vibe sort of? It sounds amazing!! :D

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Hey thanks man! Yeah it's a univibe 🙂

[@felipehoferdenecken9332]

@@LicksOfTheBeast thanks for responding man! :D what uni vibe do u recommend?? the chorus type or another? :O that sound was amazing man :D!

[@O.o..666]

In futuro potresti suonare rember tomorrow e strange world? Sto guardando tutti i tuoi video sei un drago complimentoni🎸👆🏼🎶

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Grazie infinite!! Una cover di una di queste la farò sicuramente 🙂