Nell'ormai ultra-quarantennale carriera degli Iron Maiden sicuramente si può dire che tra i 2 chitarristi storici, Adrian Smith sia di gran lunga il migliore nello scrivere le canzoni. Non a caso, quando lasciò la band a fine anni '80, i Maiden attraversarono il periodo peggiore senza di lui. Inoltre è autore di assoli più interessanti, vari e dinamici rispetto a Murray. Dave Murray è tecnicamente più abile ma meno ispirato e più ripetitivo. Inoltre il suo contributo in fase di scrittura è molto inferiore (se la gioca con Janick Gers che sostituì Smith ma che con il passare degli anni ha comunque scritto qualcosa di interessante). Va sottolineato comunque che su quasi tutte le canzoni c'è sempre la mano del bassista Steve Harris e a volte di Bruce Dickinson.
Adrian Smith
-The Prisoner (The Number of the Beast, 1982)
-22, Acacia Avenue (The Number of the Beast, 1982)
-Gangland (The Number of the Beast, 1982)
-Flight Of Icarus (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
-Die With Your Boots On (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
-Sun And Steel (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
-2 Minutes to Midnight (Powerslave, 1984)
-Back In The Village (Powerslave, 1984)
-Wasted Years (Somewhere in Time, 1986)
-Sea Of Madness (Somewhere in Time, 1984)
-Stranger in a Strange Land (Somewhere in Time, 1986)
-Moonchild (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
-The Evil That Men Do (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
-Can I Play with Madness (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
-Hooks In You (No Prayer for the Dying, 1990)
-The Wicker Man (Brave New World, 2000)
-Brighter than a Thousand Suns (A Matter of Life and Death, 2006)
-The Talisman (The Final Frontier, 2010)
Alcuni assoli noti:
-Prodigal Son (Killers, 1981)
-The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, 22 Acacia Avenue, Children Of The Damned (The Number Of The Beast, 1982)
-The Trooper, Flight of Icarus, Die With Your Boots On, Still Life (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
-Powerslave, Aces High, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (Powerslave, 1984)
-Wasted Years, Sea Of Madness, Heaven Can Wait, Caught Somewhere In Time, Stranger In A Strange Land (Somewhere In Time, 1986)
-Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, Infinite Dreams, The Evil That Men Do, Only The Good Die Young (Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, 1988)
-The Wicker Man (Brave New World, 2000)
-Paschendale (Dance Of Death, 2003; condiviso con Gers)
-Tears of a Clown (The Book Of Souls, 2015)
Dave Murray
-Charlotte The Harlot (Iron Maiden, 1980)
-Still Life (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
-Deja Vu (Somewhere in Time, 1986)
-The Prophecy (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
-The Apparition (Fear of the Dark, 1992)
-Lord Of The Flies (The X Factor, 1995)
Alcuni assoli noti:
-Charlotte The Harlot, Strange World (Iron Maiden, 1980)
-Killers, Innocent Exile (Killers, 1981)
-The Prisoner (The Number Of The Beast, 1982)
-The Trooper (Piece of Mind, 1983; condiviso con Smith)
-Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Powerslave, 1984; entrambi condivisi con Smith)
-Alexander the Great (Somewhere In Time, 1986)
-No Prayer For The Dying (No Prayer For The Dying, 1990)
-Sign Of The Cross (The X Factor, 1995)
-Futureal (Virtual XI, 1998)
-Judas Be My Guide (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
-The Man Who Would Be King (The Final Frontier, 2010)
Janick Gers
-Tailgunner (No Prayer For The Dying, 1990)
-Be Quick Or Be Dead (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
-Afraid To Shoot Strangers (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
-From Here To Eternity (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
-Man on the Edge (The X Factor, 1995)
-The Clansman (Virtual XI, 1998)
-Futureal (Virtual XI, 1998)
-The Mercenary (Brave New World, 2000)
-Montségur (Dance Of Death, 2003)
-The Red And The Black (The Book Of Souls, 2015)
Alcuni assoli noti:
-No Prayer For The Dying (No Prayer For The Dying, 1990)
-Fear Of The Dark, Wasting Love (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
-The Clansman, Futureal (Virtual XI, 1998; Futureal condiviso con Murray)
-Ghost Of The Navigator, The Wicker Man (Brave New World, 2000; The Wicker Man condiviso con Smith)
-Paschendale (Dance Of Death, 2003, condiviso con Smith)
-The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg, The Longest Day (A Matter Of Life And Death, 2006)
-The Alchemist, The Man Who Would Be King (The Final Frontier, 2010; The Man Who Would Be King condiviso con Murray)
-The Red and the Black, The Great Unknown (The Book Of Souls, 2015)
-Stratego, The Time Machine (Senjutsu, 2021)
