Inside the property portfolios of hard rock heroes Iron Maiden, KISS, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne & Metallica

After several decades in the game, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden is still in fine form, and is currently in Australia as part of The Future Past Tour.

The Future Past Tour played to more than 750,000 fans across Europe in the summer of 2023.

But away from the stages of arenas and stadiums, what do the members of the English mainstays’ property portfolios look like? And what about some of their metal and hard rock peers? We find out.

Iron Maiden

More than 40 years of playing heavy metal anthems has certainly paid off for the members of the English band.

Unfortunately, none of their properties are located at 22 Acacia Avenue.

Bassist Steve Harris has certainly enjoyed the benefits of being the group’s main songwriter, currently spending much of his time off the road at his home in the Bahamas.

Harris bought Sheering Hall - set in nine acres of grounds in Sheering, Essex - in the 1980s. Parts of the house date back to 1427.

Sitting on nine acres, the home features a principal bedroom suite with a dressing room and bathroom, eight further bedrooms, two bathrooms, and three shower rooms.

The mansion also features a full-sized football pitch, its own pub (‘The Horse and Cart’, complete with ale on tap), and a swimming pool.

The football pitch even has its own ‘home and away’ changing rooms.

There’s also a second kitchen, staff accommodation, a galleried studio, and a separate three-bedroom coach house.

In 2017, Harris revealed plans to turn the house into a boutique hotel for Maiden fans.

At the time, Harris had been unsuccessfully trying to sell the Essex mansion for several years. He originally put the home on the market in 2012 for £6.75 million, but that price came down in 2013 by £0.9 million to £5.85 million and in 2015 by another £0.9 million to £4.95 million.

After being on the market for almost four years, the property had its price reduced to an even lower guide price of £3.95 million.

The listing is still able to be viewed online, but the property has been “removed by the agent”.

Perhaps that boutique hotel project could be the way to go, ‘Arry?

Vocalist Bruce Dickinson and his wife, French fitness instructor Leana Dolci reportedly split their time between Paris (in her £1million apartment) and his home in London.

Dickinson has long had a penchant for London’s affluent Chiswick district. He bought a terraced house in the 1980s, which was later passed on to his children. He later climbed the property ladder to purchase a large Edwardian house close to the High Road.

There are fan reports he’s selling his latest London home, but View couldn’t confirm this.

The latest reports were long-time drummer Nicko McBrain and his wife are still living in the same Boca Raton, Florida home they bought in 1989 when he relocated from England.

He reportedly purchased the four-bedroom, three-bathroom, 3844-square-foot home for $244,900. Peace, quiet and playing golf — good work if you can get it.

Guitarist Dave Murray owns a home in Maui, and fellow guitarist Adrian Smith has a home in Malibu, California.

The third member of their axe attack, Janick Gers was born in Hartlepool, England and allegedly still lives in the area today.

KISS

Gene Simmons isn’t just the tongue-wagging, blood-spitting, fire-breathing Demon of KISS, who will try and sell you thousands of band-branded products ranging from condoms to coffins.

He also sure knows something about the property market.

Last year, Simmons sold his Southern Nevada estate for US $11 million.

Simmons put the home on the market in October 2021 for $14.95 million, but that price was reduced in November 2021 to $13.5 million, in May 2022 to $11 million and in November 2022 to $10 million.

Simmons paid a combined $10.8 million for the home and a lot adjacent to it back in 2021.

The bassist/vocalist purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills, California in October 2021 for $10.5 million.

In September 2021, Simmons sold his Los Angeles mansion for $16 million, almost a year after he first put it on the market for $22 million.

He bought the Los Angeles home in 1986 for $1,337,500.

The family’s other homes also form part of a sizeable portfolio. They include a lake house in Whistler, British Columbia, a home in Malibu, and two houses in Los Angeles that were bought for children, Nick and Sophie.

His long-time band-mate, frontman Paul Stanley has reportedly been busy on the property front.

In 2021, the Starchild was claimed to be demolishing his mansion in Beverly Hills to make way for a brand new home.

In order to get rid of everything inside, the Rock Press reported that Stanley held an estate sale where he sold KISS merchandise and collectibles. Did you save some items for us, Paul?

At the time, it was reported that he was knocking down his seven-bedroom home and building a more modern estate on the property. According to diehard KISS fans (is there any other type?) online, there’s still construction ongoing.

And while some fans have long cried into their beers about him donning founding member Ace Frehley’s Spaceman make-up and costumes, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer has seemingly enjoyed success away from the stage.

In 2021, he announced that he had purchased 15 acres of vineyard property in his birth state of Oregon, with plans to produce Pinot Noir, chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc wines.

It would have to taste better than the KISS-branded beer they were selling at one point.

Reports that you have to take the highway to hell to find any of Angus Young’s (pictured) homes are unsubstantiated. Picture: Shutterstock

AC/DC

Who knew that dressing in a schoolboy’s uniform for five decades could prove so lucrative?

In 2007, it was reported that guitarist Angus Young was spending millions of dollars on an enormous mansion in a sleepy Dutch village.

The three-storey home boasts a basement recording studio, his-and-hers bathrooms and a series of guest rooms.

Young has also owned properties in England, and an impressive home at Kangaroo Point, Sydney.

Meanwhile, vocalist Brian Johnson resides in Sarasota, Florida.

Ozzy Osbourne

In 2022, The Prince of Darkness and wife/manager Sharon said that they had decided to leave the United States and return to live in England. Mama, I’m coming home? Indeed.

The pair own a Hancock Park, Los Angeles estate, which was listed for $18 million before having its price reduced to $17.5 million and eventually being withdrawn from the market.

Originally bought by the Osbournes in 2012 for a reported $12 million, the home is 11,565 square feet with seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

Earlier this year, Sharon stated that they still planned to leave the US, but had faced obstacles due to the Black Sabbath frontman’s ongoing health struggles.

TV personality Sharon had previously said they their return had also been delayed as there was renovation work being done on their home in the UK.

The couple purchased Welders House in Buckinghamshire more than 30 years ago.

It’s located in the parish of Chalfont St Peter, once named as one of the most expensive places to live in the UK.

In 2022, it was revealed that the Osbournes planned to build a “rehabilitation wing” extension to the country estate as Ozzy battles Parkinson’s.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the Osbournes were seeking a tenant for their West Hollywood, California apartment.

They were asking $9500 monthly rent for the one-bedroom, two-bathroom unit in a high-rise building.

Last month, the Osbournes re-listed their two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom condo in the sought-after Sierra Towers in Los Angeles.

It was initially listed in May 2023 with an asking price of $4.795 million. Now, its asking price has dropped by $300,000.

The property features a large primary suite with an en suite bathroom and a large walk-in closet.

The Osbournes bought the home in 2014 for $4 million.

Wherever they may roam: Metallica (pictured) takes time out from comparing their property portfolios to perform for the fans. Picture: Shutterstock

Metallica

Earlier this year, it was reported that drummer Lars Ulrich’s childhood home was on the market for about $6.85 million US.

Ulrich lived in the house, located on a small street of Hellerup, the most fashionable part of the municipality of Gentofte, in eastern Denmark, with his parents Torben and Lene for 17 years until he moved to Los Angeles and launched Metallica. We’ll suggest that the move worked out okay for him.

In 2020, Ulrich’s San Francisco mansion sold for $10.3 million.

The hilltop Tiburon property had been listed the previous year for $12 million.

The house has 25 rooms, including seven bedrooms, six full baths - one with a fish aquarium over the tub - and three half baths. There are five fireplaces, a library, a recording studio and an underground basketball court.

Public records listed Ulrich as a past owner of the property, which was under a trust at the time it was sold.

After decades of life in the San Francisco Bay Area, frontman James Hetfield relocated to Vail, Colorado several years ago.

The home features seven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and 11,509 square feet.

It’s located right at the base of the renowned Vail ski resort, with features to allow you to ski right in and out of the home.

The home was actually voted Mountain Living’s 2010 Home of the Year, prior to the Hetfields purchasing it.

Hetfield is believed to still own property and land in the Bay Area.

In 2017, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett listed one of the two adjacent houses he has in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighbourhood. A year later, he put the second one on the market, with an asking price of $13 million.

The guitarist is believed to own homes in California and Hawaii.

This story was originally published on view.com.au