Killers

The beginning of the 80's decade was a particularly interesting time as the barriers between the different genres were blurry to the point it would take a detective's work to decipher exactly what belongs where. Simply calling this album heavy metal would be laughably lazy. Heavy metal comprises a number of characteristic facets, which there are only traces of here. After the tightly composed and graceful short instrumental 'The Ides of March' as the introduction, 'Wrathchild' shows off a bit of that ancestral heavy metal aspect in the structure of the verse riff centered around a repeating power chord two-piece with a melodic single note tail on the final bar, but yet the drums signal a hard rock vibe from the scintillating closed hi-hat 8ths. Of course the vocals are too bluesy in spirit, even for an initially blues-inspired genre like metal, to be metal: this is hard rock in full flight for that facet of the sound. A round, husky, sensual power crooner's tone with that soulful blues drag at the end of his lines grants its charm to the album.

But this is hardly just an arm-wrestle between heavy metal vs hard rock influences. There's a clear punk element here. The energetic verse on 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' carries that jumpy, bright punk style at its core. The chorus is perhaps the most recognizable and sticky on this album, and notably the guitar section is entirely made up of single note riffage (as opposed to chord work as is typical for the chorus). Another characteristic facet of the punk genre can be heard on 'Another Life', on the part right before the guitar solo: that in-your-face power chord presentation with a slight chromatic hint to it, mischievous as you like. Di'Anno's voice is swamped in delay in that one, strongly indicating the time period this came out in - a trend that would disappear quickly later in that decade.

A strongly inspired 'Genghis Khan' comes on next, as the second instrumental for the release. It showcases the band's willingness to develop musical themes, as opposed to centering all of the material around verse/chorus structures for the voice. The main verse sounds especially hectic on the drums, nearly bringing to mind the messy chaos of the blast beat when the drummer hits all those rides in a row. The next part (yes, the one Papa Roach copy-pasted and made a commercial rap-rock song out of twenty years later) has that beautiful soaring lead phrase suspended in high delay feedback wash. 'Killers', is another one of these lackluster title-tracks. Despite its big buildup and genuinely interesting and innovative natural-harmonic riff introducing the verse, this isn't a song that particularly sticks out as being much more than an average Maiden song from 1981.

Speaking of influences, some tracks even contain elements of funk, as the verse on 'Innocent Exile' that surely drives that funky energy forward. Some sections are genuinely surprising, if not nearly on the whimsical side: the chorus to 'Twilight Zone' will catch the listener off-guard for certain, and is generally in the more mainstream camp, reminiscent of a Kiss style section. 'Prodigal Son' is the album's nod to the prog rock influence that's had a consistent although subtle part in 80's Maiden: its feel-good over acoustic guitar vibes hearken back to music from a decade earlier. The album then goes into something of rehash mode towards those last few tracks. All in all, it's one of the grooviest the band's ever released and makes for a very cohesive listen with plenty of appreciable attitude and strong writing.

If you ask me, the popular opinion regarding this disc is quite divided among the fans. Some say it's an uneven album compared to the debut, and others say it's actually pretty superior in many terms. What is true is that the style of music in Killers is very similar to the eponym album, which is not rare since they were composed when the band played in bars and when they were exchanging members in their transition phase in their beginnings. These songs were left for the first album and then for the second one, similar to what Judas Priest did when wrote songs for Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny. That said, it's worth talking about some elements that turned this album obviously different, namely the production, while the dual guitar work is much better this time.

And yes, behind this is the producer of producers, Martin Birch, or if you prefer, the genius behind legendary albums produced in the 70s and 80s. He not only defined the way Iron Maiden should sound but he's also remembered for giving hundreds of bands their own sound. The production on Killers is thick and aggressive, although the guitar's gelatinous sound manages to blend with that aggressiveness. These aspects allow us to see the stark contrast between this work and the amateurish rawness of the debut. Really, this dude couldn't have done better and for that reason, many (including me) consider him the actual sixth member, which also explains how this good guy used to be credited on the back covers with no less relevance than the rest. The songwriting is about as strong as on the self-titled, if not as accessible. In general terms the guitar and bass work are incredible, the guitar duo of Adrian and Dave have shown their potential since their birth. Clive's drumming is the best he's ever done given the murderous, criminal approach of the record, probably Maiden's best in the early eighties.

Wrathchild opens with an amazing bass line and some nice guitar playing. How this cut couldn't be one of our favorites for concerts? The whole song is steamy and catchy as hell, but if I have to point out the climax it would be the chorus. Genghis Khan is the second instrumental and it's their best in this field, and also the least purposeless one, considering Losfer Words another good piece by levels. Clive Burr's drumming is out of this world as he goes through a series of tempos where he changes the twists and turns of the songs, and he always keeps me on my toes until the end. Prodigal Son was the only one on the album that took time to grow on me, but then unequivocally did; it's quite different from the rest and unusual for the rhythm these guys were getting to play, but still slaps off beyond belief; I love the proggy ballad approach on this one.

Killers is not a concept album but most of the topics deal with the mentality of a killer, which gives it a subtle topic that runs through everything and thickens the atmosphere so much that you can cut it with a knife. This is not the only time they've made an album with a thematic atmosphere like this. While the only concept album they have recorded is Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, there are other thematic albums like Somewhere In Time (the topic of time), A Matter of Life and Death (the topic of war), or The Final Frontier (the topic of space travel) that feel like concept albums. The artwork is my favorite ever, as crude as their latest album Senjutsu. It reflects the essence of Eddie as a cruel beast hidden inside a killer and doesn't clash at all with the atmosphere that this album transmits.

Another characteristic is the sick build-up bit between the vocals, where the guitars stop and let Paul stand out alone. The members are damn good lyricists and songwriters, and while the lyrics are not the most intellectual, they're actually pretty top-tier. These songs are constant build-ups, with the habit of playing solos that explode into the middle/end chorus. Did you think that instruments are only well executed? Pay attention to the vocals in the title track which are held out long and stay perfect throughout, it sets such a mood that is not easily recreated. The only way to appreciate the greatness of this song, the almost theatrical lines, is to listen to it for yourself as many times as you can.

Paul Di'Anno puts true emotions into every performance so they will break your expectations. I always thought that they should have done more of these things in the future, exploring their more personal side both lyrically and musically, as a band of course, not Steve Harris alone who, as the leader, obviously directs the most in the songwriting field. The dual solo section in between really captures my imagination. Overall the choruses on these songs, though short, are catchy and straight to the point. They have everything: a low, foreboding, doom-laden intro with balladistic/exploding vocals and top-notch lyrics, and hell-sweet melodic lines in both guitars and bass. Perhaps that has been the band's trademark, and they still use it indeed, with results that can leave you satisfied or dissatisfied, and their new albums have really done that for me. "Maiden have recorded the same album with different showcase over decades"... As true as it may seem, some still have the decency to make the small distinction of taking the Di'Anno albums and separating the rest.

Like sophomore slump and bullshit like that. This is often considered Iron Maiden's best album in their first primitive stage, and not in vain since it’s diverse, technical, serious, aggressive, and melodic. There are no negative points I can name about this release given its fresh and exciting nature even if it’s 41 years old. When I first heard this, it became my favorite album along with Powerslave. This record also brings together the best vocal, drum, and bass performances from their early years, and the musicianship/compositional mastery is simply impeccable. The duet Steve/Clive provides a stable musical mainstay with powerful, visceral beats, while the Murray/Smith team proves to be one of the best guitar duos in music. While this album still doesn't have its signature sound, it gives this album a uniqueness that makes it stellar. The sound is much better than the first album and the songs are heavier, which leads me to say that this is their true first metal album.

The Ides of March is a crisp, short instrumental piece that opens the album with style. It's a wonderfully atmospheric piece with incredible percussion which subsequently welcomes a dizzying guitar solo. After the adrenaline rush that was Wrathchild, Murders in the Rue Morgue begins with a slow intro that refreshes afterward, but this song quickly picks up the pace and leads into a heavy, fast song that also ranks as one of the best on the whole. Murders actually gets (and gains) more amazing live and the lyrics based on Edgar Allan Poe's story are sublime. In addition to the duality in the leads, what is also interesting is the other duality that is not talked about as much, which is that of Burr and Harris who smoke much at a dizzying pace, something that Maiden somehow already forget to do in this 21st century. Drifter is a really great closer, even though they still don't start with the "epic finale" tradition yet, but this closer manages to function as a cool and funny heavy rock track.

There is a certain inspiration in the 70s progressive rock but not in the epic, measured and modern way they have been carrying in the last decades, but in a fast and coherently better-constructed way more like. The first hint of that is the instrumental Genghis Khan, with a jaw-dropping interplay between Murray and Smith's twin guitars, while the thumping bass perfectly syncs up with the hellish drums. This track alone proves that this was THE band from the NWOBHM scene that played with such aggressiveness and complexity, being Diamond Head very close in these comparison. The other piece that brushes these 70s prog rock nuances is Prodigal Son, which has a beautiful acoustic guitar intro that leads to a livelier section and a more sedate guitar work accompanied by a catchier, more forceful chorus. Murray and Smith shine in the middle section, but the climax is punctuated by what I consider to be Paul Di'Anno's best vocal performance.

Killers is the first collaboration with Martin Birch who presents the impressive classic and exotic sound. It's the trademark from their early days. The cover art is also a classic from the early days and is without a doubt Derek Riggs' most visceral and explicit work. On this record you can hear some influences from 70s music, such as the use of twin guitars, which in turn also meant the influence that Maiden gave to many bands. In a nutshell, this is one of the few masterworks that really worked as a transition where you can tell the traces of the direction the band would take on the next album, such as the more prolific guitar harmonics, prolific bass sections, and the way some songs will thunder into intense leads and relentless percussion.

There's a whole debate about where their legacy actually began. The debut was solid, although I consider it the weakest of the 80s albums, then Killers truly supposed their true trademark style with which they would rule over the metal scene. Killers shows the rawest and visceral side of the band. The songs with Paul were written during the 1976-1980 period and had already been played live many times. Perhaps that's why the execution of the songs is really fast and tight, and you notice how the band has cemented together, coming from their primitive yet kinda effective debut to this polished-based follow-up. The elements that made their music cornerstone (dual solos, harmonies, bass lines, clever lyrics, etc.) are gradually developed here before getting beyond in The Number Of The Beast in terms of mainstreamism.

This album is world-renowned for a reason, although despite Killers being a huge record and known by virtually every metalhead out there, you never really hear any praise for the individual tracks, maybe except for Wrathchild and Murders in the Rue Morgue. So to redeem this, I'm going to be talking about most of these songs and how they were put together to make one of the best albums ever made. Firstly, this was the first album to feature Adrian Smith on guitar, and you can really tell, his solos are vibrant and way more powerful than Dennis Stratton's. Dave and Adrian work much better as a duo, and some of their absolute highlights reside on Killers. The production is fantastic, everything is layered well and the guitars sound much more explosive than on the band's debut. Despite the obvious improvements in production and musicianship, I don't love this album as much as its predecessor, but it's still an awesome bundle of some of the best music you will ever hear.

The songs are progressive and impactful, apart from tracks such as Drifter and Another Life, which carry the repetitive influence from the first album. Most of the songs are brilliant, with of course Wrathchild being a classic, Murders in the Rue Morgue has some incredible solos and a very powerful intro that really gives you a hint as to what's to come from Iron Maiden later on. Genghis Khan is a vicious instrumental, and a very shitty nu-metal band by the name of Papa Roach built their entire career from ripping off the outro riff, but then again nu-metal itself is a paragon of unoriginality, so I'm not surprised. Innocent Exile and Twilight Zone are catchy and infectious, and the title track is one of the band's most respected songs, it also branded Iron Maiden as a pioneer of speed metal. But I'd say the best songs are at the end of the album, the last three tracks in particular, since Purgatory and Twilight Zone are some of my favourite songs of all time, and when I was 12 I had a serious addiction to Drifter. In fact, the only track on the entire runtime that I would say I don't love is Prodigal Son, I just think it drags on for too long.

What makes this album so great is mainly how unique and gripping the songwriting is, and some of the best riffs and solos ever written are spread throughout the record. Every song has something special about it, and everything has its purpose; it's very hard to find filler on Killers, but that can be said about any Maiden release, really (oooo I have a controversial opinion, get over it, no one cares). Clive Burr is a machine on the entire album, his performance is constantly airtight and you can tell he's very skilled at his instrument, the fills are crazy but clean, and this is especially noticeable on songs like Innocent Exile. Paul's vocals are more diverse and iconic this time around, he really uses his wide range in tracks like Twilight Zone and Purgatory, and his voice is passionate and well-articulated. Steve Harris primarily shines here because of his songwriting more than his actual bass-playing, although Innocent Exile and Wrathchild have some of the best bass intros known to man. Steve wrote most of the material on Killers, a trend that is followed through in the band's discography, and I don't even know how one man can write this many good songs in barely 10 months. Dave and Adrian's guitar work like I mentioned before is prime, and the way they intertwine their solos is flawless.

Anyway, any metalhead can listen to this and enjoy it, most metalheads own it and the ones who don't aren't doing their job right. Killers is an essential album and I would recommend it to anyone with working ears.

What you hold in your hands is one of the greatest records of all time. I can recall a time when even the weird indie kids in my hometown asked me if anyone liked this release because they thought it ruled--and to be honest, even they were right. The power of Killers is too undeniable.

Killers is often remembered for its more radio-friendly hits--"Wrathchild" and potentially even "Purgatory," as both are incredibly brilliant. Yet the real heavy metal genius lies in songs like "Innocent Exile" and "Another Life" where hallmarks of the genre's bright future are laid. They don't make them like this anymore for a reason--Iron Maiden was able to exist in a world where was nothing but open fields, and they grasped the future tight in their grip and opened up a new space for many to grow in. The hallmarks of the genre had not been laid and d-beats, harmonic flair, and even tightly written ballad-esque songs like "Prodigal Son" have their place. While I wouldn't call this track my personal favorite, it goes to show that Iron Maiden represented true heavy metal revolution away from hard rock--they had begun to hone in on what was a powerful and crisp sound.

It's easy to wax nostalgic about what Iron Maiden WAS at one point in time, and despite them having both the genius and the luck to pioneer what they did in the early 80s...it stands to say that no album like Killers could be written today. There is always potential for better albums to be released, new grounds to be found. But in terms of the influences--Thin Lizzy, Wishbone Ash, Sabbath, Priest, and alongside contemporaries Motörhead, Killers is something else entirely and one that will continue to create metal bands long after its creators are dead and gone.

It’s not a good idea to judge the quality of an album based on how great the records surrounding it are, which is a fairly common problem that I encounter. That said, if everything else that a band does in an entire decade is easily superior, then it would make sense for it to fall lower on the ranks. What this doesn’t mean, however, is that it’s bad by any means, and Killers is one of my go-to examples of such a thing. The second Iron Maiden disc is a well-written, sweetly polished, and tight second-serving of riffs and licks from Steve Harris and co. But I do think that it lacks some attention to hooks and memorability.

Don’t think this means there aren’t obvious bangers, which goes without saying for such a classic effort. “Wrathchild” and “Murders In The Rue Morgue” will never not be earworms that are basic essentials to every fan of the style. However, I actually think “Another Life” is a less obvious selling point. Much like the layering on the debut, this one creates surfaces smoother than stainless steel, especially when transitioning from the intro to the first blast of lyrics. The most superior track is probably the title track. Not only is it bouncy and swiftly executed, but the bridge’s stellar combo of bass, rhythm, and drums is out of this world. Simple, but done exceptionally, and even more-so when the solo is placed overtop of it.

But the thing about Killers is that there aren’t too many other tracks that I’d consider strong deep cuts. “Genghis Khan” is a famous instrumental that I never found much magic in. The hooks are dulled down, and every time I listen to this one, I forget how it goes upon returning. The longer intro with acoustics on “Prodigal Son'' would have made a better instrumental alone, especially with bass presence grand enough to replace leads. In general, I’d also say that a lot of this is moment driven, meaning there are banger parts that stick out but few songs that hold the weight for the entire duration. “Twilight Zone” is oddly rock ‘n roll oriented, which seems out of place but is solid enough. And I do enjoy the falsettos in the chorus, something that Paul Di’anno didn’t tackle too often. Even “Purgatory” follows this example, where the “please take me away” bridge is immaculate, but the rest of the song doesn’t match that level.

As I’ve said, this is a good album. It’s an essential part of the genre’s history, and it has more precision machining done than what I can say I expected the first time I ever heard it. But I think it’s pretty top-loaded, and the last couple of songs don’t hold the same value that the rest does. Take that as you will. I’m glad that it does more for so many others than it might for me.

On my quest to see if Iron Maiden is really this legendary metal band, I am now on their follow up to their self titled debut. "Killers" is an album that I once again never really paid attention to all the way through. Going back and looking what Iron Maiden has to offer, I figured this album would be a step forward from their solid "Iron Maiden". Instead, I received an album that seems to JUST get beaten by their debut.

The first thing I noticed on "Killers" was the improvement of Paul Di'Anno's vocals and the lyrics as a whole. "Iron Maiden" suffered from a lot of filler. With only eight songs, a lot of the tracks were filled with "yeah!, Oh, Yeaheah!" There is some of that on this album, but not nearly as obnoxious. The song structure is infinitely better on "Killers" and the lyrics didn't repeat themselves nearly as much as the previous effort. "Iron Maiden" had this really 70s rock vibe that I dug to an extent. Even though I enjoyed it, I really wanted to hear that dark Iron Maiden lyric style that I am kind of used to. Instead of hearing about pick up trucks, I wanted to hear something darker and interesting. I did get that on "Killers" which was a relief. This album is filled with stories about murder and getting murdered. Hell, even Eddie on the cover here is killing someone. The lyrics were only as good as Paul's vocals which improved dramatically. There weren't many high pitched and elongated verses. Instead, he sang a bit faster and it made the songs flow better. None of this would have been possible without the epic musicianship of the rest of the band, however.

Steve, Adrian, Dave and Clive all do an amazing job on this record. Steve's bass is prominent throughout the entire album and Clive Burr's drumming, especially on the song "Genghis Khan" is down right incredible. Adrian and Dave return to form as these monster guitar players that really hold this album together. The instrumental tracks on here, the intro "The Ides of March" and "Genghis Khan" are almost worth the album price alone. The playing on those tracks is absolutely unreal and I don't usually like intro tracks. Overall, top marks from everyone on here.

So, you may be asking, why give this album a 76%? Well, I have to say that with all the fun lyrics, the songs were a bit on the boring side to me. On the A side of this album, it seemed I really enjoyed every other song. The intro track, "The Ides of March", "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Genghis Khan" all kept me captivated and wanting more. While songs like "Wrathchild", "Another Life" and "Innocent Exile" all seemed to have this..blah sound to them. When the lyrics were on, they were definitely on, but when they dipped in subject matter, it lost me. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" tells this super fun story of someone who stumbles upon a murder and how he must escape to the border because the police think he did it. It's an awesome concept that painted a picture in my head of what the song was about. Then you have a song like "Prodigal Son" that completely lost me. I didn't know what the song was really about and it's slower and longer than "Murders in the Rue Morgue". On the B side, I really only loved the title track, "Killers". It's odd that I love the musicianship so much on this album, but the songs didn't really do much for me.

Overall, I'm kind of shocked with this. On paper, I should have enjoyed this much more than I did. While I did feel like the song structure, lyric subject matter, and overall musicianship improved on "Killers", I felt like I enjoyed their self titled album a tiny bit more. I feel like it doesn't pull me back in for repeated listens. The songs that really kept my interest did so because of the content or the fact they were instrumental tracks. This album is not terrible by any means, but I may skip it in the future if I am ever this far down Iron Maiden's discography.

Recommended songs: "The Ides of March", "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Genghis Khan", and "Killers".

Bit of a history lesson; my entry into the metal music world was not by way of the "classic" acts so many of my peers were exposed to years and years back. Nope; I was instead brought to the distorted world thanks to the thrash and groove metal scenes, only to seek out things heavier and darker down the line with death and black metal. The reason I bring this up is that, when I first came across Iron Maiden, I was balls-deep in extreme metal and I...just plain didn't like it. They just didn't have the punch, the panache, the goods, if you will, and even today I feel that were I to give them a spin back when I was first getting into metal I'd be a lot more impressed and, quite possibly, a fan from then to now. First impressions really do count for a lot, as Warden Darling once said. But that didn't happen, and it didn't matter what they did I was not sold no matter how many people thought I was a damned fool for thinking so (no apologies, ever).

So, 20 years hence, with my musical tastes far more expansive than when I was a suggestible twit, I tried to give the Maiden a second chance, starting with the very first album of theirs I'd heard. And well...I'm still not impressed.

For what it's worth, I'd never found Iron Maiden all that great on a stylistic level. The main problem with this, as seems to be the case with the group in general, is that everything seems fine and dandy for the first few songs, but by the time you get to track 5 or so you've already gotten their full musical scope and the rest of the album peters out through rearrangements and rehashing of said ideas up to that point, and this is clearly the case with "Killers"; fun for a little while, but ends up gassing out halfway through and sounding too uninspired for its own good by way of running through progressions and riffing schemes you've already heard. Not a whole lot really throws you for a loop beyond that first glance and listen. That being said, though, it's not entirely a worthless release; Harris and co. churn through those tunes like they're doing a six minute mile, with energy to spare and a voice loud and bright. Song structures are a little more varied beyond the "verse-chorus" appeal, tempos shift here and there and things can go from speedy to groove-laden at a moment's notice, more often than not cleanly and without sounding forced. This may be a metal album, where the guitars are gods among mere mortals, yet strangely enough the bass seems to get the majority of the facetime from end to end. Blame it on the songwriting credits or whoever really formed the group or whatever else, but regardless the music itself is plentifully excited (yet not exciting), almost like "Killers" is so damned glad to be there, to be jammed at loud volumes for your enjoyment.

However, as stated before, there's only so much of this kind of sound one can take, especially when it really does feel like the Maiden boys don't have it in them to spread their creative wings beyond a basic and rigid musical formula (then again, they've built an entire career on that notion, so what do I know?). The arrangement scheme isn't always the same thing twice (for the most part), but all the band's incisive playing can't cover up seeing chord progressions coming a mile away. The utter predictability of the material itself is, easily, the worst thing about this; there was never a time in which I was thrown for a loop nor was blown away by an unexpected change, and each successive time I heard the same change-ups, melodies and key shifts I was ready to scream. It can get so frustrating, so fist-clenching, to know how a song will unfold before it hits and therefore leaving little to no impact upon arrival, and maybe I was expecting more than what was provided (that's very well possible), but for all its gloss and through-the-wall energy "Killers" still left me quite cold. The harmonies are very nice, the performance beautifully and professionally tight where it counts, but It has no menace, no sense of emotional connection, and no overt heaviness or further expansion of original ideas for the most part. If nothing else this is the best example of the one-dimensional trad. metal trope; it's good for one particular thing, and has very little else to offer if one is looking for a different sort of experience. It could be that was the point all along, but when you want to dine on something far more substantial, don't fill up on bread.

In the end, and despite my recent honest attempts, I'm still not sold on this, or Maiden in general, much as I am sure many out there would claim I sooner turn in my "Metal Card" as a result of such an opinion. I will not deny their importance in the metal world at large, nor their influence on so many other groups I am currently a fan of, that I cannot take away from them. But as an entity all their own? Unimpressive. Still.

Most people find that they have a band they love so much that they consider said band their all-time favorite. For me, that band is Iron Maiden, and I love almost everything they’ve ever released. However, even your favorite band sometimes does something you think... eh, really could’ve been better. Sometimes they release something that’s outright terrible. In other words, there’s always going to be a least favorite album from your favorite bands that just doesn’t stack up well against their other releases. And in Maiden’s case, the most typically criticized, disliked, and oftentimes outright loathed albums are the ones released in the ‘90s, particularly the two with Blaze Bayley on vocals. But I’m not one of the detractors; The X Factor and Virtual XI are two of my favorite albums ever and I love them to death. No, for my money the single worst Iron Maiden album, bar none, is their sophomore effort from 1981, Killers.

Now firstly, bad Maiden is still heads and tails over many other artists. All of Killers is still fairly good. I can get into it when I’m listening to it. But... then I listen to pretty much any other album and I enjoy them so much more. The problem with Killers is that most of the songs here sound like leftovers from another recording session that were rightfully cut. And I say most because, going by the 1998 remaster, there are 5 good songs, and 6 bad ones. This is an imbalance I have never been able to find in another Maiden album.

So let’s start with the positives - the five good songs. “The Ides of March” and “Wrathchild” are a perfect opening shot, “Murders in the Rue Morgue” is my favorite song from the Di’Anno albums, “Genghis Khan” is a fantastic instrumental, and “Killers” is an awesome, schizophrenic composition. I have no qualms with any of these. They’re all enjoyable songs that showcase the band’s songwriting prowess quite well even stacked against the rest of their discography. It’s just that... I’d rather listen to them outside of the album usually than with the other six songs. These five would’ve made for a nice EP, but instead they’re included alongside some songs that don’t showcase Maiden’s strengths, but rather their weaknesses.

One of those weaknesses is the fact that there is a shitload of repetition on this goddamn album. Sure, people criticize the repetition on the Blaze albums, but while “The Angel and the Gambler” does repeat its chorus far more than one would expect, there’s more to that song than “Don’t you think I’m a savior?” It actually tells an interesting story. The songs on this album can’t even do that. “Another Life” repeats itself thrice and each time we get no farther than the first. Shit, I memorized the lyrics on the first listen. “Innocent Exile” repeats the first verse twice and then does something different afterwords but... the song itself is even worse than “Another Life”. Simply put, I don’t need music that does the same thing over and over without anything else that’s interesting. At least “TAATG” has that. These don’t.

Meanwhile, the production on this album is... not nearly as good as so many people say it is. Most people say it’s a great step-up from the debut album, which had almost no production at all. But that’s where I disagree. I like the ‘bad’ production of Iron Maiden because it brought out the rawness of the record and did the songs’ styles justice (even if Steve doesn’t think so). Killers, however, has undeniably better production, but it doesn’t fit the material. Instead, it makes the entire record feel sleezy. I don’t like sleezy Maiden. They aren’t that kind of band, and these songs would sound far better with production more in the vein of the debut’s. Sure, it’s more listenable when you’re using headphones, but one shouldn’t sacrifice the songs just for that. Production needs to fit the material, and this stuff just doesn’t work.

On the other hand though, the material is about as bad as the production. Take “Prodigal Son”, for instance. This is actually a song with some pretty interesting ideas and some cool solos - and actually one of Paul’s best vocal moments on the entire album. But everything else falls flat. It’s stylistically similar to “Remember Tomorrow” and “Strange World” from the first album, and while it’s slightly better than that first song, it fails in comparison to the latter. There’s just nothing much worth noting from the song except that it’s the longest one on Killers - and I don’t really wish it was. Oh well.

Now while “Prodigal Son” has admittedly good Di’Anno singing, he isn’t perfect on this album. Also thanks to the production, his voice often comes off as sleezy as the guitars. And when he does those falsettos - god oh god! Please don’t, it isn’t pleasant. I know that some people enjoy those, and to them I say, you can have him, but I’ll stick with Blaze.

But when it comes to bad songs, two of these take the absolute cake - “Drifter” and “Purgatory”. Outside of a few downright horrendous non-album tracks, these are the worst songs Maiden have ever released. Both have stupid lyrics with stupid music backing them and stupid singing voicing them. “Purgatory” is one of the album’s most beloved songs, which I don’t get whatsoever. Those lyrics are absolutely terrible. “All my love’s inside of YOOOUUU!” What the fuck does that have to do with Purgatory?? And Drifter is just as bad. I don’t listen to Maiden for these silly love song type things; they’re usually shallow and completely shitty and when this band does it they come out horrendous. And meanwhile, there’s a section in “Drifter”’s instrumental that i consider the worst moment in Maiden’s discography. It sounds like goddamn circus music. What the fuck happened there? Eugh....

I know I’m really not in the majority with my views; many see the album as a classic Maiden release that they love and cherish and consider one of the band’s best. Well if you payed attention to this review, I have absolutely no clue why. To me, most of this album is sloppy b-side fodder-type songs that just don’t cut it for me. Maiden have almost always been a cut above the best with their songwriting, proving to be some of the most intelligent in the business. But you wouldn’t know that listening to this album. It’s really scraping the barrel when it comes to the content, and thank god the band picked up greatly with the following album, the classic Number of the Beast. But nonetheless, this assortment of tunes really could’ve benefited from better planning, writing, arrangement, singing, and different production. It’s just not up to par with the rest of their discography. At times it can be enjoyable, but by and large it’s just nothing special. In fact, the album has tainted my appreciation of the cover itself, go figure.

In short, this is an extremely overrated album and not nearly Maiden’s best. While some of the songs are quite good, most of them aren’t. The other fifteen albums by this band are much better than the tripe found here. But hey, you may like it far more than me. That’s cool. You listen to this one; I’ll stick with The X Factor.

One detail I find amusing is that most fans of Paul Di'Anno not only call this his best album with Maiden, but the greatest Iron Maiden album of all time. If you ask Mr. Di'Anno what he thinks of the album, he'll tell you he thinks its terrible and that the first album was much better. Don't get me wrong, Killers is fucking great, surprisingly heavy, and underrated. Partially because for some stupid reason Maiden refuses to play any song from this album except Wrathchild, which I will actually agree is not very appropriate for Bruce to sing. That song is a street thug anthem, and Brucey is many things, but a street thug isn't one of them. There's a certain viciousness in Paul's performance in these songs, which, Bruce was actually quite capable of replicating during his first few of years of Maiden. Go listen to the Killers songs on Beast over Hammersmith, Bruce is absolutely maniacal and fits the songs like a glove there. Even a half decade later on Maiden England he manages to deliver the title track with perfect amount of rasp and venom, despite many fans declaring the Seventh Son period the soft sellout period. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here.

If I could describe how Killers differs from it's predecessor in four words or less, my response would be "similar songwriting, better production." Perhaps even slightly inferior songwriting, as Steve admits they decided to put all their best songs on the first album with no regard for how that would turn out sonically. Granted, that worked out for them in the end as great songwriting shines through, but imagine how much better this would be if it got Phantom of the Opera instead of Prodigal Son, by far the least interesting classic Maiden song. Greeting us with a rather unremarkable acoustic lick, the song proceeds to try and make Lessons and Tears section of the 2112 album appropriate for a metal album. Unfortunately, Steve Harris failed in that respect. Prodigal Son hangs around this album's neck like an albatross. Dammit, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Incidentally, we would get a Martin Birch treatment of Phantom with Live After Death, but I think a Paul sung version of Phantom with this production would have been killer.

I should say something about the arrival of the great Adrian Smith, but the problem is, he's given such little chance to shine, he's virtually forgettable. I know, calling Adrian Smith even slightly forgettable is a blasphemy that should be punished with a right bollocking, but we have to face the facts here. He has zero songwriting credits on this album, we don't get a proper guitar solo from him until six tracks in (Innocent Exile to be exact), and he even gets outclassed by Dave Murray on the title track! Seriously, go listen to Murray's all-time great[est?] solo at 2:59! While Adrian's solo on the same song is by no means bad, the preceding solo was so good that's its almost a waste of time to follow with another. Murray has technically played guitar for longer than Smith, and here it's the former who plays Jedi Master to the Padawan latter.

Highlights of the album are the aforementioned stupendous title track, Murders In The Rue Morgue, Purgatory, the monstrous instrumental Genghis Khan (the riff at 1:47 would be recycled by the band and others quite a few times throughout the decades) and closing rocker Drifter. Yes, I said it, Drifter. I may be the only person on the planet who loves this slice of uptempo Status Quo worship (and this was long before I had even heard of Status Quo), but I'm entitled to my opinion, and this song absolutely kills, especially live. Again, go listen to Beast Over Hammersmith, what a lethal crowd pleaser! Why did Sanctuary replace that song in the encore again?

Every Iron Maiden and metal fan needs to hear Killers. I'm not entirely sure why this album went lower in the UK charts than it's unnecessarily lo-fi predecessor, but it is fun to bust Di'Anno fanboys' balls with that fact, especially since for a bunch of supposed anti-establishment punk they sure do love the numbers game. Ignore those dickheads. Ignore the Bruce fanboys as well for that matter. This album's bloodlust will defy all your needs! Ooooooo, look out, it's coming for you! Ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha.

This album is quite an outlier in Iron Maiden's discography. It is often said to be the weaker of the band's two albums with Paul Di'Anno. This is because their self-titled debut has an overall more anthem-like atmosphere and a bigger emphasis on melody is involved there. But this album is more about kicking the listener's ass. It also has more dynamic, yet also more raw melodies, particularly in the guitar work. This is a more diverse album, a more energetic one, and an overall more unconventional one.

The bass also has a greater presence than it did on the debut, often carrying most of the weight on the album, but it also allows the guitars to do the same. "Twilight Zone" is the greatest example of this, with many intricate riffs, along with the bass breaking out into solo more than the guitar does, but it doesn't distract the listener from the rest of the music. They can also be perfectly leveled at times when their melodies are reasonably homogenized, but played with radically different picking styles, especially on "Wrathchild", which has a good enough melody to cause the listener to not realize the way that the instruments compliment each other until the third or fourth listen.

Speaking of "Wrathchild", it's probably the most accessible track on the album, as it is the simplest, but it has a melody that could fit on pretty much any album by this band. It was one of the first songs written by them, so I would imagine that they've been building on ideas related to it since it's birth. "Purgatory" is also a more accessible track, as it has a highly melodic and epic chorus, with a fast enough tempo to have the song be considered a proto-power metal track. There is a similar section after the first chorus, with a layered, technical and melodic riff that places high emphasis on the B and High E strings that could also be a solo. Paul's vocals on this track are also more soulful on this track.

The rest of the album is much dirtier and much more complex. It almost flirts with punk rock, particularly on "Murders in the Rue Morgue", which has a main riff that could fit on a Ramones album, despite the purely classic rock-inspired chorus. What really gives the albums sleazy edge is the vocal performance of Paul Di'Anno. He is much more gravely and volume-driven here than on the debut, along with his vocal melodies. However, he also shows his range more on this album, with much more high-pitched screaming. He also tends to follow the guitar riffs at their most complex moments (which there are a lot of), also at some of the more melodic moments.

But this album's greatest strengths are the moments are when they combine melody and raw energy together with intricate song structure. The title track is a great example, with its jagged, harmonized riff, jazzy bass lines, over-the-top vocals and grimy solos. The powerful drumming also supports it. But the true highlight of the album is the second instrumental, "Genges Khan". This song launches riffs down the listeners throat, with the bass pounding away in multiple directions, all of which don't distract the listener from the guitars, as said before, but the intricacy of both makes this all the more impressive. It uses both highly melodic and highly raw, NWOBHM-spirited bliss in multiple areas. The drumming on this track boarderlines on blast-beats at times, driving the song more than it does any other here. This song is Iron Maiden's "The Dance of Eternity", and it is one of the greatest songs in their discography, definitely their most underrated.

There are only two things that I can say against this album. One is that sometimes it can get cliché. But it often fits and is done in an inventive pattern. The other is the song, "Prodigal Son". It is a proggy ballad that lacks emotion, mainly due to the melodies being unfitting for the slow tempo, but especially due to Paul's awful attempt to show his softer side. It strikes all the wrong nerves with me, as he lacks the passion required to do so. Fortunately, they later obtained a vocalist who could do this with no problems at all (that vocalist of course being Bruce Dickinson).

This is a highly underrated album, but it is understandable as to why it doesn't get the praise that it deserves. Its complexity, combined with its more visceral and aggressive nature, along with its gritty vocals make it inaccessible to many Iron Maiden fans. It took me multiple listens to understand the album, but once I did, I found it to be a highly rewarding experience. While it is certainly flawed compared to some of the band's later albums, it is still a unique and highly interesting listen that deserves to be noted more than it currently is, far more so than the self-titled debut.

As a follow up to their self-titled debut album, Iron Maiden's Killers delivers in almost every way, but just barely misses the mark of "masterpiece" . Not only have their production values vastly improved thanks to Martin Birch becoming their producer, this album also saw Adrian Smith join Dave Murray as the twin guitar attack we all know and loved from the 80's. Steve Harris took the bass playing to a whole new level and, at times, became the center of attention in a few songs, which feels rare in metal music. Paul Di'Anno gave his final performance with Maiden in this album, and, incidentally, he turned in one hell of a performance with an even greater range than the previous album. Drummer Clive Burr also shines at times here, although not quite the way he would in the next album (Hint, hint).

The only big misstep here is The Ides of March, which, while being a good song to hype up the next one (which hits you like a ton of bricks), sounds exactly the same as another song that came out a year earlier. Listen to Thunderburst by Samson and you'll understand. The story behind it seems to be that Steve Harris and a band member of Samson wrote it together a while back and agreed it was okay for both bands to use, but still, it feels recycled to hear the same song only one year later!

Wrathchild features a furious bass tempo by Steve Harris that shows just how good he is, while Murders in the Rue Morgue is based on an Edward Allen Poe poem of the same name and exemplifies early on what Maiden are all about. The song to really look out for however is the song by which this album is named: Killers is a rollercoaster ride of a song that overstays its' welcome just a little too long to be one of their best songs of all-time, but is still up there. Everything is going full throttle here, from Di'Anno's excellent screams, to Harris' prominent bass, or the twin guitar attack shredding more than ever before. This one should undoubtedly be one of your favorites!

Other tracks, like Drifter, Innocent Exile, and Purgatory may take some time to grow on you, but they're well-made songs and worth listening to as well. Another unique song that features acoustics in it is Prodigal Son. I really enjoyed the variety on this one. Just when you think Killers is all out of different sounds to experiment with, it hits you with something like that, and I love every second of it!

Overall, as I said in the beginning, Killers is a great album, but is missing that one aspect that makes it a full-blown masterpiece. The title track comes close, but the album is missing that one defining song that keeps everyone coming back all the time. It's filled with good or great songs though, so this is one you still won't want to miss out on.

Best Song(s): Killers, Wrathchild, Innocent Exile

Skip: None

Often underrated, but never forgotten, Iron Maiden's second effort after after their promising debut offers up their most relentlessly brutal, speed-galloping groove attack that would sadly be the final album singer Paul Di'Anno did with them.

From the start, you notice the crispier, more metallic production of Killers, a strong improvement from the debut's somewhat flatter execution. Here we see Maiden in a rare form, compared to these days; blazing solos, a groove-heavy bass, shredding guitars, and songs that know when to end. Quite a large majority of the numbers on here range from 2 to only 4 minutes, with only two tracks breaking the 5 minute barrier. Although this may leave many wanting more, I think that it only adds to the hard-edged assault that the music provides. Quick, upbeat bursts of NWOBHM perfection.

One thing I must bring up now is the vocal performance of Mr. Paul Di'Anno. Anyone that had their doubts about his capability as a front-man to the greatest metal band will be blown away by just how spectacular he comes off here. Almost like he knew it was his final hour with the band, Di'Anno shows off the awesome progression of his vocal range delivery, all the while maintaining his street-wise, nasty bite from the predecessor. With the high-pitched wails at the beginning of "Killers," to the strong falsetto notes on the magnificent "Twilight Zone," Di'Anno doesn't just prove he's more than capable of stepping up to the plate, he can match the epic levels of that of future vocalist Bruce Dickinson.

The instrumentation of course is top-notch coming from these guys. Steve Harris' bass is present more than ever: laying down thick, heavy notes that keep the groove in tact. Finally we get the twin-ax guitar assault of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, and their form is as perfect as it gets. Smith himself stands out more as a performer than previous guitarist Dennis Stratton, having more character in his playing. And ow my god, Clive Burr. This man was never better; he lays down the foundation for the blistering, headbanging attack that many later thrash drummers would incorporate.

During this period in the band's career, when concerning their lyrics, the band hadn't really begun playing songs based on historical, literary tales. Instead, the lyrics deal with very personal conflicts, sometimes going very foul. This is best heard on "Innocent Exile," and the as before mentioned title track. All of this only seems to add the album's overall dangerous atmosphere.

Killers has, and always will be, a misunderstood record that will leave up a lot of room for discussion among fans. Never before, or after, have Iron Maiden recorded something that sounds like it, but I guess that's the sum of all their 80's material. Although it may seem like it's unappreciated at times, nothing can take away from the unrelenting experience that Killers provides. Absolutely all killer, no filler. Truly an album that lives up to the name.

This album is too often dismissed by many as being a poor relation to its eponymous predecessor and its successor, The Number Of The Beast. Although I wouldn't agree it's not quite as good as those, because it is an immense album, being way ahead of the rest of the NWOBHM pack in most every respect, even the debut.

It is perhaps true to say though that 'Killers' has the appearance of a stopgap release, with songs which had been left over from the last album and some which were amongst the first Steve Harris had ever written. It also was the last album to feature Paul Di'Anno, soon to leave the band in a haze of drug and alcohol problems, and the first album to feature Adrian Smith. Surprisingly then, it coheres fairly well and the production perhaps has more guts than its predecessor, thanks to veteran Martin Birch (who'd worked on 70's masterworks from Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash and Rainbow).

The album kicks off quite splendidly with the instrumental "The Ides Of March", characterized by some thundering twin guitar work from Dave Murray and new boy Adrian Smith, amidst some stunning percussion from Clive Burr. Instantly obvious here is the increased confidence in terms of musical ability, something which will become even more apparent later on. This song segues into one of the band's anthems 'Wrathchild', a rip-roaring rocker with fulsome bass from Steve Harris and characteristically guttural vocals from Paul Di'Anno. The interplay in the instrumental midsection harks forth to the bludgeoning riffery that Metallica would later take even further in the thrash movement. Despite a rather odd structure, the title track is an absolute classic, with some particularly fine rumbling bass riffs from Steve Harris and a burning vocal from Di'Anno. It has some of the finest twin guitars yet heard on a Maiden track, too.

Even though heavy metal was already around at the time as bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, etc. were making heavy albums along with Maiden, it really wasn’t until that fateful day in 1980 that NWOBHM came to its peak when this band released their debut album. That album along with this one really makes an impact in the scene, especially this one, as Adrian Smith was a huge factor on this album. Anyway, this album is godly, in my opinion, and it doesn’t get enough recognition when compared to The Number of the Beast, or surprisingly, the previous disc.

So all in all, this is a masterpiece, and it should be an excellent addition to any self-respecting metal collection. There are no dull or boring moments on this album, and every song stays consistent and heavy. I have a hard time deciding between this and the previous album, as both albums kick the shit out of a lot of NWOBHM albums ever done by other bands. This is an underrated classic that, unfortunately, does not get the credit it deserves. This was one of the first metal albums that I bought, and I still listen to it quite often. It was pretty much this album that converted me.

When I was very young (let's say 12), I bought Iron Maiden's Dance of Death album, then, about a year later, I picked up Edward the Great, the greatest hits collection, for a minimal price. None of the songs from Iron Maiden or Killers appear on that compilation and 13 year old me concluded that those 2 early albums were lacklustre in comparison to The Number of the Beast and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and so on. Naturally loving the greatest hits, I set about hunting down all of the Maiden albums one by one, starting with the 2 early releases that I had heard nothing of. (Not having any of those songs made them better value to my mind.) And, at first listen, I found them both much harder to get into than the classic '80s albums which Bruce Dickinson sings on. There was something a little more bristly and awkward about them that made them feel perhaps a bit older, perhaps a bit inferior, perhaps just more wilful and destructive.

I still get that feeling about Killers. It is certainly separated from The Number of the Beast by more than just a year and a singer: the style bears marks of a more primitive, more energetic, more attacking kind of heavy metal, which does have some spikier shapes and rougher corners to it, not that they are any less thrilling than the classic sound that the band would develop later on. The pace of Killers is much faster than any other Maiden album, including the debut, and it feels vital as result, racing through its first half with nary a thought for survivors or casualties. A few of the songs have slower intros and build-ups, like 'Murders in the Rue Morgue', while 'Prodigal Son' goes all mellow and folky without being downright naff. Importantly, these moments do not dominate the album as they would later come to do, in my opinion diluting Maiden's flowing and uplifting sound. What is strange about this band is that they never got much heavier or much softer, so Killers, despite giving away 30 years to their most modern album, has perhaps the most in your face and meaty songs the band ever wrote. The main riff of the title track is both tricky to play and pushes the envelope more than we usually hear from Maiden, reminding one (achronologically, of course) of Mercyful Fate's 'A Dangerous Meeting'. 'Genghis Khan' is also interesting to investigate, since it is at once distinctively Maiden in its melodies and leads, yet vastly challenging in its rhythms. I've heard it described as a precursor to grindcore and, while I wouldn't go that far, Clive Burr does begin to build into something resembling blastbeats in that faster-and-faster mid-section, while Steve Harris's grumbling bass does more than one might expect of traditional heavy metal.

I don't want to be guilty of adding significance after the moment has passed, but I actually hear more direct influences on other bands from the first 2 Maiden albums than the latter ones, and this may be due to the higher levels of energy and the faster pace of invention. This more aggressive tendency in the sound is fun to witness and may have something to do with Paul Di'Anno, whose voice wouldn't suit too many epics or slower parts. He isn't as talented as his replacement, but he doesn't really do much wrong, occasional lack of expression aside. He sounds at least as convinced and alive as Bruce Dickinson, spitting and snarling with a street-level violence that grabs you by the throat. Just look at the cover art of Killers: it's the least fantastic image that the band would use, but I see it as the most iconic of all their artwork, and I don't believe their sound would ever suit that image again. The rest of the band play it a little straighter as well, with the guitar riffs going for pure speed on occasion (the verses of 'Purgatory' for example), while the melodies come thick and fast, sometimes as separate movements in the song, sometimes as complementary pieces. Listening to Steve Harris relentlessly swooning and plunging on his bass, you get the feeling that Maiden would have made a very good speed metal band if they had decided to head in that direction, though the lead style sounds generally more majestic when they just drop the pace a notch.

I don't have much to complain about in the songwriting department, because Maiden drop no clangers and, even though 'Prodigal Son' is my least favourite track, I fully recognise why it had to be on the album. The other songs don't quite have the classic tone of 'Run to the Hills' or 'The Trooper', but I also think that we can't compare them on the same level, since there is more here to get your face red and your neck sore than to pump your fist and scream your lungs out to. 'Wrathchild' and 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' are both excellent hunt-and-kill numbers, the former a brisk rush of blood soaked in lead work and the latter getting the edge on chorus impact, with its lurching, plunging bass riff driving Di'Anno to proclaim his innocence in an interesting reworking of Edgar Allen Poe's classic story. The title track is naturally the textbook example of the serial killer song, which has been imitated countless times and rarely bettered. There was a time when Maiden could write a 5 minute song with nothing missing, while now they can't even do that in 8 minutes. There's also 'Purgatory', which may just be the most savage song that Maiden ever wrote: pure cut-throat intention and flawless execution makes this a wicked listen.

There is a lot of dispute over Iron Maiden's various changes in style and the perfection or imperfection of each one. I can't fully make my mind up at which point Maiden did the most for me, and in fact I think I'm just glad that they have left us with so many albums to choose from. Killers is probably not the most accomplished release that this band ever recorded and it does have a few rough edges here and there, but it must be, for me, the most visceral release of Iron Maiden's career. The sound from this album has been vastly influential and is still great to listen to.

There are many reasons why Iron Maiden’s second full length studio record “Killers” has become an iconic album with a huge impact on both the band’s career and the young heavy metal genre in general. First of all, there is of course the memorable close-up album cover of band mascot Eddie who looks much more charismatic than before and has since become the most popular mascot of an entire genre. The production on here is clearer, more dynamical and tighter than on the debut that suffered from an average sound quality. The song writing has also become more consistent. While the debut record included a lot of experiments and lacked a clear concept, “Killers” has a clear guiding line despite a more elevated number of tracks and a few interesting exceptions. Talented guitarist Adrian Smith has replaced Dennis Stratton who wasn’t the right choice for the band since he was not only older than the other band members but also less into the heavy metal scene in general. Even though this record is probably the least impressive with Adrian Smith’s participation, his uniquely emotional and more technical guitar play already adds a new dimension to the sound and complements Dave Murray’s melodic but less experimental leads in a good way. Paul Di’Anno’s vocals sound even more confident than on the debut album and he probably delivers the best performance of his career. The rhythm section with Steve Harris on bass and Clive Burr on drums also takes more space than on the first album. This album is much straighter, harder and dirtier than the first strike and mixes the best elements of heavy metal, punk rock and rarely but efficiently employed progressive or psychedelic rock influences.

In my opinion, there are also several negative points to mention. While the flow of the record is clearer and straighter than on the predecessor, the working formula gets somewhat redundant after a while. To be fair, I’m not talking about the two instrumental tracks even though I think that especially “Genghis Khan” is bland and boring and that I would have expected something more epic when a track is named in honour of one of the most important historical and historic characters of all times. A good example would rather be “Another Life” which starts with promisingly dynamical drum loops, emotional guitar leads, a tight rhythm section and a charismatic and variable performance by Paul Di’Anno. The problem is that the song repeats itself after only one minute. In three minutes and a half, the track only includes four lines of lyrics which are repeated three times. I don’t really understand why the band didn’t write three short verses with different lyrics as the rest of the track is really great. “Innocent Exile”, “Purgatory” and “Drifter” have similar problems and especially the latter two are rather disappointing tracks. “Purgatory” is a really bland fast heavy metal track and by far the band’s worst single choice. The equally fast and short bonus track and single “Twilight Time” is already much better due to its melodic and psychedelic chorus and even the often criticized Skyhooks cover “Women in Uniform” is a great party tune performed with groove and passion. Album closer “Drifter” is by far the least impressive of its kind in Iron Maiden’s entire discography. The track is too long and repetitive for its own good and the breaks or solos after each verse are destroying the flow of the tune.

On the other side, the record also includes a few aggressive, consistent and short heavy metal anthems that work very well such as the charismatic “Wrathchild” with its charismatic galloping bass guitar and one of Paul Di’Anno’s angriest vocal performances ever. “Killers” is a track that took some more time to grow on me due to its long and psychedelic introduction but what follows is a fast paced yet atmospheric heavy metal anthem with haunting lyrics and vocals. Ironically, my personal highlights on the record are the two tracks that don’t really fit in. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” is in my opinion probably the very best song written while Paul Di’Anno was in the band. The track starts with great psychedelic guitar harmonies that give the song a fitting mysterious atmosphere before the tune gets faster and explodes into a passionate and speedy heavy metal banger with angry bumblebee bass sounds and powerhouse drumming. The track is not only aggressive and fast from then on but includes the most vivid melodic guitar solos on the entire album and Paul Di’Anno’s most diversified vocal effort where he shows off what an underestimated and powerful singer he was back then. The other outstanding tune is definitely “Prodigal Son”, an epic and mystic piece dominated by acoustic guitars and laid back vocals in the key of the two ballads from the debut record. The song has this certain something which gives it an incredibly longing yet slightly occult atmosphere which could come from the greatest progressive rock bands of the late sixties or early to mid-seventies such as Pink Floyd, Genesis or even early Rush. The track sounds nothing like any other Iron Maiden ballad and is maybe the most experimental track ever written by the band. It’s a track that really inspires and touches me and which proved back then that this is not just a short-living and exchangeable product of its time but a band that would go on to change the world with its music over the next thirty-five years and beyond.

All in all, Iron Maiden’s “Killers” must be seen as a step forward for the band as Iron Maiden forged its own identity and niche in rock music with this release after the more eclectic debut release. Both the dynamical production and the cohesive play of the band sound much tighter than before and the different instruments harmonize much more and complement each other better than on the predecessor. Due to some obvious flaws in the inexperienced song writing and an unusually elevated number of filler tracks that sound like they had been written in ten minutes each, this is still one of the weakest outputs in Iron Maiden’s groundbreaking, innovating and massive discography. From my point of view, the album is one step forward and one step back at the same time for these reasons and personally, both the debut album and its follow-up are pretty much on the same level. This album is recommendable for fans of the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal and those who like faster genres such as punk rock, speed metal or even thrash metal. Occasional heavy metal fans should rather go for the more important “The Number of the Beast”, “Powerslave” and “Somewhere in Time” among others.

I can't think of another album cover that better represents the content of the music than Iron Maiden's Killers. Take one look into the beady eyes of Eddie as he lifts his bloody hatchet for a finishing blow and you'll know you're in for a lethal dose of heavy metal horror. Filled with dark and majestic imagery, Killers delivers just that, but it doesn't end there as Killers also features the best and most consistent musicianship, song-writing, and production of Iron Maiden's long and illustrious career.

By the time Killers was released in 1981, Iron Maiden had already established themselves as one of the premier NWOBHM bands with their early demo 'The Soundhouse Tapes'. After becoming local heroes, the group then hit a global audience with their debut album, the self-titled masterpiece 'Iron Maiden'. Boasting such classic metal cuts as 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Prowler', and 'Transylvania', the album perfectly captured the raw power and energy of a band on the brink of world domination. However, the album suffered from a cheap production job and, in my opinion, a few tracks that dragged on longer than they should have, 'Remember Tomorrow' for example.

Touring in support of their first album helped Iron Maiden further develop their sound and grow tighter as musicians. Following the departure of Dennis Stratton, axemaster Adrian Smith was hired as the second guitarist. It turned out to be a wise choice as Smith's heavy and rough-around-the-edges playing style perfectly accentuated Dave Murray's precise and complex riffs and solos. Paul Di'anno serves his duty well enough, delivering a signature raspy, wailing, punk-like performance. His voice fit the tone of the songs perfectly, but its easy to hear that Iron Maiden were progressing past him as musicians. Although this is his final album with the band, the personality he gives the early Maiden songs earn him major credit for their worldwide success.

Now that we've gotten all that out of the way, let's get down to what really counts- the music.

Killers hits the ground running with the thundering march of 'The Ides of March', a brilliant and powerful instrumental as heavy as it is beautiful. The track leads into what is perhaps the most well-known song off the album, 'Wrathchild'. Now considered a Maiden classic, Wrathchild is a hard-hitting rocker with a driving bass line and some incredible rhythms from drummer Clive Burr, a bonafide master of the skins. It's worth noting that Killers-era Maiden had the greatest heavy metal rythym section in the genre's history.

'Murders in the Rue Morgue' embraces a song structure that has proved to be a favorite of the band continuing to the present day, the slow and mellow opening leading to a heavy, crushing song. Although in later years the format would grow tiresome, it works very well on this track. The opening is just the right amount of time, gradually building up in intensity until a barrage of snare fills launches right into the opening verse. The track is frantic yet melodic, a balance that defines Iron maiden's music.

Perhaps the most musically accomplished track on the album, 'Another Life' begins with a hypnotic cacophony of opposing guitar solos on top of a steady driving beat. Dual guitar harmonies dominate this song, and represent the most addictingly melodic and expertly executed of the band's career. The instrumental 'Genghis Khan' follows as a sort-of sequel to 'Transylvania'. Although not as good as its predecessor, Genghis Khan still contains Maiden's signature galloping heavy metal style that makes you want to charge into battle.

'Innocent Exile' was an early song in the band's career that makes its debut on this album. It begins with an intense drum fill and doesn't let up from there. It is another quality metal song that displays a mastering of the craft. My personal favorite part is near the end after the guitar solo when there is a pounding break and Di-anno screams 'Lord I'm RUNNNNNNIIIIIIINNNNNNN'!!!!!! YEEEEEAAAAHHH!!!' to an eruption of guitar shreds and cymbal bursts. Now that's metal!

Flipping the album over to the other side gives you the title track 'Killers', which follows a similar format to 'Murders of the Rue Morgue' with a slow-building into that explodes into the main driving riff. The lyrical content is dark as the title suggests, and Di-Anno delivers them perfectly with his rough vocals. The song is very fast once it starts going, and is sometimes referred to as an early influence of thrash metal. After that is 'Twlight Zone', another quality hard-rocking track that has my personal favorite opening riff on the album. This is also perhaps the most melodic song on here, with a very catchy and fun-to-sing-along-to chorus that serves as a precursor to the song-writing that would dominate Maiden's later efforts in the 1980's. It is a great song that proves Paul Di'Anno can actually sing.

The next one is kind of an oddball. 'Prodigal Son' is a soft, ballad-style song, one of the very few in Maiden's career. Although it can be initially off-putting, there's still plenty here for heavy metal fans to appreciate. Clive Burr hits just as hard here as he does on the other tracks, and the intermittent heavy chords in addition to the acoustic-sounding main riff gives the song a unique dynamic. I believe this song represents Maiden attempting to show their mellow side in a heavier context with shaky results. I personally like the song, but it simply doesn't fit the tone of the record and disrupts the flow.

Things get back to normal quick enough with the frenzied opening riff of 'Purgatory', another earlier song, previously called 'Floating', reworked for this album. For a long time this was my favorite track on the album. It perfectly combines an exciting, fist-pounding rythym with an infectious vocal melody and brilliant harmonies during the chorus.

'Drifter' follows 'Purgatory' as an ending to the album, and what an ending it is! From the very beginning it hooks you with a unique bass line and a harmonious guitar part then kicks you in the face with a manic scream from Di-anno on top of some ripping solos from Murray and Smith. It's another hard-hitting rocker (my favorite type of song, in case you haven't guessed by now) that breaks into a dreamy and mesmerizing mid-section that features the most melodious guitar solos yet. For the final run the band goes full force in what definitely feels like a fitting conclusion to such a heavy album. Every member of the band shows their chops in the closing minute of 'Drifter', easily one of the most exciting songs ever recorded.

With their sophomore album 'Killers', Iron Maiden had fully defined their signature sound , a combination of the bluesy hard rock of Deep Purple, the metal edge of Judas Priest, and the complexity of Prog masters Yes. Killers represents a band at the peak of their creativity and skill set, ready to conquer the world through the power of their music. Needless to say their journey has been a success, and the early albums are very much a part of that. Killers features some of the best album cover, the best songs, and the best line-up in the history of Heavy Metal. It is a masterpiece, and my personal favorite record.

"Killers" could be seen as a transition album for Iron Maiden. Although the band had a relatively firm grasp of their galloping sound since the debut, Paul Di'Anno's punkish style and image had a pretty significant impact on the way Maiden carried themselves. "Killers" indeed picks up where the self-titled debut left off, but nothing is done with the same sense of sincerity and excitement. Perhaps "Killers" was needed in order for the band to finally opt out of their ties with Di'Anno and move forward, but we have here a record that falls under a terminal case of 'second album syndrome'. Iron Maiden's signature sound is here, but the magic certainly isn't.

Looking back on my fond memories of the debut, Maiden may not have had the degree of sophistication in their sound and lyrics as they are known for today, but, as the towering "Phantom of the Opera" would testify, they were capable of great things, fusing raw energy with technicality and pomp likely influenced by the progressive rock of the decade past. The idea of moving one step forwards, and two steps back seems to apply here. Although there is a slight progression towards a grittier heavy metal sound, the aggression and intelligence have been siphoned out. "Killers" puts all of its best tunes at the front; although "The Ides of March" functions as a simple, anthemic intro to the record, its martial rhythm leaves a greater impression than most of the songs here. "Wrathchild" has become a bit of a fan favourite, and there's no doubt that it takes the dubious prize of album highlight. Steve Harris' bass licks on "Wrathchild" are some of the best of his early career, and though Di'Anno's performance throughout the album feels generally inferior to his vocals on the debut, he executes some incendiary wails. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" follows up "Wrathchild" quite nicely, delivering a faster pace more indicative of the album as a whole. After that, the songs begin to blur together. Iron Maiden deliver many of the same tricks each song, and though it is made a worthy listen for their consistent tightness as a band, the songwriting lacks the excitement and distinctiveness most of us have come to expect from this band. The one exception later in the album is the relatively long "Prodigal Son", which actually ends up feeling like an unwelcome change of pace for the album. It's as if Maiden suddenly decided to toss out their metal direction in exchange for a painfully watered down prog rock style. Di'Anno's vocals notwithstanding, "Prodigal Son" sounds like something Rush could have done on "Fly By Night", then decided to toss away.

The first two Maiden albums are usually seen as being apart from the rest, if only because Bruce Dickinson had not yet entered the fold. Paul Di'Anno is a great frontman with a charismatic delivery, but his vocal work on "Killers" lacks the precision and ballsy guts it sported on the debut. His performance is decent, but he favours the 'charismatic' angle of his inflections far too much over the more melodic aspects here. As a result, DiAnno's vocals still feel larger-than-life, but there's not a single vocal melody on the album that really sticks, even after several listens. In short, the worst thing that ever happened to "Killers" was the fact that it was being expected to follow one of the best heavy metal debuts ever. There is still much potential in Iron Maiden's style- which remains powerful and exciting- but it's a tough sell to say that the album is really worth checking out for anything more than the fact that it's Iron Maiden. Luckily, it wouldn't be long before the excellent "Number of the Beast" was released under the vocal guidance of Brucey, but considering the sort of artistic success Maiden had with Di'Anno with their first record, it's pretty difficult not to feel disappointed.

Iron Maiden's sophomore effort Killers is such a good ole gem that I often dream of what the band's career would have been like had they held on to Paul Di'Anno (and Clive Burr) forever. Perhaps there may never have been a Powerslave or Piece of Mind that was quite the same as those that front Dickinson's powerful pipes, but it's not hard to understand why some of Maiden's fans have eventually divided into two camps: those that prefer the 80s Dickinson streak of genius, and those that believe the first two albums represent the band at its most vital. Although I clearly belong to the former camp, with almost all of my favorite albums involving Bruce's vocals, I have grown very fond of the first two albums with age. There is just no denying it...if you want to hear Maiden at their closest to the 'pack' of the raw, pure NWOBHM bands, Killers is a monumental record that was nearly without peer (if you discount a few bands like Judas Priest), which took the infectious energy and good hooks of the s/t debut to a new height. It's also the first album by the band that I actually got into as a kid...

And it is one badass album. Where later Maiden efforts howl at you through the winds of history, the realms of the imagination or the shimmering neon streets of the future, Killers takes you from the shadows of the back alley of the sprawling 80s metropolis, lunging at you with a rusted cleaver, cackling with glee. That's not to infer that it ignores the band's old penchant for lyrics based in science fiction, horror and history. But compared to an album Somewhere in Time, Killers is just low down, dirty and mean, without totally lacking that melodic kick in the pants that made this band a household name on planet Earth. I can't blame Di'Anno for any of the drug problems he may have succumbed to while helping to conceive or tour off this album, because I honestly feel like taking a snort or two myself and tracing it with a draft of something dark and lethal proof when I listen to these songs.

Don't let the short-lived majesty of "The Ides of March" deceive you, because "Wrathchild" comes storming out like Jack the Ripper posteuring as a Hendrix or Page. The riffs groove and stomp while Di'Anno weaves his old catlike sorcery like a dirty man that knows he's about to score with every whore in the pub. Mind you, I mean this only with the sincerest of compliments, because if anything, Killers is the most 'sexy' Iron Maiden album. Denim and leather, spikes and booze, this is heavy metal music and it is not ashamed. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" devours you with terse seconds of tranquility, before the sparse chords ring out. I'd almost call the fast paced verse of the song 'uplifting', considering the Edgar Allen Poe story it was based on, but regardless, it is one of the best fucking songs this band has ever played, and I've got a lawn that wants you to kindly step off if you don't agree! Flighty, fun solos and an unflinching, dark boogie to the chorus assure that this is likely a standard on every Jukebox in Hell. Do you seriously think the Devil listens to Deicide or Akercocke? Because he doesn't. He listens to this.

Reminding you that metal is in fact just a more abusive form of rock and roll is the wailing bluesy taint that intros "Another Life", a hammering joint that features a nice echoing spin to Di'anno' vocals, and a stream of bleeding melodies over the plunking pumpkin bass of 'Arry. I was only about seven years when this damn thing came out, but even then I was jealous of what high schoolers must have done with their sweeties behind closed doors when this thing was playing, because it's hot like melted wax. "Genghis Khan" is a ripping instrumental with some savage, pumping guitar rhythms that easily transport you to the fields of conquest that its titular figure once grazed upon. And at 1:00 minute, the song becomes GO TIME, as in bang your unworthy head you sodden fuck! "Innocent Exile" finds an amazing medium between the band's hard rock blues grooves and titillating sense for raucous metal melody. Combined with the badass, on the run from the law lyrics, I cannot help but envy the outlaw, the trucker, the motorcycle man, or any other marginalized stereotype the song evokes within me.

And lo, though the album had by this point long since earned its keep, it is far from finished with you. "Killers" introduces the unforgettable, solemn and steady bass line bristling with quiet guitars before the forward trot below the harmonic debauchery, and then the chorus which is like a mighty punch in the groin that would fell a hundred Goliaths. This functions better than "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor as a psyche-up for a fight, sportlike or to the death. After this, "Prodigal Son" surprises with its river rolling, homely clean guitar tones and Di'Anno vocals that cut through the night like a a radio in a lone trucker's cab beneath some twilight, open desert. Might not be as heavy as the rest of the album, but it still kicks a severe amount of tail. "Purgatory" is a nice early speed/power metal number with a fierce and unforgettable chorus that sails across the abyss like a beautiful hell-kite, aglow with subterranean lightning, and "Drifter" features that sick, descending guitar line intro, though as much as I enjoy the song, it might be the one thing here I don't find entirely captivating or perfect.

Of course, being that I had the US release, I was also entreated to the delightful "Twilight Zone" in between "Killers" and "Prodigal Son", and what can I say...it's a perfect track with more of Di'Anno's, excellent echoed wailing, and one of my overall favorites on the disc, with guitars that burn straight past your defenses into your metal soul.

Killers is certainly a strong case for the original Maiden being every bit the contender that its next incarnation would prove to be. Proof that this is one of the few bands to easily weather periods of two distinct, excellent vocalists (but not three, sadly). But beyond that, it is one of the very best of the early 80s heavy metal offerings, with songs and production that have survived, intact, through almost three decades. I don't appreciate every waking second of the album with equivocal lust, but it's fantastic, and easily one of the band's better efforts. If by some anomaly you have yet to avail yourself of its charms, I suggest you make it so, lest you feel the burn of eternal shame as the rest of us avert our eyes from you, avoiding you like a bearer of plague.

Highlights: Perhaps the heaviest album of all time to feature the word 'cuddle'?

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Why is this album so underrated? It's really strange that this album is so often passed up in favour of albums like Number Of The Beast and Powerslave, especially as the primary reason for that is often the perception that they have less filler songs. The irony is that the opposite is true - a couple of exceptions aside, almost every song on this album just plain works, period. And even the weaker ones are pretty good in their own ways.

Like the self titled debut, Killers is a deeply atmospheric album with a great deal of the same rawness and grittiness and real, down to earth urban feeling that also characterised its predecessor, although the former of those two is somewhat reduced due to the much more polished production. While not as clean or as well produced as Number Of The Beast this is certainly less obviously raw than the debut. There's nothing wrong with that per se, and the heavier and stronger guitar tone actually helps for obvious reasons, but it does mean that the atmosphere, while still very strong in the same way as the debut, is a little less potent.

Nevertheless, this is an extremely well done album. The first song, The Ides Of March, is absolutely perfect and sets the mood brilliantly. Quite dark, almost menacing in a way, and very similar to what came before, but the improved production really accentuates the guitars. The riffs, while simple, are excellent, and it's such a truly heavy metal opening. The solo is also fairly simple, but again there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't rely on a cheesy or poppy melody at all, which is another thing I love, and that I wish Maiden had kept on doing rather than just adding melodic riffs that you can't even headbang to right in the middle of their songs in order to make them more accessible to weak people, often not even genuine metalheads but hard rock fans and the like, who couldn't sit through real consistent heavy fucking metal riffs. This is something they unfortunately did do later, and it became so overdone that it often felt like they were just trying to become more popular and gain fans outside of the metal community in order to make more money - which is exactly what they did do, except they got away with it because they managed to keep a respectable image and still be fairly heavy, and were never accused of selling out, even when they should have been, because they hardly ever wrote love songs or anything that genuinely sounded too hard- rockish except to really trained ears. So they got away with writing pathetically stupid songs infested with horribly cheesy melodies designed to appeal to dumb and easily impressed people that somehow managed to become "metal" classics such as Aces High(in case any of you are thinking I'm off my rocker around now, I'm not, and I'm not joking either), Two Minutes To Midnight(not kidding here either), Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Run To The Hills, and Holy Smoke. Predictable, simplistic songs with pop-influenced melodies designed to appeal to people too stupid to look past their insipidity. Killers has none of this shit. Even the two singles(Purgatory and Twilight Zone, and the latter wasn't on the original)have pretty much nothing along those lines. The former does have a melodic clean sounding break that does seem like a prelude to the kind of poppy bullshit they'd overuse later, but this isn't a major problem as it isn't overdone here.

Anyway, long rant aside, that this manages to keep a consistent level of genuine heaviness along with excellent songwriting and great use of(more subtle)melodies and a respectable amount of grittiness with a dark atmosphere and NOT be too commercial is a testament to the band's skills and abilities and, at this point at least, their lack of any real pretentiousness. After the brilliant opener, Wrathchild kicks in, and this is a great song, a true classic and still played in Maiden's concerts to this day, for a bloody good reason: it's fucking great, real heavy metal despite its popularity. Di'Anno's voice here fits it perfectly; while Bruce sings it ok, I'd say Paul is much better suited for the atmosphere. It's a little short, but in a way this is more of a strength than a weakness. Rather punky in its own way, which is an interesting point that's often overlooked; yeah, we all know that Maiden's first two albums are punk influenced to one degree or the other, but the way they combined punk, rock, and metal together is what's so incredible. It's an element they sadly lost with Number Of The Beast for the most part, and after that record - well, just forget it, because it was then that they began their epic proto-power metal style, which was still good but lacking something essential that these two records have in abundance: real grittiness, urban atmosphere, and no fucking pretentious bullshit. Of course one could just as easily make the argument that their later style was simply different, and in its own way actually better due to the(somewhat) more complex songwriting, greater epicness, and more creative use of melody. That's a fair point and not one I entirely disagree with, but I still feel that they lost something after this record.

The most incredible thing here is the lack of filler. Remember how I said that earlier? Well, it's absolutely true; after the awesome Wrathchild, the equally brilliant Murders In The Rue Morgue kicks in, and it's another aggressive, almost brutal ass-kicker with a beautiful and atmospheric intro, which is then followed up with what at the time must have been some of the fastest riffing ever. That punk like aggression and power was an essential element of early Maiden, and one of their most overlooked strong points, I would say.

But it doesn't stop here, because then we have Another Life, which, if one chooses to nitpick, is not quite up to the level of the preceding three songs, but is still really good. Then comes Genghis Khan, a great and fucking heavy instrumental metal attack showcasing the band's skills without being too flashy. Innocent Exile follows, and it's another very atmospheric and well done song. Truth be told, these are less good songs than the best songs on Number Of The Beast, but they're also less good songs than the best songs on this same album, and you can't have everything.

Then comes the title track, which is amazingly awesome in every way imaginable. The bass dominated intro is one bone of contention I do have, because it goes on a bit too long, and Paul's screams actually aren't all that brilliant. But when it gets heavy at around the 1.00 minute mark it gets really good. From then on it's several minutes of heavy metal at its best. The almost clean sounding melodic riff from 2:18 to 2:28 is unfortunately very obviously a precursor to the all of the overused melodic and not at all headbangable riffs that would virtually ruin the heaviness of some of their later albums(at least for me), but here it works, for two reasons: it only lasts 10 seconds, and it's a prelude to one of the most classically heavy fucking metal riffs in the whole of heavy fucking metal ever. Seriously, that riff from 2:29 to 2:39 is just...well, one of those riffs, the kind that when you hear loud makes you bang your head until it hurts and/or go completely bonkers. It's that metal, and really shows that Maiden were heavy as fuck well before The Number Of The Beast. The rest of the song is brilliant too, and also features one of Paul Di'Anno's best performances ever. He's really genuinely menacing here, and he should be: he's taking the perspective of a demented serial killer. This song must have influenced many thrash and later even death metal acts out there due to its subject matter, heaviness, speed, and aggressiveness. An absolute masterpiece, no doubt about it. Hell, if this was the only good song on the album it'd be worth buying for this song alone. But it isn't - in fact, every other song up to this point has been either good or great too. Can you say the same for Number Of The Beast or Powerslave? I think not.

After this work of brilliance, however, is when things, to some extent at least briefly go downhill with the weird and not all that metal "Prodigal Son". It's supremely atmospheric, I'll give it that...a lot like Strange World from the first album. But that song was the weakest song on the debut in my eyes along with Sanctuary, and the debut was so amazingly filled with such an atmosphere on every single one of its songs that one completely unheavy song didn't matter - everything else was so good that I didn't care. Here, though, Maiden try something more along the lines of a power ballad like Remember Tomorrow, except unlike that fantastic song, this isn't a typical power ballad at all. It's dominated by acoustic guitars which are interspersed with heavy distorted riffs every now and then, and has several sections where the guitars are completely clean, most notably the first verse. It picks up a little later, but it's just so...well, weird, for Maiden at least. It just doesn't sound very much like anything they'd done before, or would try again for that matter, and that makes me think it was the product of an idea they had: they wanted to try something different, and in that respect they certainly succeeded. But did they execute it well? I'm not sure...and that's part of the problem with this song. I don't hold anything against it per se, and there are some good moments on it, but I don't really care for it all that much either, and the preceding seven songs were all far better.

Anyway, moving on, we then have "Purgatory", the only original single from the album, which unlike a lot of future Maiden singles(which, despite their commercial status, are often beloved by almost all Maiden fans for some reason, who seem to be incapable of seeing their often fundamental flaws and lack of much real metalness)is actually a pretty good song. Its use of melody is neither cheesy nor overdone, and creates that same intensely powerful atmosphere, very urban and gritty and harsh(and not clean at all), that made early Maiden so great. The lyrics are(as far as I can tell, don't quote me on this one)something about a ghost, and all of his memories, and also something about love, although I'm not sure what the exact meaning of the song is. Nice, and I mean that seriously, because here it really works. It's dark, quite cold almost, and even the clean melodic riffs don't ruin the song - in fact, they help it as they make the atmosphere even more potent.

"Twilight Zone", the bonus track which became the album's other single later, is another very well done song with no real problems. I'm not sure what it's about exactly but again it's very potent and real, completely down to earth, and quite similar to Purgatory in a lot of ways, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Finally, we get "Drifter", which unfortunately is the only song on here that, like Prodigal Son, never really clicked with me. It's about a cowboy going from place to place and singing to help people's spirits, or something along those lines, and while it works as a closing song, it just isn't all that interesting. There are hardly any really memorable riffs here, and it's quite predictable and repetitive. It's a bit of a shame as almost every other song on here is either good, great, or fantastic, but considering that's true I suppose it doesn't matter all that much. Still, I would have liked the last song on the album to be a good one at least.

So there we have it, a highly underrated album that is still quite definitely a piece of metal history. While not as important or as revolutionary as the debut, as most of the greatness on here comes from taking the same excellent formula that worked brilliantly there and doing it again, it's still a great metal record to say the least, and the number of consistently good songs on here that work without being either too commercial or remotely cheesy is amazing. I'm still trying to understand why Maiden couldn't have written their later brilliant epics without becoming cheesy, pretentious, and far more commercial - they succeeded at creating a fantastically potent atmosphere here just as they did with the debut, and that album had Phantom Of The Opera, an epic song that was astounding and not at all commercial, pretentious, or corny. This album doesn't have any epics of that kind, but nevertheless the material here is of overall extremely high quality and the album has only two weaker songs. Out of 11 songs, I'd call that a bargain.

To sum up, another absolutely essential Maiden classic. If you want overdone cheesy epics with absurdly over the top singing and weak guitars, this isn't for you. If you want songs about slaying dragons, Egyptian Pharaohs and dogfights, this isn't for you. If you want lame hard rock posing as metal with obscenely dumb lyrics this certainly isn't for you. But if you want real heavy fucking metal with powerful lyrics, real grit, a superb urban atmosphere, genuine heaviness(as opposed to pussy hard rock 'heaviness')and NO FUCKING PRETENTIOUSNESS, then this is a definite must have.

Less than a year after the debut, Harris and the band struck gold with Killers, an album that’s packed with magically delicious heavy metal. The vibe is cooler, the atmosphere chill, and the tone of everything from Di’Anno’s voice to the tick of the cymbal sounds superbly crisp and rich. Compared to Dickinson, yes, Di’Anno doesn’t have a huge range, but he’s much more focused this time around to smash expectations gambled off the first album. His voice evokes attitude, control, and (thanks to proper mixing) melody next to the harmonious lead by Smith and Murray. On that midway conclusion, the guitar duo’s sound has improved much over the months, as well. Going from sloppy to honed in. Smith and Murray show great friendship as they kick off one another in nailing twin leads. The tone is grainy and warm, integrating well with the comfortable, jazzy atmosphere brought about by Di’Anno’s soulful voice.

Well, the showmanship aspect of the band improved tremendously, and the album would be the best one put out this far. Di'Anno got settled in, which may explain his spectacular performance on this album. He sounds not only like a capable singer but also very confident. Over the following months, he began sucking Iron Maiden into his own void and acting as the driving force while Harris still held the title as founder and creative controller of the band. He drove the band over the edge a couple of times with his pretentious attitude and over-the-top character, but damn does he at least sound good.

Blasting off with “Killers,” Harris’ signature, bobbing bass tone is instantly recognizable as it bounces in the grooviest fashion. Alongside the gritty guitars, the tone feels much warmer and heavier than before, with a stylish persona to go with it. Sometimes the bass rides the rhythm with the guitars, but a lot of times it’ll find itself on its own carrying the rhythm while the guitars cocked back before launching themselves forward in a chaotic whirl of merciless harmonies. “Innocent Exile” hits the spot with this as Harris twirls his basslines before letting Smith and Murray capitalize on the scene, mesmerizing the listener with spot-on precision and heavy-hitting riffs. Killers is more of a fun album that hopes to make the listener relaxed and along for the ride.

Burr in the back really has his drumming tight as bubble wrap. The hats have a clingy sound to them, but the rest of the kit hammers along nicely. I especially love how the double bass really has this galloping sound, like a horse charging toward you at record speed. The tom and cymbal crash combination is sometimes overwhelming, like so much force is hitting you. “Prodigal Son” is the real slow, ballad-type song on the album that works with these crashes, but then you have the rest of the album where Burr gets out his pit-pat-pit-pat speedy drumming, keeping up well on the sidelines next to his lead counterparts. The mixing on the album is very touchy, with extra caution not to bury the vocals or accentuate the guitars like on the debut. “Genghis Khan” abruptly ended during the riff that Papa Roach ripped off so the band could wind down. The lines were finally crossed, the stakes were set, and the dawn of a new Maiden was upon us.

All told, it's an improvement over the debut and worth getting if you're either starting out or want extra Maiden.

Killers is a NWOBHM album of exceptional quality. If Paul Di'Anno hadn't been so fond of the old nose candy, I think he could have a had a great future with Iron Maiden. However, along came Bruce Dickinson, and the rest is history. But before that happened, he really did some good work on this project.

"Ides of March" is a great opener, but surprisingly short. I hadn't looked at the timing of the track before I heard it, and when it came to an end, I thought, that's it? But you don't really have much time to lament the shortness of the opener, because "Wrathchild" really kicks it into high gear. I really think this is Paul Di'Anno's finest moment. His vocals actually kick major ass on this tune, and it's too bad he couldn't sustain that kind of quality all the time. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" sustains the adrenalin rush, with an almost punk-style frenzy. I don't think the vocals are quite as good here, but there is a nice snarly tone at work on the tune." Makes me wonder if the guys had been listening to a lot of punk (or mayber just Queen's song "Sheer Heart Attack").

I could go on track-by-track, but I won't. The thing that one notices on the first listen of this album, though, is how high the energy level is throughout. The guitars tear along at breakneck speed, and the drums and bass are right there with them. I mean, it's not Megadeth, but for the time, they were really on fire! As on the debut album, the guitar work is of exceptional quality, maybe even better than the first one. Welcome, Adrian Smith! Also, as I write this, and "Genghis Khan" is playing, my hat goes off to the amazing drums of Clive Burr. Wow. The combination of those glorious guitars with that super tight drumming is, quite simply awe inspiring. In fact, I would have to say, "Genghis Khan" is the best track on the record. That being said, though, I don't think there's a bad track on this album. If Iron Maiden's career had ended with this album, they could still have held their heads high.

Since I've given props to pretty much everyone on this album, I would be remiss if I forgot to mention Steve Harris's kick ass bass playing throughout, most notably on the excellent "Innocent Exile." Not to simplify too much, but every member of the group gives his all on this album. If the first two Iron Maiden albums were the only ones that existed, I would have said that they had set the bar about as high as it could go. However, "Number of the Beast" was about to come along, and that showed that that bar still had another notch or two left above it.

In the progression that is Iron Maiden, this album is a critical step towards their goal of world domination. Its light years ahead of the debut, but not quite Number of the Beast quality yet, though some songs on here would rival some of the very best on that album. Killers, probably the best metal album ever when it was released, was an album that boasted the punky qualities of the debut, but also had a bit more of the serious leanings they would take after this album. Steve Harris (once again) wrote most of the music here. About 9 of the 11 songs, and had a big hand in the other two. Dennis Stratton is gone, and replacing him is Adrian Smith, guitar wizard extraordinare. It's impressive to see him and Murray duel back and forth, because they both rule. Di'Anno sounds MUCH better on here. More balls and conviction behind his delivery. While its not quite Dickinson in terms of quality, it is still very good, and comparing him to Dickinson isnt fair. They are two completely different styles. Clive Burr sounds as good as on the debut (not a bad thing). His rhythm is locked in well and he gets his job done. Anyways, onto the music. Let's see whats on hand here, shall we?

The album opens with the instrumental "Ides of March". It has a great melody and some harmonied guitars but its nothing to shit yourself over. The second song, Wrathchild, delivers. It is hard, angry and very punkish at times.
Now, Murders in the Rue Morgue is probably the most underrated Maiden song of all time. It sure as hell is my favorite off this album. The riffs are catchy, the lyrics are very realistic and thought provoking, and in some parts, it reminds me of Phantom of the Opera off the debut album.
Other outstanding numbers are "Prodigal Son", (another penned by Harris song) the mellowest song on hand here, but also the most heartfelt (not to mention also the best solo on the album), and the title track itself.
The title track has very much in common with what Megadeth would do 5 years later in the song "Devil's Island" off the album Peace Sells...But Who's buying?....Galloping thrash. Though Maiden doesnt quite thrash, this song is very speedy and has a very dark overtone. A standout indeed!
Iron Maiden would improve dramatically through all of their first 4 albums, until they hit their peak on Piece of Mind and kept it up for several years.

Following up the excellent debut album wouldn't have been an easy task, but it is a testament to Iron Maiden's skills as songwriters and musicians that they not only created another excellent album but one which improves on nearly every aspect of the previous record. It saw the replacement of Dennis Stratton with Adrian Smith, which in my opinion was a good decision and I feel had it not been for the arrival of Smith the songs on here would not be as good as they are. This would also be the last record with Di'Anno on it, which can be either a good or bad thing depending on ones opinion.

Musically, this picks up where 'Iron Maiden' left off. Still retaining a strong NWOBHM sound, it increases the punk influence to create a grittier sound than what came before it. The riffs have improved by a fair amount which is probably due to Adrian Smith arriving, and have a more 'savage' sound to them. They are probably more melodic this time around, which is certainly not a bad thing. The soloing has also improved, and has a sort of 'dreamy' quality to it at times. The bass plays a much more prominent role as the production makes it easily audible among the mix, and it even has some of it's own lines here and there, while the drumming is average. Paul Di'Anno's voice is still as gruff as it ever was, although on here he uses more of a range and utilises screams here and there.

The songwriting is a departure from the debut, in which it was mostly straightforward verse chorus structure with the exception of Phantom of the Opera. This time around they throw in a few breaks in here and there, as is seen halfway through 'Wrathchild', and introduce some more intros to songs. While unfortunately there are no seven minute epics like Phantom of the Opera this time around, the quality of the tracks as a whole more than makes up for it.

As for highlights, it is difficult to choose as every song has it's moments. 'Wrathchild' is a catchy song which starts off with a short bass intro before moving onto a midpaced melodic riff with soloing in between the verses. As said before, there is a great break halfway through before it returns to normal. The second instrumental of the album, 'Genghis Khan', cycles between fast and slow with the slow parts being a build up to the faster parts in most cases. The excellent galloping riff which comes a minute in is genius, while the lead out is great consisting of slow soloing. The title track has a brooding bass intro in which Di'Anno does some awesome screams which lasts for a minute or so before perhaps the best riff on the album comes in. The choruses are catchy and it has some more great soloing thrown in. Finally, 'Purgatory' is another fast song with some excellent melody.

To sum it up, Killers is indeed a lost classic. Unfortunately it is sometimes passed over for the debut album or Dickinson -era Maiden , which is a pity as some of their best stuff is on here and it is better than both the previous and following album.

Unfortunately, the Di'Anno era of Maiden is often disregarded by many fans world wide, which is hard to understand, as the band was churning out some great classic songs with alot of raw power and energy at the time. All in all, these albums sound heavier then alot of their other releases with Dickinson.

Killers, Iron Maiden's second offering rips into you and doesn't let up until the end. It seems to start off a little slow with the intro "The Ides Of March" which gives the album a nice atmosphere to start off with, despite it being a very short instrumental. From there, without a pause, it rolls directly into "Wrathchild" which is a great rocker with some great riffs and hooks. Next up is "Murders In The Rue Morgue" which starts off slow, but soon picks up to breakneck speed which has the ferocity to rip your fucking face off. "Another Life" comes up next which has some great guitar parts and instrumentally sounds excellent, the only complaint at all about this song and about the album for that matter is that the lyrics here aren't very inventive, just the same few lines repeated over and over again. "Genghis Khan" is an excellent instrumental played at top speed in the vein of "Transylvania" from their first release which gives way to the bass driven classic "Innocent Exile" which is one of the best songs I've ever heard from Maiden and then the excellent title track which features one of the best vocal performances Paul Di'Anno's ever given along with some great harmonic lines from both Adrian and Dave, Steve ripping up his bass like a madman and Clive giving an all out assault on his drums. The remaining four songs rock along nicely with that classic sound and intensity only Iron Maiden could muster. with the exception of "Prodigal Son" which is just as good, but more along the lines of a slower ballad like song. The album closes ferociously just as it opened with the classic "Drifter" which has some excellent hooks, riffs, and a great shout along chorus.

Essentially. this is a flawless classic Iron Maiden album with the whole band in top form and giving one of the best performances of their lives. Di'Anno's vocals especially stand out here.

The only other Maiden album with Paul Di’anno is an absolute rarity in metal, in that it takes the success of its predecessor and repeats it, without a really broad stylistic deviation. As far as I’m concerned, it’s basically a continuation of the first album. In some cases that would be a bad thing, especially considering the likelihood of poor songwriting and repetition, but Iron Maiden makes it work magnificently. Unfortunately, while Killers does take the best aspects of the first album with it, it also takes the same primary fault of that album as well. Inconsistency.

Just like with their self-titled, the songs on Killers can be divided into two basic categories: the classics and the fillers. The former, of course, are the reason for the album’s inherent awesomeness. “Wrathchild” is lead-filled and has a killer groove. “Killers” has a lot of awesome guitar work and cool vocal lines. “Drifter,” a personal favorite, is infectiously catchy and has great vocal hooks. Other highlights include “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” half-ballad “Prodigal Son,” and the sweet instrumental “Genghis Khan.” These songs all exhibit immense creativity, classic riffing, great leads, and even better vocals than the first album. The rest of the songs, however, are the reason for the mediocre score. They’re decent songs, but generally unmemorable. The intro track “Ides of March” is completely unnecessary and boring to listen to, even for being so short. Even worse is “Another Life.” I forget the name of it every single time I play the album through. Seriously, it just doesn’t go anywhere. The same can basically be said for “Innocent Exile” and the slightly better “Purgatory.” These songs just aren’t up to the quality as the other half of the album.

Similar to their first album, a little over half the tracks are worth listening to, while the other half is MIA in the quality department. But that classic half is definitely worth the time. This album is far from disappointing, despite my negative comments, and should be regarded higher than it usually is.

This album is definitely, as Ultraboris pointed out - a lost classic. It is one of the more obscure Maiden albums today and is hardly spoken of in league with the rest of their catalogue. The songs on here are catchier and at the same time more energetic and aggressive than the debut. The more rock-ish elements have been shelved and the punk influence has seemingly increased. The vibrancy and speed shown here at times was a well-needed catalyst to the thrash revolution. The songwriting is stronger and more varied than the debut – this can be attributed to the entry of Adrian Smith and exit of Stratton, his contributions can be clearly seen here.

This album marks the exit of Dennis Stratton from Iron Maiden and Murray brought on the incredible Adrian Smith. This is of course, rather unfortunate – because some of the bands strongest material showed up here. The production on this album is clearer and heavier than the self titled. This album also marks the beginning of the bass-heavy production Maiden are known for. Paul Di’Annio’s vocals this time become even better. Murray and Adrian together make a very tight pair here, the riffing clearly betrays punk influences and the soloing is tight and tasteful. The guitar section with Adrian’s entry became all the more excellent, which is instantly recognized by the listener. Clive Burr manages to drum along to any rhythm given by the guitars no matter how strange or sudden, Clive truly is a master at the art of drumming. The bass-heavy production also brings Steve’s bass to the fore. This isn’t quite the bane people would attest it to be as Steve is quite adept at handling the instrument. In my opinion, the bass-heavy sound actually gives Maiden part of their distinctive sheen which sets them apart from the rest.

Everything on here is a classic. This is the only Maiden album to feature two instrumental tracks – The Ides Of March and Genghis Khan. The Ides Of March is an excellent intro to the album with amazing soloing throught it. The riff of course, is taken from Samson’s ‘Thunderburst’. Genghis Khan is more like a continuation of ‘Transylvania’ in that its heavy and moves along at breakneck speed, also the distinct melody that would later pop up in ‘Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter’ and ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ shows up here in 1:46. ‘Wrathchild’ is a relentlessly catchy with an irresistible chorus. This song is MADE to be played live. ‘Murders In The Rue Morgue’, ‘Another Life’ and ‘Innocent Exile’ are all faster memorable numbers. ‘Killers’ is another career highlight from early Maiden, this song changes riffs and tempo fast and manages to sound both maniacal and catchy at the same time. The soloing section here absolutely stomps over everything in sight. Paul Di’Annio especially lets it rip, sounding truly like a homicide-obsessed youth.


Then, there is a marked departure from the norms the album has set. ‘Twilight Zone’ is a more relaxed, incredibly memorable track with an excellent vocal performance by Paul and a superb albeit slightly cheesy chorus. It’d fit very well into an 80’s glam bands catalogue. Maiden have never again attempted to write a track of this kind, which makes this track all the more distinctive. ‘Prodigal Son’ also follows in the relaxed vein, this is one of Maiden’s best ballads and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with ‘Remember Tomorrow’ from the self titled. This song is what ‘Strange World’ from the s/t could have been. ‘Purgatory’ returns to heavier pastures and its twisted, reckless riffing scream punk. The speed at which the band changes tempo, shifting from a softer segment to a heavier part becomes quite frightening at times. ‘Drifter’ sums up the entire album during the five minutes it lasts and tops it all off with an insatiable chorus and riff, it truly deserved its place as a setlist staple.

In conclusion, this album deserves much more recognition (much like its predecessor) than a passing reference during an IM discussion. The influence of the first two IM albums on the metal scene then was immeasurable. The speed and energy shown in these two releases proved to be the most influential in the formation of thrash. Sadly, this was Maiden’s last album with Paul. Although successor Bruce is a talent of far greater propotions, one wonders what would have happened if Maiden had continued with Paul and stuck to this very style. What could be the next genre Maiden would land up in as a result of continued evolution of this style? Thrash? Possibly.

During the early 80s Iron Maiden was greeted with a measureable supply of core fans, and simultaneously established their identity with their unique and progressive approach to rock/metal. This album is often given mixed reviews by the Maiden faithful, and often gets passed up in favor of their debut album. While both the first album and this one are loaded with similarities, there are a good number of changes that give this one the edge over it's predecessor.

The first and most consequential change is the addition of axeman Adrian Smith to the fold. His melodic style is a radically different approach to soloing than the crazy pentatonic shredding that Dave Murray tends more towards, and the result is a competitive spirit to the guitar solo sections that rival the dueling guitars that Judas Priest are known for.

There is no shortage of great riffs and rapid changes in feel in this album, which is basically a concept album of sorts. "Wrathchild" is probably the most well known track off here with it's driving guitar rhythm and Di'Anno's over the top vocal performance, which Bruce struggled to recreate in the early 90s live. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is an up tempo and quasi-punk influenced hommage to the Edgar Allen Poe classic detective story.

Songs that highlight the Maiden emphasis on melody are in full display on here as well. "Purgatory" is probably the most catchy song from this era of Maiden, loaded with two guitar harmony lines and other hooks. "Innocent Exile" has a memorable theme in the guitar between the verses, although Steve Harris' bassline steals the show at the beginning.

We are also treated to not 1, but 2 amazing instrumental tracks on this album that adds fuel to an already raging fire. "Genghis Kahn" is structured very similarly to Transylvania, but with a highly active drum beat that sounds at times like a military march, and others like a high speed drum solo. "Ides of March" is a short prelude that kicks off the album, and has some great lead guitar work.

More progressive tracks include "Another Life", which sounds heavily rock influenced, and has a load of changes in texture and feel. This song is easily recognized by the well placed drum intro in the toms. "Drifter" is cut from the same line, but is introduced with an intricant lead guitar riff. The middle solo section reminds me alot of the one found on "22 Acacia Avenue". "Prodigal Son" is an impressive and quasi-folk sounding acoustic ballad that has electric fill ins that pop in and out of seemingly nowhere. The intro figure in the acoustic guitar is unforgettable. "

However, the most amazing and classic track on this entire album is the riveting title track. This is a song that showcases all the talents that were present at the time. Paul Di'Anno gives the vocal performance of his life, ripping out the high wails and getting down and dirty with his lower range, basically playing the role of a psycho to a tee. Adrian and Dave trade harmonic lines and leads with amazing precision, Harris flies up and down the fretboard of his bass effortlessly and Clive makes one hell of a racket on his kit.

In conclusion, this album is an underrated classic that deserves more attention. Fans of traditional metal will love this, and even the more intellectual metal head of the progressive vain can find alot to grab onto here. This ranks as my second favorite album by Maiden after "Somewhere in Time". I aquired it 10 years ago from a former band mate and it still enjoys regular play in my CD player, and even occasionally influences my own band's compositions.

Here we are with the follow up to their great debut Iron Maiden; for the second and last time we can hear the screaming voice of Paul Di'Anno, but, differently from the previous one, he is not at his best this time. Despite this, the overall sound of the album is not bad even if, having heard certain tracks of the debut album, some expectations are not met with this one. I cannot exactly state what is not working here: it just seems it is a little flatter than Iron Maiden and not as involving as that was, though it is still good. Also, the heavy rock influence which could be heard on that one is a little less audible here, as their sound is more decisely steering towards heavy metal; well, actually they are defining what heavy metal is.
Another positive note is that lyrics are starting to get more serious and smooth along the album: the main themes here are about killers (yes, you could have guessed it), murders and death in general; this last one, particularly, will return in many following albums - Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death just to mention some of them.

I don't care much about the brief instrumental opening The Ides of March, which is quite mediocre compared to other instrumental pieces they have done; after that we get right into the album with Wrathchild which, despite being so famous, is a little boring in my opinion. Murders in the Rue Morgue is better and has quite interesting lyrics too, about a typical psychotic killer, which cannot tell if he really killed two girls or not.

Then we get to three 3-minutes tracks: Another Life, Genghis Khan and Innocent Exile.
Another Life has very short lyrics and a quite disturbing riff: I don't know exactly what it is and if they wanted it to sound as it actually does, but it has the power to raise some evil thoughts inside you; if you like it or not really depends on your personality and your mood in the moment you listen to it.
Genghis Kahn is another good instrumental, but I still have to compare it with Transylvania and the latter wins; the following track is Innocent Exile, which passes away without leaving any particular emotion.

We are now to the title track, Killers, which is the best one on the album: great screaming, nice riffs, interesting lyrics and, mostly important, that irony about death which is so typical of Maiden and I like so much: good work from Paul Di'Anno here; the next is Prodigal Son, the not so good ballad of the album.
The following Purgatory raises the pace once more and has a nice melody and powerful riffings, in the style of Aces High, even if not so fast and appealing; Twilight Zone is a bonus track which still goes under some rock influences and Drifter, the last one, is not memorable, too.

Conclusion: the follow up to their great debut, still interesting but not as good as that one.

Highlights: Murders in the Rue Morgue, Killers, Purgatory.

After rapidly gaining a massive following from thier debut album and extensive touring that included dates headlining for Judas Priest, Maiden returned to the studio within the year to record thier sophomore album 'Killers'.

A couple of thing need to be mentioned before continuing. This album is the last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, which is a shame because he was a truly excellent singer. It also marks the arrival of Adrian Smith, and I'm sure you all know just how important this change is to the band.

The album contains everything you'd expect from the boys; incredible basslines driving along a twin quitar attack that assaults with blistering solos on nearly every song, backed by some excellent drumming by Clive Burr, all with Di'Anno's ballsy and aggressive vocals thrown into the mix. The band throws riff after riff at you, mercilessly demanding you submit to the sheer awesomeness of it all.

The songwriting has matured by leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time, especially lyrically. Songs such as "Murders In The Rue Morgue" showcase the progression of the lyrics, while tracks like "Killers" - which feature what is arguably one of the coolest riffs ever - show how the band has come along musically. The instrumental "Ghengis Khan" is another great example, firing riff after riff at you in rapid succession, leaving you short of breath and wanting for more.

The song "Twilight Zone" wasn't included on the original version of the album, but is a cool little track that makes a great addition to the remaster. As is the case with all the remasters, 'Killers' offers up a huge boklet chock full of rare pictures and an Enhanced CD section featuring videos for "Wrathchild" and "Killers", two of the albums best tracks.

'Killers' continues right where the debut left off, paving the way for the NWOBHM. Quite possibly one of the band's strongest releases, it shows enough progression to keep the formula from getting stale, and every step the band takes forward in the album is for the better. A very solid release, this classic belongs in any self-respecting metalhead's collection.

This right here is the second best thing Maiden ever did, second only to 7th son. This is pretty much straight forward NWOBHM, but this just might be the best album from that era heavy metal. I actually had to listen to the album a few times for I realised how awesome it truely is. With the addition of Adrian Smith, Iron Maiden really improved the overall musical direction of the band. Well what I mean is the guitar work improved alot and became even more enjoyable to listen to.

I mean seriously this guitar playing here is some the best you'll ever hear, and this album also contains what might be Maiden's best 5 song combo. The first five songs on Killers are perfect and with these five songs are the two best instumentals the band ever did. "Ides Of March" is the opener and this is usually used for an opener for live shows. Ides is heavily guitar driven with great layered guitar riffs with great drumming, and great bass playing by Steve Harris.

"Gengis Khan" is really great, because to me it contains the album's best guitar solo. The song itself goes through many changes, starting off little comlexed and fast, and then evens out and starts going into a steady tempo and then we come to the amazing solo, which is kinda subtle but it works perfectly here. "Wrath Child" is the first song on the album, which is just awesome, Paul Dianno really sings very well but you really shouldn't compared the guy to Dickinson. Paul is Paul, and Bruce is Bruce, but personaly I prefer to hear Paul singing on Killers/Iron Maiden era songs than Bruce.

I do think Bruce is the better singer of course, but I just think Dianno voice fits these songs better. Anyways "Murders In Rue Morgue" is excellent as well, kinda has a power metal vibe. The chorus is also probably the best on the album. The guitar melodies like mentioned before are complexed and very melodic, this great highlight and is a fan favorite, just awesome. "Another Life" is actually my favorite song on Killers, it starts off with a guitar intro and it kinda creeps into this guitar galloping epic. I really love chorus here it really is sung well by Dianno, great guitar solo and very structured piece of music.

I think song is about how your life could of been or what it should of been, I guess we can relate to these feelings. This really is one of the best songs Maiden ever wrote, defiante highlight for me. "Twilight Zone" which was a single from album, is quite nice and "Drifter" is which is overlooked, is real gem to. Anyone who likes cowboys or cowboy themes would probably enjoy this one. I usually think of the man with no name when listening to this one. All of the songs here are really good, pretty solid, well very solid would be more fitting term.

I can't believe this album doesn't get more worship for fans, it's an essential piece of heavy metal, and if you don't own it, consider your metal collection incomplete. Get this baby on vinyl record if you can, and play it for days until you can sing the whole album by heart. No Maiden fan should be without this one, highly recommended classic.

After the first album was released, the fans quickly screamed for another one. Somehow it seems Iron Maiden rushed out this album, as it's nowhere as good as the debut. The main problem is that many of the songs are difficult to remember, so the album becomes sort of a blur. I admit it now, I must listen to each song as I review them. On a good note, though, the sound has improved from the debut, while it still has some way to go before it's perfect.

The first track here is 'The Ides of March'. It's an instrumental, and really an intro to the rest of the album, as it's only a minute and a half long. But that doesn't get in the way of it's remarkable quality. It's without doubt the best intro on any record yet. Then it's show time, as 'Wrathchild' begins. It's an extremely good song, aggressive and a memorable chorus. Track number three is what I think is the best song on display here: 'Murders In the Rue Morgue' is a fast rocker with a deceivingly slow opening, and it's simply a testament to Maiden's incredible song writing skills. So far 'Killers' has all the quality the debut contains. But from song number four it goes a bit downhill. The name of the track is 'Another Life', and though it's cool, it's impossible to remember the damn song. It's fast and relatively simple, and worth hearing, but that's it. After that little setback comes 'Genghis Khan', another instrumental. It's a bit hard to memorize that as well, but it's an incredible track, with a haunting leadguitar twin solo in the middle. What you notice with the next track, 'Innocent Exile', is that Steve Harris' bass is even more present on this album. 'Innocent Exile' starts with a bass intro, and that's quite uncommon in any band. Except for that, there's little to say about this track. It's cool, but again it doesn't stand out in any way. It seems a good word for this album is "anonymous".

Now the album gets an uplift with 'Killers'. The title track is a great one, and especially the drums are impressive. An interesting fact is that the guitars are a bit ugly, something Maiden's not exactly known for. Luckily, it's only this song. As with most other songs, it's hardly easy to remember, but it's as it is with the movie 'Raging Bull'. I seldom want to see it, but when I first do, it's incredible from start to finish. Well, so this album isn't incredible from start to finish, but it's always better than I remember it as. Track number eight is 'Prodigal Son'. It's this album's answer to 'Remember Tomorrow' and 'Strange World', if not quite as good. Surprisingly, it's sticks in your mind from day one, a rather unusual thing on 'Killers'. So comes 'Purgatory'. It's an okay song only, but with a very cool middle section. Again, it's fast and furious, as many songs on this album, but fast and furious doesn't equal good quality, now does it. All in all, a rather pointless song. Track number ten is named 'Twilight Zone'. Okay, but nothing more. This is what most people would call a filler. Gruesome to say that about any Maiden song, but it's true. 'Drifter' is the very last song, thank God, for the second half on this album leaves something to be desired. This doesn't impress me at all. It could have been the worst song of them all, if it weren't for a nice middle section, where the song calms down. Also the drums are a bit better then average.

So, we have come to the end. It's a mixed album, where the memorable tracks are few and far between. If it had been any other classic heavy metal band, this album would have been enough, but Maiden can do much better than this. It's a cool record to listen to, but when the final track ends, it's as if you feel empty inside, because you can't remember much about it at all. I know this record is for someone their favourite Maiden album, but I just can't see why. So, it may seem that Maiden are one-hit wonders; one great album, and that's it. But that couldn't be further from the truth. A year on, Maiden would conquer the world with their third album, and be proclaimed Satanists at the same time. 6..6..6...