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Killers > Murder One > Reviews
Killers - Murder One

The Original Killer is Back! - 84%

Metal_Jaw, November 19th, 2011

After getting fired from the ranks of Iron Maiden, Paul Di'Anno sang his heart out here and there throughout the 80's in Battlezone, a traditional heavy metal/speed metal band. While not bad, the 3 Battlezone albums don't quite stack up to the heaviness and passion of what Di'Anno squeezed out in the early 90's. This is "Murder One", one of 2 unique yet familiar-sounding metal albums bravely released in a time when true metal was beginning to die out.

"Murder One", released in 1992, was Di'Anno's attempt at more traditional metal, but with a more streetwise and dirty attitude. Aside from some annoying missteps, it mostly succeeds. The great Di'Anno is front and center, his gravelly yet melodic voice hits great higher notes, but he mostly keeps it at a gritty mid-placed sound level. The guy hasn't sounded this good since "Killers", the album, not the band. Yeah, you know. Joining him are Nick Burr (who followed Di'Anno since Battlezone's days) and Cliff Evans of the NWOBHM legends Tank. These guys are sharp and also melodic, dishing out some strong, top-tapping riffs and solos here, often with Judas Priest-esque dueling. Rounding out the cast are relative unknowns Gavin Cooper on bass and Steve Hopggod on drums. Both do their jobs competently but nothing special. However, both would shine more on this album's follow-up.

The songs are a varied bunch, going from catchy heavy-hitters like speedy opener "Impaler" and the thundering, Accept-sounding "The Beast Arises",to the atmospheric cover of T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution", and arguably the album's most popular track, the badass "Marshall Lockjaw". Ballads pop up here as well, but that's where this otherwise great album hits a snag. Not only are there too many, but the album actually ends with THREE ballads; who the hell are they, Queensryche? BIG NO-NO! "S&M" and "Protector" are the better of the bunch, the former a sleazy epic that, despite having the structure of a ballad, is very much a heavy metal tune, probably the heaviest on the album; the latter, well...I don't know, it just sounds nice I guess. The other 2 aren't too memorable, and worst of all, the album ends with yet another cover of an Iron Maiden song, this one being "Remember Tomorrow". Paul, STOP living in the past! This record and its follow-up are fucking great; you don't need to remind us and yourself that you once part of all that. Move the fuck on, dude!

Overall, this album kicks in its faster, heavier moments. If you can get past the overabundance of ballads and unnecessary covers, you'll find a great piece of traditional metal here, bravely released at a time when the music world was otherwise going down the shitter.

Streetwise, dirty and mean. Fun stuff. - 80%

Empyreal, February 20th, 2011

Paul DiAnno has pretty much made a career out of playing old Maiden songs live and releasing albums of that every 5 years, while also putting out a morass of solo albums under about six or seven different band names. I haven’t heard all of them, but I do like this one from Killers – not the French band or the internationally known pop-rock band, but a rough n’ tumble 80s-style metal band with DiAnno’s trademark sneer laid over it like a fine, buttery cream. Let’s dig into Murder One.

This is just an old school metal kick in the face. The songs are punchy and direct, with a biting guitar tone and some arena rock sounding drums that lend a fresh, accessible air to the whole affair. Really, this is just too catchy to ignore. Good songs like “Impaler,” the awesome “The Beast Arises,” the catchy “Takin’ No Prisoners” and the absolutely fucking killer “Marshall Lockjaw” (perhaps the album’s best song) pack enough hooks and riffs to satisfy anyone with that craving for the Old Spice of True Metal.

“S&M” is a longer, more bluesy tune like Maiden used to write, perhaps sounding the most like Killers-era Maiden, along with the quite reflective “Awakenings,” which has a quirky, hook-fisted riff and some odd vocal patterns. “Children of the Revolution” is a cover, and a pretty damn good one at that – catchy and attitude filled. Things get a bit more moody and atmospheric toward the end with the soulful leads and slower stomp of “Dream Keeper” and the remake of Maiden’s “Remember Tomorrow” – which is not as good as the Maiden one, but then, you’d be stupid if you expected it to be.

Murder One’s only fault is perhaps that it is not really that rewarding of a listening experience at the end of the day. While gratifying and extremely entertaining, at some point you’ll probably yearn for something with a little more substance to it – a little more depth to the compositions, per se. Because these are really kind of shallow, as entertaining as they may be. Killers is a fun band and this is a fun album, and that’s all either was meant to be. If you want some fast, filthy, rocking heavy metal, this should do the trick. Enjoyable.

Paul's big hit... - 82%

Snxke, July 2nd, 2004

"Murder One" is Paul Di'Anno's biggest solo record. While many have constantly dogged his post-Maiden work as "irrelevant NWOBHM" this record is still hailed as a lost classic. (I don't entirely agree with the common judgement of his work, but for the sake of praising this record overall we must speak to the common complaints.) The artwork, the production and the performance are all top-notch and fit the aggressive, yet melodic atmosphere that was gripping metal in the early 1990's. Paul found himself a killer band, a killer image and put together a piece of plastic with strong artwork, lyrics and music. This may be the heir to Maiden's "Killers" in atmosphere, even though the two have entirely different styles of writings. Oppressive, dark and striking...Di'Anno was BACK for one whole record.

The strongest cuts on this record are the obvious hits like "Impaler" and "Marshall Lockjaw" as well strong cuts like "Children of the Revolution" and "S & M". Paul's streetwise vocals wind around the bluesy/heavy riffs giving them a personality and life like no other singer could. For once in his storied career, the material Paul was singing was material that DESERVED his voice instead of his voice saving average material from being entirely forgotten. The only complaint one might have about the songcraft on this record is a slight sense of lyrical cheese, but for a man who fronted Iron Maiden cheese should hardly be a problem for the fans. "Children of the Revolution" and "Awakening" do more than enough to prove that the man also had a thoughtful side that couldn't be ignored. Time and time again, Paul Di'Anno impresses with both craft and performance on this release.

The one minor complaint is the wonderful remake of "Remember Tomorrow". While a strong performance and a tender vocal it makes one wonder why Paul wasn't condident enough to make this a "Maiden free" record. It's a slight step back that makes one slightly dissapointed with the overall step-forward this record was. Neverless, it's still a grand step forward and Paul proved that Iron Maiden or no...he is still "the man" when it comes to streetwise screaming vocals and toughguy metal movements.

Paul Di'Anno never recaptured the mood on this record, sadly for him. While "Nomad" and "Menace to Society" are great records, this is the record where he proved that he had something to give to the world after Iron Maiden that even fans outside of his strict cult following could enjoy.

Murder One is a must-have for fans of Paul Di'Anno, rocking British heavy metal and early 1990's metal in general.

BUY OR DIE!!!

http://www.pauldianno.com