Here we go with one of the most important albums in Heavy Metal history. It not only started off the career of Iron Maiden but influenced almost every other Metal band behind them, including global juggernauts like Metallica and Slayer.
Iron Maiden write some absolutely magic songs. This is course being their first album is only a hint of what was to come later in the bands career but unlike many of their peers (Saxon, Judas Priest to name a few) were able to actually put out an album that> sounded like a fully developed band. This debut was already a solid slab of heavy metal right out of the gate.
The album of course opens up with the song “Prowler” and within mere seconds you can hear the signature Iron Maiden melodies and guitar tones. It’s a magnificent thing to behold. and then the voice of Paul DiAnno kicks in. Paul had a pretty cool voice I think, it had a punk edge but still maintained a good level of melody and went over the top of the music rather well. He had a good sense for what fitted the song as a result you have an album that was well written and performed in a classic heavy metal sense, with catchy songs and solid drums and blazing solos over the top of it. of course then there is the brilliance of band leader Steve Harris on bass. His playing is already deveoloped and the brilliant basslines (which would only get better over time) are already present on this their debut. The brilliance continues with “Sanctuary”. The only thing I don’t like is that I wasn’t old enough to have heard this album when it first came out. I can only imagine the impact this would have made on me or other metalheds around the world. It still amazes me to this day!
If I’d have to name a couple of favourite albums from the NWOBHM it would have to be this and Venom’s Debut “Welcome of Hell” as both bands had already developed their style by then.
“Remember Tomorrow” slows things down a little bit. This allows the listener to appreciate the control over melody that the band has both guitar players and vocalist Dianno. The song kicks in and everyone in the band lifts to the occasion with a trademark Iron Maiden gallop. Simply Marvellous. Next up “Running Free” a brilliant anthem which is still performed live by the band to this day. We’ve now had four songs and all of them have been kicked right past the goal keeper.
If you hadn’t already been blown away by the first half of this record, “Transylvania” hits it right out of the park as a magnificent allowing the listener to fully comprehend how good the music this band writes really is. Strange World” follows whilst not the anthemic and “Charlotte the Harlot” is another catchy anthem and then the show stopper “Iron Maiden” which even to this day, 50 years after the inception of this band, is used to close out their live shows.
This one of a handful of albums you really can’t fault anything on this album with. The scary thing is think Iron Maiden only got better after this. This was the just the precursor to the Heavy Metal brilliance that Iron Maiden would contintue to serve up all through the 80’s.
The album also featured the singles “Running Free” which charted in the UK at number 34, and “Sanctuary” which also charted at number 29 in the UK! The album itself also charted on the UK charts at a whopping number 4 making it a success not only artistically but also paving the road ahead for the band to become one of the biggest Heavy Metal bands to ever walk the planet and setting them up for the lifetime of loud Heavy Metal that laid ahead of them. Almost every Heavy Metal critic or magazines greatest heavy metal albums ever lists.
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