Album Reviews - I

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (1980 Capitol Records)
IronMaiden.com

1. Prowler
2. Sanctuary
3. Remember Tomorrow
4. Running Free
5. Phantom Of The Opera
6. Transylvania
7. Strange World
8. Charlotte The Harlot
9. Iron Maiden

Derek's Review
Ah, the first release from one of heavy metal's most legendary bands. This is Iron Maiden at the band's most raw street level energy. Di'Anno's voice isn't near the level of his replacement Bruce Dickinson, and that's okay because Di'Anno brings plenty of energy to these songs. It may be weird for casual Maiden fans to hear this album because it's very raw, dare I say almost punkish. On a side note, Eddie (Iron Maiden's famous mascot) almost looks like a punk on the cover.

"Prowler" starts off with the raw guitars of Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton. This song is extremely upbeat and you can barely hear Di'Anno's vocals sometimes, but the energy is what this song is all about, with the twin guitars soaring over the fretboard. "Sanctuary" is the first song Iron Maiden tells a story with, something they would continue to do for years to come with great success. "Running Free" was Maiden's first single and with good reason, this song KICKS ASS! The song's lyrics are much more like a traditional rock song, about avoiding the police, as opposed to killing people or singing about the Phantom Of The Opera. "Phantom Of The Opera" is Maiden's song about the famous theater play. They will continue to use many different famous poems and literature to base songs around in the future. "Iron Maiden" is an awesome rocking song and great way to end and capture the feeling of this album.

This is a good debut album bursting with lots of energy. Harris would continue to mature as a songwriter and the band would begin to get a little more polished and play more tightly together. This works fine for a debut, but obviously the well only goes deeper with plenty of much better albums in Maiden's catalog. Fans of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal music should pick this up.

Derek's Picks: Running Free, Sanctuary, Iron Maiden

Derek's Rating