IRON MAIDEN

This was the record.

With Ozzy's break from Sabbath and on the heels of Zeppelin's sudden demise, this LP single-handedly revived heavy rock with a new British patois of complex, linear metal, high musicality and a dark but intelligent, introspective lyrical content. On this, the tight debut oft considered their best by old fans, the acidic rumblings of Punk that had seeped into English culture was finally met face to face with an equally organic and infectious sound. It was as if this band was saying, "Yeah, punk is great, hard rock is great, but check this out-- we want to really *play*. We want to be musical and unexpected in nature, not just rebellious."

The group is a well-oiled machine and would go on to become the hardest working rock band in the world but at this stage they were still hungry and on a wave of local success that had gotten them this far-- they weren't going to disappoint. 'Prowler' and 'Sanctuary' rock the house and Paul Di'Anno, in his first of two studio albums with the band, rips his vocals convincingly with a cool, drunken grunge that hadn't been heard in the other over-produced metal at the time. The twin guitar attack of Dave Murray & Dennis Stratton set the tone for Iron Maiden's entire career and bassist/musical director Steve Harris lays the groundwork for, in 1980, some of the most exciting and influential rock music that had come along in several years. The creaky & creepy centerpiece is 'Phantom of the Opera', a seven minute cut that demonstrates Maiden's penchant for progressive arrangements, and the rest of the album satisfies with 'Strange World', 'Charlotte the Harlot', the title track, and 'Remember Tomorrow' is a romantic haunter that builds to its climactic riff before returning to softness again.

Iron Maiden was a music lover's punk rock-- a thinking man's metal with clever passages and surprising musicianship that appealed to fans' craving for new energy after Prog's demise and before the marketing of heavy metal as an industry... and no one did it better.

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