IRON MAIDEN

The guy on the cover bears a striking resemblance to my woodworking teacher in highschool, but that's another story. IRON MAIDEN's debut is so much better than I thought it would be. I remember several years ago a guy coming into my work and I had MOTORHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" on, and we got talking about Metal. He told me that Paul Di'Anno was his favourite singer and IRON MAIDEN's debut was their best album. I had to confess that I hadn't heard their debut and didn't know Paul Di'Anno. Well I do now ! This is raw and edgy yet you can hear their future classic sounds quite often. This is an excellent record period.The band were fortunate enough that year(1980) to open for JUDAS PRIEST on their "British Steel" tour in the UK. They also opened for KISS during their European tour that year giving IRON MAIDEN lots of exposure at home and abroad. They released two singles off this record "Running Free" and "Sanctuary". Some fantastic pictures of the band in the remastered and enhanced cd version that i own.

"Prowler" kicks things off with a bang. Love the dual guitars in the intro as Di'Anno comes in with authority. He has such a great voice. Check out Harris 2 minutes in as the tempo picks up with some blistering guitar. The slight tempo shifts are so cool. Killer opening track. "Sanctuary" is another uptempo tune with a great instrumental section that starts before 1 1/2 minutes. "Remember Tomorrow" is a top 3 track for me. I like the atmosphere to open. Paul's reserved vocals recall some seventies prog singers. The heavy sections are incredible. I like the contrast.Killer guitar before 3 minutes as contrast continues. "Running Free" features some chunky bass lines from Harris. Great rhythm to this one. It's simple but catchy.

"Phantom Of The Opera" opens with a cool guitar melody as drums and bass join in. Vocals a minute in. Almost a reggae flavour when the sound changes after 2 minutes. There is a significant passage after 4 1/2 minutes as we get a galloping rhythm that MAIDEN would become famous for. "Transylvania" is also a top 3 track for me. This one is an instrumental that again features their amazing future sound. "Strange World" is the last top 3 track for me on here. Lots of atmosphere as a beautiful guitar solo rises out of it and reserved vocals join in. The guitar soars 3 minutes in. "Charlotte The Harlot" is a fun, catchy and uptempo song. It gets better as it plays out. The calm that arrives 2 minutes in has a seventies flavour to it. "Iron Maiden" opens with guitars and they do sound amazing. Check out the bass solo after 2 minutes. A big finish to this one.

For me there are no weak tracks, I like them all. I wished I knew about these guys in 1980, but at least by 1983 I did come to know them very well through the "Piece Of Mind" record.