KILLERS

Iron Maiden's second album received a critical lashing upon its initial release, the rock press not knowing quite what to make of this cluttered record. KILLERS forsakes the comparatively convention songwriting of the debut in favor of a blistering set of songs firmly rooted in the NWOBHM tradition, and is all the better for it. The band pushes the envelope for heaviness and complexity, as it were, opening with "The Ides of March," an instrumental track, and not letting up until "Prodigal Son," the album's lone soft moment. A few of the songs here attempt so much that they are on verge of being convoluted... For instance, check out "Murders in the Rue Morgue," a quickly-paced song with enough lyrics that it essentially becomes a small story in itself, a formula that Maiden would repeat throughout their career. "Ghengis Khan," the album's second and full-length instrumental, shows the band attempting more complicated compositions compared to the previous album's "Transylvania." This would be the band's last album with original singer Paul Di'Anno... the best was yet to come.