(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
T.Moses
from Orlando
I just bought this CD with renewed vigor for Maiden after hearing "Brave New World" (which is excellent also)and was very impressed. I've been a longtime Maiden fan, but this, along with their first, I've never owned. It is simply raw power. The musicianship at every level is at its finest. I now realize how much Metallica, Pantera, and countless scores of other bands owe to Iron Maiden. This CD is truly a historic gem. Paul Di'Anno, as we know, never had the range that Bruce has(noone else does for that matter),but his voice sounds great nevertheless. Its very different and gives this CD a rougher edge than Maiden with Bruce. From a guitar standpoint, Adrian and Dave are at their finest, not as polished as their later stuff, but harder and faster. Metallica fans could hear signs of things to come in "Genghis Khan" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue". As much as I hate to say this, Clive Burr is a better drummer than Nicko McBrain. Not taking too much away from Nicko,he's good, he's very good; but Burr is spectacular. It was a shame Maiden lost him after the "Beast" album. Like on that album, he blew me away on this one. If you're a Maiden fan and haven't heard their old stuff, get this CD quick. I promise you'll love this and might even like it better than some later stuff (especially the Blaze era). "Killers" is a classic, is pioneering, has a tremendous amount of historical significance, and is high energy,raw,fast,hard,and "wall-to-wall".
