Review Summary: A lurking predator of an album which found Paul Di'Anno rasping and growling his way to the exit and off into rehab.
I prefer Di'Anno to Dickinson. There, I've said it. I realise I'm on shaky ground here as Bruce is an undoubtedly powerful and dynamic vocalist who perfectly fits most people's idea of the traditional heavy metal front-man. The replacement of the drug addled Di'Anno with
Air Raid Siren Dickinson shortly after this album was released in 1981 obviously helped to push Iron Maiden to the next commercial level with 'The Number of the Beast'. That seminal album cemented Maiden's reputation as one of the all-time greats and Bruce's vocals became part of their trademark sound for decades. No, I will not even attempt to bring Dickinson fans over to my side of the fence as it would be a futile exercise. But there is a lot to love about 'Killers' and although Di'Anno is by no means the main attraction his contributions go a long way in shaping the album's notably rapacious feel.
The double impact of 'Ides of March' and 'Wrathchild' is without a doubt one of the most memorable and exciting opening salvos in the history of metal. Burr's marching drum beat and Dave Murray's fluid licks on 'Ides' lead us perfectly into the classic bass line that opens 'Wrathchild'. The song had been a live staple for some time before this definitive studio performance and Maiden don't disappoint with a bruising and confident rendition. Martin Birch's unfussy yet powerful production suits the music perfectly and manages to retain a live feel without sacrificing any of the musical nuances. Di'Anno's vocal delivery suits the menacing atmosphere of the song perfectly and his gutteral overtones add a suitably dangerous edge. 'Murders In The Rue Morgue' announces its arrival with some delicate harmonics and simple clean guitar lines which suggest that we might be awarded some time to catch a breath. Nothing could be farther from the truth however as Steve Harris's melodic bass lines lead us into some ponderous riffing and wailing Stratocaster before Burr goes crazy on the sticks and the song launches into full sprint.
Di'Anno stamps his mark on the electric title track with his characteristic screams as Harris's irresistable bass riff builds up to Murray's classic phased licks and galloping riffs which characterise the song. Di'Anno's demonic laughs and predatory growls blend perfectly with the subject material as he spits out such lines as "his eyes burn a hole in your back,a footstep behind you, he lunges prepared for attack." There is little doubt that Di'Anno sometimes lacked range and power but he certainly made the most of what he had in developing his own characteristically caustic vocal delivery. Indeed, some of the renditions of pre-Bruce Maiden songs take on almost comedic dimensions when Dickinson attempts to emulate Di'Anno's rasping vocal style.
There was a new boy on board for this album in the guise of Adrian Smith. Former guitarist Dennis Stratton had certainly not let anyone down on Maiden's debut but Smith attains equal footing with Murray on 'Killers'. 'Prodigal Son' is a rare Maiden ballad and it finds Smith and Murray trading guitar solos. Murray certainly shows that he isn't confined to legato leads and blistering licks but Smith steals the show with his tasteful and haunting performance and delivers one of his best ever guitar solos. Album closer and live staple 'Drifter' sounds rather naive compared to much of the material on here which comes as no surprise since it was one of their earliest compositions. Nevertheless it shows clear evidence of Maiden's willingness to stray from the standard verse-chorus form even in their embryonic days in their employment of stark temp changes and multi-part passages. They would of course go on to develop their flirtation with progressive forms on later albums culminating with their 1988 masterpiece 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'.
When this album was released Iron Maiden were already near the top of the NWOBHM pile on the back of incessant touring and the success of their brilliant debut. There is no real progression in their music on 'Killers' but everything here is tighter and more assured if maybe slightly less experimental. The contributions of Martin Birch in the studio went a long way to giving them a sound which captured the power of their live performances and Adrian Smith was a worthy addition to the fold. It is difficult to imagine Di'Anno's voice coping with the sort of material that Maiden would go on to deliver on 'Beast', and indeed the extra vocal range and power provided by Dickinson undoubtedly shaped their progression. But taken in isolation 'Killers' is a superbly consistent set of material that stands up extremely well to this day.
