Review Summary: The album that started it all.
There are many ways to discover new metal music. You can browse the aisles of your local music store, order albums online, or even download songs straight from your phone. In this day and age the possibilities are endless. However, sometimes the search seems futile because no matter how many countless hours you spend trying to find the next big thing, there will always be a band who is bigger and better. This band is Iron Maiden.
Perhaps the most successful metal band to ever emerge out of Britain, Iron Maiden need no introduction. They have a staggering fifteen albums and although a few weren’t exactly well received, most of them are considered to be undeniable classics. Even if you’re not the biggest Iron Maiden fan boy chances are you’ve at least heard ‘The Number of The Beast’ or ‘The Trooper’. Both are massive hits powered by the signature sound of Bruce Dickinson, but I’m here to tell you about a different vocalist. Lets face it, Dickinson does an amazing job and has one of the most recognizable voices in Metal, but the band’s first vocalist Paul Di’Anno is just as impressive on the band‘s early work. His voice may sound quite different than Dickinson’s and is noticeably gruffer, but it was the perfect fit for Iron Maiden’s first two albums. As a vocalist he really doesn’t seem to get the credit he deserves, especially considering the band’s self titled album is one of the most memorable and well executed metal debuts of all time.
The band did everything right on
Iron Maiden. They throw some of their catchiest riffs at us right away with 'Prowler'. It’s a perfect opening and proves Di’Anno really is a competent vocalist. What’s more surprising however is the solid musicianship. Every band member brings something to the table and it’s hard to believe how talented they were so early into the bands career. For proof the band works well together look no further than the instrumental track ‘Transylvania’. I’ve always been a sucker for instrument based songs, but this one really exceeded my expectations, even more so considering this is the bands first effort. It’s overflowing with jaw dropping guitar solos and riffs that only get better throughout the song making it a real treat. The more experimental track ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ is also a standout that contains some of the best guitar work on the record. However, my personal favorite is the title track. “Iron Maiden”. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most original songs in the bands entire catalogue. It’s the song that got me into the band in the first place and it’s not hard to see why. Everything in the song has a vintage Iron Maiden feel to it and it’s just a fun and even humorous song.
Iron Maiden is an album not to be ignored. It has a raw feel to it, but it still sounds great at the same time. Although the band was able to top this later in their career with Dickinson, the fact that they sounded this good on their first effort is unbelievable. Were it not for the success of this album Maiden may not have grown into the metal giants they are today. This is the album that started it all. It’s a phenomenal debut that laid the groundwork for what would be come the worlds biggest metal band.
