martindavey87 Timing in everything when it comes to music. Heavy metal, the genre created by bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, was already starting to stagnate by the end of the 70's, with a lot of the genres leaders already burning themselves out. Thankfully, in 1980, Iron Maiden unleashed their debut album, taking the flag and running with a new subgenre known as the 'new wave of British heavy metal', or NWOBHM for short, and giving the metal world a kick up its own ass, as it prepared for a whole new level of global domination.

Combining elements of heavy metal with 70's punk, Iron Maiden's self-titled debut is a ball of raw energy, with its gritty production and its unpolished songwriting, this is an album where no punches are pulled. It's rough, it's dirty and there's certainly room for the band to mature, but there's just a charm and importance about the album that makes it stand out. I mean, it's Iron bloody Maiden for Christ's sake!

However, all praise aside, let's get to the nitty gritty of the review. The music is fun, catchy and full of life, but there's nothing truly outstanding jumping out at me. Each track is good, but lacks that extra something that leaves me feeling like I've just listened to a masterpiece.

Musically the band are pretty tight. Guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton display a chemistry other bands at the time were lacking, and Steve Harris' fast-paced, galloping bass playing instantly sets him apart from other bassists from that era. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who would only appear on one other Maiden record before being replaced with the beast that is Bruce Dickinson, may not have the widest vocal range or the most powerful voice, but he makes use of what he has, and it fits the stripped down, almost punk-esque feel of the album.

While the London five-piece would certainly go on to release more ambitious albums (and take over the world, pretty much), 'Iron Maiden' itself can only really be considered a "good" album. 'Prowler', 'Running Free', 'Transylvania' and 'Phantom of the Opera' are all reasons to get this album. But the truth is, realistically, Iron Maiden will go on to release some of the greatest metal albums of all time, and pretty much all the later material makes this album seem a bit dated and obsolete now.

It's good, and it has stood the test of time well, but I'd still only class it as "good". A worthy addition to the collection.

UMUR "Iron Maiden" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK heavy metal act Iron Maiden. The album was released through EMI Records in April 1980. Iron Maiden was formed in 1975 and following a period of lineup changes, and punk music dominance, they started receiving a lot of positive feedback for their live performances during the last years of the 70s. The success of "The Soundhouse Tapes" demo (recorded on New years Eve 1978, and released in 1979) further strengthened their profile.

The album is usually tagged NWoBHM, which was a late 70s/early 80s heavy metal movement, which typically combined the raw energy of punk with the 70s hard rock and heavy metal sound of artists like Black Sabbath, Rush, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, and Judas Priest. And that is a pretty valid description of the music featured on "Iron Maiden". The rawness and badass attitude of punk combined with the heavy, epic, and melodic elements of 70s heavy rock/metal.

The music on the album is generally very raw and unpolished helped along by the raw vocals by Paul Di'Anno, and the rather simple yet powerful drumming by Clive Burr. The guitar riffs, harmony leads, and guitar solos, played by Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, and the very dominant bass playing by Steve Harris are usually very melodic and played at a fast pace. Even when they play most raw and simple there´s always a melodic sensibility to the playing. Although the band has often dismissed being influenced by punk there is a rather obvious punk influence on the generally fast paced tracks like "Prowler", "Sanctuary", "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden". The more ballad type tracks "Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World" at times come close to sounding like 70s prog rock. The most prog rock oriented track on the album is "Phantom of the Opera" and "Transylvania" though. "Charlotte the Harlot" is a mid tempo heavy rocker. So there is nice variation between tracks but at the same time a stylistic consistency which ensures a good overall flow.

The sound production is organic, raw, and very well sounding, perfectly suiting the music. So while the songwriting at times is a bit immature compared to later releases by Iron Maiden, this is still a great quality debut album by the band, featuring high level musicianship, catchy material, and an excellent sounding production. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

666sharon666 Though they went on to release albums even more deserving of the status of a classic the 1980 Iron Maiden self-titled debut will always be a special release in its own right, and arguably an even more important one in the history of metal music than releases like The Number of the Beast or Powerslave. It's the first of the two full-length releases with Paul Di'Anno on vocals, the other being 1981's Killers. His punky vocals set the early Iron Maiden work apart from the later stuff with Bruce Dickinson or Blaze Bayley even though musically this stuff is classic Iron Maiden as much as anything else they've ever done.

To be honest I always preferred the second Iron Maiden album to their debut, despite the apparent common option that this one is better, but this album still contains several classic Iron Maiden tracks, notably their self-titled song and Running Free. The former is a staple song of their live show even today with Running Free also being included on the most recent tours in support of 2010 album The Final Frontier and the Maiden England live re-release. Another favourite of mine is Sanctuary which was actually left off the original UK release and put out as a single instead, though later versions include it, including the version I'm in possession of. There are no bad songs though, just some that are better than others. Though Iron Maiden isn't one of my favourites from this classic band by far it's the sort of album that is undeniably essential to any metal fan.

Attribution: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/iron-maiden-iron-maiden-t3592.html

siLLy puPPy An impressive beginning for IRON MAIDEN and their mascot Eddie. Already with their first album they were catapulting the NWOBHM into new arenas by incorporating not only elements of punk but even more importantly those of progressive rock bands.

Only two classic members here. Steve Harris and Dave Murray. Dennis Stratton although only appearing on this album and then sacked due to musical incompatibilities nevertheless contributed the use of Wishbone Ash dual guitar melodies that MAIDEN would make their own for their entire career.

Paul Di'Anno only contributed his vocals to the first two MAIDEN albums but his unique punky vocal style really suits the material here. In fact, although Bruce Dickinson may be the better of the two, Di'Anno has a certain charm that makes the first two albums in their discography stand out. This debut has always been on the top of my list of favorites.

This album has a great diversity of sounds ranging from the punkish tracks like “Prowler” and “Running Free” to the slower more cerebral tracks like “Remember Tomorrow” and “Strange World.” The real standout is “Phantom Of The Opera” which showed their ability to write extended tracks with progressive themes.

The band had unexpected success from the getgo in their native UK and soon afterwards in mainland Europe. This brilliant debut was only a prototype of the even better and more ambitious albums to come. Although this is often overshadowed by the greatness of the Dickinson era, I listen to this album regularly as it is a timeless classic that I simply can't get enough of.

Sinkadotentree Many years ago this long haired guy came into my store and i happened to have "Ace Of Spades" on by MOTORHEAD. He was pleasantly surprised and we got talking about Metal bands which led us to IRON MAIDEN when he claimed that their debut was his favourite album by them and that Paul Di'Anno was his favourite MAIDEN singer.Well i had to confess that i'd never heard the debut or Paul sing before. I set out to change that and while i don't agree with him i must admit their debut is a lot better than i thought it would be. Man there is some awesome tracks on here including "Remember Tomorrow" which sounds different from the rest with the atmosphere and reserved vocals.Some good contrasts on this one too with the heavy sections. "Phantom Of The Opera" is where i first hear what would become their signature sound with that galloping rhythm. "Transylvania" is a top three and is an instrumental while "Strange World" is the other track that really impresses with that atmosphere and beautiful guitar work. A great album and a solid 4 stars for me.

voila_la_scorie Iron Maiden was one of the first bands I got into back around '82/'83. My friends' older brothers were bringing home all this hard rock and heavy metal and I found it really appealed to me. I remember my friend playing me some tracks from "Number of the Beast" and I was seriously hooked. But at the age of 12, my income was limited to a weekly real estate paper delivery that paid only $25 a month and cassettes were usually $9.99. However, it's thanks to my meagre budget (and the fact that my mother insisted that I put most of the money in the bank) that I was forced to buy cheaper cassettes ($6.99 to $7.99) and that is how my first Iron Maiden purchase came to be not "Number of the Beast" but their debut, "Iron Maiden".

For a 12-year-old, the shorter tracks were the easier ones to absorb and get into: "Prowler", "Sanctuary", "Running Free", "Charlotte the Harlot", and "Iron Maiden". The simple song formula, the heavy metal guitars... I loved it all!

But there was something there in those longer songs that captured my attention. "Remember Tomorrow" had slow parts that weren't sappy. The bass guitar stood out. The electric guitars were mellow but effective at creating an atmosphere. The drums were subtle and controlled when necessary. Then there was the heavy chorus and rapid-paced solo part that abruptly stepped on the breaks and brought the song back down to the slow pace for the chorus. The change in dynamics appealed to me.

Then there was "Phantom of the Opera". What an unusual song! Mostly an instrumental, this was not a lengthy jam session or guitar solo indulgence but rather a song that was crafted after a symphonic fashion. It was heavy metal but I could imagine a symphony orchestra performing this music (OK, at 12 years of age I didn't imagine this - I was probably closer to the age of 17 by that time). How many other bands were composing instrumental passages that were about the melody and building on the music rather than just music to support a guitar solo? Black Sabbath's "Volume 4", which I also procured for a cheap price at this time, came to mind.

Then how about the instrumental "Transylvania", a kind of continuation of the "Phantom of the Opera" vein, segued into the melodic and mysterious "Strange World"? This was again metal with a symphonic feel composition-wise and a slow song that was not a sugary love song but a voyage to some imaginary place that crossed Greek women of ancient times in togas and holding grapes with an extraterrestrial sea and distant space vessels gleaming in the sunlight of a pink sky. Well, that wasn't exactly what the lyrics were about but that was the image that "Strange World" gave me and it has stuck ever since.

I have to say that it is very much thanks to this album that early on I learned to appreciate that hard and heavy music didn't have to be all AC/DC and Van Halen or a four-minute, ass-kicking like Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance" and some tracks off Black Sabbath's "Mob Rules". Because I encountered this creative approach to heavy music early on it was easy for me to appreciate the genius of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, or pick out the brilliance of Metallica's Master of Puppets. "Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden taught me that heavy metal could be compositionally creative and expansive, not just about energy and technical skill.

I give it four stars for the four longer songs I mentioned above. This is a great blend of straightforward heavy metal with a firm introduction to progressive metal.

Conor Fynes 'Iron Maiden' - Iron Maiden (7/10)

I once spoke with another Iron Maiden fan who told me that he counted 1982's "Number of the Beast" as the band's 'true' debut. To him, Maiden couldn't be Maiden without Bruce Dickinson's trademark vocals. Of course, by the time Bruce had joined the gang, Iron Maiden were already running wild with potential. True enough, Dickinson's quasi-operatic tenor is now one of the band's most distinctive qualities, but this debut- and its sequel "Killers"- still hold up well. Even before they had truly made their mark on heavy metal, Maiden were already rocking.

I was first introduced to DiAnno-era Maiden through the mini-epic "Phantom of the Opera". Now a longtime favourite of mine, it's easily enough to foster some sort of interest in the band's early work. Especially regarding this track, it's not surprising that it took Steve Harris such a long time to find musicians willing to pursue this then-relatively progressive and technical brand of heavy metal. Fusing galloping rhythms with guitar harmonies and the atmosphere of progressive rock, "Phantom of the Opera" is a certain foreshadowing of what would later come for the band. Add in the trademark literature-based lyrics and you have a classic Maiden song, in spite of Smith and Dickinson's absence. Before even discussing the rest of the album, it's enough that one of the band's best songs is here.

"Phantom of the Opera" is above and beyond the most complex piece of music on "Iron Maiden", but the band gives a touch of sophistication to their aggression throughout the album. It's true that there is a sense of punk-ishness in large part thanks to the pummelling rhythm, but Steve Harris' progressive influences are in plain sight. Particularly on the eerie "Remember Tomorrow", Maiden divulge a sense of atmospherics that I've rarely heard in a NWOBHM act. On the other hand, there's raw carnage to be experienced in "Running Free" and the upbeat title track. One of the most common criticisms of this album is that Iron Maiden had not completely found their 'sound' yet, but in spite of the lineup differences, these guys seem ot have had a firm idea of where they wanted to go musically.

Naturally, Paul DiAnno's vocal performance will be the sorest part for Maiden fans, if only for the fact that he ain't Brucey. For one, he's certainly not as brilliant a vocalist as Bruce is, yet his carefree, almost brutish approach to singing works well for the rawer sound Iron Maiden were bringing at this point. I imagine the 'rawness' will turn off some of the band's softer, or more progressively inclined fans, but it brings a more organic sound to their music than most of their following studio work. The production is a real highlight on "Iron Maiden", in spite of the fuzzy distortion and busy performance, things come through feeling warm and 'in-your-face'. The best way I might describe the production is that this sounds most suited for the atmosphere of a small club show, whereas "Number of the Beast" onwards gives the impression of a bombastic arena affair.

It's obviously nowhere near as 'matured' or 'realized' as the Iron Maiden they would become with later albums, but this debut should not be discredited by fans or newcomers. Although the band we know nowadays as Iron Maiden only shares two members with this incarnation, the signature sound and style is here, not to mention that "Phantom of the Opera" still stands as one of their greatest compositions. Check it out!

Warthur The first of the two Paul Di'Anno-fronted albums, and the sole Iron Maiden album released featuring Dennis Straton on guitar, this is an excellent debut album which sheds light on a band who had mastered the conventions of their major influences - traditional heavy metal with a side order of punk and prog rock - and had synthesised them into a powerful and compelling new sound for themselves. The raw production and Paul Di'Anno's no-frills shout lends itself well to highlighting the faster, punkish side of the band on songs like Prowler and the title track, whilst quiet ballads incorporating loud and heavy interjections such as Remember Tomorrow and Strange World show a strong Judas Priest influence, bearing a strong resemblance to Priest songs in a similar vein such as Here Come the Tears.

However, the track that really points the way to the band's future is The Phantom of the Opera, which combines a prog-rock influenced song structure with a lyrical concept ripped from literature and a musical delivery which perfectly balances the drama and theatricality demanded by the concept with the balls-out aggression characteristic of this album at its best. The classic Iron Maiden sound had not completely taken shape at this point, but it's in songs such as Phantom of the Opera where it can be heard the clearest, and despite the lack of the band's best-loved vocalist and one of its most talented guitarists it's a great listen which holds up well against their future classics.

Time Signature Remember the 1980s...

Genre: NWoBHM

Enter the 1980s. Enter Iron Maiden, the band who would change metal by raising the bar - well, I guess, they already raised the bar considerably with this album, which is phenomenal for a debut album of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

With the short but strangely progressive "Prowler", Iron Maiden blasts a labyrinth of changes and twists and turns into the mind of the listener. This powerful opener is followed by the gloomy and doomy ballad, and absolutely brilliant, "Remember Tomorrow" whose bridge starts with a tempo change out of nowhere. "Running Free" is a hit song which draws on the glam rock of the 1990s, and while it is a song that I have and will sing along to, it is "only" a hit song and not the most interesting track on the album - it does contain some captivating Maiden-style guitar acrobatics and a catchy bobby bass figure. The mighty "Phantom of the Opera" is the first truly epic track released by Maiden and it's a favorite track in my family. There is a feel of structural complexity to it because of the many different parts that make up a verse, and there is no real chorus to speak of, and of course, there is a bridge that consists of very different sections. Then there is the schizophrenic instrumental "Transylvania", which sounds almost like two or three different songs stitched together, and with its many guitar acrobatics, it should click immediately with fans of progressive metal. "Strange World" is a ballad, and probably the blandest track of the album (not because it's a ballad, but because it's not a very original type of ballad). Dave Murray's "Charlotte the Harlot" kicks off the Charlotte-saga and is one of the many Maiden songs that is simple and complex at the same time. It's an underrated rock track which should have been a classic, I think. The last track "Iron Maiden" is also song that is both simple and complex, combining a two-chord verse and a four chord chorus with strange breakdowns and progressive guitar harmonies.

The production on this album is unusually unpolished for a Maiden album, the reason being that the producer was lazy bastard, leaving it up to the inexperienced musicians in the band to do the production themselves. Harris has experessed dissatisfaction with the production of the album, but there is a certain charm to the raw production. "Iron Maiden" is also one of only two Maiden releases with Paul Di'Anno on vocals, and Di'Anno's dark and raw rock voice suits the music and production very well.

"Iron Maiden" is the debut full length by my all time favorite music artist, and an album which raised the bar or heavy metal performance. I recommend any metal fan to acquire it.

AtomicCrimsonRush It began with a whimper for me, the Iron Maiden debut that launched one of the most important and essential NWOBHM bands is a real let down. The singing is not up to scratch for a start and I believe once Bruce Dickinson replaced the mediocre vocal talents of Paul Di'Anno, the band really took off. Come on,you Irons, you can't tell me that 'Phantom of the Opera' was not improved once it was covered by Dickinson, who is litrerally like an AIR RAID SIREN such is the range of his incredible vocals, thus garnering the nickname 'AIR RAID SIREN'. There are some awesome tracks here that are saved by blistering speed lead breaks from the talented duel guitar virtuosos, Murray and Stratton.

'Running Free' became a powerhouse live and was performed on stage for years to come following this release. 'Strange World' has a quirky riff and chugs along nicely as does the fun filled 'Charlotte the Harlot'.

The title track and band name 'Iron Maiden' is of course a quintessetial IM track with anthemic lyrics and a very strong beat from Burr and the rhythmic bass of Harris. It was the birth of greatness but they were yet to reach the heights with "Number of the Beast".

I remember listening to this debut in the record store, that's right vinyl, and I remember distinctly being turned off by the vocals. I had altready purchased TNOTB so it was a turn off to hear such powerless vocals. I still feel the same way now. 3 stars for sheer musical excellence but this is full of throwaway material, and that has all been ignored by Maiden in concerts to come as they rose to metal power. The best thing that happened to the band was recruiting Dickinson and he became the voice of metal.

floflo79 Iron Maiden is my favorite metal band of all time. So i'm gonna review their discography. Their first eponymous album is great for a debut album. The production is not very good but the compositions are. The album begins with Prowler, who is correct. But the album will getting better with classics like Running Free, Sanctuary, Iron Maiden and the awesome song "Phantom Of The Opera" between progressive rock, punk rock and heavy metal. Transylvania is also a pretty good instrumental. Other good songs like Charlotte The Harlot or Sanctuary. Some calm songs like the correct Remember Tommorrow and Strange World. The album is very good put I don't really like the vocals of Paul Di Anno and the production. 4,5/5.

kluseba When it comes to talk about one of my favourite band's debut album, I feel torn between many diversified and innovating tracks and complete lack of coherence concerning the composition of the album. I feel torn in between many lacks in the song writing and composition and on the other side the legendary status of this milestone.

From dreamy progressive rock ballads to straight punk influenced rock songs and a heavy metal epic blueprint you get pretty much everything on this record but the whole thing simply doesn't quite fit together yet. The whole album feels like an experiment, a compilation of ideas of different personalities, like some first careful steps into different directions. The fact that this album is so imperfect with its simple cover artwork, rather mediocre sound and has a considerable miss of equilibrium gives a very charming and authentic touch to the final result, though. One should also pardon the band their first mistakes as their whole epic career was continuously build upon this first album.

I happen to like the part of the atmospheric progressive rock ballads most. "Remember Tomorrow" shows for the first time the band's great technical skills, their capacity to write long and coherent songs with a magic atmosphere. "Strange World" is even more simple, dreamy and atmospheric and it turned out over the years that this very unusual track happened to be my favourite one on the record.

"Phantom Of The Opera" is the band's first epic track and one of the first and most important epic tracks of heavy metal music that distinguished the band from many other that wrote short and sweet tracks to satisfy the masses and take advantage of a new hype. Iron Maiden were always more progressive and courageous than any other heavy metal band of the same age and delivers a stunning and diversified epic blueprint for their own and other band's future epic works. This track has a very important historical meaning even though it's far from being perfect. The vocals are too hectic and not always perfectly audible. The instrumental parts are sometimes way too long. There is not enough emotion and atmosphere in a song that refers to a legendary musical. But nevertheless, this song is something great and fits neither to the progressive rock ballads nor to the straighter and shorter punk rock influenced tracks. This song is the first one that simply sounds like Iron Maiden. This is where they get their own identity and deliver something one has never heard before in that way.

To come back to the punk influenced heavy metal tracks, they happen to be great and entertaining live tracks but the studio versions vary from very enjoyable like the straight and yet diversified bonus track "Sanctuary" to boring and faceless like the album's weak point which is "Charlotte The Harlot" as well as the unnecessary and overrated instrumental filler "Transylvania".

In the end this album is divided into three different parts that don't fit together and that vary from great to inspiring but imperfect to rather faceless material. The record is without a doubt technically and musically the most simple and in my opinion weakest track of the band's legendary works from the eighties. But this album should nevertheless please to any fan of heavy metal music as this first and rather shy debut album was a huge milestone for a whole genre and the begin of an incredible legacy.

MattGuitat This was the first classic Maiden record i ever owned, mostly on the strength of Phantom of the Opera. While Killers didn't have too many great songs, this record somehow brought the heavy prog of Rush with the Punk of the Sex Pistols. Prowler is straight up classic, while Phantom of the Opera is (arguably) Maiden's best song. IMHO, Dickinson does not do the song justice when singing it. Sadly, neither ballad (Remember Tomorrow and Strange World) have very little to offer and are the only things keeping this fabulous album from being 5 stars. Though those ballads offer little, the rest is pretty spot on. 4.5/5

friso Iron Maiden - s/t (1980)

The first two album of Iron Maiden are really different from the Number of the Beast era and after that. Lead singer Paul Di'Anno has an amazing enthusiastic rock/punk voice and the style of the band is a mixture of heavy rock with a lot of melodic parts (for Metal that is) and energetic rock'n roll waves. The debut album of Maiden sounds as a debut should sound: wild, naive and rockin'! The recognizable artwork of Iron Maiden is already in place. Perhaps the artwork is a bit too dark for the music and attitude of the band, but it become an important element of the bands style.

There has been some debate about the recording of this record. I only have one simple thing to add to this controversy: A vinyl version of the album sounds great.

Well, Iron Maiden is perhaps one of the best collaborations of great musicians in the metal- world. The shy band-leader Steve Harris and guitar-god Dave Murray form the basis of the band. People who are musicians themselves will here a special approach to the music: when focussed on the fact the bass-player writes most of the songs a magical world opens: An eighties metal-band with melodic bass-lines! The guitars are amazing and the solo's of Iron Maiden have always been good.

The songwriting is strong. No stadium-rock non-sense, no standard head-banging riffs: Iron Maiden was far ahead of the bands of eighties. Prowler is an energetic rock' opener with a remarkable use of the wah-pedal. Sanctuary focusses on the rock-side of the music whilst Remember Tomorrow shows the great emotional part of the band. On this song the vocals are especially memorable. Running Free is a simple track, but still effective. Phantom of the Opera is Iron Maiden's first epic with very progressive songwriting and great musicianship. The instrumental Transylvania further explores Iron Maiden's compositional and technical possibilities. Strange World is one of the bands most silent songs. It's a beautiful atmospheric song with nice cleans guitars and a gentle distorted solo's. Great tune! Charlotte the Harlot is a great fusion between Iron Maidens rock'n roll tendencies and it's melodic emotional approach. The final track, the Iron Maiden-song, is a rocker with nice riffs and the usual energetic approach. Great!

Conclusion. Well, I can't think of a lot of other records of this quality of the year 1980. It's a great start for the band and still a great album today. Four stars!

Sean Trane From all of the NWOBHMB, Iron Maiden was the only one I appreciated, and this was mainly due to the extraordinary debut they recorded. And even if the imagery they developed right from the start is a little embarrassing for an adult, one must say that this form of marketing did them wonders for the next three decades, as they were instantly recognizable between hundreds of band. Maybe what differentiated them from others where their more prog lyrics subject, not really adopting the numbing dumbness of their contemporary bands like Motorhead or Saxon. This album's construction is quite brilliant for a debut alternating short hard (and more basic) tracks such as Prowler, Running Free (poking fun at disco fiends) etc. with the longer more dramatic Remember Tomorrow (and its subtle climates), the climatic Phantom of The Opera and impressive bass-induced Strange World. Yes, the bass: this is probably the main ingredient that made Maiden unique; Steve Harris is clearly the leader and the main inspiration, but unlike in future albums, he has some hard competition with DiAnno's vocals (which I always found the ultimate IM voice). Listen how the instrumental Transylvania gives perfectly way to the superb power ballad of Strange World with some awesome DiAnno to top it all of. And you just know where Klaus Mheine & Co got their inspiration for their golden power ballads.

This debut album is still one of my fave metal albums (along with Priest's Sad Wings, Sabbath's Heaven and Hell, Rainbow Rising) and in my heart, this scorchers was never bettered by the band. Call me nostalgic, but this is an incredibly-paced album and although not their best played, it certainly holds their best enthusiasm and does it ever show. Yes iron Maiden is one of my guilty pleasures still nowadays, but guilty maybe, embarrassing a tad, but shameful, no way!! Maiden ruled in this youth's heart but for not that much longer