IRON MAIDEN — Iron Maiden (review)

IRON MAIDEN — Iron Maiden album cover Album · 1980 · NWoBHM Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
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.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Everything Hurts And I'm Dying Atmospheric Sludge Metal
NEGATIVE BLISS
Buy this album from MMA partners
L'impôt du sang Melodic Black Metal
CONIFÈRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Pleroma Progressive Metal
ORGONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
n​ê​bam​Ω​ejn Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
∫um'ad​∂​ejja cavvaj Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Origin Of Infinity - Chronosphere (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)
ORIGIN OF INFINITY
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Kingdom of Heaven - “Pleasures of Pain”
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Bosh66· 1 day ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 18 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed