IRON MAIDEN — Maiden Japan (review)

IRON MAIDEN — Maiden Japan album cover EP · 1981 · NWoBHM Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
clarke2001
Heavy Metal Army

This is a review of short, EP issue of Maiden Japan - the rating is a reflection of quantity rather than quality.

The all-time IRON MAIDEN's favourite band is DEEP PURPLE, as guys confessed once. They learned a lot about dynamics, tempo and arranging by them, but they also learned what happens when band goes too far.

Of course, it was unavoidable to include at least some reference about DEEP PURPLE somewhere in band's long career, and they mad a brilliant pun in the title. Made in Japan, geddit?

Needless to say, this live EP is hardly comparable to legendary Purple's live record, but that was not the intention anyway. We have here five very good live tracks ("Running Free" and "Remember Tomorrow" from the debut and "Wrathchild", "Killers" and "Innocent Exile" from the second album). All the songs are, as I said, very good, but they are nothing special in Maiden's catalogue - or your personal collection - whether you are IRON MAIDEN fan or not. In my opinion, it deserves two and a half stars, but I won't round them to three - this live document is above average, but not excellent, and it's way too brief. The reason for the publishing of this brief record was, I think, insisting of Japanese fans to see 1981's performances from Nagoya and Tokyo. The band was reluctant to do so, but Maiden Japan EP (aka "Heavy Metal Army") was released at last.

All the performances are of high quality, and Paul is singing much more furious than on studio albums. "Wrathchild" is much more energetic (it sounds somewhat monotonous and recited on studio version, at least to my ears) and "Innocent Exile" is also worth mentioning. When I heard Paul's "eee-yo-wee-yo-yo-yo" chanting I had a strange feeling that I've heard it somewhere before, and indeed, you can hear the same thing in THE POLICE's "Walking On The Moon". Hah! The mighty 1981!

Anyway, this live EP is the last document of Paul DiAnno's singing in the band, and after this one, the band will abandon their occasional punkish (?) attitude.

I'm just regretting a missed opportunity to see the so-called "Venezuela version" of this EP, where Eddie is holding Paul's head on the front cover (the same will be done with Bruce's head on their farewell concert before Blaze took place). Awesome.
Share this review

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!

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

Antibeauty Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mana Earth Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Intimate Isolation Hardcore Punk
GOOD FALL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Dark Future Sludge Metal
PAIN CHEMISTRY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Violent Delights Hardcore Punk
GALLEONS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

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