Iron Maiden 1980

"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.

(review also posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"