Killers - Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden’s second album sounds less a precursor to its acclaimed successor, 1982’s ‘The Number of the Beast,’ than a half-hearted follow up to their 1980 debut. This isn’t entirely the fault of the band; they had been touring and developing the songs of their first album since 1975 and had used all of their best material, while the increasingly erratic behaviour of vocalist Paul Di’Anno meant that stress levels within the band were affected their output. Replacement second guitarist Adrian Smith would write some of the band’s greatest songs in later years, but his introduction here seemed to be more an unneeded distraction than an injection of new life. But ...

This was Iron Maidens second album and last with Paul Dianno, before Bruce joined and real success fell their way. Killers has often been regarded as the weakest of IM's albums, and I think it i fair to say it has probably sold less wel than any of their others. The music is great though, and lovers of Dianno will not be disapointed with his gutsy vocals on this one. Best songs for me are Killers and Twilight Zone, but the whole album is woth a listen. ...

In their second album, the music of Iron Maiden (or should I say Steve Harris?) takes a direction which will be present in all the future albums. This is primarily due to the introduction of Adrian Smith (who replaces Dennis Stratton), whose guitar work is prominent on this and other future albums. The album is heavier and faster than the first, and Paul Di'anno's vocals are more smooth and less punctuated here. The engineering of Martin Birch makes its presence felt. The highlights of this album are the instrumentals (The Ides of March and Gengis Khan) showcasing the lead and rhythm sections of the band, and the tracks Murders in the Rue Morgue and Purgatory ...