KILLERS

Following their eponymous and groundbreaking debut album, Iron Maiden faced the daunting task of ensuring that "Killers" (1981) lived up to the expectations generated among their growing fan base and the music press. Composed largely of songs not included on the first album and a few more developed later, "Killers" sounds like a natural continuation of "Iron Maiden", with the added bonus of a more polished and less raw production.

The melodies, tremendously angry and direct, unfold full of sharp riffs and solos sustained by the synchronised duo of Dave Murray/Adrian Smith (replacing Dennis Stratton, who left the band due to musical differences), Steve Harris' enveloping and aggressive bass and Clive Burr's agitated percussion, complemented by an appealing and disturbingly sombre narrative, such as the frustration and anger over abandonment in the lively "Wrathchild" (the band's timeless anthem splendidly sung by the unstable Paul Di'Anno), the bloody tribute to writer Edgar Allan Poe in the intense "Murders in the Rue Morgue", the suicidal tendencies in the anxious "Another Life", the injustice in the speed metal airs of the dizzying "Innocent Exile", the twisted and ruthless mind in the fast-paced "Killers" (great song), or the redemptive and very heavy "Drifter".

The relentless and overwhelming soundscapes also give way to equally powerful instrumentals with a slightly more hard rock feel, such as the brief "The Ides of March" and the combative "Genghis Khan", both historical epics that reference the Roman emperor Julius Caesar and the 12th-century Mongol leader respectively, and there is an additional place for the restful and mythological "Prodigal Son", an elaborate electroacoustic melody that departs from the general guidelines of the album with slight progressive registers and whose guitar solo bears some distant resemblance to the one that will adorn "Revelations" two years later.

"Killers", which over the years has gained ground to become a cult album, received mixed reviews at the time because it did not seem to add any new nuances to the English band's first work. And while it was not a big step forward in that sense, it was not a step backwards either, leaving expectations intact for their next work.

3/3.5 stars

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