KILLERS

Iron Maiden second efford is, production wise, much better than their debut. With Martin Birch - who produced some of the best 70´s rock like Deep Purple, Whitesnake and Rainbow - they had the right guy to show all the powerful live shows captured at the studio. However, the songwriting in Killers is not really up to their previous one. The LP got some flak by critics who felt Steve Harris and co had used all their best ideas and now were unable to come up with something as revolutionary as Iron Maiden (the record). Their third album, The Number Of The Best, would prove them wrong. actually, Killers sold less than their first at home but it was responsable for their first international tour. It was also the first record to feature the guitar talents of Adrian Smith, replacing the sacked Dennis Stratton.

Killers had a great cover for the time, quite stricking and violent for 1981. But as for the songs themselves, few of the newer cuts are really memorable. Only the title track would have a major impact on their career. The bulk of the best stuff were from older materail that did not make it on their debut: Wrathchild, Drifter, Innocent Exile. Also the prog roots so evident on Iron Maiden are almost forgotten on the new songs (Prodigal Son being the sole exception). Fortunatly the band had a lot to offer in future releases.

So, in conclusion, Killers is not a bad album in any sense. The aforementioned songs are great (Innocent Exile showing their prog roots in full bloom). Some are not that remarkable, although none is hack. But this is not a good starting point to get to know the band, specially if you want something more than straight ahead heavy music