KILLERS

The second Maiden album continues the punk metal approach of the debut. It doesn't have the same element of surprise but the song writing is more ambitious and the playing and production values have become a lot more professional.

The Ides Of March / Wrathchild has the same punk power of the fast tracks of the debut but testifies of a greater musical confidence, better playing, more worked out leads and smarter composition. The entry of Adrian Smith on guitars is a clear improvement. Murders In The Rue Morgue is excellent fast-paced punk-rock. It brings some early Scorpions to mind. Another Life is similar to other early Maiden punk-rock but less catchy. Genghis Khan is a typical Maiden instrumental, not measuring up to Transylvania from the debut but the guitar leads are scrumptious.

Innocent Exile has an almost swinging groove in the verses and an adventurous structure for such a short song. Harris's bass takes the lead on the aggressive and swirling title track. After a good 25 minutes, Prodigal Son is the first track that steps down a gear, it's not as alluring as the ballads on the debut but on the up side it's less predictable and quite original. The furious Purgatory and Drifter sound as if they wanted to make up for the slower pace of Prodigal Son.

I have no Di'Anno or Dickinson preference. Both vocalists defined very distinct phases of Maiden's sound. I might have preferred Di'Anno had stayed on for one more album but Di'Anno's voice would certainly not have fitted on the more epic Piece of Mind and Powerslave. Killers is not the most obvious album for prog fans but it's highly recommended if you want to explore their earlier punk-metal attack.