Band:	Iron Maiden
Album:	Iron Maiden
Style:	New wave of British heavy metal
Release date:	April 14, 1980
Guest review by:	RavenLord

Disc I
01. Prowler
02. Remember Tomorrow
03. Running Free
04. Phantom Of The Opera
05. Transylvania
06. Strange World
07. Sanctuary [US release]
08. Charlotte The Harlot
09. Iron Maiden

Disc II [1995 reissue bonus]
01. Sanctuary
02. Burning Ambition
03. Drifter [live]
04. I've Got The Fire [Montrose cover]

For my first review, I was faced with a dilemma as to which album to look at. The answer lay in my current favourite band, and where better to start than the very beginning, in East London, 1980?

This is proto-Maiden v.1.1. There, that's the review right there. What, you want more? Okay. This album is a bit of a mixed bag at times. Taken in context, it's bloody amazing. Steve Harris wrote the majority of the songs here when he was a teenager, and the complexity of the songs for the era and age of composer amazes me. Unfortunately, the lyrics are not as polished as on later releases, and gems on this disc like "Prowler" pale in comparison when compared to "Caught Somewhere in Time" or "The Trooper."

Throughout, the album consistently displays what would become the mainstays of Maiden's arsenal in a very primitive form; the galloping bass, the dual-guitar harmonies and melodic, emotive and memorable solos are all here (although Adrian Smith is still missing from the equation). Speaking of primitive, the production is also very raw, with an almost punky feel to it, which perfectly complements Paul Di'anno's low, grating vocals. Check out Remember Tomorrow for some great vocal-guitar trade-offs and some choice screams from Di'anno.

"Prowler" is the opener and possibly the best track here; from its simply cool intro riff to Dave Murray's melodic leads, this song grabs you by the neck and slaps you into wakefulness. After you perk up your ears, the album continues with the rocker "Sanctuary," the catchy single "Running Free" and the slightly schizophrenic "Remember Tomorrow." Phantom of the Opera is a brilliant epic number, and a great hint of what was to come with gems like "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Alexander the Great." It also features one of the most compelling riffs in Maiden's catalogue-this song DEMANDS that you bang your head, yet not in a thrashy way. It's more?laid back. There's also a brilliant instrumental section and some top-class solos in the middle; definitely an early masterpiece!

As I mentioned earlier, the songwriting is quite shallow in places, although when it's brilliant it is damn good, believe me. For such young artists they show an incredible degree of both technical proficiency and emotive power, especially in the solos. Again, this is no "Powerslave" album, but it is still damn good, Clive Burr is particularly talented on drums, although this would not truly emerge until his final album with the band. As for the originality of the album, there is a strong influence from hard rock/punk bands here, mainly thanks to Di'anno's punk roots (or influences, whatever you want to call them) and vocals, and also thanks to the scarcity of "metal" at the time. However, the combination of raw production and melodic compositions mark this album as a real must-have for any 80's metal, NWOBHM or Maiden fan.

Best tracks: Prowler, Phantom of the Opera, Charlotte the Harlot