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

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]

After years of difficulty, Steve Harris must have been quite exhilarated when he learned that Maiden would have the opportunity to finally record their first full length album. While many fans may argue that this is one of Iron Maiden's most classic albums, Steve Harris himself was unhappy with the end result, thinking that there were many improvements that could have been made but simply weren't. Whether or not you like this album though, this is their debut album, so thus the classic words were rendered: "Iron Maiden can't be fought, Iron Maiden can't be sought".

The sound of this album differs from all others with the exception of Killers in the fact that it holds more of a straight forward rock influence: The guitar harmonies aren't as heavy, the drums are more simplistic, and the bass lines tend to be more driving and prominent in a way that stands out from the usual Harris style. It is easy to tell, however, that his known style is a derivative from this era in Maiden's history- an evolution obviously has taken place since then.

The bass for this album though, is still superb. The intros to "Running Free" and "Phantom of the Opera" are especially superb. "Running free" because of the energetic and independent feeling that it gives you, and "Phantom of the Opera" because of the beautiful harmonized lead line that Maiden is known for providing in the rhythm section. Overall, while the bass is not as good as subsequent releases, it's still more than worth your while.

The guitar on this album holds all the elements required for a NWOBHM classic: heavy rock influenced rhythms, pentatonic solos, use of twin harmonies in all of its proto-power glory; yes the guitar work is very impressive. This can be primarily contributed to Steve Harris and Adrian Smith, however. Dennis Stratton was not with the group long enough to hold a pivotal influence on their sound, even for this album. He may as well have been there as a studio musician. Regardless of that fact though, the guitar work is arguably the most impressive aspect of this album.

The vocal work on this album is classic. I have met and spoken to those who dislike Paul Di'Anno, and to them I say this: you obviously don't know how to appreciate his voice. The voice that Di'Anno era Maiden carried is clearly the best accent to the style that they used, something which was rebellious and simultaneously casual. His vocal work on this album is haunting and beautiful sometimes, such as on the song "Remember Tomorrow." Many times though, it carried a rough, punkish overtone that made the statement, much like their controversial music at the time "I'm Running Free."

This is an amazing debut, and I have no idea what I would do without Maiden. Just think of what the world would be missing if this album had never been made. It is indeed a classic piece of history in the metal world.