Iron Maiden

A lot of scales, but good guitar play, if you like it. Can hear the influence of Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper, which is an interesting blend.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The instruments were very crisp and technically proficient. Knowing this was metal before starting gave me a certain idea but this was more artistic than the screamo I assumed. 7/10

This had me folding my laundry so hard.

the album covers are both iconic and so awful omg. fiest time hearing a full iron maiden album i liked it :)

mera chimba, iron maiden me recuerda mucho a fede, me parece bacano eso, la guitarra está pero increíble, lo único es que ya ora las últimas canciones me parece que se pone muy guitarradependente y ya es como que falta algo, pero duro el álbum

хороший оч трэш мэтал

A solid starting album, it was nice hearing this for the first time. Not nearly as strong as the later efforts, but still enjoyable all the way through. 4 stars

Iron Maiden has done a lot of cool shit. While this album is also cool it could be ever so slightly more cool.

Softer than the cover would suggest.

I remember a conversation I had with some colleagues a few years ago, we were discussing our favourite Iron Maiden songs. My choice was Phantom of the Opera. I'll briefly explain why: I don't think there's many legacy bands who have as a defined, figured out sound on their debut as Maiden. Taking the idea of dual harmonising guitars (a la Thin Lizzy) and cranking it up to 11. The middle section of Phantom is breathtaking, both guitars trading against each other while Harris' bass drives the song in ways few other players ever have. This album has stunning highs and no lows, but theres a few average (maiden-quality) songs. A quintessential NWOBHM album, it's incredible that the band made even better albums than this.

I was not familiar with the pre-Bruce Iron Maiden. Paul’s singing isn’t quite the same, but it’s good; this still sounds like Iron Maiden. Not normally into metal but I like these guys. Smart, tight, energetic music.

Tidig maiden riktigt bra

Pretty good, classic dad rock

Very good album, not immediately obvious but helped define a genre

Iron Maiden's self titled is one of the quintessential metal albums of the 80s, also being one of the first to release that decade, it features a balance of the classic heavy metal sound with occasional gentler/calmer tones that can be heard in songs like Charlotte the Harlot and Strange World.

I prefer some other Maiden but this still goes hard. Phantom of the Opera is fantastic

Early Iron Maiden sounds very different than what I'm used to. I liked it, but it definitely feels like something is missing when Bruce Dickinson isn't singing

I don’t think I’ll ever love Iron Maiden, but I think this is the closest I’ll get.

Metal is really growing on me. If you have a specific genre that you hate listening to, please trust me. You can learn to like it! I have hated the Metal genre for soooo long but this was finally something for me. I slowly had to build up a tolerance but it was totally worth it. I found out quite fast that I liked the crazy instrumental part of it, but that singing wasn’t for me. But with Iron Maiden I really like the singing when it’s present. And I’ve certainly “been through hell” to find the right Metal for me. Like with Five Finger Death Punch. Damn me if their music isn’t what welcomes you when you enter hell. I’m happy that Iron Maiden helped me like Metal music and I recommend this to every Metalhead on this website. Certainly this is not my new favorite genre, but it’s great to have a wide taste for different occasions. I hope you will try to experiment with your taste like I have done, it’s really worth it.

A forever classic.

Pretty good but not as metal as later stuff I feel like

The guitar sounds epic, depth beyond just shredding

Iron Maiden's debut drips of raw energy, dual guitar work and Harris' phenomenal bass playing. A metal classic.

My favourite Iron Maiden album remains Powerslave. Their self titled debut showcases what was to come for Maiden. Solid riffs. Thrash metal incarnate. 4/5

I was only familiar with a few of their hits after this point so I wasn’t sure what to expect from their first album. I was pleasantly surprised!

There's a lot of really cool stuff here and if I just heard this if probably think I liked Iron Maiden more than I like the band into which they eventually crystallised.

I enjoyed it for sure, classic metal album that I know was super influential.

Strong album. Was expecting to like it a lot less. Fairly easy listen considering the genre.

Great listen. Lovely to hear a more raw production of early iron maiden

i like

Again albums that I know as really heavy metal aren’t quite what I imagined. Not hugely enjoyable but alright. Specific rating - 4.0 Fav song - prowler Least fav - charlotte the Harlot

This is iron maiden

i was throwing some horns to this to be fair, really good album. feel like this is getting me into iron maiden

gutes

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) was very much in full swing by the turn of the 1980s. Judas Priest and Motörhead had already started to take the foundations laid by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and make it heavier and faster, and it wouldn't be long until Iron Maiden, fellow speed demons from London's East End, would join them with their electrifying self-titled debut. Listening to 'Iron Maiden' is quite a different experience given the classic lineup of the band isn't there yet. No Bruce Dickinson on vocals, Adrian Smith on guitar or Nicko McBrain on drums. In their place is Paul Di'Anno, Dennis Stratton and Clive Burr respectively. But even though three of Maiden's critical ingredients aren't in place yet, it doesn't make this record any less enjoyable. Comparing Di'Anno to Dickinson is chalk and cheese. Dickinson is obviously the more exceptional vocalist and showman, but the raw energy of songs like 'Prowler', 'Running Free', 'Charlotte the Harlot' and the title track are tailor-made for Di'Anno's raspy howl. For what this album was trying to achieve (establish Iron Maiden's sound and style and showcase their raw energy), Di'Anno was the perfect vocalist for the time, and although Maiden's arrangements would become more complex over time, Di'Anno's edgier vocals and persona were important in establishing Maiden's foundations. The same can be said for Clive Burr. As far as I'm concerned, him and McBrain were both perfect drummers for Iron Maiden, and this record highlights his ability to shift tempos at breakneck speed. Like Di'Anno, Burr too would not stick with the band very long into their tenure, but was still an important player in Maiden's early years. The same can't be said for Stratton, however. He admirably works together with Dave Murray to provide that iconic twin-guitar assault that would become synonymous with NWOBHM, but the guitars sound noticeably thinner. It might be more so a result of the production (which does have its faults and the band themselves have expressed issues with it since), but unfortunately for Strattion, his work would easily be eclipsed by Adrian Smith when he joined on the next record. The Murray/Smith twin guitar combo is one of the most famous in heavy metal for good reason! But it would be amiss to leave out the fact that Iron Maiden has been, and always will be Steve Harris' baby. He formed the band, has written a vast majority of the songs and made bass playing his own with his iconic "gallop-style" riffs. It was clear from the get-go that Harris had big ideas for Maiden, not only with the sound, but the image as well. The debut record saw the introduction of Maiden's iconic mascot, Eddie (designed by Derek Riggs), who has appeared on the front cover of every single Maiden album to date, accompanied by the band's aggressive logo (originally used on the poster for David Bowie's debut feature film, 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'). Thr excitement behind the new iteration of Eddie each album has almost become as important as the new music itself! 'Iron Maiden' is raw and unpolished, which is honestly where its charm lies. The band would go on to make much better records, but as a debut, Maiden proved everything was there to take the world by storm: they just needed a bit more work to accomplish it. Best songs: Prowler, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, Charlotte the Harlot, Iron Maiden

Finally some metal! I love Iron Maiden.

I remember sitting with a friend a while back who walked me through the whole taxonomy of metal and I could barely keep up. But I feel certain that iron maiden is the kind that I like. Musically soaring but not pretentious. Theatrical but also funny about it. Killer riffs that don’t take over the whole song. Hard as hell, but I can still understand the lyrics. That is how I have felt about these guys whenever I have encountered them, but I had not listened to this album before. I gathered between a four and a five but I think I’m going with a four in the end because aspects of their sound still seem unfinished. It’s tough though because those elements that feel less totally metal than their later albums are also a part of the charm. It is definitely an album I will put on again.

Is Transylvania just 4 minutes of instrumental??? wow that’s sick.

Solid debut album. 8/10 Will listen again

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - I struggle to split Di'Anno and Dickinson and I think this album is really fantastic. Prowler, Phantom of the Opera and Charlotte the Harlot are my highlights.

i have never listened to Iron Maiden all the way through and only realised TODAY that it’s their debut album?!? what do you mean your first ever album comes out sounding this confident and fully formed - scrappy and chaotic and melodic. realising I prefer UK metal over US. more charming? easier listening! idk what it is. also, 80s Steve Harris is hair goals for real real. xoxo, closeted metal head

Listening to Iron Maiden, on Iron Maiden, by Iron Maiden, Ironception!! Iron Maiden is a name I have always known without actually knowing anything about, and I’m glad to have now heard! I quite enjoyed this, and challenged my assumption that heavy metal has a lack of light and shade moments, as feel like there were lots of nicely balanced moments, particularly in Remember Tomorrow and Phantom of the Opera.

I enjoyed it

Album cover so cute Honestly, its a great album. There are no real hard hitters for me, but just in general pretty good.

This sounds nothing like their lit albums, and I’m totally into it. A little like Metallica‘s first effort.

Such a solid, raw metal album. Makes me wonder what Iron Maiden would’ve been like if Paul stuck around.

It would be easy to listen to this and chalk it up as another metal band that sounds like the rest, but that would be doing a massive disservice to Iron Maiden and what they brought with this debut effort. Is this for everyone? Decidedly no. But I happen to like hard rock and metal and there is zero doubt about how talented these guys are. That they are not in the R&R HOF is incredible to me, given their impact on many of the bands that followed (e.g. Metallica, Alice In Chains, etc.) Yeah, the band is better with Bruce Dickinson leading it, but Di'Anno is no slouch and he is solid on this record. This is an excellent album and a fun throwback.

Fast guitars. Is this the best Iron Maiden album or just the first? Is "The Number Of The Beast" their best album?" This was a good album and accessible. Wasn't as fast or heavy as I would have thought. I kept thinking that "Strange World" inspired Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". Might just be me. Looking forward to hearing more Iron Maiden albums if they show up again.

Potenti ed incazzati, così si fa

I’m not really into metal but I got a soft spot for Iron Maiden. It probably means true fans think they’re bad.

It was better than other rock albums

I wish I could dive straight into those piercing high notes from silence.

Wait… Iron Maiden is actually good? IRON MAIDEN IS ACTUALLY GOOD??? Highlights: Prowler, Remember Tomorrow, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, Transylvania, Strange World, Iron Maiden

I quite enjoy a bit of hair metal from time to time; guitar solos, big drums, vocals that you can only try to sing along to in the shower (is that just me?) - good fun. This has all of that... except the fun. Is that the distinction between a heavy metal band with long hair and a hair metal band? Maybe this will sound derogatory, but I think taking themselves so is to their detriment.

Pretty good! Very dad rock, very road trip. However no song in particular caught my eye either? Phantom of the opera being there is funny though. I'd rate it 4.5

Shocked how much I liked this! Early Brit Metal like this is great and heavily under appreciated.

Um clássico sem precedentes, mesmo não sendo meu tipo de rock favorito continua sendo espetacular

Sin duda no es un álbum de maiden que escuche seguido, aunque tiene un par de buenas rolas. Gracias por llegar a catapultarlos a otras alturas, Bruce.

Listened July 2025. Still such a defiantly punky and aggressive album. I prefer this to almost everything else Maiden did.

This is a way under appreciated album. Really great production and playing. Gritty vocals and the bass frequencies are well done. Glad I came across this again for the first time.

I love Iron Maiden and I love this album. I also love Paul Di’Anno and Clive Burr who are the ones who make this stand out from a lot of Maiden, but if there are only gonna be 2 of their albums in the 1001, they haven’t made great choices. It’s fair to represent their earliest grittier, punkier vibe but to pick this over Killers doesn’t scan for me. I don’t think the book does much of a job representing metal generally tbh. All that being said, it’s always a treat to have an excuse for this to come of the shelves. “Torture me back at your lair!”

Iron Maiden und sehr gutes Album für ein erstes!

Wow, so that's what Paul Di' Anno's vocals sound like? Yeahh, definitely more of a Bruce Dickinson girlie... I'm spoilt with these first two for sure. Piece of Mind is already one of my favourite albums, so some early maiden was a treat. Fun to hear how much of their Piece of Mind sound they've already got and playing with fantastical theming. Needs Bruce tho gotta say! ...and what was with that "Iron Maiden" pronounciation at the end? Weird choice to make it sound like when you go to cough but you didn't really have one brewed up properly. 1 - i have negative feelings 2 - i have no feelings 3 - glad i heard it *4* - "oh i like that album!" 5 - in the rotation

Slay

I have always enjoyed the Iron Maiden I had heard, but I never went back to this original album. Fun!

What a statement from Iron Maiden on their first record, the intention is there, the songs are cool although with the times, it's fast, it's an electric introduction and it brought a whole new identity to metal going forward. Remarkable.

Fantastic debut album

What a pleasant surprise. Listened to on bus down to Cork after Christmas '25. Was always afraid of Iron Maiden, but this was hard without going thrashy. Will return.

A nice prelude for better stuff to come.

This Rocks. Raw and raucous, this heavy debut from Maiden doesn’t quite reach the heights of their next few records, but it remains a fun, invigorating ride nonetheless.

Maiden rulez

Liked this way more than i thought i would

Sharp, biting guitars. A lot more raw and punkish than i had anticipated. I quite dig the gruff and gritty vocals in comparison to their more epic, operatic later stuff. Galloping bass is right out front. The guitar solos are pretty epic. Songs do get a bit formulaic but not boring. Love the soft/heavy dynamic and the fat riff in Remember Tomorrow. Prowler is perfect as an opener. Overall a decent listen. Favourite track - Phantom of the Opera, ironically as its most like their later more operatic stuff that i dont usually rate as highly, but its sick. 7.5/10

Took me back quite a few years ... decades

Having only ever heard a couple of Iron Maiden songs I'd written them off as not for me (probably not helped by the quite horrid artwork they insist on using). However, I really enjoyed this. Some really great songs, solos that didn't just feel showy for the sake of it, and some driving rhythms that just gave the whole album an energetic pace.

Pretty cool.

Dope

Pas pire métal! Pas ultra rapide comme du maudit Thrash. Certaines chansons sonnaient presque plus rock que metal, par exemple Charlotte the Harlot.

Not their best, but still very good

Primera vez que escucho Iron Maiden en mi vida. Está guay. Le meten duro. Me esperaba que fuese a ser más cringe al ser metal con sus añitos, pero guay. Por lo visto cambiaron de vocalista después de este disco así que no me sirve para hacerme la mejor de las ideas del grupo. Me hace gracia porque esta semana también me salió el disco Kilimanjaro de The Teardrop Explode y está gracioso pensar que los dos discos son del mismo año. Me moló el tema de Transylvania.

Didn't know Iron Maiden could sound like this

*sings in highest pitch voice* "I got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby.." This album is not what I expected. I thought my ears were going to be destroyed by some powerful distortion and that I would be praying for it to end. Meanwhile, I got beautiful instrument technique and sound. Some people in the Youtube comments were complaining that this album wasn't as good as the first two, so maybe those albums were heavier and that's why I'm okay with this one? OR do I love Iron Maiden and I didn't even know it??

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would have. Very melodic and accessible. Nice music.

3.5/5

I like this too. Good 70's vibe heavy rock background music to do homework to

Гарно, але не торкнуло

You guys are on a hot streak right now

A good effort. I think later work by Maiden is a better listen (particularly after Dickinson joins as singer) but this contains a lot of what later makes the band truly great. On the other hand, this fucking rules. (And offers the rare, fine cheese of band = album = song name in Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden from Iron Maiden, joining illustrious acts like Bad Company and Big Country.) The double-guitar work (Dave Murray and the soon-to-leave Dennis Stratton) is in sync and fancy, Clive Burr is serviceable on drums and Steve Harris is already a metal classic on bass. Paul Di'Anno is a totally decent metal vocalist and is probably forgotten in part because Dickinson with his crazy falsetto is a legend. A moment about Steve Harris, bass player, because it's really his band (and bass players are often ignored). Between his resolutely clean tone, which cuts remarkably through the harsher sounds of the band's guitars, and his signature 'gallop', Harris really does drive the groove of Iron Maiden songs. 'Run To The Hills' and 'Fear of the Dark' would be nothing without their bass lines. Harris's influence is comparable to other rock greats like Chris Squire or Paul McCartney (setting aside the songwriting) on his instrument. It's a good album but if you're trying to get into Maiden and haven't figured what the fuss is yet, you might start with a later one (or possibly a compilation). I thought 'Phantom of the Opera' was both ambitious (multiple movements, 7-minute-plus runtime) and well-executed and it's clear already that this band was destined for greatness. In 1980, no less, this is a landmark group. 'Transylvania' is a perfect prototype of what their later best material would sound like -- a little rougher than it would eventually be, but still fully-formed and as potent as you could ask for. 4/5. Yeah, this already rocks. Note: That Kid Rock 3/5 that I gave out early in this exercise is going to dog me until I finish. Maybe it was really a 2.5 but god help me, it was reasonably-well executed. It's not the music's fault that it was pointless noise written by a husk of a human being. Anyway, Maiden are good.

хороша музика, нІчого додати :)

Дуже сподобалось, все ще непогано слухається в 2025

I’m generally leery of ’80s heavy metal because I find much of it bloated, empty, virtuosic and cheesy (kind of like the decade itself, now that I think about it), and Iron Maiden’s album covers don’t exactly suggest things will be different here. But I have to say that Iron Maiden's first album is pretty good. It’s more representative of the new wave of British heavy metal, lean and stripped of any cheese or excess, and it owes some debt to punk or at least Motorhead with its uptempo, galloping rhythms. I know some Maiden fans don’t fancy founding lead singer Paul Di’Anno, but I think he’s an underrated frontman who is well-suited to this material, even if he lacks the pipes of his eventual replacement, Bruce Dickinson.

I reviewed another Iron Maiden album previously, and I think it captured my feelings about the band pretty well, and it applies just about the same here: As a metal fan, I recognize the historical importance of Iron Maiden, but I have an unpopular opinion about the band: Iron Maiden isn't as heavy as I wish they were, and I don't enjoy their music as much as other metal music. Every time a band covers an Iron Maiden song, invariably it's heavier and I enjoy it more than the original. If you like heavy metal and Iron Maiden, I won't hold it against you. You're entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. I don't hate Iron Maiden, I just wish they were more like the metal music they inspired. I'll rate this pretty high as it is important and deserves to be on this list, but if I'm in the mood to listen to some heavy metal, I'm not going to be playing Iron Maiden.

Were this the only Maiden album ever, it would've been a 5/5. The songs are great, with Phantom of the Opera being my favourite track by them. The signature twin guitars are there and this is an incredible album. But I'll be an asshole and give it 4/5 only because I know the masterpieces that came later.

7/10

rockingroll

While I've been a huge Metallica fan since high school, I've largely avoided hearing much of Iron Maiden's music. I recall this cover art, and was aware these dudes kinda rose out of the punk/prog rock scenes with a proto-metal sound on their debut, but never sat down and actually listened to it. Well damn, this thing rocks and has fucking riffs for days. Especially on tracks like Phantom of the Opera you can hear how many other bands have absolutely ripped these guys off (looking at you Muse with your amazing Knights of Cydonia, now I see where you stole the riff from) Perhaps it's the early 80's production I adore, this album is warm, thick, bassey and raw. When I think of traditional British 80's hair metal which I associate with Iron Maiden, I think of overly crisp guitars, reverb, operatic and screechy vocals, mixing focusing on 6-8khz rather than 200-500hz and a general vibe that feels like it has a veneer of plasticky chrome, rather than fire and brimstone. I could not be more wrong with these presumptions and this album. It's got a real prog rock vibe to it, with real ebbs and flows and absolute insane musicality that while not quite King Crimsonesque, is still so much more than I was expecting. This rocks! Postscript: I went ahead and listened to a few tracks from the Dickinson 80's records and his voice is exactly the style I hate in this genre. I guess I'll stick with this one and Killers (which more than their debut reminds me of early Queen if you believe it, also Paul Di'Anno sounds a lot like Queen's drummer Roger Taylor, who famously ripped on the vocals for I'm In Love With My Car)

Thoughts before listening: Nice. I've mostly avoided listening to Iron Maiden, but when I do, I'm usually impressed. They specialize in a very melodic brand of metal with flashy riffs and sing along choruses. Should be a fun listen. Review: So this is Maiden's first album and while its certainly not as polished as their later discography, I am enjoying this. What is here already on many songs is the bands "gallop" tempo and multi-guitar attack, while the most noticeable difference is that Paul Di'Anno doesn't have the high flying vocals that Bruce Dickinson would eventually bring to the band. My favorite songs here are "Running Free", "Phantom of the Opera", "Transylvania", and "Charlotte the Harlot". This is better than I was expecting it to be, and I thought I would probably like this album. I especially appreciate the clean vocals since so much of heavy metal is unlistenable to me because of the singers. I also feel like this isn't as dark lyrically as I thought it would be. I'll give this 4-stars.

Iron Maiden are such an institution and brand that I sometimes forget that (unlike Black Sabbath or Judas Priest, for example) they have “only” released slightly more than a handful of truly outstanding albums—simply because this band “only” appeared on the scene in 1980. I must also admit that I am a big Bruce Dickinson fan on the one hand and appreciate professional productions on the other. As a result, I actually consider the first two albums, “Iron Maiden” and “Killers,” to be better demos... Be that as it may, from a music history perspective, "Iron Maiden" was downright disruptive because it offered a way out of the early stagnation of punk rock and an alternative to the synthesizer-heavy mainstream. Along the way, Maiden created important trademarks of heavy metal—note, for example, the parallel lines of bass and guitars in “Phantom of the Opera.” Other important milestones on this album are “Running Free” (as far as I know, still an integral part of every Maiden set to this day) and the story of “Charlotte the Harlot,” which begins with the song of the same name;) Oh, and I was pleasantly surprised by "Strange World" which I had remembered as being lengthy but turned out to be quite atmospheric. I'd still replace this album with "Powerslave" on the 1001-list...

I can't say I'm a big fan of metal, but this was good. I enjoyed it more than I expected.

Hell yeah

Even though this album is missing Bruce Dickinson, yes THE Bruce Dickinson, this is still a solid album. It lays the blue print for heavy metal rifts that you see on later ablums.

I know that the band now say that they are not happy with the production and sound of this their first album but I think it sounds fantastic. As a lead singer Paul often gets overshadowed by what Bruce did for the band but I think he sounds great and does a great job. As a starting point to their career this is a blinding beginning.

An album that I think is just goddamn fun. A whole bunch of shred and metal to bring adrenaline to the veins

Franchement c’était pas mal

It's good. A lot of blues and psych rock in it. I guess that makes sense given the genre. Good first "real" (idk how else to put it, I feel like I've heard iron maiden in passing/by chance a lot without knowing) impression of the band. Best Tracks: Strange World, Transylvania, Prowler, Iron Maiden, Charlotte the Harlot

These riffs man, can’t get enough.

Bad ass

I haven't listened to this album in over a decade, and there's no need to do it again. Still better than anything Metallica has ever made.

Pre-Bruce Dickinson Iron Maiden feels so weird to me. After he became the lead vocalist, he just became Iron Maiden. I mean, Paul Di’anno’s not bad at all. It just doesn’t scream Iron Maiden to me personally. Though what’s even weirder is how despite all that, this debut still stands on its own. Honestly, if you don’t like Iron Maiden, this might be for you. It’s really just at the point where the band was finding themselves, like all bands do on their debut. So you get a more melodic, nuisances approach that might be more accessible. Don’t let Eddie on the front scare you. For me, I respect this album. It’s important and Iron Maiden wouldn’t exist without it. Having a debut stand out is very hard, so I give this one props. Favorite track: Prowler Other hits: Phantom of the Opera, Transylvania, Strange World, Charlotte the Harlot

Kannte ich nicht war aber wirklich gut

Listening to this album I am surprised that I didn't enjoy the last Iron Maiden album I listened to nearly as much. This album felt raw and real and totally rock and roll. I previously thought that Iron Maiden felt like they were trying to hard, but this felt totally authentic. I will have to go back to see if this is a classic case of first album was their best or if my initial feel around their music was just off. This also felt pretty in touch with blues influenced heavy rock of the era (Led Zppelin, Black Sabbath) which I love, and not trying to be something new just for the sake of it.

My knee jerk reaction when listening to Number of the Beast a few weeks ago was that this is some corny as hell 80s metal, but after a couple listens I started coming around to it and found myself enjoying the album overall. Listening to their self-titled debut album now and I can confirm I am a full convert! The melodic, ripping guitar solos, the driving bass lines, and tight solid drumming. I also love when a metal band slows down like in Remember Tomorrow and Strange World. This was a great time and I am happy the generator has opened my eyes to Iron Maiden.

One hell of a debut album, better with every track.

Si bien los vocales no son tan impresionantes como los que le ibamos a ver a la banda con Dickinson, igual funcionan y hay algunas canciones de estructuras evolución súper onderas. Phantom of the opera se anota gran momento

Let's be honest, Iron Maiden deserve every bit of praise they've ever had. Whilst far from their best album, this debut is phenomenal. It's creative and it doesn't overstay it's welcome! Later albums benefit from having Bruce Dickinson, a real force majeure, but this doesn't feel as though it suffers for not having him. Great band, great album, thank you for making me re-listen to it again

Mér finnst það næstum óþgæilegt hversu fínt mér þykir þetta stöff. Gæti alveg hlustað aftur og aftur, og það þrátt fyrir að mér finnist Bruce Dickinson er mun flottari söngvari en þessi Páll. Fjarki, næstum gegn eigin vilja.

More instrumentals than I thought

This was great, loved the speed and squigglies, as well as the melody. Couple of slower duds but overall great.

Not really heard pre much Maiden pre Bruce Dickinson but you can hear the sound forming hear in a slightly grittier fashion. And some tunes I knew as well. Some great playing

Kako god se odlučim da ocijenim ovaj album kad se probudim sutra, zauvijek mi je najdraža Maidenova Remember Tomorrow ali u izvedbi Opetha. Ja sam metalhead ali ne za klasični metal. Ne kažem da mi je Maiden loš ali nije to to.

This is a really solid early 80s metal album. Much better than some of the "metal" that was starting to come out at that time.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! "Remember Tomorrow" "Phantom of the Opera" "Transylvania" and "Charlotte the Harlot" were faves

Dug it!

Iskreno sam iznenadjen koliko su mi se svidele balade

Absolutely fantastic, I like it very much. 4.5⭐

A great debut from metal legends Iron Maiden. Raw, fast, gets your head banging.

(4)Iron Maiden’s debut album, hit the charts at #4 in the UK. Paul Di"Anno the lead singer on this album. His vocals are more punk than compared to Dickinson’s operatic harmonies. This album feels like a late seventies album, the hooks reminiscent of Blue oyster cult, or hawk wind. I have always appreciated Iron Maiden for their love of literature. The track “phantom of the opera” is such a song. “Iron Maiden”is a track the band plays as their final song before their encore. This is the first appearance of that song.

I mean, vad ska man säga? Startade en helt ny genre i princip, många klassiker som fortfarande spelas idag.. Ändå är det Maidens sämsta 80-talsplatta, JAG KAN GE EN FYRA MOHAHHAHAA

4,5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Siitä se story alkaa

Tajusin, että tykkäsin tästä maidenista enemmän mitä Dickknsonin laulamana.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kuultavissa jo maidenin maneerit. Hyvä lätty vaikka laulu ei niin miellytä.

I wasted my youth NOT listening to more metal

Great! A 4.

Iron Maiden er ikke så verst, altså. Melodiøst og fint.

Goofy album cover but perhaps best Iron Maiden album?

RANKINGS OF THE SONGS 1) Iron Maiden - 9.3/10 2) Prowler - 9.2/10 3) Transylvania - 9.1/10 4) Running Free - 9.0/10 5) Strange World - 8.8/10 6) Charlotte the Harlot - 8.6/10 7) Phantom of the Opera - 8.5/10 --------LINE OF LIBRARY------------ 8) Remember Tomorrow - 8.3/10 AVG - 8.85/10 Personal Ranking - 8.9/10 Great riffs, vocals were alright. The bass and drums were great, and I loved the melodies.

Best Song: Transylvania. Goddamn this song really jumps into gear at around the 2 minute mark and does not relent. Worst Song: Charlotte the Harlot. This track deviates the farthest from the "Iron Maiden" sound, enough that it might as well be any other band of the era. Overall: You can definitely see the bones here of the greatness to come, but sadly Paul Di'Anno can't hold a candle to Bruce Dickinson, so this version of Iron Maiden always feels like it is lacking. Instrumentally it still rips, and Di'Anno's vocals are solid, but he's up against one of the greatest of all time.

I prefer the Bruce era, but this is a genre classic that set Maiden on a path to glorious heights.

Classic

I wish I could get be put in an Iron Maiden

Unpopular opinion: I actually prefer the earlier, Paul Di'Anno-fronted Iron Maiden albums. Bruce Dickinson is very good at what he does, but his operatic vocal style wears thin on me after a while. The musicianship is also leaner and less polished than their later work, which I find appealing. Old Iron Maiden just hits different.

Knock a star for Paul Di’Anno. A killer first album otherwise

Music is a 5. Vocals are a 3.

This is good. Better than the other iron maiden i think. the guitar is really fire. Phantom of the Opera is very good. The stabbing guitar reminds me of Lucretia by Megadeth which is probably my favorite song of this genre. Fire

Pre-Bruce Maiden will always be viewed through a different lens, but this is a band that arrived complete with their sound dialed in, just waiting for the right pieces to click into place.

Great first album

Found myself head banging to this one. Favorite track was "Remember Tomorrow" and made me realize that a lot of 70s/80s are the other side of the coin of schmatlzy ballads - they are essentially ballads that go hard, and I love that.

This was far more interesting than I was expecting. I loved some of the more bass-forward stretches of the album, and overall it had a really exciting pace. I still don't fully understand the disconnect between how aggressive the album covers were for these 80s albums and how comparatively tame the music is to modern rock, but that's ok. 4/5

I don't think it's the best Iron Maiden that's out. But you can see the vision in this debut and it has just enough of the good stuff of later Iron Maiden to justify a 4.

Whenever I listen to Iron Maiden I remember that I should be listening to more Iron Maiden. Great album, melodic and catchy while still having fast metal instrument parts.

I was so hesitant at first, but then my face started to melt.

First time listening, pretty enjoyable, like a more polished Sabbath.

surprisingly very good, high 4

Quite a classic, with much left to come. Not quite my favorite album of theres, but its interesting to see the start.

Like the primordial goo of modern heavy metal. Fast, loud, not quite fully formed. Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania stand out. What a relief after forcing myself to listen to Scott 2 all the way through. Like a juicy steak after starving for two days.

To be honest, Paul Di’Anno’s voice isn’t really my taste, but I can’t help being drawn to Dave Murray’s fluid guitar lines and Steve Harris’s bass work. Prowler is of course great, but in Remember Tomorrow the interplay between the two guitars and the bass line is something I could follow endlessly. What fascinates me about Iron Maiden is that, despite being labeled as heavy metal, their sound isn’t just about power or volume. It’s built on a delicate, precise three-voice structure — two guitars weaving harmonized melodies over a restless, melodic bass. That sense of construction and accuracy gives their music a unique kind of intensity.

Very solid rock album. Great guitar and drums. Gives the vibe a true metal band through and through, but in a very enjoyable way for someone not familiar with the metal genre.

This album was really good! The start was a bit shaky, but after hitting Phantom and Transylvania, the riffs and solos go to the next level. I also really liked the lead guitar tone. This was one of my favorite classic metal works I’ve listened to. Favorite Track: Phantom of the Opera

I liked their later stuff better, but this was a great start.

Great classic album

I was surprised to find a bluesy bar band that totally shreds instead of Iron Maiden. Then The Metal Showed Up on Phantom and barely let up on the back half. This is a solid debut. Bruce Dickinson is whom I'm used to but this guy is very good. He doesn't have the gravitas of Dickinson though. Can't wait for Number of the Beast to show up. Soild 4

I've listened to the Iron Maiden hits quite a bit. I even prefer the Iron Maiden pinball machine over all others (Run to the Hills bangs, fight me). But I've never gone back to listen to their first album. I heard Ghost's cover of Phantom of the Opera when they released it a few years ago and I wasn't a big fan of the song then. When I listened to the album in it's entirety, everything hit. I loved it. What an album. I gotta listen to more Iron Maiden

What a legendary debut album. The variety, innovation, instrumentation, it’s all there. Not quite as perfect as some of their other projects, but still an absolute pleasure to listen to. (4.5)

Yllätyin kuinka paljon tykkäsin tästä. En siis olettanut että en ois tykänny mutta tykkäsin enemmän ku oisik olettanu. Hyvä energia ja ei oo liian heavyä mun makuun. Mageet kitarat.

Pioneers of metal, not my favorite Maiden album but still awesome

Maiden rules. While they are undeniably heavy metal, they also bring a gift for rhythm and groove and leaven the thrash just enough, giving space for slower melodies and the singer’s nice voice (apparently this is pre-Bruce Dickinson.) And when they rock, I dare you not to headbang.

Excellent! Love this Maiden era.

Poggers

Yee haw

Bedre enn forventet pga annen sanger

Woo band firing on all cylinders. It’s been a long time since I last heard this. Good listen.

Feels like very average hard rock now? None of the hits I would have associated with Iron Maiden are here, but the sound is very clearly getting there. I enjoyed it, and will bump it up one for originality

More varied and interesting musically than I was expecting. I did keep thinking, "wow, these guys really want me to think they are SO DARK and EDGIER than they actually are."

Classic rock album

Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Remember Tomorrow, Transylvania, Iron Maiden A completely respectable entry into the List, and the Heavy Metal Genre. I am really starting to appreciate the genre, which I honestly had reservations about before starting the List; Mostly because I always lumped all of the various forms of "metal" into the Heavy Metal genre. Although bands like Slayer, Turbonegro, Venom (for example) and other death/black/thrash metal bands share the same root of heavy electric power guitar, bass and percussion, I feel like there is still a world of difference between the aforementioned bands and bands I would consider to be more "traditional" metal, like Black Sabbath, Metallica and Deep Purple, and now Iron Maiden. I am again being reminded of the video game Risk of Rain 2, which has excellent music that sounds very similar to what I am hearing on Strange World (sans the singing).

Before: I'm glad this has come up, a couple weeks ago I mentioned I really don't have much perspective on this era of rock, and ZZ top left me so disappointed. I know this is considered heavier than that, but I'm excited to investigate deeper. After: I feel like a ding dong for comparing this to ZZ Top at first haha. Anyways I really liked this one! The guitar tones had me hooked, and the clearness of the drums in the mix really stood out to me. I also appreciated the range that the vocalist brought. He was giving different and interesting performances on every track. It suffers a bit from cheesy lyricism at points, but at others, the imagery was strong and fun.

This is really fun prog-metal. The riffs were really fun to follow and the drumming was interesting especially alongside the riffs. There were also some fun bass lines happening in the background. I really enjoy albums where it's written and produced in a way that you can feel the energy and this is one of those. I also really love the dual lead guitar sound. Harmonizing riffs speaks to me.

I love that you can listen to virtually any Iron Maiden song and know immediately that its Maiden. Even for an early album, their sound is so distinct. Its the high pitched dubbed guitars, its the operatic vocals, the drums are often kind of simple, but they're heavy and booming. I think more than anything, this band thrives at creating a world within the album and within their music. I'm not really sure what every song is about, but I know I'm in it. It feels like a movie. Even the kind of silly songs on this record (Running Free or Charlotte the Harlot) still feel like they're part of the overall story and progression of the record. Even if that story is kind of cheesy or silly, it doesn't really matter. Its better enjoyed when you lean in. I don't revisit Maiden often, but I'm always glad when I do. Today was no exception.

I wanted this to be a 5. It wasn't. Great album, but it is a far cry from the best metal out there. Hoping for another Iron Maiden album that is a little more refined later on.

This album was really good. I'm starting to realize that I really like metal music. What isn't to like? Heavy drums and guitars and interesting vocals. I didn't get completely into this album, but I would love to come back to it in the future.

Музыка: 8/10 Разнообразие: 7/10 Тематика и вайб: 8/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 8/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 9/10 Итог: 8.0

I like this. It's a very rocking time, with a great tempo and quality to it. There's something of the Black Sabbath to it, where the music is really quite melodic, with some great riffs, and interesting shifts in rhythm and tempo. I really like the squealy guitars, and I'm also impressed with his singing. The cover art maybe belies the sound a bit, as you might expect something aggressive or even ear-splitting, but this is really quite accessible. 3.5 rounded up.

I've already listened to his album (17). The best is yet to come for Maiden, but the bones of the formula are there already. Iron Maiden is a killer song.

Classic early maiden, setting things up nicely for the greater stuff that was to come

Удивлен тому, что поставил другому их альбому 4, но это разъебная музыка, которая разбивает жанры и звучит отлично до сих пор. Лучшая песня - Phantom of the Opera.

Iron Maiden is definitely an album i really enjoyed. It is always good when i get another metal album for the stockpile as i love nearly everything that genre puts out and this album is absolutely no exception. It is definitely a more basic album as it is an album that came out in 1980 but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. This album is still fast frenetic and has all the great guitar riffs, crushing drum beats and everything else you could want from this genre. Granted, this album's basic nature does make it a little bit forgettable but i never at any point disliked what i was hearing. This is an absolutely great album that i still really enjoyed from beginning to end. Best Song: Remember Tomorrow Worst Song: Charlotte the Harlot

8/10

Operatic without being cringe, and absolutely 🔥. Four stars. Is this list turning me into a discerning metalhead?

listenable metal

Great debut album that instantly established their sound and were innovators in metal. Very talented musicians and lotta music, notes, and ideas packed into the album. One of my favorite notes was the huge grand finale on the last song. This would be one of the best live play through albums cause it plays like a concert.

Enjoyed this to the earlier (later) Maiden. Had good debut album energy, and thought Strange World was fantastic.

Im not a rock guy but really good album nice cohesive and fun

4/5

Really good, I enjoyed that.

So much good stuff on here. 5/8, 87%

Cool guitar band. Don't know how I missed them, probably because I thought they were much heavier than this. I think this is a good intro album into them and I would definitely listen to some more of them based on what I heard on this album.

Такие драмы квин, не могу...

I thought I knew Iron Maiden but this debut had really changed my opinion

7.1 / 10 Way better than I expected. These guys rock! Literally. Way more like hard rock/classic rock than the metal that I’m used to hearing. Definitely would listen again.

Wasn't expecting to be into this but it's very fun actually, liked this more than their other albums that have been on here

The structure of what Iron Maiden would become is there, but this album is maybe a bit raw for what I want my IM to sound like. Super solid debut album, though! 4 stars.

I've never really listened to Iron Maiden, but I can see why they became so popular. Really liked this album.

Similar to Black Sabbath in recent weeks it’s shocking to think this is the bands debut release. Equally staggering to imagine how this must have sounded in the landscape of 1980. Surely Kiss and others were doing their thing but the scale or sound and volume of guitars at least to me seems relatively novel. I’m more a fan of Bruce Dickinson era Maiden but you cannot deny their sound even from day one. There are several 5 songs on this album - consider Phantom of the Opera (especially from 3:00 to the end) - but as I do not see the album as a 5. I mean I have to leave room for later work. 4/5

Loved this Getting back to Metal roots🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

Nothing much to say about this one, I liked it

Album No. 0027 on my list. I had not listened to this album in a couple of years, and I think it has always been overshadowed by the subsequent Iron Maiden albums with Bruce Dickinson. I have to say though - it's a great album! I personally enjoyed many of the songs very much - beyond the Maiden classics "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden", "Prowler" and "Phantom of the Opera" are my favorites. While he certainly had different vocal qualities compared to Dickinson, Paul Di'Anno was a great singer and I like the more raw, less melodic energy of his voice compared to Bruce's later efforts. Still not my favorite maiden album, but very cool stuff that I'll listen more to in the future - 4/5 stars!

I very much enjoyed this album listen! My first time listening to an Iron Maiden album in full and I thought it was great. I would definitely listen to this electrifying metal album again in the future! It was especially great to listen to at the gym as well.

Stærkt album. Fed og variende metal oplevelser med strejf af den karakteristiske britiske rock lyd. Starter stærkt ud med "Prowler," rammer en smuk bjergtop med "Phantom of the Opera", men desværre rammen titelsangen der afslutter albummet ikke lige min øregang helt rigtigt og får derved ikke den afslutning albummet ellers fortjener.

As far as Heavy Metal goes, Iron Maiden is pretty sweet. Probably more accessible than most is, and I enjoyed it because of it.

"Iron Maiden" is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was met with immediate critical acclaim and declared "the heavy metal sound of the 1980's with its blinding speed and rampant ferocity." Hit that on the nail. At the time, Iron Maiden was Paul Di'Anno (lead vocals), Dave Murray (guitars), Dennis Stratton (guitar, backing vocals), Steve Harris (bass, backing vocals, primary songwriter) and Clive Burr (drums). The album reached #4 on the UK charts. Overlayed guitar riffs start things off in the opener "Prowler." Gritty lead and backing vocals. A song about a pervert. Guitar breaks and a guitar solo. The band keeps adding to the speed. "Remember Tomorrow" starts out slower with stretched guitar notes. Dramatic vocals as Di'Anno tells a story about his grandfather as a WWII pilot. They really get the soft-loud-soft dynamic going. Metallica said this song was hugely influential in songs like "Fade to Black." I see that. "Running Free" was the first single. Tom-tom drums, a plodding bass and a guitar riff. Di'Anno said this song was semi-autobiographical about his 16-year old skinhead self. A standard sounding song and one not far away from sounding like the band that they opened for, Kiss. "Phantom of the Opera" is anything but standard. Operatic, layered guitars. A very fast beat. Multiple time signature changes. We'll, I guess, they had to get their prog rock side out. They sure did. Epic. The album ends with "Iron Maiden" and really foreshadows what they would sound like. Very fast. Driving. Melodic guitars. An underlying melodic bass. Very catchy vocal chorus. A bass solo. Yes! Lighters out! Driving. Raw. Fast. I think the murky production actually helps this giving it an edgy sound. Di'Anno's vocals can be gritty but he's got a good scream. He's just different than Dickinson. They hang on to remnants of prog rock and even punk. Not a bad thing in 1980. There's their highly influential sound and a few songs ("Remember Tomorrow " and "Strange World") that would influence heavy metal soft-loud-soft songs and ballads as well. Steve Harris is an absolute beast on bass, drives the music and shows why he has been one of the best bassists in any kind of music. This is a great album and a lot of fun to go back to. I recommend you do the same.

top3 : - strange world - phantom ot the opera - remember tomorrow

Liked the guitar parts. Super intricate

I'm going to be honest... this isn't my cup of tea. It's just not my genre, but I give it respect for not being just noise. I hear the intent, I hear the lyrics, I recognize who Iron Maiden are/were. They belong here, I'm not the best person to judge this because it's just not my class... but respect to them and for making it welcoming.

Really feels like a first album, put together before they'd properly found their feet. However, I must commend it for trying different things, using great dynamics, and making best use of the sonic materials they had to hand.

This was a solid album and marks my first official listen of an Iron Maiden album. To be honest, I was not expecting to enjoy it so much. I don't typically like any songs that are intense and heavy, but the guitar and drums were so good that I didn't find myself thinking that it was too much. I loved the gritty feel of the album!

Iron Maiden Wants You For Dead 1001 Albums Generator 102 (08/22/2025) Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden (not to be confused with Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden off the album Iron Maiden), released in 1980, is their debut album. I mean, this is what metal is all about, is it not? While other metal bands were futzing around with the rock and blues inspiration that metal originally came from, this album separated the wheat from the chaff. From the first note in Prowler (imagine starting your career with a song this good, by the way) to the powerful self-titled closing track, Iron Maiden showed definitively once and for all that metal was really a distinct genre in its own right. Not only that, but the sound of this album is all over the place. I love the speed and pure aggression of Prowler and the title track, but the obvious star of this album is Phantom of the Opera. While Maiden would much later become just an extremely boring prog band, at this point, they had the songwriting chops to justify a long song like this. The fluctuations in tempo and the virtuosic guitar solos are incredible. Like all of Maiden's first 7 albums, the true quality of this one is not in the few true standout tracks; it is in the quality of everything else around it, and unfortunately the "filler" here is not their best. Remember Tomorrow and Transylvania are awesome, but I really don't like Running Free, and Strange World is one of their most plain ballads from their early career in my opinion. Also, I am not a huge Paul Dianno fan, and I think that Maiden really gained their footing as true greats when Bruce Dickinson joined a couple of albums later. I can't necessarily hold that against this album, but the couple of weaker tracks keep this classic from 5/5 territory. Pretty clear cut 4/5 for me. Favs: Prowler Phantom of the Opera Iron Maiden Least Fav: Running Free

Prawler was a good song, the others were kinda bland

surprisingly nice

1. This is PRECISELY what I needed after being forced to listen to Cold Play. 2. I was a teenager in the 80s. I used to walk by the smoking section of my high school (yes, in the 80s public high schools in California had a section on campus where kids could smoke - and 95% of them wore jeans, IM BS/OO or JP tees and black leather jackets summer or winter) with my nose in the air, pitying the wayward fools who listened to such trivial novelty music. In my 50s I LOVE IT. 3. This album sounds like they haven't quite figured out exactly how they want to use their prodigious talents; exactly what Iron Maiden's sound is. But their explorations are so F#$ing INTERESTING. 4. Puts KISS and even, dare I say it?, AC/DC to shame. 5. Perhaps the best use of Chorus effect on guitars ever.

patika vairāk nekā es domāju, ka patiks riktīgi vaiboju līdzi! tie ģičas rifi tiiiikk kruti īpaši patika "Running Free", "Phantom of the Opera" un "Prowler"

Much better musicianship than I thought

Wow. This was a really solid debut, and quite a bit different from their later work.

What can I say that concerned parents in the 80s didn't already? This album was corrupting the youth, and the youth were right. Long live Heavy Metal.

Amazing for a debut

Loved every minute of it. No skipping required. Love when it slows down and the solos are epic

Je comprends pourquoi c'est un classique. Les riffs posent les bases pour de nombreux groupes à venir.

☆4.5 初代ボーカル、ポールディアノ時代に出たアルバム(1st) パンキッシュな吐き捨てるようなボーカルが特徴。 ギターソロの完成度も高い。 個人的にはかなり満足度の高いアルバムだった。

Vadå metal? Mittemellan pop och Led Zeppelin. Vilka gitarrer! Fyra plus

Not my favourite Iron Maiden album but a good debut, and for the time it was released created a following that helped prop the band up as a heavy metal / post punk staple. I’d still rather listen to Powerslave.

Not sure I’ve heard this one before. Most of the songs are familiar but not memorable. Good one for the nostalgia.

So rock and roll. Just like Black Sabbath, it's really funny to me that this is the kind of music people would clutch pearls at back when this came out. Maybe it's the spooky album art.

I like this singer more than Dickinson tbh

Doesn't quite fall into wood rock and not full nwobhm making a quality 70s rock album

\m/ Paul Di'Anno is better than I remembered. I'm a big fan of Madien, and even though it isn't my favorite album of theirs, it's still great. "Iron Maiden" is a raw album that gives us a peek at what the band would become, as a great first album should. It has great basslines and energetic drums, amazing guitars, and unique song subjects (especially 'Phantom'). loved all of the songs except for "Transylvania" and "Charlotte the Harlot" . My favorites were: "Running Free", "Phantom of the Opera", and "Iron Maiden" 4/5

This was fun - and not in my collection!

I enjoyed this album the last time I took a gander at it. Loved it again.

if wrathchild had been in this album it would have been solid 5 stars

Yeah vampires and that thing in the album cover are really cool.

Iron Maiden are the goats of classic heavy metal and while this isn't one of their masterpieces, it's a phenomenal debut and a great album in it's own right. 89/100

I was positively surprised about this. Really nice album.

Best Song: Charlotte the Harlott A solid start to one of metal's pioneers. 4/5.

3.5 but we will round up yeah girllllll

The only thing stopping this from being a 5 is that it didn't make me go crazy go stupid. It is a very high 4 and the guitar is killer.

I rate this: guitar solo/10 🎸🎸🎸🎸

Not a huge metal guy but this album rips. Put them in the Iron Maiden. Excellent!

Fantastic album, heavy metal at its finest

8 songs 37 minutes. Has a state college from the 1980s sound. I'm a better person having listened to it. Much better than that "imagine" bs.

Loved this! I l can hear the hard rock but with unexpected punk influences. The dual guitars were super cool and the shredding sessions weren't grossly long.

Super weird not hearing the Dickinson vocals we all associate with Maiden Cool listen….can hear some a lot of what’s to come. A couple tracks sounded like they had been listening to a lot of KISS Worthwhile listen

I thought I didn’t care for Iron Maiden going into this album, but I’ve realized that maybe I just don’t like Bruce Dickinson. I really enjoyed the gritty, raw sound and the punkier, less operatic vocals. I also appreciate how high up the bass guitar is in the mix. I’m still a sucker for twin guitar harmonies!

Gnarly. Could've been the soundtrack for Fury Road.

a rare 80s maiden album that doesn't fully slap. but it still fuckin slaps

I've never listened to this album. It's not what I expected at all. It sounds quite different from Number of the Beast. It feels a lot more restrained? They're still going hard as fuck and there's a LOT going on, but it sounds less like Iron Maiden than I expected. The vocal style is also a little different. It's less theatrical. This album rocked front to back. I enjoyed it a lot, but didn't love it. It was missing that extra bit of something that they pick up later in their discography. My favorite songs were "Transylvania" and "Iron Maiden". 8/10

Liked this more than I thought I would, was actually just straight up a solid listen.

Pretty good. I think they have better.

Cool and punchy. Sick cover art lol. And not too long! More albums should be under 40 minutes. (I’ve long thought 90 minutes is the perfect movie length and am starting to think maybe 45 is the perfect album length.) Phantom of the Opera was my favourite track. (3.5 stars)

Knowing nothing about Iron Maiden except for a very general sense that they were a hardcore band from the 80s(?), I found this album a delightful surprise. The guitar playing was so lyrical and impressive, and the music very grand. Good stuff.

When I first saw that this album was heavy metal, I was quite scared that it was going to be a grueling, however to my surprise I quite liked it. There's none of the screaming into the mic that I thought would be present in metal band albums.

pappa gillar

Början till något stort!

While the absence of Bruce makes me sad, pretty much every other element of the band still exists here, so it's still good.

Classic rock sound. Departure from Bruce Dickinson's vocals. Low production quality, but solid songs.

Incredible album, love me some iron maiden. But never took the time to listen to this album.

Solid rock/metal album. I’m not an Iron Maiden fan but this was satisfying from start to finish. I’m not rushing out to purchase the vinyl or even add to my “liked songs” on Spotify. But I’d certainly give it a spin again. This is different than the other Iron Maiden songs I’ve heard. Definitely seems like a debut album and they were still finding their sound.

The stainless steel maiden is better for cleaning

First time listening to them (consciously anyway), pretty cool stuff! They were fucking up that guitar the whole time, it was great. Not quite a 5 just because I only really liked about half, but still good stuff!

I don’t think I had ever listened to Iron Maiden before. This was a fun time. Liked it a lot better than I thought I would, but maybe their earlier stuff was closer to just rock than heavy metal? Some awesome guitar work in nearly every song. Really the only one I didn’t like at all was the title track.

I'm a very visual guy. Metal albums tend to put me off because of their cover art looking like dick. Ironically, I do usually enjoy the genre a lot, so I'm aware that this dumb prejudice has kept me from experiencing many great albums. I'm glad, then, that Iron Maiden popped up on this challenge, because I know I never would've checked them out with this ugly-ass ghoul thing on the cover. And I would have missed out on some sick fuckin shredding and nonstop bangers. The songwriting caught me off-guard with how melodic it gets at times. Goooood stuff. Standouts: Prowler • Phantom Of The Opera

Not their best, but a good listener

Rock on🤘

I like Bruce Dickinson as their vocalist better, and as far as early 80s metal, I tend toward Judas Priest. This album was released the same year as "British Steel", which to me is a stronger effort, but this has some definite bright spots. Favorite track is "Phantom of the Opera"

Oh Eddie, your horrifying face that gazed back at me from record store walls for much of childhood. Even when I got into music the parentals didn’t approve of, I never explored your music. I did love and fantasize about the insane album covers and what could possibly be going on in the music to have such an audacious cover? Well, apart from “Number of the Beast” and “Trooper, this is my first full exploration. And I gotta say it’s quality metal. I don’t like this singer as much as Dickinson’s operatic screams, but the guitar riffs, lyrics and drums take me on some crazy journeys. Notable tracks: Prowler, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, and Iron Maiden.

First thing I noticed was of course no Bruce Dickinson. I guess his vocals really seemed to define Iron Maiden for me and bring their music to the next level. These songs were still fun to rock out to, and it's still crazy to me that this album is from 1980.

There’s something so gloriously raw about this debut. It’s scrappy, urgent, and full of that pub-gig energy where everyone’s trying to prove something. I love how rough around the edges it is. The production isn’t slick and the performances sometimes teeter on the edge of falling apart, but that’s part of the charm. You can hear the hunger in every track, like they’re kicking the doors down to let the world know they’ve arrived. Paul Di’Anno’s vocals have this punky sneer that fits the vibe perfectly. He doesn’t try to be operatic, just snarls and belts through the chaos, and it works. The twin guitars from Murray and Stratton are already a defining feature. You’ve got harmonies flying in and out, sharp little runs, and those galloping riffs that would become their signature. Phantom of the Opera is the obvious standout. It’s wild how ambitious that song is for a debut album – full of tempo shifts and ideas, and it all somehow sticks together. Running Free is a total street anthem, while Charlotte the Harlot brings a bit of cheeky character into the mix. For me, this isn’t their best record, but it’s one of their most important. It laid the groundwork. There’s a youthful grit to it that never comes back quite the same way again. Later albums got more polished and operatic, but this one punches you in the face and then buys you a pint.

🤘

Already familiar with this one, I’ve heard every maiden album and this may be my favourite one. It’s kind of hard to compare this with the Bruce Dickinson ones though because Bruce basically is the voice of Maiden but this album feels like maiden before maiden and Paul Di’Anno does a great job here. This also feels a lot more punky than any other maiden album especially with Paul’s voice. Starts of with one of my favourite Maiden songs, prowler which has a great riff and uses wah pedal which is an automatic win, then goes into a much more mellow song with remember tomorrow which breaks into loud screams from Paul with great guitar shredding. Running free is a catchy song which is probably their least metal sounding song (sounds very rock n roll), phantom of the opera is a 7 minute epic with loads of nice guitar and different sections culminating in a song deserving of its name. Transylvania is an instrumental track which are usually a very strong highlight for metal albums which is very much the case here. Strange world is another more mellow track on here with surprisingly poetic lyrics for this era of maiden and one of the reasons I like this album so much compared to their others due to the 2 softer songs which bring more diversity. The last 2 are actually my least favourites but still good, Charlottetown harlot is quite provocative but has a really nice break, iron maiden is a catchy pure heavy metal song. Overall 8.5/10.

Hard(ish) rock excellence! Very forward sound for 1980 and way more enjoyable than later Iron Maiden. I give it four horns up.

Awesome record, first time I’d listened to it and it’s exactly what you would think it would be in the best possibly way

Those riffs

Can’t believe I’m only listening to this for the first time now can clearly see their influence on Metallica even bands like U2 in the 80s prowler is an absolute banging start love it

really enjoyed this!

Ça c’est bien NRV j’ai raison ou quoi

Très cool et pas redondant!

Inte maidens bästa, men har några maiden-klassiker och man hör grunderna till allt som gör maiden riktigt bra senare

Rock on freaky bros

Love me some Iron Maiden. Not my favorite album by them, but still really like it.

Lo recordaba de otra manera y me sorprendió. Una genialidad de álbum. Si bien no es exactamente lo que uno espera de iron maiden, en especial porque espera a Bruce Dickinson y el estilo más cercano a power metal, sigue funcionando perfectamente el álbum.

A good hard rock album, but with little innovation. In the same genre I prefer Uriah Heep.

A fine example of NWOBHM. I would probably lose the ballad which seemed obligatory around this era.

Oh yeah, this is good!

08/06/2025 It was nice to see where it all started out, it was okay, it wasn't great.

Good, not great

phenomenal fun

4.2

Iron Maiden is one of my all time favorites, absolutely love them. I’m younger gen-x so my prime discovery years are of Bruce than Paul, but great debut album.

First time listening to this album. Really enjoy it.

Not my favorite Maiden album, but undeniably a classic. A really great debut.

Had verwacht dat ik het tering herrie zou vinden, maar vond het eigenlijk best leuk

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO

Ça riff en mautadine! Mais j'aime mieux avec Bruce. 3.5 arrondi!