Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Not bad. New to heavy metal some songs were pretty good. Even recognized certain sounds in modern culture references
I always used to think I hated Iron Maiden. Turns out I was right. This album gets an extra star for not having Bruce Dickinson on it.
I rate this: guitar solo/10 🎸🎸🎸🎸
Iron Maiden, I apricate them, but never got hooked in.
I can't say this was really to my taste, but I found it more enjoyable than other 80s metal I've listened to. The guitar is a bit more raw and melodic, and it has opportunities to breathe. The vocals are cheesy, but in some places remind me of the rawness of Rory Gallagher, weirdly enough, and it kind of works. "Phantom of the Opera" is an especially interesting track, kind of a classical feel with a bit of Brian May in the solo. I thought "Running Free" was the standout track, and I also liked some of the Pink Floyd feel of "Strange World". I think ultimately I get really worn out after about 15 mins of metal, so this album just started to drag and feel repetitive for me after a while. Much of it feels like "standard" metal of the period, with some shining moments. This is something I probably wouldn't listen to again, but it's not bad.
Not a huge metal guy but this album rips. Put them in the Iron Maiden. Excellent!
I love metal. Love iron maiden. But it doesn't age super well, does it?
Solid as hell (pun intended)
Fantastic album, heavy metal at its finest
Decent debut album. It was more melodic than I expected.
Oh, this is what my parents meant when they said my music sounds like noise! Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (yesterday's album) isn't my usual genre, but I genuinely enjoyed it. I didn't really like "The Stooges" and "Meat is Murder" (which kicked off my list), but I could see their merit. This one is leaving me cold in ways the others didn't. It really tested my commitment to listening to things all the way through and not cutting them short. I made it, but kind of by tuning it out by the end.
Too many ballads for me
A bit boring
Enjoyed it more than I expected.
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.
Phantom of the opera, running free and iron maiden mwahh 😘
Day 10 This was probably my 10th listen of the album. It is one of my favs metal records ever!
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.
A+ branding, great pinball machine. Not for me but I can appreciate why it's cool.
What’s constantly running through rock and roll dude guy from Gilmore girls head
A great foundation for their later albums.
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 love strange world. it feels like a song you’d play for a first love i can imagine dancing while this song is playing in the background. this is very rock n rolly i’ve been trying to get more into rock and this is perfect i love prowler too i love the guitar and drums in this album oh that guitar in strange world this is my favorite song on the album most definitely. the album can be loud too i like that charlotte the harlot is very dancey to me i love it
I've been a Maiden fan since I was a teenager in the 80s. This is not my Iron Maiden, though. It sounds so wrong to have anyone but Dickinson's voice going along with that (still recognizable) music.
Not the biggest fan of (heavy) metal, but this was okay.
Sure, within the metal scene Iron Maiden might be a basic, accessible choice, but goddamn did they make metal sound catchy as hell.
Someone send some help my ears are on FIRE!!!! 🔥
Pretty poor stuff.
Knew the Band’s name but none of the music…wish it stayed that way.
The classic Maiden riffs are here, but they are not as full in the mix. The bass is, of course, excellent. Di’Anno’s vocal delivery is very different than Bruce Dickinson’s, and unfortunately I think I prefer the latter. Feels like what it is, the debut from a band who would change vocalists and find their sound later on. I could see being intrigued by this debut and eagerly awaiting the follow up in 1980.
this album is corny as hell and it sounds way too thin.
Solid album. Not a huge fan of metal in general but older metal has my heart.
This is one album that has not aged well. I can see where some of the later bands (Metallica, for one) got their inspiration, but hindsight is not kind to this one. That being said, it was surprisingly musical. If you listen to this with nostalgia, it is probably great. But the genre left these baby steps (and my tastes) behind long ago. It needs a remix. Still a good album, just not my thing.
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.
niet mijn ding
Expected to hate it, didn’t! Still not a fan though
a rare 80s maiden album that doesn't fully slap. but it still fuckin slaps
I've been wanting to start a band recently, and thinking about what type of band would be fun to be a part of. Early Maiden must have been a blast to play in. Maiden is such a tight and polished band, so I like hearing their early, more raw music. The songs are still very complicated, and their tight as all get out, but the sound is very different. Their guitar tone sounds more normal. On Number of the Beast, sometimes the guitars are so perfected that they sound almost like another instrument. On Transylvania, it just sounds like some boys with humbuckers and loud Marshalls. Anyway all the songs rule and so does this album. Album cover: (A+) Eddie
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
I used to listen IM back in public school. Probably would skip this album though if I was in the mood for them.
Liked this more than I thought I would, was actually just straight up a solid listen.
Pretty good. I think they have better.
Lyssnade inte så aktivt, hade på den i bakgrunden. Helt ok...
Steam iron
Really dreaded listening to this album as my partner is a huge fan and I’ve never understood the draw. I also was slightly put off by the album artwork. Decided to go in with an open mind though. Enjoyed the guitars on this album a lot but found the vocals a tad lacking (especially in comparison to Bruce Dickinson). Favourite songs were “Phantom of the Opera” and “Prowler”. Would listen to Iron Maiden again but likely later albums.
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.
Very tame for Iron Maiden and none of the future bangers they’re known for. I likes it but kept waiting for the songs to kick in
Never known why these guys were so popular. Cabaret metal.
I am not into metal but this album was above expectation. The melodies where nice and the instrumentation enjoyable. Cool.
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.
This is the best debut album ever. Not a single miss on this and this has aged wonderfully. 10/10 album.
Once cool music that has become dad music. Time comes for us all
I like this one. Especially musically. 4 stars
pappa gillar
Förväntade mig att det skulle vara tråkigare faktiskt, bra sångare och stabila låtar men jag saknar lite av en edge för ett högre betyg!
Början till något stort!
Långt över förväntan! Jag kan ha missuppfattat metal.
För att vara debutalbum med "fel" sångare så är det verkligen toppen. Prowler top 5 maiden
Didn't get as many listens in as I wanted to, but appreciated it.
Brilliant. I can’t say I ever listened to much Iron Maiden but I enjoyed it
While the absence of Bruce makes me sad, pretty much every other element of the band still exists here, so it's still good.
Nope
Too much screaming
I have never liked this Maiden album. I always think it is very novice material
Classic rock sound. Departure from Bruce Dickinson's vocals. Low production quality, but solid songs.
Solid and raw. I liked it.
Ech hät ehrlechgseid dänkt dass Iron Maidon no vel meh Hard Rock d. h. omeschreie ond herti E-Gitarre wär. Sie send also erstuundlech gmässigt. Vorallem I strange World hends au e rächt Geili and ruhigi Atmosphäre änebroocht. Au öbergäng send teilwiis huere clean, au wenn t Lieder völlig anderi send. Trotzdem esches halt emmer no Metal was ech weder gemerkt ha dass es ned min Musigstil esch. Sie händ halt emmer no ehri Stemm ins Gitarre, woer eifach z extrem send.
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.
I don't really like metal, but if I did then I'm sure I'd like this, it does indeed go up to eleven. The guitars go wa wa weeeeeee, the bass goes dum dum dum dum and the drums go bang bang bangity bang. Very silly album cover. Still giving it a pass mark.
Like their sound. No familiar songs on this album.
I don't know what metaphor to use here: death's-head moth pushing out of its chrysalis? Swamp monster rising from the mud(dy production)? Rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouching towards Bethlehem to be born? All of the above? You can hear they're not quite there yet (Bruce Dickinson won't arrive for a couple more albums) but you can tell where they're going and that the trip will be exciting.
The stainless steel maiden is better for cleaning
I’d give this 3.5/5
Not fan of heavy metal, but this is one of the better ones.
first metal album i've reviewed and this is definitely a good pick. i'm not a full metalhead but I do have a lot of appreciation for the genre. and like, it's IRON MAIDEN. the album art is a bit terrifying but even outside of my personal love for the genre I have to appreciate the guitar solos and some really nice tempo changes thrown in, both elements making the album a lot more interesting to listen to. favorite song: "iron maiden", by the band iron maiden, from the album "iron maiden" overall: 9/10
not my favorite but still good
Not bad but just my taste, respectfully.
Not into metal.
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!
Some rock and metal albums feel relentless - and while I understand the appeal, and why people like these types of albums, they've just never resonated with me. This is one of them. I can recognize why it's good, and even actively enjoy some bits of the tracks, but it left me exhausted a bit more than it left me thrilled. Those of you who love Maiden, shred enough for the two of us.
Strong songwriting, especially for a debut, but the vocals were mixed a little low for my liking, and the songs did blend together a bit throughout the album, which prevents me from giving this a full 4.
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
A really okay album. Probably a 2.5 for me that I must round down. The production is really bad and I felt like I couldn't hear the words, not that it added anything when I could. For the type of music I felt it lacked energy. Frequently found myself bored but thankfully a guitar solo would usually start.
Not their best, but a good listener
Well, boy, if that ain't some classic metal. I can never tell if a song like "Charlotte the Harlot" is meant to be ironic or not tho
I'm tired pretending that I give even a little shit about hard rock album #347.
I'm familiar with a few of these songs but have never listened to the whole album. It's pretty good, with a very good raw energy. What I keep thinking is that if this is on the 1001 Album list then all of their next 6 albums should be as well because they are all better than this. Was this included because of a moment-in-time impact?
Rock on🤘
classic iron maiden, like the dueling guitars but very long guitar riffs and 7 minute songs
Den här debuten behöver de inte skämmas för.
Cool to hear early maiden in an active listening, full album context. Production is a bit dated, which l always have beef with in early metal. Paul is such a different vibe from Bruce.
Kuin Iron maiden löytäisi tässä äänensä. Hyvin pysyy yllä 40 minuuttia, ei liikaa mitään eikä todellakaan mitään liian vähän. Tilutusta on, mutta siitä pidetään sopivasti taukoa progehkosti.
Kaksi ulottuvuutta: Prowler (viihdyttävä) ja Phantom of the Opera (kiusallinen). Kokonaisuudessaan kuunneltava levy, jota en usko enää kuuntelevani. 2,5
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"
Stage Two heavy metal- in that transition from bands like Sabbath and Zeppelin and Deep Purple to bands like Metallica et al. More thrashy/punky. Judas Priest. Kinda sounds like a more metal Thin Lizzy? Not the primary vocalist. Also the only album with this particular guitarist.
ok
Crassic
ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH THIS ALBUM
Possibly the best metal debut of all time
I can see the musical talent, but this wasn't my thing in the 80s, and it's not my thing now. The first couple tracks were all right, but for the just pay the melodies didn't do it for me.
I like this one. But Piece of Mind (1983) a couple years later is stronger and more fully realized. Listen to The Trooper for the quintessential Iron Maiden song.
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.
Undeniable, even though it's not really for me.
Up The Irons!! Love me some Iron Maiden but been an age since I’ve listened to them so I was very glad to get this today. This is one of the all time great debut albums. There’s some absolute classics on here. To be honest when you think of songs like Phantom of The Opera and Iron Maiden that have been part of their live sets for decades, I actually prefer Paul Di’Anno’s more raw vocals on them. Top Track - Strange World I can’t believe there’s only two Maiden albums on here so that’s me done with them already. Need to make a list of 1001 Metal Albums lol.
enjoyable
First time ever listening to Iron Maiden, weirdly. This wasn't half bad - a bit too 'classic rock' for me, but it was 1980 after all. Favourite tracks: Prowler, Remember Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera.
Prowler 3.4 Remember Tomorrow 3.5 Running Free 3.4 Phantom of the Opera 3.6 Transylvania (instrumental) 3.5 Strange World 3.5 Charlotte the Harlot 3.4 Iron Maiden 3.2 Score: 3.4375
Great start to the week! :)
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.
Def prefer their other album over this debut one.
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.
Never been a massive fan of denim rock so forgive me for saying first time listener to iron maiden. Honestly I thought it was ok. May listen again.
🤘
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.
It was alright. Never gave them a listen because im not a fan of 80s hair metal. Though, I must say, the guitars on this is crazy. Not sure if ill listen again but i did like some tracks.
Hard(ish) rock excellence! Very forward sound for 1980 and way more enjoyable than later Iron Maiden. I give it four horns up.
I do actually rather enjoy this as background music.
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
mmh, hard rock but listenable. Quite good but won't end up in my playlist
Those riffs
this is practically the first thing i think of when someone says metal, so in that sense its good i think best track: iron maiden worst track: remember tomorrow
Not really my thing. There are some good bits but not enough.
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
An excellent album, but I simply will not return to much from it. Nothing stands out to me beside being the origin of Iron Maiden. Never dragged though.
Not their best but decent.
really enjoyed this!
Actually pretty decent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mal mixé et chiant comme la pluie : deux étoiles
Ça c’est bien NRV j’ai raison ou quoi
Très cool et pas redondant!
Not a massive Iron Maiden fanso their debut wasn't something I was overly keen on. I think some of their later work is much stronger, but you can see where a lot of the ideas and the DNA of future Iron Maiden came from through this album. Not my cup of tea, but essential for the journey of Iron Maiden.
Heavy metal clásico. No es un estilo que me guste demasiado, pero me gustó este álbum. Me hizo recordar a una forma un tanto adolescente de crear música (riffs duplicados en guitarra y bajo, solos de guitarra, efectos clásicos como distorsión y chorus, beats de batería simples y accesibles). Se nota que la producción del álbum no es la mejor, pero siento que te mete mucho más en la crudeza del estilo. El arte de tapa por supuesto es icónica, y suma a la experiencia del álbum. "Phantom Of The Opera" es un tema para resaltar.
Usually don't like metal, but this one is pretty good. Favorite song: Phantom of the Opera
Mid
Obviously a classic, but in the lookback nothing special, really dusty old fashioned hardrock, would not even call it metal except for some ball busted screams.
Not my cup of tea. To be honest, a bit boring. There's better heavy music than this shite.
Старая классика
I know Iron Maiden are metal royalty, but I've never found my way into their music. They're not bad, but also not my taste. This album was fine for what it is. None of the songs annoyed me, but they also didn't impress me or resonate with me either.
Inte maidens bästa, men har några maiden-klassiker och man hör grunderna till allt som gör maiden riktigt bra senare
It's the start of something amazing. Not the same catchiness of some later songs. And I prefer Bruce Dickinson. But you hear the dueling guitars and the morbid storytelling. Charlotte the Harlot is a head banger. The production is good for an early album.
Fantastic album, I will listen to it again
Rock on freaky bros
Love me some Iron Maiden. Not my favorite album by them, but still really like it.
I get they are hugely influential but damn, this was boring. I am not a fan of early metal. It all sounds the same and doesn’t say anything. 2
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.
Cool but not for me
A good hard rock album, but with little innovation. In the same genre I prefer Uriah Heep.
They can shred and do ballads!! They posture about their live free nature and degrade women. And they write their own self congratulatory bio on Spotify. Pitiful.
Not my favorite by them but pretty good
Rockin
Just no…
Prowler - Definite punk DNA. TSOL jumps to mind. Great wankity solo. Remember Tomorrow - Starts very metal ham n cheese, then a monster riff leads into some RUSH-esque proto-prog ornate badassery. Metal ballads have a silliness requirement for vocals/lyrics, but sometimes it works. Running Free - Big Crue vibes at the outset. But the riff is slightly Anthrax-y. More complex/interesting than the songwriting. The breakdown with the triplet riffs is fire. Phantom of the Opera- Hell yes. Operatic (duh). I love the bridge. The muted chunka chunka is straight Fugazi-esque. And the one-line choral is beautiful. This song has like 7 sections. It evolves beautifully. Structurally recalls ‘…And Justice…’. Transylvania- I generally think metal is better without vocals. This instrumental argues strong in my favor. Strange World - La Villa Strangeworldo. Milky keys are a nice add. Pink Floyd reporting. Charlotte The Harlot - Creepy slut-shamer. “I wanna see blood”? Iron Maiden - The main riffs are so loose. This is like a brawl between a stadium rock bro and a metal nerd where the bro wins but the nerd fights better. And, so, is Eddie the Iron Maiden? Is the serial killer a medieval torture device? Or a robot girl? Was this the inspiration for M3GAN? Overall a fun time and an education. I prefer the crisp, chunky metal to the bar rock elements, but I favorited a few tracks and will likely listen again.
pretty good. idk if i’m super into hard rock
There's some good musicianship, but my overwhelming feeling was one of indifference. This didn't move me, or motivate me to seek out more
As much as Paul was good, Bruce just took Maiden to another level, but the conglomeration of punk and prog to come up with the new wave of british heavy metal is here for all to see.
I think Spinal Tap ruined Iron Maiden for me. Some good tunes on here but it has dated and there’s no Bruce yet
A fine example of NWOBHM. I would probably lose the ballad which seemed obligatory around this era.
Iron Maiden is my favorite early metal band but I hadn't actually listened to their debut album, very much enjoyed
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.
The guitar work is definitely great, and the bass and drums not far behind, but I definitely prefer Bruce Dickenson over Paul Di'anno. No disrespect to Paul, he's a pretty decent vocalist, but Bruce really brought something to the party that this album was missing.
Honestly a pretty kick-ass debut album for Iron Maiden. Given the quality and production, almost sounds like an EP instead of a full album, and I don't necessarily mean that in any disrespect. I kinda like the "rawness" to it, listening to the guitars and bass just freaking "dual it out", so to speak. Yeah idk, the guitar work is just great.
Good, not great
Never woulda listened to this album and not really my style but had some gems
Ratings probably hurt because I just listened to Judas Priest, and I like that group more. I give this a soft 3.5 stars, rounded down. The guitar is faster, the vocals are more singing vs screeching, and it doesn't hit the same.
Liked it for what it was, but definitely have to be in the mood
phenomenal fun
4.2
Up the irons!!!
J - 3/5 Best Track - "Running Free" F - DNL
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.
I loved it, but can see why they changed vocalists. some classic songs like running free on here that remain in their setlist.
An amazing album and great Debut
Not my favorite Maiden album, but undeniably a classic. A really great debut.
Pretty good for its time, honestly. I can understand why they weren't too happy with this one later on. Ballads are honestly my favorite part outside of the harmonizing guitars.
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!
Les musiciens jouent les riffs et il y a qqch. d'impressionnant là-dedans, mais on dirait qu'à part les riffs, il manque de vision pour le son, le projet global, l'ensemble. C'est honnête comme démarche, un peu trop peut-être. Ça manque de magie. Les gens de Québec aiment généralement cette musique et il y aurait une étude socio-musicologique à faire à ce sujet.
Des beaux petits riffs coquins.
Excellent debut album from excellent band :)
masterpiece
Great guitar riffs, energy throughout. Really enjoyed this one.
Metal is always decent but some of the songs really feel a bit long. 3.5/5
Wow... It's no wonder that many fans are so attached to the early phase of this band with Paul. I listened to this album for the first time, not long ago, and I noticed the huge contrast in the sound of this album with those that would come later in this decade. They sound much more raw, like a rough diamond, but one that doesn't need to be polished. It's like a slightly cleaner version of Motorhead, if it's not too much of a heresy to say that hahaha. Plus, just like Black Sabbath, who debuted with an album of the same name, with a song of the same name in it, and changed the history of this so-called Heavy Metal by creating this genre, here we also have an "Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden", which introduces (at the end of the album hahaha) one of the most important and influential bands of this genre in the 80s. Everything fits together perfectly, as if the universe were conspiring for this...
I don't really know what all the fuss is about?
Better than I thought it would be. In general, the musicianship is very high quality. The drumming, in particular, was impressive. Mostly it’s a steady diet of speed metal with overwrought and preening lyrics on top of guitars on top of guitars on top of guitars There’s a little variation in the pace of the songs, but not much. All in all — I’m glad I listened to it and it’s legit to claim that one should hear a great speed metal album before they die. Now that I have listened—I won’t need to hear a whole album like this again (except that there are probably more like this in the 1001 list). It’s a three.
The Number of The Beast, followed by their other early albums, including this one and up to and including Powerslave, cemented my love of hard driving rock. For me, very few lineups could elicit the same adrenalin filled response prompted by early Maiden.
10/10. Iron Maiden is one of my favourite bands. While I do wish that there were more Iron Maiden albums in the generator besides this album, and TNoTB (seriously, WHERE is "Powerslave" and SSoaSS???). Either way, this album is an absolute masterpiece!!! :)
I remember when this was released and the older Jr High kid down the road forced me to listen to it. In grade school I had never heard music this aggressive before. I will say it was cutting edge, it created its own genre, their influence would grow over the next decade and this was the start of a long career. And their album covers started with this one and kept the Eddie theme right on thru to today. That said, this isn't their best album or the one I would say is a must-listen. They'd add Bruce Dickinson and become one of the biggest bands in the world a year or two later. "Number Of The Beast" or "Piece Of Mind" were better offerings. The # of listens is staggering, the least popular song ("Charlotte...") has 7M listens while the most popular ("Phantom...") has over 54M. Some parts of the vocals are cringe-worthy, getting Dickinson to take the reins is the best move they ever made. 3 stars mostly for influence and longevity. Best Song was "Running Free", the rest was crap including "Phantom..."
Definitely puts the NW into NWOBHM, this has a punky prog sound that owes as much to The Stranglers as it does to Sabbath. A very assured debut.
Metal with a bit of proggyness mixed in. Not my thing.
Pretty good.
Always been a big fan of Iron Maiden! Loved it
Straight metal.
Entry level metal for beginners and humble beginnings of one my favorite band
Certified vibe
Pretty sweet. Never got too into Iron Maiden so I'm glad this album showed up. Amazing bass player, sometimes doing a little too much in my opinion (specifically on Transylvania). "Iron Maiden", "Running Free", and "Phantom of the Opera" were standouts for me. Definitely hear a lot of Avenged Sevenfold. I can only imagine what people thought when this album dropped, it had to be mind blowing. FYI I have always thought Eddie was cool as fuck. If you know, you know.
This was way less malleable and ductile than I expected — somehow making it an even better album. The cover art sucks though.
First real metal album. Properly metal, can hear influence in thrash, melodic metal, metalcore to come later Best track - Phantom of the Opera/ Prowler Borderline 3/4 stars
This is not up to the level of some of their later albums, like Number of The Beast and Piece of Mind. Still, I really like this one. First of all, there is not a single bad song here. Also, Paul DiAnno's voice is a much better fit to the raw and at times punkish material than Bruce. You can in retrospect hear that this is the rough beginnings of something that will develop and become more grandiose and epic. You can also see the first little hints of what will become in Remember Tomorrow and Phantom of the Opera. Taking the cultural impact the album had into consideration, I can't help but handing out another 5-stars to Maiden.
Love me some Maiden but this debut album was as auspicious as I thought it would be. Still ok.
Not a fan of screeching metal but this one surprised me. I’m not saying I love it but I don’t hate it. Transylvania was excellent..with the driving guitars it reminded me of Rush, a band I do like. I’m not a fan of extensive noodling which this album has in abundance but I just might listen to this again.
Wonderful album. Straddles the worlds of punk and metal. Every song is wonderful, and it is impossible to say who contributed the most. Amazing what can be done when everyone pulls in the same direction working towards a common goal.
84% Best: Prowler; Phantom of the Opera; Transylvania; Iron Maiden Must-Hear? Sure, although the Bruce Dickinson albums are...greater must-hears.
What a horrible album cover Mid album sorry Prog stuff is corny as hell punk stuff sounds like it wishes it were punk
Really interesting album, non of their popular songs but still good
This went hard, I wanted like 2 or 3 more songs cause it was kind of short.
3.5
don't totally vibe with the vocals, but apparently this is their old vocalist. also catch me fully riverdance to Transylvania
Not so my type. But not bad music, just not for me. I can appreciate it and see how it might be the best thing they listened to. This is just so loud for me.
I generally prefer prog metal but this was fantastic. Really great song, vocals and melodies. Great to listen to before starting work!
I’m not a metal person at all. Was expecting to dislike this and it was actually not bad. I’m not going to listen to this on the regular but as a one off was fine.
Grimy, and not in a great way. I don’t generally love the aesthetics, the vocals, or the song writing, but the production is amazing for 1980 and the musicianship is apparent. Standout track is “Phantom of the Opera”
Didn’t like Iron Maiden when this came out while I was in college and 45 years later I still don’t like it. Hard pass
I once wore an iron maiden t-shirt when I was 12 and an older girl who was a "rocker" told me, real iron maiden fans would beat me up, because I'm not a real fan. This shit isn't heavy enough for someone to be telling a girl this.
Intense
Pedra fundamental do NWOBHM 4 estrelas
I usually don't like Heavy Metal, and I've never listened to a full album of Iron Maiden, but this was a great surprise. I'll probably listen more of them.
Bence hafif bir metal albümü fakat ağır bir bassline'a sahip. Favorilerim: Remember Tommorow Phantom Opera Strange World
3/5
More cheese and corn than a Taco Bell, but the lead guitars are cool
I thought I would hate this album after seeing that it had influenced early Metallica - but it actually wasn’t that bad. I actually quite enjoyed some of the songs, namely Prowler & Remember Tomorrow. Alas, this style of music won’t ever be my cup of tea really and can’t see me listening again. 2/5
I didn't think it was horrible hard rock, just not my favorite.
Thought this was better than Number of the Beast. Still sucked tho.
Great album. I especially like Transylvania into Strange World.
reminds me of Nana (the anime). I actually like it a lot and didn’t expect to.
One of the best metal albums of all time!!!
Балдежный альбом. Тут всё хорошо - кайфовые динамичные риффы, мелодичные соляки, сложные лязгающие бас-партии. Когда слушаешь этот альбом, чувствуешь себя крутым скелетом, а это именно то, что надо почувствовать каждому в наше время. Мегабаза.
In 1982, fourteen year old me listened to some heavy metal and this album was certainly required if you wanted to be a freshman in highschool. Thankfully I soon decided that my musical tastes were non-negotiable and I moved on to better things. I seem to remember being more impressed with the musicianship at the time but it is mostly unremarkable when listening now. Black Sabbath were always more my thing anyway.
Not my favorite Iron Maiden album but it is still pretty good. It's a really unique blend of sort of operatic vocals and high energy music. They never fail to get me pumped up. Their shirts were very popular when I was young with amazing art work.
I don’t think this one’s aged well, it’s pretty stodgy rock music - more proggy in places than I remembered, especially tracks like Strange World. But it paved the way for what was to come - it’s a paving slab of a record. Phantom the Opera is the obvious standout for me.
Off the cuff remark: hilarious Charlotte the Harlot? Good grief. Standout track: Iron Maiden Most ridiculous track: Phantom of the Opera Revisit? Unlikely.
Another Iron Maiden banger
I usually don't listen to heavy metal but this would probably make me. I enjoyed it in a way I didn't expect. It was good. Some tracks a bit repetitive but yeah, suprisingly liked it. Great to listen to when you're angry.
Not as fun as some of the other metal albums we’ve gotten so far
Def still finding their groove lyrically but instrumentally fantastic 4/5
An influential album, but spurred a load of soundalikes. And asa result, this album no longers sticks out as anything special. I won't be listening again, but it was OK.
Not as bad as I thought but I never will listen to this again, at least unless it's against my will.
Pre-listening thoughts: I don’t do metal. Post/during listening thoughts: I still don’t do metal. Yeah yeah broaden my horizons blah blah. I don’t wanna. This stuff makes my head implode. 3/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: running free cause it’s the shortest Least fav tracks: all of these felt so long
I’ve always had a soft spot for heavy metal when it isn’t too loud and shouty. Some great metal ballads here and I like Bruce Dickinson’s vocals (if not his politics) especially compared to the roaring school of metal.
ass
I was expecting some proto-thrash/speed metal and really wanted to like this but it sounds like a Rush copycat band.
Class album
This album perfectly suits the image of a wild British gang behaving rudely and talking loudly in an otherwise quiet jazz club—so thanks, 1001 Albums, I turned the volume up. Not that I would have chosen to listen to this on my own; the so-called New Wave of British Heavy Metal has never really been my thing. Nevertheless, it’s far better than Metallica. Highlights: “Remember Tomorrow” and “Phantom of the Opera.” Overall, the album feels heavily inspired by Deep Purple and early ’70s hard rock. Since I’m not familiar with any other Iron Maiden albums yet (though I assume this list will include some from the Bruce Dickinson era), I can say Paul Di’Anno works just fine for me here.
Correcto
Meh
Not my cup of tea, but I think they’re a good band and can see why they are popular in their niche.
Remember Tomorrow bangs, love the riff.
A pretty conflicting one. On the one hand, there was simply nothing quite like back in 1980, and once this *was* there, every second metal/hard rock group wanted to be Iron Maiden. On the other hand, viewing this from a perspective of already knowing where the Maidens would be headed afterwards... this kind of is just a watered-down version of that. That results in a 3/5 stars for me, since I'm too weak-kneed to sway strongly in either direction.
pretty good but not my favorite
A decent start for the band but isn't as good in comparison to later albums.
Has to be a top debut album of all time
6/10 As I have said previously. Not really my bag but I get why people like it.
Highlight of the album: Phantom of the Opera Transylvania Iron Maiden
I'm not usually into old school heavy rock, but I genuinely enjoyed it. Lots of sick guitar solos
Much milder (no screaming!) and more precise than the cover suggests... a pretty tight and good metal album. 4
Peak
oh iron maiden... where do i begin... + Prowler
7/5, such an amazing album. I was already familiar with it but I haven't listened to it in yearssss, I'm so happy that this was recommended. Fully deserves to be on this list, and my love for 80s metal has been renewed.
Segr geiles Album, war bei Iron Maiden aber zu erwarten 🤷 vor allem Transylvania ist nice
Gutes Album, auch wenn das generelle Level im Hard Rock / Metal bereich sich seit 50 Jahren deutlich angehoben hat
Alright, yeah. I’ll admit it. I’ve judged this book by its ugly-ass cover. And its T-shirt fans. And I'm not much into the genre, but it is way more musical than expected. There’s real structure here. Fast, precise, even kind of elegant under the distortion. Can't really get over the triple Iron Maiden name-drop (band name, album title, AND song title)? Bold move, lads. Bold move. The artwork still sucks though. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Prowler - Remember Tomorrow
Classic, legendary and very pro-guitar.
Really enjoyed being able to hear the influence of the late 70's mixed with what would become the sound of the 80's. Guitars did not sound good to me but enjoyed when everything was playing syncopations together. Vocals and harmonies were surprisingly clean too, again more 70's vibes.
It was a solid effort with some good songs.
This one SLAPS! I love Iron Maiden but have mostly listened to their 80s run (Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Powerslave). I'm adding this to the rotation. Transylvania and Strange World both caught me off guard in the best possible way. Steve Harris is one of my rock icons. Paul Di'Anno does a serviceable job, especially on Strange World, but he's got nothing on Bruce Bruce. Really the only knock I have on this project.
OK
Solid album, very different from what I expected. Really enjoyed it overall it was a lot chiller than what I expected from the cover haha
The very first Iron Maiden album! Maiden is one of my favorite bands so this isn't an unbiased review. This pre Bruce Dickinson album sets the scene for what is to become a staple - it sets the scene for the rest of the career. It is a lot rawer and to some degree a bit heavier than their later work which I think is potentially related to Paul DiAmos voice.
Not a genre I would listen to that much. What you would expect an 80s metal band first album would sound like, but better. Was great for its time, a bit dated nowadays. Vocals were good, great instrumentals, the songwriting was pretty simple most times but that’s not really a bad thing actually might be for the best, probably not something this album would be best known for.
Nice, unrefined version of iron maiden, I feel that every other album amps the quality on all fronts. The vocals are nowhere near Dickinsons power and charisma, but you can hear the raw early version of the band cooking. Rating: 3.5
Debut album. Rock / metal. Really good guitar licks and bass throughout. Excellent vocals at times. Prowler is a solid intro to the album. Remember Tomorrow, good lyrics and vocals with nice guitar licks. Phantom of the Opera an epic seven minute rock opera track. Transylvania a good rock instrumental. Final track- Iron Maiden a good fun rock, ending track. Fun album, punchy and a toe tapping head banger.
This is really good, I get the hype now. Favorite track: "Remember Tomorrow"
This album is one of the most influential albums to the genre of heavy metal, you hear its influence in many heavier albums today. I am not the biggest fan of this album however I enjoy the tracks phantom of the opera and Transylvania, I appreciate their ability to make their albums flow well although sometimes it gets repetitive.
I’m just not a fan of heavy metal, better than i thought though
Hard Rock es ACD/DC, heavy es Iron maiden. Casualmente este 1980 presentaron sus 2 mejores discos: back in black y su debut. Fin del asunto
its ok quick guitar and energy is always welcome but its a bit much at times Bruces voice is a little off and not many lyrics. It does what it says on the tin I suppose but Maiden have done far better albums.
4/5. This was an interesting listen, you can definitely hear their inspirations while trying to find their own sound. I honestly hear some Rush, Thin Lizzy and despite them hating punk, it's hard to deny the influence. There is a good mix of slower and faster songs on here. The instrumentation rocks and it's clearly the highlight. I think the vocalist does a good job but not crazy, especially when they replace him with Dickinson. It's a classic album and pretty straightforward, not my favorite but still a heavy listen for sure. Best Song: Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, Strange World
Enjoyed the guitar work & album as a whole.
3.5
3.5
I am a huge fan of the first five studio albums + *Live After Death*. All of them rank high 4½ to five. I honestly don't think any album after *LAD* even come close. Of the two DiAnno albums this is my favorite I think mainly because of its raw punky almost DIY attitude it has. And all of that come down to Paul's fierce delivery. I think this album fits DiAnno better than *Killers*. Even though on *Killers* they've progressed musically from the debut, you can tell they really were starting to need more theatrical vocalist than DiAnno. But he pulls it off. The debut, though, he fits in like a glove and the raw power behjnd it is inescapable to my ears. 9.8/10 ★★★★½
I like this vocalist better than Bruce Dickinson, and stylistically, this is the best Maiden album I have heard. 4 stars
3.5/5
My least favorite aspect of classic-era Iron Maiden is Bruce Dickinson's Dungeons and Dragons on Broadway lyrical style, so this was a welcome change. 3 stars.
Someone Else: “I got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby! Come listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me!” Me: “Is someone other than Bruce Dickinson singing?” Someone Else: “Yep” Me: “Pass” It riffs fine. Growler is fine. Phantom Of The Opera and Charlotte The Harlot fine. But the vocals are not fine and there are about 10 other Iron Maiden albums including Live After Death which are more essential than this one.
Pretty solid 7/10
....
Meh
Yes
I may not make it through this one
I love Maiden, and what a debut! Perhaps one of the most influential initial albums ever. That said though, while most of the ingredients are there, the band still needed time to cook at this point. IMO, Bruce's arrival for Number of the Beast unlocked the full potential that Maiden had to offer. I hope Powerslave is on this list, because that is perfection.
För hetsigt för mig. Mkt bra gitarrsolon dock!