Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Very surprised here. I thought this was a very well done metal album. The vocals are solid, no excessive screaming or overly loud instrumentation. The guitar work is very strong.
Good album, though depending to the mood. Pretty energetic, and I also didn't feel that really heavy metal vibe
Old singer huh
This album impressed me a lot more than I thought it would. The chords and structures especially. Obviously the instrumentation is next to none in the heavy metal world. I don't mind the singing as much as others might. I agree that their second singer is better, but forgetting that, it's still an incredibly enjoyable album. One that I will put on once in a while. It's original, has range, and substance, not just thrash noise. 4/5
The first track on the album, "Prowler", is surprisingly melodic and has a great riff. Then the slower "Remember Tomorrow" is another gem. Reminded me of early (Pre Pyro) Def Leppard. The album's production quality may be a bit rough, but its a debut album so expectations should be modest. 4.0
Iconic. Iron Maiden's debut album may not be their best album, but just hearing their signature sound is enough for me. Growing up, Iron Maiden was a staple in my household. My dad had several of their albums on vinyl, and when he played them for me growing up I remember admiring the Eddie artwork on the sleeves as I was rocking along to the music. So when I put on their debut album, it's like I'm transported back to those days of air guitar and discovering the world of not only heavy metal, but of music. As mentioned, Iron Maiden's signature sound runs throughout the entire album, but a couple of stand-out tracks include Phantom of the Opera and Iron Maiden. It may not be their greatest album, it's still a must-listen for any Iron Maiden fan. And for me, it's like coming home to an old friend. Up the irons!
4 estrellas porque por lo que leí en las reviews son un grupo que mejoran muchísimo en sus siguientes discos. Aún así me sorprendió muchísimo (hasta ahora solo había escuchado canciones sueltas, nunca un álbum completo), especialmente para ser un debut, la mayoría de canciones son temazos. ¿¡Y ese bajo!? Quiero aprenderme la línea de alguna de las canciones, me alegró que se escuchase tanto.
Send them the Iron Maiden. Excellent! Execute them. Bogus. Never listened to metal as a kid. I can hear the influences on modern bands I enjoy.
I was wrong about this one. Way different than I expected. A nice mix of 60’s and 70’s inspired ballads and some harder songs.
Obviously helped define the genre
solid riffs
Fuck yeah
I'm not a fan of metal but this album wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be. I liked the more rock and roll and guitar-oriented songs, as well as the energy of the album as a whole.
It’s good, although I don’t think Iron Maiden fully reached their potential until Bruce Dickinson arrived. Still worth a listen though, 3.5/5
Enjoyed more than I thought I would
Has hints of Rainbow and soft Mettalica. Even for 1980, the techniques they used were great for their time.
Great metal. Raw feel, not over produced.
Good
Great, shreds 4.5
3,5/5
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Prowler, Strange world
Phantom
I see Maiden, i give *s
I went into this expecting to enjoy it and it exceeded my expectations. This was a fast whirlwind of screeching guitars, shrill vocals and unreal drumming, even some fun bass moments most notably on the closer. This was fucking great. The ballads Remember Tomorrow and Strange World are the only two holding me back from a 5, strong 4.5 stars!
Este álbum no estuvo tan mal. Lo volvería a escuchar sin dudas
Absolute belter of an album
What a difference a vocalist makes. Di’anno’s vocals are much closer to the punk rock roots of NWOBHM, but the instrumentation is very much the familiar Iron Maiden style.
Once again, I can't call myself a metal fan (although I suppose the label "metal" didn't quite mean the same then as it does now), but I enjoyed this album. I like that the more "metal" aspects serve the musical ideas (which are good!), rather than the other way around, which is my (perhaps false) impression of a lot of metal.
Extrem starkes Debüt! Der Sänger klingt noch etwas anders als in späteren Alben.
Iron Maiden is great! Im surprised I haven't listened to this album before (I knew a few songs).
Wait, I actually like Iron Maiden? Like I thoroughly enjoyed this? But this is the band your one uncle (you know the one) likes. Am I become that uncle? Oh no. Any way, this was super good, and I loved the energy. Some of the songs fell a little flat, and with an album this short that's more of a hindrance than normal, but it starts super strong and stays strong on most of the songs, making it really enjoyable. Not perfect by any means, but still shockingly good.
Solid. A strong 3.75
nice album, listened to while working. it's definitely the Blueprint to most modern metal/rock, but it feels a little less polished because of that. favorite was strange world easily. appreciate it more for what it allowed than what it is.
I love Iron Maiden. This is a great freshmen entry but not my favorite album. Mix of heavy metal and punk make this a great roadtrip album. The "list" doesn't include my favorite album, "Piece of Mind", but I'm glad to see the band represented.
kinda vigorous
I like the bass tone in this album. Clive Burr's drumming is really good. The favorite tracks at my initial listening were: Prowler, Remember Tomorrow and Phantom of the Opera. I would probably revisit this album once I have heard most of Iron Maidens work.
Needs Bruce. Still a very solid album.
Not as trashy as I thought. Enjoyed it
That was good. Lots of high energy riffage. Yes, they sounded better when Dickinson arrived on the scene but this was a great debut.
My goodness I enjoyed this. Not least from a nostalgic point of view as I played this incessantly in my early teens. A really interesting mix of heavy metal, punk and prog. Phantom of the Opera just rules.
Not good as Smith-Dickinson era but good
I kind of came into this with a bit of a Bruce Dickinson bias, but this was a pleasant surprise. I'm happy to report that this album stands up just fine on its own merits in Iron Maiden's discography. It's beautifully done. It's an album full of flourishes, but never feels overwrought or self-indulgent. Every note counts. This is an interesting album, because it sits on the cusp between classic 70s prog and 80s metal. It also sits on the cusp of Iron Maiden's evolution as a band. There are threads of what would become band's signature sound already evident in these songs, with dramatic arrangements, a strong rhythm section, and some excellent guitar work. Paul DiAnno's vocal is obviously really different from you might expect if your main interaction with this band was through the later albums. Had he stuck around, Maiden would have been a very different band. But I enjoyed this quite a bit. I could listen to this album a lot. Fave Songs: Transylvania, Prowler, Phantom of the Opera, Running Free, Remember Tomorrow
A very interesting album debuting Iron Maiden on an LP. Some solid songs
Totally solid. Though i certainly prefer Bruce's voice, this is foundational and the songs really hold up. Love Phantom of the Opera, Iron Maiden and Strange World. The guitar on Transylvania is awesome as well. Charlotte the Harlot was a bad idea though.
Solid album. Metal can be a little over the top sometimes (especially the vocals) but the musicality on this album is great and the vocals are decent. Di'Anno almost has a punk-sounding voice. Great guitar and drum tempos, especially on Prowler, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera (really deft guitar work here), and Transylvania. And then of course there are the obligatory (and well done) soaring but heavy ballads - Remember Tomorrow, Strange World. Tight album, not a lot of waste.
For me this album illustrates how much easier it would be to rate out of 10 instead of 5. I was expecting the wails of Bruce but was pleasantly surprised to hear the biting rasp of Di’Anno. This is a meeting of punk and metal and I like it. Out of 10 I’d give it a 7 but 3/5 would be too low
Not their greatest, but still good.
The album opens with prowler a true burst of energy and maybe one of the most enjoyable metal songs I’ve ever herd to be honest! At the start of remember tomorrow I thought how the fuck is this metal? Then it explodes into a rampage, good tune. Running free may not be my favourite lyrically as it’s fairly boring in that sense but the drums are amazing and it serves as a great single. Phantom of the opera is a 7 minute long sprawling epic with one of the best guitar riffs ever marching through the song. Don’t get me wrong I really like this album but Transylvania was the first time on the album where I felt it sounded like heavy metal and not just heavy rock still though brilliant instrumental. Strange world is a brilliant slow aftermath to Transylvania’s rage I really like this one! Charlotte the harlot is probably my least favourite on the album but I still don’t hate it which is a sign of a good album. The bands title track closes the album on fairly good note, it’s not a lyrical great but certainly an instrumental great. It’s really good 4/5 but that could rise with time.
Loved this. Not sure I'd heard it before.
Sometimes I forgot there was on Iron Maiden before the Iron Maiden I know. This is good but such a different sound than what I came to love 'em for.
Tight. Really loved that about these guys. Hearing this in HS was really the first time I heard that kind of harmony soloing. Good stuff.
Great debut from a legendary heavy metal band, but I personally prefer the era starting from The Number of the Beast in part due to the production here being a little flat. Highlights: Remember Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera
Full disclosure- Iron Maiden is my favorite band of all time. They’re the act that got me into metal, and music as a whole. It’s hard for me to be objective about them. But at the same time, the first Maiden album is kind of a mixed bag. The songs themselves are incredible- Steve Harris’ ear for melody, riffs and harmony were evident from the very beginning. And while I know that he was waiting for a muse with a stronger range, Di’Anno’s performances are on point throughout. However, the album’s production is hollow as sin, making its tracks have a fraction of the power they deserve. Meeting halfway, it’s a B+ for me. They’ll get much more right with their follow-up. On another note, it’s absurd that Maiden only has 2 albums in this book, and this is one of them. We really don’t need 4 Metallicas, especially not And Justice for Mid. That should be swapped for Killers or Powerslave, easy.
The first album of a legendary career; dare I even say the greatest metal band of all time? It has a couple spots where the songwriting could be tighter, but overall this is a great album/
Killer, classic metal!
I was stuck between 3 & 4 stars. Subjectively, they just aren’t really my sound or style. Objectively, I think the album was really well done. Additionally, they utilize interesting song structure, chord progressions/rhythms, and mixing.
Fun, the transitions are actually entertaining! Love the hard hitting sound without chugging
Good album. The songs are great sounds kinda like a standard hard rock album from the 70's
Its funny cause we view iron maiden as so heavy and they were for the time but now it just sounds like hard rock in the context of the music landscape now. Really solid though
Pretty bangin. 7/10. Fun tunes to try to shred on sax shabaka style, dope metric mods, extremely indicative of the entire genre.
Clássico
I first bought this record a little after Number of the Beast came out. At first, I was surprised at how different it sounded compared to what I expected from Iron Maiden. Either way, I still enjoy it. Highlights for me are Remember Tomorrow and Sanctuary. I love Phantom of the Opera, but find they've done it better on live versions. The drums on the record feel haphazard, and never quite nail the groove like they did on the live version that was on the Women in Uniform single.
Pretty good guitar licks and what not.
WTF, I liked this album and I am not a heavy metal guy. But this album had some subtlety. This album had some intelligence. The vocals are ok, not objectionable. The guitars definitely shred but they don't sound over the top, they don't go on too long and the don't sound pretentious. Yup I liked this album, really never thought that would happen. Now if they can just do something about those God awful covers. 3.75 🌟
Classic!
Listened to a lot of Maiden though my dad while growing up. Enjoy the Bruce era more but it's still a solid old school metal album 4/5
This is a great album but I don't think it's their best.
great debut
Prowler is a standout!
Haven't heard a full Iron Maiden album before. Absolute head banger. Enjoyed the music and need to add more of this to my playlists. 1. Phantom of the Opera 2. Prowler 3. Running Free
Phantom of the Opera, Transylvania, the transition into Strange World and Iron Maiden (x3) are all 'cheff's kiss'. Di'Anno, not so much.
A classic metal album, with great Eddie artwork. Funny how in the 80s this was considered heavy metal, but seems really light and simple as far as the genre goes nowadays. Always loved the twin guitars of Iron Maiden.
I can totally see why this album was important to developments in metal in the 80s. Surprisingly listenable.
Less hard than I would have imagined for Iron Maiden tbh
I'm usually not a metal fan, but I enjoyed this one!
Well, after Aimee Mann this sounds like Beethoven. Not my type of music, but the guitars, bass, and drums are legit. A lot more swing to the drums than I expected. Singer can sing. Incredible debut album. Torn between 4 and 5 stars.
A very fair debut, though I possibly do prefer Killers out of the two Paul Di'Anno albums, and the 1998 reissue actually scores over the original by adding the non-album single "Sanctuary" ("Remember Tomorrow" makes more sense as a third track than a second).
Das hat Spaß gemacht. Ein gelungener Erstling.
Really good! Actually a lot more varied than I was expecting, this album flew by.
it took me half the album to get used to the glammy bluesy kinda sloppy guitar riffs and garage band aesthetic, but shit still headbangs
good rock album.
This kind of early metal is the only good metal
As a huge metal head, I've never really actually got on with Iron Maiden. This ones ok
Some solid metal, vocals were pretty weak. 7/10
good harvey metal! 🤘🤘🤘
Solid although they definitely hit their full stride later.
LP
un bon premier album. Paul Diano fait bien la job et PHantom est ma préférée depuis toujours presque de Maiden donc j'ai un partie prit. On est plus loin du Maiden Dickinson, ca sonne un peu plus punk parfois, mais c'est très bon. 4.25
Uu! Monen kaverini mielestä tää on nimenomaan paras Meirenin levy! Itse olen enemmän Dickinsonin aikakauden kasvatti. Mut onhan tää tiukka NWOBHM-levy! Ei siitä pääse mihinkään. Ai saatana onhan toi viiminen, nimikkobiisi aivan älytöntä kohkausta. 4/5
Nautinnollista ja hauskaa kitarointia, tuntuu että äijillä ollu kivaa levyä tehdessä. 4/5
o ápice ainda estava por vir
I really love listening to early metal, which I would not have predicted even a few years ago. This album has a lot of the elements of what will come in the future for metal embedded in it, but it also has a lot of elements of 70s rock in it. It feels like a very transitional album, one that clarifies the roots of the metal genre 4/5
My heart sank when I saw this come up... heavy metal?! I'm not going to lime heavy metal!! But... the music is actually pretty compelling, thrusting bass riffs a guitar solos a plenty. A revelation!
The riffs are surprisingly catchy. B-Side is a bit weaker but it's still all very solid. Shoutouts to Phantom of the Opera which is probably the best IM song.
This is from 1980? Wow. I'm actually pretty surprised by this. I've never paid any attention to Iron Maiden - and to be fair I absolutely will not after this - but I was surprised at how punky it is. I was expecting heavy metal, and there is definitely notes of Deep Purple in this - but I was not expecting punk. And there's oodles of it. The drumming is actually pretty swing too. I mean, this album has to get 5 stars because it's both influential and I quite enjoyed it. But does it inspire me to listen to more Iron Maiden? Nope.
Heavy metal de los Maiden. Ningún megahit. Un 4.
Finally some more metal! I enjoy their later stuff a bit more, but a good jamming album. 4
Top
Interestingly enough there were tons of solos across the album. Not as much singing as I had expected. Not bad though, typical metal. 7/10.
Surprised I haven't really listened to any Iron Maiden before, this is good fun
go on have a 4 and a bottle of newky brown
Metal
Had already heard a couple of songs in this album and liked them but didn't find any others that particularly stood out to me during a full listen.
Wow, the first Iron Maiden album. It's definitely not their best (in particular regarding vocals), but it's still pretty solid. I really liked Strange World and Phantom Of The Opera was pretty good too. This might honestly be more of a 3 than a 4. But, well, the nostalgia factor.
LE METALE!!! Prefs: Prowler, Sanctuary, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, Iron Maiden Moins pref: Strange World
Iron Maiden were already pretty naff by the time i came across them as a child. But I never got around to listening to this. I can imagine situations where this might be just the soundtrack I want/need/can't get enough of
I really like this, but I don’t think I love it. Skilful without showing off. Progressive but not pretentious. Intricate yet still accessible. Hard as fuck but not like offensively aggressive. I just can’t remember what any of the songs go like?
Guitars are great throughout. Transylvania was an awesome jam.
There’s a lot of mediocre rock that came out of the 80s but man Iron Maiden isn’t one of them. Their guitar is insane. Phantom of the Opera is so cool
Iron maiden is so crisp, I love the song Trooper though It's not on this album. I was happy to hear songs like "phantom".
I didn't expect to like this one, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Didn't hurt that I was angry while listening to it, which somehow works well. Fave track: Transylvania
I wonder what the Iron Maiden boys think about the whiny song about being a teenage dirtbag. I figure that they partly think they're above it and partly think it's pretty cool to be name-checked like that. Best track: Iron Maiden
Uhhh that was awesome.
Heavy metal de los Maiden. Ningún megahit.
Developed an affinity for Iron Maiden after a particularly good My One Track Mind episode. I like this earlier, more raw incarnation of the band.
Later they became better
Something I know about myself is that classic metal can often sound "tinny" for me. That being said, I like the raw feel of this debut and think that there are excellent performers at work.
Growing up my brother listened to a lot of Iron Maiden, but I never really go into it. I regret that because this is so much more awesome than I thought. The instrumentals in particular are super good.
Honestly I didn't find anything extremely special about this album. It was kind of just like another rock/metal band. The guitar solos were good and the singing wasn't too annoying.
Surprisingly excellent. Loved the harmonized guitar solos.
Not my fave Maiden album by a long shot, but still a cracker.
Liked this a lot more than I expected.
Thought Iron Maiden were just a singles band, actually really enjoyed this. 4.3
- songs on here are probably going become popular soon on tiktok - heavy metal is not really my thing but … so far prowler seems fire - hope after listening to this album i don’t get a headache - since there from the uk minus one star jkkk
I remember thinking this was a massive sound when I first heard this in the 80s. Sadly It’s a lot thinner sounding than I remember, but the songwriting, melodic guitars, tempo changes, and pure energy ensure it remains a classic for me.
I rock with iron maiden now
it’s been a full week now and of course it comes back around to metal my expectations were really low I don’t really like metal, especially the Iron Maiden songs I’ve heard in the past but this album was actually pretty good I really liked the first two songs Prowler and Remember Tomorrow the next three songs Running Free, Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania not so much I mean track four had some nice bits in the middle but overall not really for me that transition from Transylvania to Strange World tho, track six is really good I like my rock progressive, I will eat up any art rock shit you throw at me, whether it’s King Crimson or Steve Hackett, Godspeed You! Black Demon or Silver Mt. Zion I just really love that kind of stuff, and I felt parts of that in this album I’d say Remember Tomorrow was my favorite song. It had a nice intro, decent hook and nice, compatible vocals the song really worked well for me close second is Strange World, also really nice and fairly proggy the two finals songs after that don’t I didn’t really love either anyway, really fun album, a few songs that were less than great but I thought that there was something to enjoy from every song and tracks 1, 2 and 6 were are really awesome I’ll give it an 8/10 I really liked it, it was really cool I doubt I’ll ever listen to any other Iron Maiden (unless it shows up on here) but I’m glad I listened to this album
Clasico
Fuckin Maiden BRO!
Me gustó así en general. Por ahí escuché un guiño a (¿de?) Papa Roach, aunque puede ser mi sobre interpretación de siempre
This was a riot!
Eddie's an absolute lad isn't he? I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to, I thought we were in for much more guitar wankery. It's a lot more classic hard rock, as opposed to metal, than I was anticipating. Very good.
Eddie's an absolute lad isn't he? I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to, I thought we were in for much more guitar wankery. It's a lot more classic hard rock, as opposed to metal, than I was anticipating. Very good.
War doch gar nicht so schlimm wir vermutet. Völlig schlimmeren Metall erwartet, aber einen verspielten Rock bekommen. Die bekloppte Bass Kaskade von „Transylvania“ kriegt einen Extrapunkt. Überhaupt irgendwie voll reifer Songs. Geläuterte 3.5
I liked more than I expected to. Surprising / decidedly good. Also kinda reminds me of Bowie for some reason (could imagine Bowie vocals on top sometimes)
Awesome
Sure there’s better. But this is Maiden.
First time I actually listened to Iron Maiden and I really liked it!
Planting seeds of the greatness to come. Prowler is one of their best tracks ever In my opinion.
not their best but still an excellent album
This is not as heavy as I would have imagined. Production value seems light. More like hard rock than metal. Oh god the screaming. You know, this isn't *awful*. I could have seen my younger self listening to this maybe in my screamo days. This is kind of like classic rock screamo. I ended up liking this a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. Not what I thought they'd sound like. I'm really glad I listened to it.
Really solid debut from one of the best and most legendary Heavy Metal bands of all time.
Excellent debut which perfectly captures the essence of early Iron Maiden, a mix of punk rock energy and prog rock stylings without the over indulgence. The musicianship and writing is top notch whilst Di’Anno’s vocal range and quality is integral, so much more than a proto-Dickinson. A massively influential heavy metal album.
1. 6.5/10 2. 7/10 3. 7/10 4. 8/10 5. 8/10 6. 9/10 DAMN 7. 6.5/10 8. i don't remember
8 tracks and 39mins of pure metal brilliance. For a debut metal album they show incredible range and are clearly incredibly talented musicians and accomplished at creating rich and complex arrangements. Prowler, Iron Maiden, Running Free, Strange World and of course the spectacular Phantom of the Opera. Maybe a couple of missteps (Charlotte the Harlot) and I was never a bog fan of Remember Tomorrow but overall a fantastic album
Not too shabby. Not to my taste but not bad at all :)
Great metal album
Really good, but left me wanting to listen to the albums featuring Bryce Dickinson after! Still a good listen though, I had never listened to this album, just Prowler.
Solid metal, especially 40 years old. Clear influence on Metallica and Slash. Swings and rocks. Great musicians.
Liked it
I'm surprised that I like it as well as I do. Had I been 10 years younger when it came out, I probably would have owned it. It's not my style, but it's pretty good. I listened to it twice.
Interesting to listen to a groups early work! Enjoyed it.
Actually really enjoyed this one. Good music to do shit to.
I like Iron Maiden since my teenage years, but to my own shame, I never listened to all songs from this first album. It's a great thing how much these songs sound fresh comparing with more recent Maiden songs. It looks like a great 2021 metal album. Absolutely a great album!
Kann man schon gut weghören :-)
You can't argue with a classic.
Just some rock n roll. Nothing wrong with that. Less metal than I was expecting. I wasn't familiar with their super early stuff. Lots of fun!
Yeah It's Iron Maiden and I like Iron Maiden. This is what they do. Nothing special in here to elevate it to 5 but a great CD none the less
I liked it? I guess I'm on the positive side of neutral. I liked some songs more than others.
I was already a fan of Iron Maiden so I really enjoyed the album. However, none of the songs really wowed me.
\m/
Damn. Do I like Iron Maiden?
kovgg
Thoroughly enjoyable. Mad guitar solos and what not.
3.8
Enjoyed this one. Not enough that I’m going to explore the rest of their catalog but was good to head bob along to
Take them to the Iron Maiden... Excellent!
this was good.
always great
Lots of awesome loud drums and guitars, vegan hippie pacifists will hate it!
Kinda up and down but overall a fun album
Lyft driver recommended this to me, wasn't all that bad!
Never been super huge into Metal, but it has always been a genre I have wanted to dive more into. One of the biggest names the genre has ever seen happens to be Iron Maiden and while I know to expect a kickass time, other than that I have no idea what to expect going into their debut album. Far from a perfect album by any means, Metal as a genre was somewhat formed but didn't really start to pick up traction until a few years later into the 80s. This album feels more like a standard Rock album with some cool riffs every here and there, all things considered it is a pretty soft project. Even the vocals feel very gentle and never quite try and be aggressive or even much of a leading presence as the band itself takes center stage on this project. I am not going to call this album weak by any means, but it definitely isn't carrying the "oomph" I would have expected from the band given their hype and appraisal.
I’m a pretty surface level Maiden fan. Love their big hits, and certainly hold them in the esteem that they absolutely deserve, however I’ve never really listened to any of the Di’Anno era stuff beyond Phantom of the Opera, so I went into this blind. Thoroughly enjoyed though, there’s a rawness to it (which makes sense given it’s the debut) but it suits the band, especially given how polished a machine they went on to become. Think the standout track for me is Remember Tomorrow, absolutely love the contrast behind the stripped back verses and grandeur of the instrumental sections. In the former it almost verges on Black Sabbath sounding whereas the latter definitely gives hints as to what the band would go on to become.
Fun dad rock (or probably granddad rock) album. Lots of guitar shredding. I liked Phantom of the Opera quite a bit.
Я не фанат хэви-металла, но музыкально эти парни очень хороши
This was ok. Nothing too crazy, which is good honestly for metal.
This was fun to listen to. Wouldn’t reach for it again but I enjoyed it for what it was
I am not a fan of guitar bands, it's just not for me, so I was surprised how good I thought this album was.
Better than I was expecting. Lots of influences in here. Especially liked the instrumental.
love the guitar work, but it feels a bit raw at times. some banger songs sprinkled in, but overall the album doesn't feel like a cohesive piece
Fairly “right over home plate” kind of heavy metal experience. Not my favorite, but undeniably well played and well produced
Ive listened to a lot of iron maiden albums over the year. To me, they all sound pretty similar, and this is no exception. You're gonna get some solid metal sort of like drinking some red label whiskey. It's not top shelf, but thats OK sometimes
I guess it deserves its place for historical reasons but for me, Iron Maiden without Bruce isn’t proper Iron Maiden
I'm not a big fan of older metal but metal wouldn't be what it is without these guys
They can rock a guitar better than most and the vocals are good for me when it come to heavy metal. Still not totally my thing but there is talent here.
Never really listened to this band before but it's not bad if you are into complex metal guitar. It's like prog rock for metal heads. It has it's moments.
I liked this better than I expected to. It was fun and rockin’ and not obnoxiously noisy. The vocals weren’t anything to write home about, but they were ok.
A great first album, but not their best. Enjoyable, but Maiden have better singles, with lots of filler unfortunately. Glad to have heard it, but not one I'd rush back to.
I’m a fan of Iron Maiden, really love their groove and style. This record is a good listen, and I enjoyed. But I don’t think this album is necessarily essential. I don’t feel like you’ll get anything from this record that you won’t get from Number of the Beast, which is a killer record from only a few years later. 3.5/5.
I'm liking this better than Number of the Beast. Phantom of the Opera is the best song so far. I'm not normally a huge metal fan...but I'm liking this a lot. Transylvania is a great instrumental track. I bet these dudes love KISS. Charlotte the Harlot is their version of a love song I guess?
My first time actually hearing them, pretty much what I expected. Cool, but kinda all the same.
I was surprised by this album. Iron Maiden is a well known name, but not a band I've spent much time listening to. The guitar work was intricate and entertaining and blended well with the rest of the band. The vocals didn't wow me, but they were serviceable. It might have convinced me to give the rest of the discography a listen when the mood hits me for metal.
What surprised me most about this album is how much of it doesn't feel like straight heavy metal. "Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World" are more like rock ballads, while "Running Free" is a fairly mainstream heavy rock number and "Phantom of the Opera", while heavier, is almost proggy. Overall, it's solid, but none of the songs really stand out. You can definitely hear the band's potential, though.
I've never explored iron maiden's music, and when clicking this to listen to I wasn't aware it was their debut. It sounds different to what I've heard before on the radio etc. possibly because the vocalist is different. It's clearly a founding inspiration for many 70s/ 80s metal bands like GnR and Judas Priest. For 1968 this is super progressive and innovative! I just don't like metal particularly.
Better than i expected, nota a real fan of metal or hard rock but i really likes the harmony and guitars in this
Quite enjoyable. Not too heavy.
Meh, kinda beast
Екшелі нот зет бед. . .доволі таки статичний. Згадую піст.он
Not usually a fan of power metal or NWBHM, so Iron Maiden was never a favorite, but I'm enjoying hearing how Paul Di'Anno did vocals versus how Bruce Dickinson did them. It's definitely a lot more "rock" with clear punk and prog elements than the Dungeons & Dragons metal I usually associate with their stuff, even with traces of that there with "Phantom of the Opera." Enjoyed this, didn't love it, might check out "Killers" sooner than expected to see if it sticks. Points taken off for "Charlotte the Harlot," which was really stupid... (3.5/5)
This is musically quite good, but the songs are lacking a bit. Changing vocalist was a great move.
Hier sind einige richtig tolle Songs dabei, inkl. zwei Bandklassiker ("Iron Maiden" und "Phantom of the Opera"). Gleichzeitig ist für mich schon erkennbar, dass es sich hier um ein Debüt handelt, da der Bandsound an manchen Stellen noch nicht ganz ausgereift ist und manchen Songs einfach das gewisse Extra fehlt. Interessanterweise hatte ich das Gefühl vor allem bei der Debütsingle "Running Free", der für mich überraschungsarm mit vielen Wiederholungen vor sich hindümpelt, in Fankreisen aber glaube ich doch sehr beliebt ist. Da ich den Titeltrack auch schon live mit Bruce am Mic hören durfte, tue ich mich auch etwas schwer, Maiden-Songs mit den Vocals von Paul zu hören. So ein wenig verkehrt klingt das für mich schon. Da mich hier nur gut die Hälfte aller Songs überzeugen konnte (die dafür richtig), gibt es von mir sehr gute 3 Sterne.
Das Album macht im großen und gqanzen schon Spaß, hat mit Phantom of the Opera ein klares Highlight dabei aber ufert mir persönlich zu oft aus ohne irgendwohin zu führen. Dazu klingen vorallem die schnelleren Songs noch arg rumpelig.
I guess I went into this with some preconceived notions of Iron Maiden’s sound. What I discovered was a charming musically talented album. While it won’t necessarily go on the top of any of my lists it’s probably up there for most surprising
As far as heavy metal it's probably one of the two heavy metal bands I respect - is Metallica heavy metal?; But it's still not something I'm breaking the bank to purchase. I imagine back in the day this was amazing in concert, but I dated a heavy metal bass player for almost 10 years and that was pretty much my life time quota of heavy metal.
I'll give a 3. Decent enough. Nice length too, they don't overdo songs like a lot of mental bands so thats good
Huh, the prowler riff was ripped off by papa roach for between angels and insects! Good guitar-y things, but it's still dad rock, which I'm not a fan of. 3*
Iron Maiden is a band I graduated from pretty quickly after turning 15. I'm still pretty fond of Phantom of the Opera even now, and I have to admit there's a level of consistency here that's hard to fault too harshly. What I will say, though, is that this consistency teeters too close to repetitiveness for me, with far too many arpeggiated guitar licks harmonised with the third being played above them. On top of that, Iron Maiden's imagery and overall aesthetic is just pretty lame.
The album is a vibe, though not something I see myself revisiting. Standout Tracks: Prowler, Remember Tomorrow Rating: 3
Is okay
i frankly don’t care for this album cover. better than the last maiden album i got. but i don’t think im in a stage of my life where this really interests me
Fine, listenable but not my thing.
Favorite: Strange World Least: Running Free Mordecai and Rigby music 2.5
I was dreading this album when I popped up but am I crazy or was this different than their other albums. A lot of songs seemed less metal that I would have expected. And that made it ok.
I like Iron Maiden but don’t love them. This is a fun album but not my favorite of theirs. When I was a kid in the 80s I would see posters of Eddie in record shops and thought this would be the scariest music I’d ever hear. It’s fun and upbeat. How could anyone give this one star?
It's an impressive debut but it's not even close to iron maiden's best and without the iconic Bruce Dickinson it's not even really a representation of what they sound like. There's still a bit of gallop bass while 3 guitars take turns to solo, but it's missing some extremely key ingredients. I hope this isn't the only Maiden on the list, if you're going to list to your first album of theirs, please listen to Number of the Beast or Powerslave instead of this.
Eh. I mean. It’s alright. I think what takes me out of it the most tbh are the vocals/lyrics. The songwriting imo is just not at the same level as the technicality—which is still great.
EMI EMC 3330 (UK) vinyl rip: Di'Anno's voice to me is just "generic hard rock." Nothing super unique about it for the period. They weren't truly complete until Dickinson replaced him. "Running Free" reminds me of KISS. "Phantom Of The Opera" is the power metal Maiden we all love. Perfect end to side 1. Man do I love the galloping feel some of these songs have with the dual guitars. It's like I'm riding into battle on a horse, hand resting on the pommel of my sword. Not a fan of the ballads. "And don't you know you're breaking the law With the service you're giving?" Who cares? I thought this was heavy metal.
Solid debut, but there are better Iron Maiden albums that I could have listened to. Heard one of the deep cuts from this on the radio the other week and I don't usually listen to them so that was funny.
Fantastic debut. Not as cohesive or as confident as some of the later releases, but incredible nonetheless.
I think this was about what I expected it to be! It really brought the drama in a fun way, but also a way that challenged me at about the 5-minute mark. I wouldn't ask someone to turn this off, but I wouldn't choose to put it on myself. Solid 3.
Way more chilled than I expected.
All the familiar Iron Maiden tricks are already here to be heard. I'm not a big metal fan, but have to give these guys some credit for creating sound that's immediately recognizable and writing such catchy hard rock tunes.
#43 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ (maybe) While in no way mu favourite of Maiden's albums, definitely not my favourite vocalist. Some of these tracks are really great with Dickinson's vocals as well. I prefer their more 'established' style of Somewhere In Time and Powerslave. After the release of Seventh Son I lost insterest and haven't really but brushed through their latter stuff. Steady 3/5
Ein Album nach meinem Geschmack. Coole Drums, geile E-Gitarren Riffs. Keine nervende, aufdringliche Lead-Stimme, sondern fügt sich als Teil der Melodie ein. Bisschen repetitiv, beim hören laufen die Songs oft einfach durch. Nicht ganz mein Genre aber solides Album.
I was excited to listen to Iron Maiden without Bruce, even while Bruce is one of the most exciting things about Iron Maiden. And, if I was disappointed, it wasn't anything to do with Paul DiAnno particularly, although his is a less powerful, less charismatic voice. The hallmarks of Steve Harris's songwriting are present or are, at least, taking shape, but there is a scrappiness that is at once endearing and underwhelming. According to Wikipedia, the band criticise the production in retrospect and I'm happy to let them lay all the blame there. If things sound a bit ramshackle, weak, and DIY, a bit early Anthrax, if Running Free sounds like post punk rather than metal, let's say that production is the problem. And, talking of the production, if the record doesn't send me to any of the other DiAnno records, it will send me - admittedly baffled - to all the other records overseen by Wil Malone, who I previously knew only as the string arranger on Unfinished Sympathy and the Machismo EP. He's been going since the 70s, really? 2.5 I got waylaid by this album for a couple of days. I only knew Phantom of the Opera previously and it has never done too much for me. I was surprised to find tracks I enjoyed as much as I did Prowler, Running Free and Strange World. Great drums. I like the naked, unpretentious production, well done [checks wikipedia] Wil Malone?! Wha….? It’s an illuminating listen as well - there is much of classic rock in it but it unmistakably points forward to Metallica. Almost writes some of their songs for them in fact. Can’t believe Metallica put on their suits and wrung their handkerchiefs over ‘copyright’. That Napster episode was more repulsive than some of the lyrics on Iron Maiden. 2.5/5
Fun album
I guess there are just some aspects of heavy metal that eludes me -- a solid album for sure but not one that I will put on willingly.
I remember this album being a a lot heavier but that’s 80s metal for you I guess. Pretty inoffensive all things considered.
Ich bin positiv überrascht gsi
Good
Better than I thought
Enjoyable listen and impressive technically, but just not my taste right now
No es mi estilo fav, pero sé reconocer a unos grandes de la música
Une bonne surprise. Je n'avais jamais osé aborder par préjugé les croyants trop métaleux. Ce qui n'est visiblement pas le cas. Mes coups de cœur : Prowler, Remember tomorrow, Running free et Transylvania. Mention honorable pour l'intro de Strange World.
Shades of light and dark. I like the guitar riffs but they don't really stand out. Maybe it's due to the simplicity of the music. Does seem quite repetitive but does give a good headbang. 3/5
Pretty fun stuff, although based on what I’ve heard of them, I get the impression that I’d enjoy their later albums more.
Favorite song: Prowler
These guys are some of metal royalty. Not a huge Iron Maiden fan and never really got attached to them, but always nice to hear some debut albums by some big name bands
Not my thing but it was fine.
It's pretty good for early heavy metal. You can tell how young the singer is, compared to later offerings. It had a surprising mix of songs, all of which were well done for the genre. Overall no major complaints, just not something I want to put on regularly.
I simply don't care for Iron Maiden. The music might be technically well executed, but it's just not my cup of tea.
Being mostly metal-illiterate, was surprised how much I found this more enjoyable than not. Guess all this time I’d been judging Iron Maiden by its album art.
great guitar work i like it but it’s not playlist worthy
The first Maiden song I ever heard was surely Phantom of the Opera, which soundrackrd an advert for Lucozade energy drink featuring Olympian Daley Thompson bursting out of the starting blocks. I liked the tunes which had similar energy, when they moved away from that galloping style such as on the power ballad Strange World it didn't really work for me.
Buen album, mala producción
It was good but not super good, I liked it for the most part but the day after listening to it, I cannot for the life of me remember any of the songs on the album except for Phantom of the Opera, so...
Good
Never been a big fan of Heavy Metal, though i can't lie i did enjoy this album a bit.
Full rock cool
Sólido, classic iron Maiden. No es el metal que mas me gusta, pero suena muy clásico y si pasa eso, es por algo. Un tema, strange world, se fue añadido a la playlist porque muy bueno. Baladita metalera. El resto, bastante musica de hechiceros y sorcerers, como me gusta llamarlo. Pero bien. 7/10
Not the biggest Iron Maiden fan but their galloping riffs do always sound incredible
J’ai été très positivement surprise par l’album Iron Maiden, qui mélange les rythmes et les sonorités du hardrock classique avec des sonorités presque pop (début de Remember Tomorrow notamment et voix dans Running Free et Strange World pour un mélange des deux), qui rend cet album accessible à des amateurs d’autres genres de musique que le rock. Je trouve d’ailleurs ce mélange de voix et d’instruments très intéressant dans l’album.
Favorite songs: Remember Tomorrow, Running Free, Transylvania, Strange World
This one surprised me. At times it doesn't sound like a metal album at all, instead it sounds more like prog or psychedelic rock. I guess that makes sense since metal was still developing as a genre in 1980, but still strange to me since this is not what I'm used to hearing from Iron Maiden. While it isn't my favorite album by IM it was definitely worth listening to and exploring more metal during its developing years. Favorite track: Charlotte the Harlot 3.5/5
I do not enjoy a lot of heavy metal music but I have to say there were a few quite good songs here.
Solid workout album
Good
Why do all the songs sound the same to me? Guitar, guitar solo, change beat, add more guitar. Would rather listen to this than Dwight Yoakam though.
Far more familiar with Maiden after Bruce took over vocals, but this was solid, all the pieces are there, the dual guitars, Harris's thundering bass lines. I still think I prefer the later stuff, but really glad I had to listen to this today.
I liked running free, phantom of the opera, and strange world
intro song so tuffffffff
Ohne Bruce ohne mich. Klingt mir fast zu verwechslebar auch wenn schon klar ist dass es einfach auch Wegbereiter für vieles folgende (die Entwicklung von Judas Priest u.a.) ist (wenn ich da richtig Wikipedia gelesen habe) - aber ob ich das brauche? Nochmal. Hören möchte? Neee, eher nicht. Aber versteh die Begeisterung der Kutten.
Prowler - 3 Remember tomorrow - 4 Running free - 3 Phantom of the opera - 4 Transylvania - 3 Strange world - 3 Charlotte the harlot - 3 Iron maiden - 3
better than slayer look i'm the last person around you should trust to know about heavy metal, but this ain't it. this is classic rock. like van halen levels of "heavy metal". i'm not writing a long review. it's better than slayer, so it warrants 3/5. it's classic rock. there's some variety between songs, but not a *lot*. it's brief, it moves along. ya know, the usual.
their cover art is pretty sick lol Would I listen again: if i'm in the mood Deserves to be on this list: yes 3.2
Less cheesy than other songs I've heard of theirs.
Já não ouvia este há anos, achei bom mas existem escolhas muito melhores de discos de iron maiden para por nesta lista (powerslave, piece of mind, seventh son). Achei a phantom of the opera a melhor canção e de resto era fixe mas não ao mesmo nível que o number of the beast por exemplo. 3 grande
Cool
Goste mais do anterior
Album #176 Iron Maiden: Iron Maiden Wow, I didn’t think it was possible, but I actually found an enjoyable heavy metal album. I feel like in theory this shouldn’t be that hard for me to find, considering I enjoy my fair share of hard rock and hardcore punk, yet for whatever reason I have just yet to really click with a heavy/thrash metal album. But Iron Maiden’s debut does a lot of things right that other metal albums don’t. For one, the length is under 40 minutes, which is all too rare amongst genres that I disdain. The guitar playing, though heavy, is still technical and rhythmic to the point that I can actually make out what chords are being played. The album honestly seemed more in line with the punk movement at the time, which also added to my enjoyment of it. I feel like early metal is a lot more up my alley, due to it being more of an extension of other genres, and not its own solidified thing yet. Once ‘metal’ had its own sonic identity, bands just started feeding into the cliches and stereotypes that aligned with it; and in return got caricatures of the genre like Metallica. Though this is still very much a metal album in spirit, as can be seen by the corny album cover, which is seemingly a pre-requisite for the genre. Best Songs: Strange World, Iron Maiden, Prowler Worst Song: Remember Tomorrow Score out of 10: 7.5
It was pretty good, I can understand the fan base to a certain extent, could be better and the cove ris abysmal
Sólido álbum debut pero el género no me parece llamativo.
this album wasn’t bad. my favorite song was definitely “transylvania” i do like me some british metal!
Not as good as number of the beast but still a good album
Cool
Det er rimeligt fedt - dejlig hurtig guitar. Den svinger mellem en 3'er og en 4'er jeg er simpelthen splittet.
Der er noget fed nok tråd på albummet, og coveret er jo et levn fra en fantastisk men svunden tid. Der var mange edgy t-shirts i folkeskolen, der så sådan her ud, og de var røvfede Bliver altid overrasket over hvor lidt heavy, datidens heavy metal var Rigtig fint album i virkeligheden. Positiv overraskelse. Det er en stor 3'er, men desværre ikke helt en 4'er. 3.6
When I think of 80s Metal I kind of physically recoil. It's not my thing. It's never been my thing. But I guess that's half the point of working through this list. This album is pretty good. Still not my thing, so I don't think I’ll be back, but maybe I wont puke a little the next time a big name metal band shows up in my list. Baby steps.
Liked some tracks a lot more than others, but their guitar playing really does it for me, especially on Phantom of the Opera. 3.5
I love that it ends on "Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden off their debut record Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden is pretty solid 80s metal, especially for a debut album. It defined this kind of thrash metal sound that you hear in stuff like Metallica and Megadeth, but it actually has a good bit of depth to it that's not just loud and fast. Overall, though, after a full listen there's nothing that really gripped me here. It was fine, sure, but not super memorable. Standout tracks were probably "Prowler" and "Remember Tomorrow" and then everything else starts to blend together. It's a 3/5 for me. There's better Iron Maiden on this list.
Confession time: I was a Metallica fan around the early to mid 90s. So there's that. Anyway, this is a pretty good rock album, but you can also tell it's from the 80s and a debut one - it's not exactly the most complicated composition, more of the wailing guitars-thing being quite prevalent at the time. I do like wailing guitars though, so 3,5 rounded down due to lack of variety and complexity.
Fine enough example of early metal, not as good as most of Iron Maiden's other albums let alone the rest of the genre, still good to give a listen just to see what was taking place back in the 80's but not worth much more than to look at it historically in my opinion.
Purposeful dynamic. Gets in, makes its point, gets out. Everyone's standing around asking wtf just happened. I don't know, but something certainly did.
Surprised about this one. I was expecting a lot of heavy metal and came away with some interesting rock. It felt like the tail end of the 70's and a change of sound coming into the 80s.
Not a huge fan of this genre but this was not bad.
A little bit of a mixed bag, but there were some great tracks on here. “Running Free” is an anthem, and I adore any time a band releases both a song and an album with their own name. In spite of a pretty iconic album cover, the band doesn’t seem to have a fully baked identity at this point. At times they sounded a bit like other groups, in particular reminding me of The Moody Blues on “Strange World.”
never expected this to be something I could even tolerate, but this is fine
Like okay. Way better than i expected from them
Last song was very satanic
Enjoyable but not their best work.
Iron Maiden is awesome, but I do think this is a bizarre pick. If the list absolutely wanted to include a Paul Di'Anno Maiden album, I don't see why it wouldn't be Killers, which I think is a better collection of songs. Although, on another hand, listening to the debut in 2026 is kind of an interesting exercise. *And* if the idea here was to capture a unique moment for Maiden, I suppose this kind of makes sense, because they got quite a bit closer to the classic Maiden sound on Killers. Although, it's also a case of a debut that feels unique less because of a series of intentional decisions, and more due to the band not quite getting the formula right. But I must admit that in the grand scheme of things, the Iron Maiden sound was closer to full realization than you'd think. But there are some glaring differences across this album, many of which admittedly arise from the differences between the lineup here and on Maiden's most iconic run. Most notably, Di'Anno's vocals aren't bad, but they *certainly* don't feel like Iron Maiden. He's a little more gravelly than Dickinson, and I think that Dickinson *is* a much better fit for the band with his incredibly distinct operatics. Every once in a while there is also a guitar line that feels really weird when compared to the more familiar Maiden, and I kind of chalk that up to the presence of Dennis Stratton, who didn't even make it to Killers. But, this album *does* still feel as representative of The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal as Maiden's best. The sound here is still very much a combination of speed metal and some distinct influence from prog. And Steve Harris is still the primary songwriter here, which is pretty clearly identifiable. There is even the seed of Maiden's more ambitious moments here on Phantom Of The Opera, which is the longest, most intricate song here. But the song does end up over-extending itself a little. Although, a lot of the simpler songs here really define the sound on *this* album, and make it worth the occasional visit. Prowler, Running Free, Iron Maiden, and even the instrumental Transylvania are a blast. Maiden still conjures up some exciting precision and energy here, and the result is a great heavy metal album, even if it doesn't translate into one of the better Iron Maiden albums. But, I would still advise fans of the band to spin this. There is a lot to love, and it kind of captures a unique moment in the band's history.
I enjoyed this one. I hear Metallica’s beginning in some of the tracks here.
I definitely got something out of this record. Iron Maiden gets high praise from the metal acts of the 1980s onward, and this album showed their influence as well as what influenced the group. Like the major bands of the 1970s (Yes, Rush and Led Zeppelin come to mind), two-three styles appear in the same song. The first three showed the influence of Zeppelin’s soft-loud shifts with instrumentals that show prog rock style playing. To their credit, Iron Maiden rips through their guitar parts in double time, which gave them a kick lacking in most progressive rock of the decade. The latter quality showed up enough that I could hear why Metallica and Megadeth cite them as a favorite band. Great to hear speed metal phrasing to give these longer songs a dose of kinetic energy. Unfortunately, I also heard the future of hair metal. The last three songs featured clear signs of the power ballad that became a horrible trait of late 1980s hair metal. This element appeared frequently, surprising me with their pop song quality. There was less operatic singing than what I have experienced in my brief listenings to Maiden, but less bombast did not make “Strange World” and “Charlotte the Harlot” any more palatable. On a closing side note, I know Iron Maiden got caught up in the “don’t listen because these guys are preaching Satanism” frenzy of the 1980s. Maybe there is heavy devil worshiping in the lyrics, but I did not hear anything approaching the “evil” of Black Sabbath or even Judas Priest. In fact more evil and more speed would have boosted the record.
Out of my usual genre selection, but for first impressions it was solid. Its biggest win is that there is never a dull moment, even if something isn't up my alley it was entertaining. "Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World" were high points, especially the latter as it differed from the rest of the album in a way that is usually my speed. I'd give Iron Maiden another try. Is this the start of me becoming a heavy metal fan? As long as it keeps the room cool.
Better than I was expecting. Not my style but still pretty good.
3.5
Oh putain le OG Iron Maiden, je suis presque impressionné d’écouter ça ! La première chanson sur un Album de ce groupe quoi ! Bah c’est très bien ! Les rifs sont cools, ça fait pas vieux, et ça fait du bien de pas connaître les sons Transylvania a de la bonne batterie Au global un bon album, 7/10
Great start to what would become a phenomenal band.