Reviews (page 9 of 13)
Förväntade mig att det skulle vara tråkigare faktiskt, bra sångare och stabila låtar men jag saknar lite av en edge för ett högre betyg!
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
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.
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.
I’d give this 3.5/5
Not fan of heavy metal, but this is one of the better ones.
not my favorite but still good
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.
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 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?
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.
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
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.
Undeniable, even though it's not really for me.
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
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.
I do actually rather enjoy this as background music.
mmh, hard rock but listenable. Quite good but won't end up in my playlist
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
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.
Actually pretty decent
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.
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.
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.
Not my favorite by them but pretty good
Rockin
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.
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
Iron Maiden is my favorite early metal band but I hadn't actually listened to their debut album, very much enjoyed
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.
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
J - 3/5 Best Track - "Running Free" F - DNL
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.
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.
Metal is always decent but some of the songs really feel a bit long. 3.5/5
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.
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.
Straight metal.
Entry level metal for beginners and humble beginnings of one my favorite band
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
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.
Really interesting album, non of their popular songs but still good
don't totally vibe with the vocals, but apparently this is their old vocalist. also catch me fully riverdance to Transylvania
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.
Intense
3/5
I didn't think it was horrible hard rock, just not my favorite.
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.
Not as fun as some of the other metal albums we’ve gotten so far
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.
ass
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
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.
6/10 As I have said previously. Not really my bag but I get why people like it.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
Enjoyed the guitar work & album as a whole.
3.5
3.5
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
Not bad
I understand the importance of the album then. I don't understand the importance of the album now. It's not bad at all, but it's been done a lot better later. Favorite song: Iron Maiden.
I liked this way more than I thought I would. I always thought there were going to be some crazy scream metal band or something, based on their name and album covers. But they turned out to be pretty fun. Prowler starts us of with a decent song, but some great guitar shredding. Remember Tomorrow is nice and smooth. Strange World also has some great guitar work. The rest of the songs are all right. All in all though, a good time. Best song: Remember Tomorrow
pretty fya
Another good 80s metal album from the OGs
Ya know, was sort of getting scarred by old rock albums on this list just being there, but this was solid. Unmistakable sound, super clean, and super on point throughout. No real standout besides maybe phantom of the opera, but very enjoyable. Probably a 3.5 honestly, maybe a 4, but lack of a standout will leave it a 3.
3 out of 5. For a debut I thought it would be tougher than it turned out to be.
Very fun and dumb
Solid early metal. Good licks. I actually think I might listen to more Iron Maiden
I don’t think this is their best album to be honest but it has a raw quality that gives it a good vibe. Up the maiden!
I've never listened to an Iron Maiden album before. My friends older brother was into them and I thought the album covers were the most satanic thing I'd ever seen. I actually liked the slowburn "Strange World" the best.
Overrated by decent overall
It's good, but i wouldn't listen to it that often. 3 best track - phantom of the opera.
a refreshing blast, which manages to be both bombastic and tinny - classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal
The debut recording from IM? Okay, I'll check it out. It was weird not having Bruce on vocals, but it was pretty decent.
Much more into the Sabbath doom side of metal than I am the Maiden flourishes but there’s no denying the influential nature of this particular release - it has a little bit of everything. My favorite flavor on display here is “Phantom of the Opera,” but it all works really well as a cohesive and coherent rock album front to back.
had absolutely no idea what this was going to sound like! solid!
Not my kind of music! But: two stand outs from this short album are: Remember tomorrow Phantom of the opera (trust me)
6/10
Definitely 80s, but also an early view into metal and a pivotal point in music. Can't say I've listened through to an entire Iron Maiden record before, but this was what I expected it to be. Upbeat, decent harmonies and rhythms, and vocals aren't too harsh. I can now say I experienced this.
Fine. A few good moments here and there but overall the album did not grab me. As a kid I remember seeing shirts, posters, patches, jackets, etc, with Iron Maiden stuff on them and thinking it looked scary and that the music was probably wild and dangerous or something. Now this sounds kind of tame and quaint (complimentary).
Kinda surprised that I liked this one, a bit of a Sabbath ripoff, but not too bad. The other Maiden I’ve heard is better than this, though.
Fun
It’s good for metal.
I was surprised by the highly melodic music of this album. Previous to this I only knew Iron Maiden as a name, if I heard their songs it was not knowingly so I was expecting something with more screaming and crunching noise. Pleasantly surprised.
Rock/Glam/Punk Decent Vocal A good laugh
I read something not so long ago about the loss of the key change in recorded music, and how this relates to the paucity of storytelling in contemporary songwriting. I didn’t expect to find vivid proof of this in an Iron Maiden album, but there you are. This isn’t to my taste at all. But listening to it dispassionately, I’m struck by the rigidity of the composition, the clever juxtaposition of rhythmic variations - and, yeah, key changes to underscore pathos or passion. Also: I swear there are echoes of both Blondie and Metallica’s Black Album here. That was not at all expected.
It's cornball early-80s metal, but it's my cornball early-80s metal.
It was ok... Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. I didn't find it partially memorable.
Solid album. Prowler sets the tone
The instrumental parts were my favorite. You can really hear how other metal bands (especially Metallica, with the instrumentals...) grew out from this. But wow, some of the vocals are pretty awful here. I'm not even a big fan of Bruce Dickinson, but man was he an improvement.
A lot better than number of the beast.
5/10
- Iron Maiden is one of the metal bands I am most likely to turn to, but I have no familiarity with their earliest output. I am not shocked that it is relatively shallow and unrefined, which is not helped by Paul Di'anno's vocals just not standing up to the later Bruce Dickinson. - Fun sound (the opening guitar work on "Prowler" to start the album is legit blood-pumping) and obvious skill, but this is just a fraction of what this band would grow to be.
Honestly tuned it out...oops
perdi a minha virgindade de iron maiden com esse aqui rs e gostei bem mais do que imaginava!! talvez pelas artes de capa dos CDs, sempre achei que a banda fosse um heavy metal pesado com guturais pouco entendíveis, mas não é o caso. vocais ótimos, riffs de guitarra e bateria com mt personalidade! tem até baladas/músicas mais lentas. top
First time Iron Maiden listener. It sounds exactly like I thought it would. Not worth revisiting.
3.5
3.5
I haven't heard this one in a long time but it was fun! I think I always enjoyed Maiden with Paul than I did with Bruce, but I think it comes down to more of the heavy metal sound being punkier than it was proggy with their stuff later. That being said, this one has many songs like that still, some leaning more towards psychedelia and prog in a way that it's cool but I guess I didn't care for every song in the album. I might try out Killlers later and see if I can recall why I liked it more than this one.
Revisited this a few months later and kicked it up a star. Actually is really fucking good and could climb some more. Turned off by the juvenile Eddie artwork.
Great start to Iron Maiden but not there best album, I think it really kicked on after they changed lead singers.
Some solid, almost punk type thrash metal here. I like the instrumentals.
Good example of the “Metal” genre. The stage personas of angry musicians playing angry music for angry young people. With the exception of a couple of the tracks—slower ballads—it just started to sound all the same. Shred, shred, and more shredding. Great—what else you got.
Iron maiden before they grew balls
Niki album
In my mind, metal maiden music never distinguished itself from the dozens of head banger bands of the era. Simple. Average.
From a simpler time. Straightforward classic metal. Production is minimalistic, showcasing the band as they are. Break out the Z-28 with the Pioneer Supertuner and your 6 x 9 Jensons.
Blind album, only know the artist by name. I was generally pleased by this, and more than I thought I would as well. Opening track was a banger, but then as the album went on, it faded a bit and was come and go. Happy to hear more from the band if this was their debut.
So close to awesome. Just needed some Bruce.
Rocking out great tunes!
The debut album by the British legends combines a lot of what I don't like about metal: most of all the tendency towards a thematic lack of imagination (seriously: Phantom of the Opera? Transylvania? That's cheap - as if someone for inspiration had read the synopsis of the films in the video store which were on display in the horror section for lack of ideas of their own). Then this craft-over-style mumble: playing in unison when you want to show how good you can play etc., while in the end this doesn't offer anything really impressive for anyone used to stuff like fusion jazz, Zappa or the better prog rock bands. The record has nice parts, the musicians can play and it's not the worst thing in the world but at the core is a little-boys-big-pants aesthetic for wannabe blokes. I understand this one is a bit of a pioneering release, so 1 extra star for that.
Listened to this completely keyed up on adrenaline after my car broke down in Apple Valley - wild combination.
3.5 Way better than I thought it would be
Lyrics were a bit misogynistic but had good swagger. Good guitar riffs. Would enjoy in the right context with beer and friends but wouldn't listen to on my own
Just not my cup of metal.
Great debut with some interesting influences (It turns out the Queen-esque influence was by a member who was only on for this album for that reason) and features. Some really solid bass parts especially. Though none of the songs are major standouts from the others, some were more recognizable. A big push for the new wave of heavy metal
I really don’t like Eddie. There, I’ve said it. That stupid 50s horror comic zombie mascot put me off listening to Iron Maiden for ages, which is a shame because they are really rather good. Their debut album is scrappy and full of punk energy (although they would hate being called punks!), and set the scene for the new wave of British heavy metal through the 80s. Charlotte the Harlot is still cringeworthy though.
Can’t say I listened to much Iron Maiden growing up, so checking out a whole album was interesting. I can understand why they were popular and the influence, but I wouldn’t say I loved the album. I thought the album was a solid listening experience, but didn’t come away as wanting to listen to them more than this.
01) Prowler - 6,5 02) Remember Tomorrow - 7,0 03) Running Free - 7,0 04) Phantom of the Opera - 6,5 05) Transylvania - 6,5 06) Strange World - 7,0 07) Charlotte the Harlot - 6,5 08) Iron Maiden - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,69 (67/100) Current ranking: 309/441 Not great, not terrible...
Pretty good. Favourite tracks: Remember Tomorrow Would listen again. 3/5
7/10
NWOBHM is a) a very odd name for a music genre and will b) just never really be my cup of tea. I can absolutely appreciate how these guys hit the ground running with this very energetic and confident debut album. I also like the DIY-aesthetic that they bring and that's often cited in reviews of this particular album. It's got a certain punk attitude that's very rare in heavy metal. However, now that I've listened to the whole thing once, I really don't feel the urge to ever go back to it again.
Good first album. The instruments were solid. Couple of songs were a bit long.
I’m not a big metal guy but some of the songs were tolerable
heavy metal not usually my thing so I was pleasantly surprised by this. still wouldn't seek it out again to listen to but understand why this is a classic
decent. Like Bruce D vocals better, personally
3/5
Bra album! Jag är inget jättefan av Paul Di'anno's sång men albumet har flera riktigt bra låtar (titelspåret och Phantom of the opera för mig). Men också några betydligt svagare spår. Jag ligger nog någonstans mellan en 2a och en 3a för denna.
Nothing special, but definitely kick ass metal.
This album was fine, albeit not particular memorable for me. I did not mind listening to it, so I would listen again, but not exactly in a rush to do so.
Iron Maiden has never really clicked with me, and it still doesn't really. The album did grow on me over time, but I don't understand why they are so popular asides from their visual aesthetic. The music doesn't even really seem in sync with the visuals. Still, I enjoyed a couple of the guitar solos and got into a bit of a flow from it, so I'll give it a 3.
I do see this similarly as last album I did enjoy this one a little more
Not a bad album but a little too repetetive at times. 3 stars or C.
Often find this genre a bit dull and samey and that happens a bit here but generally it is v good. Some of the instrumental sections/solos absolutely rip.
Not necessarily my cup of tea.
Great album
Surprised I've never listened to this. I could see myself getting into it. 3 stars
It’s a lot like musical theater. There’s even a song called Phantom of the Opera… Strong theatrics in instrumentation, lyrics, and singing. the people who are into it ARE INTO it. Their culture, lives, style revolve around this stuff. And the guys are clearly nerds. This is rock that didn’t care about style, played dungeons and dragons, and showed up in sweatpants. But there is a virtuosity to the orchestration. Not my bag, but I didn’t think it was terrible. I’d listen to some more, when they rocked they brought the heat.
Makes me think of Kays Cooking. Also not a genre I’m not super into but sounds good!
Day 79 - Jan 8th, 2025 Eh? 3/5
Most of the songs sounded pretty similar so it was difficult to pick favorites. Favorite track was Prowler, first track. Great sound and fun to listen to
Not my thing but you can hear so much of the framework for later metal bands. I especially enjoyed the harmonizing guitar riffs.
Bit relentless to listen to at 9am, but I enjoyed. Will probably give this a 3, but would actually rate a 7. On second listen, this slaps. Hard 7
bem cruzão né honestamente eu prefiro esse álbum aos outros que são mais limpinhos das ideia não é ruim não, mas passa meio distante de ser algo revolucionário
caralho, mais rock. novamente, achei que ia ser bem pior. foi divertido, até. tem umas guitarrada boa, uns refrãozim chiclete. heavy metal do fim dos anos 70/início dos 80 era isso aí, né. muita cocaína para tocar guitarra e fé em deus.
Although this style of metal got really played out by the 90s, this is a surprisingly energetic and fresh debut from Iron Maiden. The hard hitting riffs pair with the melodic vocals quite well. There were some interesting prog elements on here as well. You can tell they had a lot of influence from earlier 70s acts such as Zeppelin. Not my favorite but was a pretty cool listen.
I remember this album. It's pretty good - like Kiss but with better guitars.
It has its moments, but doesn't feel as groundbreaking as the heavy acts that came before, or as rich as some that would come on its heels.
A classic I suppose, although there are better Maiden albums, like Killers.. the one that followed
Good, but their best albums came later. The absence of Bruce Dickinson's vocals really subtracts from the album, yet their signature sound is already present in the instrumentals.
It’s somewhere between hard rock and hair rock, unsurprisingly given its release date. Did it influence the latter, who knows. Anyway, it’s got some good galloping riffs and solos, and while I don’t really know their work, it sounds quite ‘Maiden’y’. So I guess there’s some development of what is in my head ‘their sound’. However, they’re totally let down by the singer, just very bland, no wonder they got shot of him. All in all, there’s no good or bad songs as such. File under ‘interesting listen but unlikely again’.
While not even close to Maiden's best albums, you can hear loud and clear, what would be THE Iron Maiden sound, of dual guitars playing searing licks, throughout the tracks.
This record is better than you think it will be.
okii 7/10
There are many more deserving Maiden albums.
Far better than expected! The album shines with captivating vocals and a very catchy sound. While enjoyable, it doesn’t quite sweep me off my feet
Some good songs, some less memorable. Like Paul Di Anno’s vocals but nothing hits peak epic like in their later albums. You can see glimpses of it, just not there yet.
Pleasantly surprised. Particularly enjoyed Phantom of the Opera. More heavy rock than heavy metal.
I don’t want to be disrespectful to Paul Di’Anno—he’s clearly giving his all to the material (and he died just two months ago). But as good as the rest of the band is…it’s clear that Bruce Dickinson was the missing ingredient they needed to be truly great.
It was just ok. Nothing much.
This was alright, but I prefer their later stuff
It was fine. Simpsons: Yes
A band that I've always thought I should listen to more, but have never got really into. Only knew one song on this album. The rest were nice but not very memorable.
Dumb and fun I guess.
I honestly found the repetitiveness of it dull
Honestly pretty basic hard rock. I understand they canned this vocalist and I agree with that decision. Can't wait to hear a later album. Great riffs and a couple good ballads actually
not my favourite Iron Maiden album, but hey, it's IronMaiden.
I've only heard the name Iron Maiden before but this is...well...expected. Metal. Riffs are cool, rhythms too. Still, I don't like that vocal and I don't like the timbre of the drums much. Songs are good themselves. I think its a roughly 3, I'm just...not that into metal. Solo in Phantom of the Opera is cool. Transylvania is very impressive too.
Fun fact: the monster on the cover is named Eddie
The music was what you'd expect, but the vocals were lacking the flair I've come to expect from Iron Maiden. Having only been exposed to Bruce Dickinson's vocals this left me wanting something different. Overall still a decent album.
Not my usual cup of tea but i enjoyed it more then i thought would listen to again
Liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Sounds better today to me than it did back in the day.
Never heard the album before. Interesting. Much more variety than I expected. Some of the songs go on too long. Some of the vocals are solid, some not as great (Strange World) Interesting that one of the highlights of the album for me, the guitars on Phantom of the Opera, resulted in the guitarist getting fired for sounding too much like Queen.
its alrighty
I mean great playing, especially on the guitar and drums. They work fast, but in rhythm. Not my type of music, but one I sure damn respect.
Good for the rock
Otimo album. Ironico ouvir isso hoje e nao achar heavy metal. Assim como Meat Loaf, esse album é facil de ouvir e nada muito fadonho ou paia. 3 estrelas para OS DO ROCK EU SEI QUEM SAO
Iron Maiden is a classic to come back to, most of their music is still solid, not too much fuss just straight rock. 3.3
why are you so mean to her
This is probably the most I've liked an 80's metal album (depending on your definition of metal, I'm not going to dip even a toe into the argument about hair, I dealt with enough of those arguments in college about things that mattered way more than this). It's not thrash! I thought this was more varied and interesting than most metal albums, but I still don't think I'd play this on a whim, nor could I pick out a song that I may add to my rotation. It may be weird to rate this higher than Slipknot, because I have come back to Snuff a couple of times, but I never hated listening to this. Maybe I've just gotten used to metal at this point.
Not much of a metal person at all, however, was pleasantly surprised by this album. It wasn't "heavy" which made me appreciate it. You'll find some phenomenal beats and rhythms throughout this piece of art. I would say "Running Free" is the best track on the album followed by "Phantom of the Opera". I struggle to imagine a scenario where I would find myself listening to this style of music.
This was fine-to-good. 3.4
Debut album by Iron Maiden is an interesting piece. I always dismissed this band as boring and repetitive, and honestly that's quite close to truth. This record, other than terrible vocalist, includes few nice to grrat songs, which probably make it worth listetning to this album. Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania are really good, mostly because they don't really include too much of Paul Di'Anno. Cool record, bad band.
I’m glad Iron Maiden stopped making songs about showing your dick to women on the street? Is that what prowler is about? Fucks sake. The rest of it is very “early thrash”. I liked “phantom of the opera” because it was weirder than the rest but I enjoyed the whole thing for the most part. Bruce Dickinson is a better singer than this guy; glad he ultimately joined. “Transylvania” skips over the singing and it sounds a lot more like than the Maiden I’m familiar with. Everyone else sounds great, the bass lines in particular are relatively simple for this kind of music but they work really well.
Not my thing
#412. Honestly Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickenson is a pass for me. The music is good, but it's just not enough to do it for me. 3/5: fine
6.5/10
Iron Maiden's first album, where you can still hear some of their punk influences from earlier, but it's clear what's about to come. Iron Maiden is already forging its path but is searching for a style. The production isn't ideal, Paul Di'Anno is still a bit shaky, songs like "Prowler," "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden" really pale in comparison to what's yet to come, BUT... There's also a lot of positives here. And I think those positives win on this album. Bandleader Steve Harris colours every moment beautifully with his bass guitar and ensures he almost occupies a third solo guitarist position. From rousing rocking to melodious pinging to intense soloing on the masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera. "Strange World" is secretly one of the other favourite songs on this album. Strange, because the band itself doesn't seem to be very charmed by it. It's dreamy, psychedelic and bluesy with a beautiful solo by Stratton (who preferred to play this kind of stuff than the metal songs themselves) and hits the right note. Even Di'Anno sounds vulnerable and pure here. This psychedelic metal is unfortunately a sub-movement that has lost out to increasingly harder metal on the one hand and commercial hair bands on the other. "Remember Tomorrow" and "Transylvania" are the other stand-out tracks. Iron Maiden will get so much better. The songs will get smarter, the lyrics will get better and the vocals will all grow a lot, especially when they switch to Bruce as front-man. But the youthful energy and the joy of playing is still shining through here enough to enjoy this a lot. 3,5*
Cool stuff.
Love!!!
I may like the original singer better than Dickenson. I definitely like the crunchier sound of the band better.
Iron Maiden’s brutal debut is a classic.
Never actually listened to the debut album, it's interesting to hear Maiden with a different singer. They seem overall less polished than they do later on too, it's a pretty cool sound though. They definitely still rip on guitar. There are a surprising number of ballads on this album. Also after a full album... switching singers was definitely the right move, this dude is just an okay singer.
In the past, I’ve spent many a year resisting Iron Maiden whatever phase I’ve moved in, from 70’s prog-purist to indie scene kid to 21st century poptimist. “The Number of the Beast” changed all that when I heard it a few months back. It forced me to confront the dazzling instrumental performances of the band, those sugary harmonised guitars, and the all-timers like “The Prisoner”, “Run To The Hills” and “Number of the Beast”. Arriving two years earlier, this self-titled debut isn’t quite as refined or effortless, but it still boasts plenty of the same. The band were unhappy with its production for being too raw and muddy, which is interesting given that there’s much more clarity here than many of the other metal albums I’ve heard. “Prowler” is a strong opener, “Running Free” is a classic, driving, “me against the world” kind of hard-rock song, and I appreciate “Strange World” for bringing a more subdued, reflective energy. “Phantom of the Opera” also deserves a shout-out for its delusions of grandeur and ridiculous-yet-sublime triplet break. But to my ears, the record’s greatest strengths are most apparent on the breathless instrumental “Transylvania” and of course the mission statement of “Iron Maiden”: they’re both frenzied workouts for all involved, boasting top-notch musicianship and memorable hooks to boot. The instrumentalists are undeniably strong, so many of the best moments on this record are when they’re left to do their thing. As much as I like Paul Di’Anno’s vocals, it feels as though the magic Maiden formula truly clicked into place with Bruce Dickinson’s voice slicing above the instrumentals like razor wire. Also, while the vocals are perfectly fine here, many of the lyrics (“I’m sixteen and I’m running free,” “see the ladies flashing all their legs and lashes”, just about all of “Charlotte the Harlot”) stray into cornier territory, leaving a lot to be desired. In short, this is a solid debut album with some excellent performances and standout moments, but it just doesn’t quite hit as hard for me as their other effort on this list.
I’ve consciously avoided iron maiden, but the raw punkiness of this album was a pleasant surprise. Not sure what to think lyrically…looking at you..Charlotte the Harlot
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I was expecting. Quite diverse styles across the record. Particularly enjoyed the closing track.
Iron Maiden’s debut album is an energetic and enjoyable listen that showcases the band’s raw talent and sets the foundation for their future work. The guitar work and musicianship are solid, delivering aggressive riffs and dynamic drumming. However, it lacks that special factor or standout qualities that would elevate it to a higher rating for me. It’s a fun album but doesn’t leave a lasting impression compared to other classics in the genre.
It's obvious why "Ted" Theodore Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esq., loved Iron Maiden.
It´s just real solid classic metal but I like it. 🤘 I listened to the original 8 tracks edition and for me the later on the remastered edition added "Sanctuary" is not missing. favourite: "Prowler", " Remember Tomorrow", "Running Free"
A good example of 80s metal and a pretty decent debut album as well. I didn't enjoy this as much as their other entry in this challenge, 'The Number of the Beast', but it's still an ok album. It sounds like Iron Maiden were still trying to find their sound here, which is fair enough for a debut. According to Wikipedia, they were constantly fighting producers who wanted them to sound more like punk bands or Queen. That stubbornness probably paid off with early examples of what would become their signature sound, such as 'Running Free' and the title track.
Wissenslücke geschlossen
surprised that i didn’t dislike it as much as i thought i would 👍
Pretty good album from start to finish.
You know, early metal is not really my thing. I found the slower songs to be quite good and I never thought I would enjoy this album but it surprised me.
Not familiar with this album, although there are a few Maiden songs I like generally. This starts out way rawer than I was expecting (good thing) but maybe too much guitar noodling for my taste. The boys was figurin' it out, but it's really split between the 70s and what Iron Maiden turned into. The production isn't there for the operatic stuff and when it gets arena rock-y it's at its worst. The glimmer of the future was probably pretty exciting back in 1980 but I don't think it's great.
The weird dividing line between the hair metal and metal metal.
I appreciate this era of metal because it gave rise to the extreme metal I enjoy today. Nevertheless, it's just too over the top for me to really come back to this more frequently. Other than that, it's a decent album.
Enjoyed this more than I assumed I would. Less corny than I thought.
Sometimes I forget how musical Iron Maiden is. They have sophisticated, rockin' riffs that genuinely set them apart from the other cheesy proto-metal acts of the era. The lyrics, on the other hand, are inescapably bad.
Not my favorite. But still pretty good.
First off, RIP Paul Di’Anno. I believe there is no such thing as a coincidence since this album was generated for this project just days after his passing. Sometimes a band is firing on all cylinders and puts out some of their best material on their first record. This isn’t that necessarily. This record lays the groundwork with the ebbs and flows of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Funny enough this record kind of sounds like Iron Maiden trying to be Judas Priest but I’m pretty sure the influence actually worked the other way around. Di’Anno has his moments, but is definitely no Bruce Dickinson. “Prowler” is a pretty weak opener. Musically and vocally it sounds like something your local bar band would open their set with. Overall there are some very solid tunes throughout including “Remember Tomorrow,” “Running Free,” and “Strange World.”
This was better than I expected. I'm not into metal, but these guys can play. Steve Harris is a "beast" on bass, even on this early album.
Fast, fun and extremely over the top. Relentless galloping rhythms, nonstop riffing, harmonized dual guitar attack, shredding solos, wailing vocals, songs that veer wildly between proto-thrash/hardcore and pop- prog. Time has taken the edge off and made this seem somewhat kitschy, but it's still a good headbanging time 🤘
Respect Iron Maiden but this album as a whole is pretty meh.
Woke up ready to thrash. Hell yeah
completely silly but loads of fun
Liked it more than I thought I would. Still not my style but I enjoyed the energy.
Pretty good I have to say! After the Number of the Beast came up on here, I went back and listened to a good chunk of their albums, and I enjoyed pretty much all of them, some more than others -- and sometimes depending on my mood -- but I was fairly underwhelmed by this one. I liked it more this time around, but they have far better works than this. Still prob like a 3.5
This is above a three for me but not quite a four. Liked it more than I thought I would. The album art is trash.
3.5
There are only two Iron Maiden albums on this list, which makes this one a baffling choice. It’s not BAD, but it’s also not at all indicative of what the band would become. If you really wanted to represent the pre-Bruce Dickinson era, Killers is a legitimately good album. This is perfectly fine but I can’t imagine it’s anyone’s favorite.
Charlotte notes: Charlotte the harlot! It’s me! Remember Tomorrow 10/10 song Charlotte didn't listen to it all, only 4 or so. Charlotte star rating = **** (4/5) Kathryn notes: I like Strange World the most. Its impressive just not really my vibe?? Liked how it was shorter tbh. I don't think i could've listed to a longer album. Some parts were groovy throughout but very intense. I don't think the lyrics rlly spoke to me but some of the guitar solos sooo impressive! Kathryn star rating = * (1/5) Katherine notes: did not listen :( work/shagging !! Average star rating between us = 3/5
I liked this more than i thought i would. That being said, I think Black Sabbath eats Iron Maiden's lunch. There are some cool and memorable riffs on this but other spots just aren't for me. Also not huge on the vocals. If I could go 2.5 I would, but I'm willing to bump up to a three
It was alright. I wasn’t bilen away like the Doors but you cant argue that the Music was good. It just wasn’t that much for me
I get why it’s legendary, but I mostly couldn’t get into it. Not for me.
Those guys shred that guitar. Vocals weren’t the best though
Standard hair metal
Not the earliest Heavy Metal nor remotely the best, only deserves a spot on the list as it serves as the debut for one of the greats of the genre. Every song was alright 6/10 Fav tracks - All -2 Least Fav - Running Free
I typically don’t like this type of music. On my first listen, I appreciated this record, but I didn’t expect to revisit it. After a long day with kids, I had a few beers and found myself turning it back on. It rocks.
It is short. It is listenable. As a huge Ryan Holiday fangirl, I wanted it to be a hidden gem for me. The songwriting is good, intro, to bridge, to chorus with melody and metal. Lyrics are that 70's mystical, reality questioning storytelling. It's fine.
je comprends que ça ai été une grosse influence pas vraiment mon style mais quand ça part en power metal j'aime bien quand meme avec les guitares qui chantent (phantom of the opera)
Heavy metal sounds all the same :-).
too heavy
Only album with Dennis Stratton on guitar and this album art is abysmal butttt Transylvania and Strange World were incredibly fun to listen to. Hot take but Sanctuary and Phantom of the Opera aren't that good. Wouldn't revisit much but for being self titled and their first studio album it's cool to see what they were trying to do
Iron Maiden has never been my thing, but I can appreciate what they were doing.
All triplets and shuffles all the time. A classic head bangers ball. Lighter and more bluesy than the later Maiden I seem to recall.
Surprised, have not liked maiden in the past but enjoyed this, Transylvania was especially good Album did sound dated though
Totally caught off guard by how good this was. Now I'm questioning my very identity. Am I an Iron Maiden fan?! Hard to get over how bad the cover art is; the music is so much better.
3.5 if I could give it. Liked this better than the other one. Far more enjoyable than I expected.
I liked it more than I thought I would, it was less metal and more rock than I was expecting. But there were a lot of very long instrumental segments which I was not very into. It’d be good to add a song or two to the Halloween playlist
Listened Before? N Well, it's something pretty good. It's not Iron Maiden good, but that's a high standard. Switching from the singer on this album to Dickinson on the next may be the single greatest upgrade an established band has ever made. This one isn't terrible, and the music ROCKS, but the themes and vocal work are sub-standard for Maiden. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Prowler
Super rad :) music from an era my fam didn’t share with me. I’m happy to find it and love it.
Pretty good. Not as heavy as I thought it would be but lots of fun. Nothing really stood out but I'll give it another listen for sure.
I don't really get it. Is it very serious? I liked Megadeath, that was fun. Metal is weird.
Iron Maiden's debut. Certainly not as strong as Number of the Beast, and honestly I'd imagine they have better albums in their catalog that could take this spot. Not bad by any measure, but I'd need a little more to love this. Favorite tracks: Prowler, Transylvania, Strange World. Album art: Is this the first Eddie, or is this pre-Eddie? No idea, but seems to be the same art style. Say whatever you will about their music, if you're into metal or not, but the commitment to this art style and the sort of covers they have is super cool. 3/5
- chloe 3/5 - Ross 6/10 - Good riffs - lacking vocalists - it feels overshadowed by their later work - it was enjoyable passive album. Good for listening to whilst you do something else. - done toe tapping riffs
it was kinda cool
Sounds like the intro to an anime
Disappointing so soon after the previous Iron Maiden album on here which was good. Bit too self-indulgent on the guitar solos for me.
Enjoyed the instrumental guitar tracks
It's ok. I think they improve on this formula in their later efforts.
Surprisingly decent. I couldn't listen to it regularly, but I did enjoy it.
Good band but not my favorite.
i still consider myself a newbie when it comes to metal, classic or otherwise, but i enjoyed this one. it's not my favorite metal album i've ever listened to in my limited time exploring the genre, but it's solid enough. for my taste, it's not as rough around the edges as i would like but the musicianship here is good and the production sounds pretty great. overall, i just sort of wish it had a little bit more oomph to the sound, which is what i tend to like in metal. but overall, solid!
highs are pillars of early metal but as a whole this feels half-baked and too steeped in 70s hard rock to really fly 6/10
Maiden kenne ich, aber das komplette erste Album hatte ich noch nicht gehört. Zeigt aber schon wohin die Reise geht, melodiöse Riffs und 2-stimmige Gitarrensoli. Solides Debut.
Man this rocks. Running Free could be the archetype of Rock Songs. It’s hard to imagine a world where Iron Maiden is a new band, with one album. But definitely if I lived in that world and heard this I would say “Whoa what is this! This rocks!”
I half like Iton Maiden and then they do that guitar sound I don’t like in metal music.
Interesting that the authors of the 1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die would pick this one over, say 'Piece of Mind' or 'Powerslave.' Nothing wrong with the first album, mind you. It's a sturdy collection of songs and is a foundational text of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Original vocalist Paul Di'Anno has nowhere near the range of Bruce Dickinson, but his scratchy, guttural sound matches the musical chops of the band at the time, though bassist and founder Steve Harris was already casting his gaze very far into the horizon. Not that they couldn't shred and up the irons; they were already experimenting with progressive rock-inspired song structures and movements with the required virtuosity on songs like "Phantom of the Opera." Maybe the first album wouldn't serve as anyone's entry point to Iron Maiden (at least in 2024) or NWOBHM as a whole, but it's still satisfying to hear the start of the steady progression the band would take on their musical trajectory. The visual language, however? Formed on day one. A sign of something special. B+
Less heavy than I expected, which wasn't a bad thing. I love the sound of an electric guitar. Softer singing than I expected too. Some of the longer instrumentals didn't have a lot going on but overall decent. Highlights: Prowler Running Free
So there's 3 good songs on here but fuck Paul Dianno. This is like like telling everyone to check out the Chicago Bulls before Michael Jordan... okay.
Didn't hate it. Didn't love it. Won't remember it tomorrow probably. 3/5
I have a confession to make : despite growing up in a hick town in the 1980s, I have NEVER listened to Iron Maiden! I was too busy with Phil Collins and Bryan Adams and Friday Night videos and didn’t turn my attention to them, as I thought they were heavy metal and I didn’t do heavy metal (that was those guys in the 3/4 sleeve rock T-shirts with that creepy Eddie splashed on the front). Object lesson in staying in your lane and ‘finding’ only those cultural bits that look familiar. Too bad for me - they’re pretty okay, with lots of Van Halen and even Chili Peppers guitar riffs and lyrics and stage antics tame by subsequent standards. I probably won’t seek them out too often, but I won’t turn away from them so quickly next time either.