Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Iron Maiden
Label: EMI Records
Release: year
With their debut, Iron Maiden climbed straight to the top of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), and with Killers they planted a flag up there. Killers also brings the first major change in the band: Dennis Stratton’s departure and Adrian Smith’s arrival. We all know what the name Adrian Smith means for the band’s later output, and even though this was material he had no hand in, he shone on Killers, because the solos got drastically better compared to the debut. Adrian brought a much more refined and melodic way of soloing, which is a great counterpoint to Murray’s wild pentatonic “shred” solos, and together they created a phenomenal guitar “rivalry”. Killers is also a huge leap forward in production, because this time the legendary Martin Birch took the producer’s chair for the first time. The production on Killers is much cleaner and heavier, and for the first time Harris’s bass is really pushed to the front, which became a production “trademark” of the band. Paul sounds much better than on the predecessor too, and Burr’s drumming has improved as well. Killers is also a much more cohesive record than Iron Maiden. Even though it isn’t a real concept album, most of it is soaked in “killer” themes. Like Iron Maiden, Killers is still a pretty raw record, but it offers a heaping helping of innovative material. The only thing missing is an epic in the vein of Phantom of the Opera and the later masterpieces. But Killers isn’t just a musical upgrade… Eddie got a “beauty” makeover too: gone is any trace of the slightly confused newborn from the Iron Maiden record, and here we already have a sadistic teenage axe murderer with that signature wicked grin. And by the way, Twisted Sister’s legendary vocalist Dee Snider says Killers is his favorite album.
Killers kicks off with a great instrumental, the second of the four the Maidens have recorded to date, The Ides of March. Sadly it’s also the shortest track of their career, because a minute and three quarters is decidedly too short for such a good opener! But that makes the constantly building structure of the track, driven by the gallop of Harris and Burr, all the sweeter. It’s not clear, and probably never will be, but The Ides of March (the Ides of March being the 15th day of March) most likely refers to a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “Beware the Ides of March”, and on the Ides of March one of the most famous and important assassinations in history was of course carried out. On March 15, 44 BC, in the Roman Senate, a group of so-called liberators stabbed Julius Caesar 23 times, hoping to preserve the republic, since they accused Caesar of ruling like a monarch. The phrase “Ides of March” has thus become a metaphor for impending doom. Here the Maidens could take a cue from Metallica, who always open their shows with Morricone’s Ecstasy of Gold (ever since 1983), and open their own shows with Ides of March, the way they did in the beginning. If the explanation is right, The Ides of March is the band’s first historical reference. Wrathchild is probably the best-known track on Killers and also one of the band’s most recognizable songs and a live favorite. No wonder, since with its simplicity and a running time of just three minutes it’s the most accessible track on the album, though by Maiden standards it’s a seriously average song that could be swapped for one of the later ones at gigs without much harm. The song, opened by a short but good bass intro, is about an angry young man looking for his father, most likely with less than friendly intentions. The tempo picks up with the dynamic Murders in the Rue Morgue, loosely based on the story of the same name by the American master of the macabre and father of the detective story, Edgar Allan Poe. The lyrics, from the perspective of an alleged murderer, tell of the killing of two girls in the fictional Parisian street Rue Morgue. The calm, dreamy and melancholic guitar intro captures the atmosphere of rainy Paris fantastically, while the explosion and faster tempo that follow nail the suspect’s flight from the gendarmes and the enraged mob. The second-to-last verse leaves interesting room for debate: “But I know that it’s on my mind. That my doctor said I’ve done it before.” Is the suspect a schizophrenic, and did he actually kill the girls? Another Life is another fast, direct and simple song, distinguished mainly by Harris’s harmonies and Murray’s fills. The lyrics are sadly pretty average and repetitive, and they describe thoughts of suicide. Apparently even Harris hits a creative block every now and then. Next comes the album’s second instrumental, which luckily isn’t too short, the excellent Genghis Khan, which is far more complex and rhythmically varied than The Ides of March. Nicko later revealed that Genghis Khan was written as a “filler” for Killers. Can you imagine!? Genghis Khan was written to capture the feel and sound of Genghis’s army marching to war, and sure enough, the incredible tempo and slightly Eastern flavor throw us right into the ranks of this Mongol politician and brilliant military strategist, who united the Mongol tribes and built the Mongol Empire, the largest empire of all time. Innocent Exile is a track you need to hear a few times, since it’s pretty atypical for the Maidens, almost a blues rock number. No wonder, as Innocent Exile is one of the first songs the Maidens wrote. Harris’s bass is perfect again, but the top spot goes to the excellent solo. The lyrics for Innocent Exile were probably written later, since they fit the album’s “theme” perfectly, and you could say it continues the story of Murders in the Rue Morgue, about an unjustly condemned criminal, his flight from the law and the dark thoughts running through his head. If Murders in the Rue Morgue and Innocent Exile wonder about the criminal’s guilt, Killers describes a downright genuine psychopathic murderer. Without a doubt one of the best songs on the album, spiced up in the opening bars by Di’Anno’s inhuman screams, which superbly capture the mind of a sadistic psychopath stalking his unsuspecting victims with an axe. The opening notes of Harris’s bass perfectly evoke footsteps echoing in a dark hallway, and the song’s ominous atmosphere peaks in a fantastic Smith/Murray guitar duel. One of the verses again raises an interesting question: “I have no-one, am bound to destroy all this greed. A voice inside me, compelling to satisfy me.” Is this once again the mentally ill, schizophrenic killer from Murders in the Rue Morgue? Prodigal Son is a mostly acoustic ballad about a repentant man, recalling the biblical parable of the prodigal son. Prodigal Son really stands out on Killers thanks to its slower tempo and completely different “feel”. The theme differs from the “killer” themes that dominate the record too, since Prodigal Son is a far more mystical and ethereal story about someone who dabbled with dark forces and now begs Lamia for help. Lamia is an ancient Greek mythological creature who was a Libyan queen loved by Zeus himself. The vengeful goddess Hera killed Lamia’s children (except Scylla, whom you probably know from another legend…), and Lamia, driven mad, turned into a monstrous creature with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a snake, and swore vengeance on all children, first bewitching them and then devouring them. It’s not entirely clear why Harris thought of Lamia for Prodigal Son, but since the whole track has a pretty Genesis-like atmosphere (Harris is a fan of the band and admits they’re one of his bigger influences), it’s possible he thought of Lamia because of the track The Lamia from Genesis’s album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974). Purgatory is another one of the album’s best songs, with a fast tempo and fantastic harmonies. Purgatory is also one of the band’s older songs, from when they were originally called Floating, and Nicko again revealed that Purgatory is a considerably sped-up and superior version of Floating. The lyrics are pretty vague and leave room for your own interpretation, but at least superficially it’s clear they describe some strange dreams. Interestingly, the cover of the Purgatory single was redrawn at the band’s request, since it was supposedly too complex for singles – the redrawn cover later became the cover of The Number of the Beast. Purgatory is also the first of three covers where the devil joins Eddie (besides The Number of the Beast, the devil also fights Eddie on the cover of the Run to the Hills single). Twilight Zone originally appeared only on the American edition of the album, since in Europe it came out as a single, and on the 1998 reissue it’s placed after Purgatory. Twilight Zone was a track originally meant to be just a b-side, but it turned out much better and so became an a-side. Twilight Zone also has one of the best lyrics on the record, which could easily describe one of the episodes of the cult series of the same name. Twilight Zone has an atmosphere that only the Maidens can create – a fast-paced track that at the same time carries a feeling of sadness and loss. Killers closes with Drifter, which is sadly one of the duller songs on the record, and with its more cheerful and optimistic atmosphere and lyrics it may not seem like a fitting finale for a record with murderous themes. Just in passing: the “yo yo” parts are meant as a jab at The Police’s hugely popular Walking on the Moon of the time.
Killers is the record that marked the end of the “Early Days” era. Di’Anno left the band soon after its release because of problems with alcohol and drugs, so Killers is also the last record with the raw, primal Maiden “punk” sound. I don’t think I even need to write who replaced Paul, so let me just pose the question: where would the Maidens be today if Paul had stayed in the band…? Still, Killers is an overlooked gem of the Iron Maiden discography and, like its predecessor, one of the most influential records, with a huge impact especially on the development of thrash and speed metal.
Lineup
Paul Di’Anno – vocals
Steve Harris – bass guitar
Dave Murray – lead and rhythm guitar
Adrian Smith – lead and rhythm guitar
Clive Burr – drums
Production
Martin Birch
Track List
1. The Ides Of March 01:46
2. Wrathchild 02:55
3. Murders In The Rue Morgue 04:19
4. Another Life 03:23
5. Genghis Khan 03:10
6. Innocent Exile 03:54
7. Killers 05:02
8. Prodigal Son 06:13
9. Purgatory 03:20
10. Twilight Zone 02:33
11. Drifter 04:50
