By the early 80s, heavy metal was quickly gaining a worldwide audience and most of it was coming from overseas.
When American bands were trying to land on the Billboard charts, England was thriving on speed and intricacy. The NWOBHM exploded and it’s shocking to realize just how many groups had all come from one place. Acts like Motorhead and Saxon were making some of their best albums at the time while Judas Priest and Rainbow began toning down to a more radio-friendly sound. Others were also starting out their careers like Def Leppard and Venom, but Iron Maiden was becoming a prestigious force of nature.
After a successful debut at the turn of a new decade, they earned plenty of local recognition as Britain’s top ambassadors of metal. With the addition of guitarist Adrian Smith, Maiden was ready for a follow-up release.
Killers is heavier than the self-titled debut and the songwriting is much more consistent in comparison. Iron Maiden did contain some of their strongest material, however their second record is more polished if you go track-by-track.
As soon as you hear the epic instrumental, The Ides Of March, you know you’re in for a great experience. From start to finish, Killers pushed the boundaries of metal with proto-thrash riffs and harmonizing solos. Highlights include the crowd chanter, Wrathchild and the title track, possibly the heaviest song Maiden put out.
What makes Killers a tremendous record is the subtlety of the musicianship, who else could’ve come up with the intro to Murders In The Rue Morgue or the chorus in Purgatory?
Paul Di’Anno’s vocals sound remarkably better, belting out more than a few screams here and there. Clive Burr also appears to have stepped up his game as his drumming drives the songs in a more aggressive direction. And who could forget the chemistry between Dave Murray and Adrian Smith?
It wasn’t just the performance in the recording studio, Maiden owed it to themselves every night to give the audience their money’s worth. Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman confirmed this theory on a public television show where he said, “Maiden played everything twice as fast as the record on tour.”
Maiden were destined for international successful, however they started out just like everyone else. It took a lot of club dates to convince the U.K. that they were a top-tier machine. Killers left a tremendous impact on every band that wanted to test the limits and that’s why it stands out as one of the most important landmarks in metal.
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