Iron Maiden - Killers
Created | Updated Oct 30, 2002
Along with The X Factor, Killers is one of Iron Maiden's most underrated albums. People are keen to wax lyrical over The Number Of The Beast, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and Fear Of The Dark, yet seem to forget masterpeices such as Killers. Why are they forgotten? Because their true value is not appreciated. People don't seem to realise the skill in song-writing and playing that went into this album.
The songs
The album starts with The Ides Of March, Maiden's shortest song. The start of it bears a striking similarity to Samson's Thunderburst, which is hardly surprising seeing as Paul Samson co-wrote Thunderburst with Steve Harris.
Next comes Wrathchild, which has remained a favourite with live audiences. Starting of with a short bass solo, it leaps straight into uncompromising1 guitar work, and mean vocals from Paul Di'Anno. I think it's the song's unrelenting assualt of guitar and vocals that make it a winner.
Track #3 is Murders In The Rue Morgue. The music itself here is just fine, but our point of interest is the vocals. This song has a lot of lyrics to it, with two or three verses strung together with the chorus (which is rarely the same). You won't catch anybody doing this at a karaoke night!
Another Life starts of sounding a bit 1970s, with a single guitar repeating a riff against the drums. Compared to Murders In The Rue Morgue, Another Life is kinda short, with just two verses repeated three times. Another Life deals with depression, and the song sounds quite angry.
The fifth song shows a great idea going virtually ignored. Genghis Kahn is an instrumental designed to give the sound of Kahn's hordes as they invaded and pillaged their neighbouring lands, as they did. Now isn't that just a great idea?! Music played to represent something! Amazing! And Genghis Kahn does the job well, starting off with a military sounding march beat (in a 12th century way, if you catch my drift). Then it pumps itself up to the sound of what must be the Monguls raping and marauding. F'king fantastic.
No. 6: Innocent Exile. A rather powerful peice, if it does end slightly lame.
My life is so empty
Nothing to live for
My mind is all confusion
Cos I defied the law
When you weren't there to help me
I lost my mind and ran
I never had no trouble
Before this all began...
Think of it as short, fast and hard. After the second verse, as Di'Anno holds the last syllable, you have a peice of guitar work that sympathises with the plight of the song. Gives it atmosphere, as does the "dudududu, dudududu" of the drums. The line, sadly, spoils the song, as it sort of contradicts the nature of what's just come before it. A drawn out "Lord I'm running" sort of makes it sound like the subject of the song is scared, which I suppose is true. But before that, it's more like he's pointing the finger and saying "they say I killed a woman, they know it isn't true. They're just trying to
frame me, and all because of you." Other than that, great song.
The title track of the album, Killers, is another great 'un, on par with Wrathchild. Starting of with a bass solo, a quiet single guitar part brings in the sudden "Yow! Yeeeaaaarrrhh!" and twin guitar thrashes. This goes on for just over a minute before Di'Anno does his little vocal job (impossible to put into words) and the song's signature riff. From then on it just keeps going right until the end. Great stuff!
As if the calm you down, Prodigal Son is semi-acoustic. I remember when I heard the first 60 seconds on the Official Iron Maiden Website, I was thinking "wtf?!" But now I like it. Di'Anno's voice has a fair deal of emotion in it here, which is what is needed for the nature of the song. I don't know exactly what it's about, but that's because I'm fairly ignorant of who 'Lamia' is.
By the time you get to the ninth song, Pugatory, you've got a firm idea of what the album generally sounds like. And Purgatory doesn't offer any surprises to us. It's vocals come thick'n'fast, but so fast you can't figure out what he's singing. Sorry.
A drum, a drum, the next single doth come! Yeah, it's Twilight Zone, about this poor dead guy who's trying to contact his girlfriend from beyond the grave. It's a powerful song, it makes you think "why oh why did they have to fire Paul?" You really sympathise for this poor ghost. Halfway through he says how he wants to bring her over to "the other side". A quick and easy solution to a terrible, painful problem, similar to Murders In The Rue Morgue. But it both these songs it just ain't happening.
Finally, Drifter. Quite light-hearted, and a pleasant way to end the album.
Enhanced section
Before you ask, no this isn't a concept album! Strange, isn't it?
Unless this is the first enhanced Maiden CD you're buying, then your main reason of plugging this in your computer is to see the videos. Maiden put on the videos of the singles from that album on the enhanced section, but of course they weren't really in the habit of doing videos in 1981. So instead you have footage of Wrathchild and Killers from a show @ the Rainbow in '81 (obviously).
There's nothing really to p**s your pants over in the videos. They're not exactly revolutionary, but they are live and they are playing class music. Just don't go boasting to your mates about it...
You see a rather comical look at drummer Clive Burr in the Wrathchild video. It's his face. When I see that picture of Clive
in the sleeve for Iron Maiden on the CD, the one with them at the Chamber Of Horrors in London, and Clive's holding a bloodied axe next to a decappitated corpse. I think "I bet he would puke if that was real". He looks about 12 in some of the photos...
End
You've got the idea. Killers is a great album, and I thoroughly recommend it if you want something few other people will
have. Enjoy.
