Iron Maiden

Sound DNA

• Metal
• Heavy Metal

• distorted
• aggressive
• primal

About

It all started here: the galloping basslines, the soaring choruses, the skeletal Eddie mascot snarling on the sleeve. Released in April 1980, Iron Maiden’s full-length debut was nothing short of revelatory. Led by bassist mastermind Steve Harris and fronted by ex-skinhead Paul Di’Anno, Maiden set the gold standard for the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal with the punk-injected single “Running Free,” the highlander prog of “Phantom of the Opera,” and their harmonized signature ripper “Iron Maiden.” But they also flashed a talent for ghostly atmospherics on “Remember Tomorrow” (later covered by Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats) and for serialized fiction on “Charlotte the Harlot,” a character who would go on to appear in future Maiden epics. With a grittier, streetwise sound and fewer historical themes than they would later adopt when Bruce Dickinson took over on vocals, <i>Iron Maiden</i> stands as an essential building block in the infrastructure of heavy metal.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits