About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

To this day, Iron Maiden's first two releases, 1980's Iron Maiden and 1981's Killers, are widely considered classics by many a metalhead worldwide. That said, these two releases are not comprised of what would latter become the signature "Maiden sound" -- in other words, not many extended prog-metal compositions, nor lyrics about historical figures or "air raid siren" vocals. But what you did get was a lean and hungry band -- which arguably had more in common with punk bands than the established metal acts at the time, especially when it came to the explosive energy contained on these two releases (which has since been credited as helping create thrash metal, too). And another main factor about what made these albums so special, was Maiden's vocalist at the time, Paul Di'Anno -- who vocally, was the complete opposite of his subsequent replacement. And it's renditions of compositions from this Maiden era that comprise the 2006 Di'Anno release, Classics: The Maiden Years. Now, don't be fooled by the album cover (a Maiden-era close-up shot of Di'Anno in mid-concert flight) -- these are not the original versions of these tracks, but rather, latter-day live recordings by Di'Anno and assorted pals. However, this 12-track set is an absolute ass-kicker from beginning to end, as Di'Anno remains in fine voice all these years later, especially on such standouts as "Wrathchild," "Prowler," "Running Free," and "Iron Maiden." Despite only appearing on a pair of Maiden releases, Di'Anno's contribution to metal is significant, as it was the Di'Anno -era recordings that gave heavy metal a much-needed kick in the keyster, which is proven once more with Classics: The Maiden Years. Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

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