For the past four years iron Maiden had been playing the local gigs, steadily making a name for themselves (indeed, the year after this release they would tour with the Priest itself) as a force to be reckoned with in the British metal scene. Their self-titled debut was released in the same year as two of the all-time greats of heavy metal, and it is something to say that it the album does not pale in comparrison to either.
The world's greatest heavy metal band were going toe-to-toe with the giants before they had even risen anywhere near the title they now lay claim to.
Looking back, the album is graced with a production that does not do it any favours. One could argue it helps bring forth the raw feel of the debut but on the ther hand, had the album been produced by Martin Birch (as, it turns out, both parties had wanted in the first place) the album really would be faultless. Regardless of this however, it is still a classic if the genre, and certainly one of the best debuts that has ever been released, up there with the likes of Kill 'Em All, Bonded By Blood and Rage Against the Machine.
The album has an uncanny energy about it, as do all of Maiden's early records. This was the sound of a band who were out to prove to everyone that they were the best and they were here to stay.
Moving onto the songs themselves, and you'll find something that is missing from the Maiden of today. Not only are the song structures and lyrics more simple and direct (fpr the most park at least), but, as mentioned above, the thirst the band had is clear as day and really rockets the album along at a furious momenteum.
Yet still, the opener, Prowler - a tale of indecent exposure - displays one of the hallmarks of the Maiden sound - the twin guitar attack. Despite this arguably being perfected by Glen Tipton and KK Downing in Judas Priest, Maiden very-much developed a sound of their own, even at this early stage. Even Di'Anno's screams, whilst being very remenisent of Rob Halford, still display an air of originality and personality that could only be found in Maiden.
Indeed, many things remind the listener of those before. Take for example, the riff 'n' snare combo that opens Sanctuary (as seen in Paranoid and Genocide) or the slow clean intro of Remember Tomorrow (Dreamer Deceiver) or the dreamy Strange World (Planet Caravan). It's very easy to find these similarities, but the point is that Maiden forged a sound all their all, despite arguably being cliche in some aspects of their songwriting. Because, really, no-one else was writing things like Phantom of the Opera that early in their careers.
However, one thing was still missing at this point, and no, it's not Bruce. Actually, make that two things. The first thing is Adrian Smith. Now, while Dennis Stratton certainly did an admirable job on this album, his chemistry with Dave Murray was always almost perfect. The back-to-back solos of Phantom of the Opera and Sanctuary would never bee heard as they were meant to be untill Adrian would join. His structured playing served as the perfect balance to Dave's fast and loose soloing. Still, Stratton does a good job.
The second thing that was missing was Martin Birch. Had the debut been recorded with Mr. Smith and Mr. Birch it would almost certainly have been one of the best albums ever. As it stands, it's a fantastic debut that paved the way for the greatness to come. The missing elements were soon found anyway with the bands next release.