Iron Maiden's sophomore effort, Killers, is mostly composed of pre-existing material that had been left off the debut, with just a few new additions. It's certainly a better-sounding release than the debut, with new producer Martin Birch beefing up the band's studio presence and lending their instrumental attack a newfound clarity that throws their considerable skills into sharp relief. In fact, this helps mask the fact that the songwriting isn't quite as strong overall as it was on the debut. But the teaming of new guitarist Adrian Smith with Dave Murray forms the most formidable twin-guitar attack in heavy metal, outside of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Plus, bassist Steve Harris' busy, driving lines are now consistently audible in the mix. The resulting instrumental fireworks are what truly make the album tick. That said, there's a much smaller percentage of catalog standards here than on the previous album. "Wrathchild" is the standout, re-recorded here with Smith on guitar from an earlier version for the Metal for Muthas compilation. There's a fair bit of unity in the lyrical themes, with a parade of murderers, fugitives, and characters otherwise torn from their roots. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a first-person retelling of the Poe short story, and the title track is another highlight, with Paul Di'Anno turning in an especially menacing performance. The single "Purgatory" has a catchy singalong chorus and a tempo worthy of Motörhead, while "Twilight Zone" (not included on the U.K. issue, but added to subsequent releases) scraped the bottom of the British charts. The biggest departure here is the almost Supertramp-like prog-pop of "Prodigal Son," a melodic, uptempo offering with an arrangement based around acoustic guitars. Despite some inconsistency in the material, Killers is clearly the work of a top-notch ensemble, and in order to take the next step forward, their musical ambitions were clearly going to require a vocalist as technically accomplished as the band. It's worth noting that some Maiden fans actually prefer the rawness of the Di'Anno years to the polish of the Bruce Dickinson era (though, it should also be noted, they're in the minority).
Get an Impulse, Create a ConvolutionBy Gus Lozada | December 2006 When you want to capture an acoustical “sonic signature” (e.g., the natural reverberation of a hall) for use in a convolution processor, you will need to get its Impulse Response (IR) — essentially, a “definition file” of the acoustic space, or a piece of hardware. Once you’ve done that, you can apply the natural reverb
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So I've been thinking about how rock artists over the past 30 years or so have always run in tight circles. This guy used to play in this band, introduced someone to another band, used to date the same person, who auditioned for someone else, and so on. Growing up playing guitar in high school, talking trivia about rock artists was a big pastime. My friends and I would talk about players and ...
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Get an Impulse, Create a ConvolutionBy Gus Lozada | December 2006 When you want to capture an acoustical “sonic signature” (e.g., the natural reverberation of a hall) for use in a convolution processor, you will need to get its Impulse Response (IR) — essentially, a “definition file” of the acoustic space, or a piece of hardware. Once you’ve done that, you can apply the natural reverb
More >
You know, nothing helps a bad better then Iron Maiden. Once again, I'm at a lack of words to back up my thought, but oh well, it's music, who needs reasons?Hope you enjoy this song!
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So I've been thinking about how rock artists over the past 30 years or so have always run in tight circles. This guy used to play in this band, introduced someone to another band, used to date the same person, who auditioned for someone else, and so on. Growing up playing guitar in high school, talking trivia about rock artists was a big pastime. My friends and I would talk about players and ...
More >
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 "Killers")
