Track Listing

1. Ides Of March
2. Wrathchild
3. Murders In The Rue Morgue
4. Another Life
5. Genghis Khan
6. Innocent Exile
7. Killers
8. Prodigal Son
9. Purgatory
10. Twilight zone
11. Drifter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4208 in Music
• Released on: 1998-09-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

CD Description
KILLERS is based on more straight-ahead heavy metal, departing from Iron Maiden's 1980 self-titled debut, which had more of a punk edge (a facet often cited as an important stepping stone for "thrash metal" years later). Nonetheless the first album was a huge surprise hit in the band's native England, debuting within the Top Five upon release. The group's second release one year later, KILLERS sets its sights on making inroads in America, touring stateside for the very firsttime. The album was also the first for guitarist Adrian Smith, who replaced Dennis Stratton.
The best-known track remains the renegade rocker "Wrathchild", but other lesser known compositions prove just as strong, such as the gruesome "Murders in the Rue Morgue;" the singles "Purgatory" and "Twilight Zone;" plus the fan favourites "Innocent Exile", "Genghis Khan", "Prodigal Son", and the title track. KILLERS cemented Maiden's standing as one of heavy metal's most promising up-and-coming bands.

Customer Reviews

Head & shoulders above everything else they have ever done
Quite simply their best album. A great combination of heavy metal aggresion, melody and strong songs that they have never managed to achieve again.
As for all this reference to a "punk" influence; this is total nonsense. I can remember when this and the previous album came out and neither I nor any of my school friends would have anything to do with the punks of the late seventies. This is a total 1990's distortion of musical history that the values of NWOBHM had anything to do with the "it's not fair, I don't care" punks of that decade.

An occasionaly overlooked masterpiece
It doesnt surprise me that this sits (at the time of writing) at 17 in Amazons order when selected via Bestselling. This album always seemed to fall somewhere short in a lot of peoples opinion. Not as punky as "Iron Maiden" not as polished as "Number of the beast" it seems to sit awkwardly between the two releases either side. But I love it. It has some of the best Maiden tracks ever released, the kick ass Purgatory, Drifters and Wrathchild, the beautiful (yes beautiful) Prodigal Son, the foot tapping Twilight Zone. All great tracks supported by some solid fillers (although 2 instrumentals is perhaps a tad much) but the crowning glory has to be the unbelievable title track. Killers the song is, in my view, the best track Maiden ever wrote. All these years on and my neck hairs still stand up the second that cymbol and bass line start up. The album is worth the cost for the pure headbanging pleasure derived from that song (trust me my head damn near came off when they played Killers live the first time I saw them). But you dont just get one for your money you get 6 or 7 tracks of Maidens best stuff, not enough to warrant 5 stars I hear you cry-it is an album of 11 tracks after all. But you see the other tracks are still very good and how many Maiden albums have classics from start to finish? Go and listen to Number of the beast again and tell me you think all tracks match up to the singles or Hallowed be thy name. No this album is a great one, perhaps not their best, but definitely better than 17 on the Amazon ranks.

raw appeal
A great rock album. Iron Maiden were still a couple of albums away from becoming the more familiar formulaic metal band that they became in the later 80s. The album seems to be packed full of more instrumental songs than any of their others, and so Paul DiAnno's singing is far less intrusive than Bruce Dickinson's - yet when he does sing, it's punchy and to the point. The other members of the band follow suit.
There's a definite feel to this album, it seems rawer, much punkier than their later offerings, and I think that this helps it stand up better. Number of the Beast was a definate classic; but Maiden tainted it by recording a bunch of very similar-sounding albums for the next few years. Not so Killers.

It's difficult to review an album that meant a lot to you personally - but I genuinely think that this is a classic album - if you want to understand Iron Maiden, buy the first three albums - "Iron Maiden", "Killers", and "Number of the Beast". You don't need to know anything more.