Review Summary: Well, I'll be damned if this isn't one of the most aptly named albums of all time.
Killers is a strange beast. Having been released just barely a year after the band's self titled debut and a subsequent turn on both the
Metal for Muthas tour as well as a small tour supporting said album, you would think that the album would seem rushed or sloppy compared to what came before. But this isn't the case; with new guitarist Adrian Smith at the helm, known for his organic style of guitar playing that, as Bruce Dickinson describes, is almost as if he is picking notes out from the air, and new producer Martin Birch,
Killers manages to achieve in almost every way what
Iron Maiden couldn't. The album shows Iron Maiden playing tighter than they ever have before, with the musicianship more evident, and a smoother, yet heavier sound to ground things. Most people don't know that much of the album consist of songs originally written for
Iron Maiden, but with just how well executed and organic the songs sound, it's nearly impossible to tell. Not once does it feel recycled or rehashed, and it also sets in stone for future reference what would become Maiden's niche: taking the sound found on the previous album and expanding and improving (to an extent) upon it.
It's hard to tell exactly what makes
Killers so great; from the opening E chord and drum rolls of "The Ides of March" to the ending high-pitch falsetto wail from Paul Di'Anno and crash-out ending featured on "Drifter",
Killers is a blast of energy from start to finish. It's so bloody great that even a ballad like "Prodigal Son" doesn't interrupt the pace. As both a whole and a collection of tracks, the album is never once sluggish or boring, but even that doesn't mean that Maiden don't take a moment or two to take a breather and give a sublimely beautiful soft few bars of music. Probably the most obvious example of this is third track "Murders in the Rue Morgue", which has a soft intro consisting of some soft guitar picking from Adrian and a sweet bass riff from Steve. Things sort of build up once drums and Dave kick in, but suddenly, after a few seconds pause, Clive Burr hits us with an hard hitting drumroll before suddenly the song hits into a fast-paced jolt of energy. In general, this song is just really what Maiden has been all about over the years- music that combines energetic musicianship, beautiful guitar harmonies and complex songwriting, both lyrically and musically while not being afraid to let their influences (UFO, Rush, Saxon and so forth) shine through.
The biggest highlight is definitely "Genghis Khan", an instrumental that is chaotic, intense, and above all, short and sweet. Structured to musically resemble an intense battle, the song is all over the place, and we wouldn't want it any other way. Amazing guitar riffs are sprinkled throughout the song, the time signatures and tempos change regularly, the song moves at a breakneck pace. The title track is an intense blinder with its building intro and yelps from Paul Di'Anno and drum fills from Clive Burr- but when the song kicks in, Paul's voice is what really sells it; he clearly has fun with lyrics about a vicious psychopathic killer. "Innocent Exile" is a sequel to "Murders in the Rue Morgue", as the lyrics directly continue the story told in "Murders", but ignoring that, it's the music that really does the talking; consider it "Transylvania" with vocals and with much better execution. The first half has some of the sleaziest bass work done by Steve Harris (with Led Zeppelin influences poking their head after every chorus), but the second half is what really is quite the ripper, with two sprinklings of solos over a repeating riff. Except here the riff is simple, with tons of changes in the bassline to justify the repetition, leading to one of the best crash-out endings in the band's career, with Paul wailing, "Now I'm runnniiiing...." which transitions into a beautiful scream. It truly has to be heard to be believed. You could also consider "Another Life" a better version of "Iron Maiden", with a more interesting riff, rather mind-fucky lyrics and a beautifully intense and heavy instrumental middle section.
If there are any flaws to be found on the album, it's that Paul's voice can be a tad grating at times, but ultimately it's better here than on their previous album, and "Twilight Zone" is fun, but disposable compared to the rest of the tracks. But either way,
Killers closes the book on an important era for the band on a sweet note; Paul Di'Anno was fired near the end of the tour supporting the album for his alcohol and drug abuse (and two separate occasions including soliciting of prostitutes and pulling a knife on someone; the latter of which landed him in jail, causing Steve to have to sing for him that very night at the gig), and in his place would come arguably the greatest metal vocalist- Paul Bruce Dickinson, known for his operatic voice and energetic stage presence. But even with that in mind,
Killers it's undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest sophomore album of all time, and a must-own for every metalhead.
