Killers (Iron Maiden album)
| Killers | ||||
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| Studio album by Iron Maiden | ||||
| Released | 2 February 1981 | |||
| Recorded | November 1980 – January 1981 | |||
| Studio | Battery Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 38:18 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Martin Birch | |||
| Iron Maiden studio albums chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Killers | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10 |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.0/5 |
Killers is the second studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 2 February 1981 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and on 6 June 1981 by Harvest Records and Capitol Records in the United States. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was sacked after problems with his stage performance arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use.Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with the assistance of producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums up until Fear of the Dark (1992).
Killers is the only Iron Maiden album to feature two instrumentals, and was written almost exclusively by Steve Harris, with only minor assistance from the rest of the band (the title track and "Twilight Zone" being the only other songs to receive additional writing credits). In addition, "The Ides of March", which serves as the opening track and first instrumental on the album, is the band's shortest song to date.
Each song, with the exception of "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe) and "Prodigal Son", had been written in the years prior to the recording of their debut album, though none were recorded professionally until the Killers sessions, apart from "Wrathchild" (an early version recorded in 1979 was featured on the Metal for Muthas compilation).
The North American edition, which came out a few months after it did in the UK, was initially released on Harvest Records/Capitol Records and subsequently on Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records. The song "Twilight Zone" was also added to the album.
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