Killers
Studio album by
Iron Maiden
Released16 February 1981 (1981-02-16)[1]
RecordedNovember 1980[2] – January 1981[3]
StudioBattery (London)
GenreHeavy metal
Length38:18
LabelEMI
ProducerMartin Birch
Iron Maiden studio albums chronology
Iron Maiden
(1980) 		Killers
(1981) 		The Number of the Beast
(1982)
Singles from Killers
  1. "Twilight Zone" / "Wrathchild"
    Released: 2 March 1981
  2. "Purgatory"
    Released: 15 June 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[5]
Pitchfork7.3/10[6]
Sputnikmusic[7]
The Daily VaultA−[8]

Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 16 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records.[9] The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use.[10] Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).

Background

Killers was the second and final Iron Maiden album with vocalist Paul Di'Anno (shown here in 2008)

Killers is the only Iron Maiden album to feature two instrumentals. It was written almost exclusively by Steve Harris;[11] only "Twilight Zone" and the title track are cowritten.

Bar "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe)[12] and "Prodigal Son", the songs were written in the years prior to the recording of their debut album.[13] No songs were recorded professionally until the Killers sessions, with the exception of "Wrathchild" (a version recorded in 1979 was featured on the Metal for Muthas compilation).[13]

"The Ides of March" is nearly identical to "Thunderburst", by fellow British NWOBHM band Samson, who featured a pre-Maiden Bruce Dickinson on vocals; however, "The Ides of March" was written during the brief time in 1977 in which future Samson drummer Thunderstick was a member of Iron Maiden. While Harris took sole credit for "The Ides of March", "Thunderburst" is credited to Harris and all four members of Samson's Head On line-up, Bruce Bruce, aka Bruce Dickinson, Chris Aylmer, Paul Samson, and Thunderstick, aka Barry Purkis.

Killers spent eight weeks on the UK chart.[14] The North American edition, which came out a few months later, was initially released on Harvest Records/Capitol Records and subsequently on Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records. The song "Twilight Zone" was added to the album.

The Killer World Tour featured the band's first US shows, beginning at The Aladdin, Las Vegas, in support of Judas Priest.[15] Subsequently, "Wrathchild" is the only regularly played track from the album, appearing in almost all their tours.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Harris, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Ides of March" (instrumental)1:48
2."Wrathchild"2:54
3."Murders in the Rue Morgue"4:14
4."Another Life"3:22
5."Genghis Khan" (instrumental)3:02
6."Innocent Exile"3:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Killers"
4:58
8."Prodigal Son" 6:05
9."Purgatory" 3:18
10."Drifter" 4:47
Total length:38:18
Side two – North American edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Killers"
  • Di'Anno
  • Harris
4:58
8."Twilight Zone"
2:33
9."Prodigal Son" 6:05
10."Purgatory" 3:18
11."Drifter" 4:47
Total length:40:51
Side two – Australian edition[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Killers"
  • Di'Anno
  • Harris
4:58
8."Women in Uniform" (Skyhooks cover)Greg Macainsh3:07
9."Prodigal Son" 6:05
10."Purgatory" 3:18
11."Drifter" 4:47
Total length:41:25
1995 UK reissue bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Twilight Zone"
  • Murray
  • Harris
2:33
2."Women in Uniform" (Skyhooks cover)Macainsh3:07
3."Invasion" 2:38
4."Phantom of the Opera" (live) 6:55
Total length:15:13
1995 US reissue bonus disc[17]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Women in Uniform" (Skyhooks cover)Macainsh3:07
2."Invasion" 2:38
3."Phantom of the Opera" (live) 6:55
4."Running Free" (live; from Maiden Japan)
  • Harris
  • Di'Anno
3:07
5."Remember Tomorrow" (live; from Maiden Japan)
  • Harris
  • Di'Anno
5:44
6."Wrathchild" (live; from Maiden Japan) 2:52
7."Killers" (live; from Maiden Japan)
  • Harris
  • Di'Anno
4:50
8."Innocent Exile" (live; from Maiden Japan) 3:46
Total length:32:59
1998 remastered edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ides of March" (instrumental) 1:46
2."Wrathchild" 2:55
3."Murders in the Rue Morgue" 4:19
4."Another Life" 3:23
5."Genghis Khan" (instrumental) 3:09
6."Innocent Exile" 3:54
7."Killers"
  • Harris
  • Di'Anno
5:01
8."Prodigal Son" 6:12
9."Purgatory" 3:20
10."Twilight Zone"
  • Murray
  • Harris
2:33
11."Drifter" 4:49
Total length:41:21

Covers

The song "Wrathchild" was covered in 2003 by the English metal band Sikth and featured as a B-side on their single "Scent of the Obscene".[18] The song was also covered in 2005 by female tribute band The Iron Maidens on their 2007 album Route 666, by Gallows on the 2008 tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine, and by Six Feet Under on the reissue of their 1999 album Maximum Violence.[19] "Wrathchild" was featured in the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.[20]

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[21][22]

Iron Maiden

Additional personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[23] 20
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 1
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[26] 18
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 10
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] 28
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 41
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] 19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 12
US Billboard 200[33] 78
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[34] 79
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[35] 64
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[35] 64
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[36] 22
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[37] 40

Year-end charts

Chart (1981) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 26

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[40] 3× Gold 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[41] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[28] Gold 100,000[28]
Sweden (GLF)[42] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Killers certification".
  2. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-946391-84-4.
  3. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-946391-84-4.
  4. ^ Huey, Steve. Iron Maiden - Killers at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  5. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  6. ^ O'Connor, Andy (4 December 2018). "Iron Maiden: Killers". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  7. ^ Stagno, Mike (27 June 2006). "Iron Maiden - Killers". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  8. ^ McDonald, Riley (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Killers". dailyvault.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  9. ^ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
  10. ^ Saulnier, Jason (22 November 2012). "Paul Di'Anno Interview, Legendary Singer talks Life on the Road". Music Legends. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  11. ^ Doran, John (2005). "Murder Most Foul". Metal Hammer Presents: Iron Maiden 30 Years of Metal Mayhem: 144.
  12. ^ Brannigan, Paul. "Hack Job?". Kerrang! Legends (2): 26–27.
  13. ^ a b Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-86074-542-3.
  14. ^ The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, 1996 edition
  15. ^ Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-86074-542-3.
  16. ^ "Iron Maiden - Killers 1981 Australian LP". Discogs. April 1981. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Iron Maiden - Killers 1995 US 2CD". Discogs. 9 October 1995. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Sikth - Scent of the Obscene". Discogs. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  19. ^ "Kerrang! Maiden Heaven Track Listing Revealed!". Kerrang!. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  20. ^ "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s: Complete List of Songs Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  21. ^ Killers (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 2 February 1981.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Killers Remastered (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 1998.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Iron Maiden – Killers" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – I". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Iron Maiden from the menu, then press OK.
  26. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iron Maiden – Killers" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  28. ^ a b c Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  29. ^ "Charts.nz – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  30. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  31. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Iron Maiden | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Iron Maiden Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  34. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  35. ^ a b "Greekcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  36. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 47. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  37. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Iron Maiden – Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Killers". Music Canada. 30 January 1991. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  40. ^ "French album certifications – Iron Maiden – Killers" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 26 April 2013. Select IRON MAIDEN and click OK. 
  41. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Iron Maiden; 'Killers')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  42. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Iron Maiden – Killers". British Phonographic Industry.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Iron Maiden – Killers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
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