IRON MAIDEN - KILLERS 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Genuine French release from 1981

Killers is the second album by IRON MAIDEN. It was the first of their albums to feature guitarist Adrian Smith, and the last to feature vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who left the band mid-tour due to problems with alcohol and cocaine. This was also the first album produced by veteran producer Martin Birch who went on to produce their next eight albums before retiring after Fear of the Dark in 1992  

 

IRON MAIDEN - Killers France Release 12" LP ALBUM VINYL album front cover

In a blaze of glory, from the battlefields of 1981, emerges a heavy metal's nascent power: Iron Maiden's Killers.
Album Description:

This French vinyl pressing, a relic from a time when New Wave of British Heavy Metal was carving its name into the annals of rock history, captures the raw energy and unbridled ambition of a band on the cusp of greatness.

Historical Context:

The early 80s was a time of social unrest and political turmoil, and "Killers" reflects this zeitgeist in its aggressive sound and rebellious lyrics. The album stands as a defiant middle finger to the establishment, an anthem for the disaffected youth of the era.

Musical Exploration:

"Killers" is a masterclass in heavy metal songwriting, showcasing the band's signature galloping rhythms, soaring vocals, and intricate guitar harmonies. The album's diverse soundscape ranges from the breakneck speed of "Wrathchild" to the haunting melodies of "Murders in the Rue Morgue," demonstrating Iron Maiden's willingness to experiment within their chosen genre.

Genre:

This album is a quintessential example of New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a subgenre that emerged in the late 70s and early 80s, characterized by its fast tempos, aggressive guitar riffs, and often dark lyrical themes. "Killers" helped to define and popularize this sound, paving the way for countless bands that followed in Iron Maiden's footsteps.

Production Team and Recording Studio:

"Killers" was produced by Martin Birch, a legendary figure in the world of rock production, who would go on to work with Iron Maiden on several of their most iconic albums. The album was recorded at Battery Studios in London, a facility known for its warm, analog sound, which perfectly complements the band's raw energy.

Controversies:

While "Killers" was not as overtly controversial as some of Iron Maiden's later albums, its dark lyrical themes and aggressive sound did raise some eyebrows at the time. The album's title track, with its graphic depiction of violence, was particularly divisive, but it also helped to establish Iron Maiden's reputation as a band that was not afraid to push boundaries.

Collectors information:

 

This album should include the black original custom inner sleeve

Music Genre:

New Wave of British Heavy Metal, NWOBHM 

Album Production information:

The album: "IRON MAIDEN - Killers Netherlands" was produced by: Martin Birch

  • Martin Birch – Producer, Sound Engineer

    Treat Martin Birch like the invisible band member: you don’t see him on the sleeve, but you sure hear him in the punch, the bite, and that “turn it up” clarity. His run is legendary—starting as an engineer in the late 1960s, sharpening the sound with Deep Purple in the early 1970s, helping Rainbow hit that dramatic hard-rock stride in the mid-to-late 1970s, powering the Dio-era Black Sabbath in 1980–1981, then basically going exclusive with Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1992 before he bowed out.

    Martin Birch, to my ears, is the guy who made heavy records feel both massive and surgical—tight low end, bright attack, and a midrange that cuts like fresh steel without turning into ear-pain. He built long relationships instead of quick drive-bys: Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and then that famous Iron Maiden stretch from "Killers" (1981) through "Fear of the Dark" (1992), after which he retired. That’s not just a resume, that’s a whole era with his fingerprints on it.

    Martin Birch Wiki

    • Sound/Recording Engineer(s): Martin Birch, Nigel Hewitt

    Nigel Hewitt a British Sound Engineer who has (during the 1980s) engineered vinyl albums for heavy metal bands like: Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Dio, Mammoth and others.

    This album was recorded at: Battery Studios, London.

    Battery Studios London has been a key recording centre since the 1970s, known for its high-end equipment and sessions spanning rock, pop, and metal. Countless artists shaped their sound here, leaving a production legacy that still influences modern studio work. Read more.

    Album cover design: Derek Riggs

  • Derek Riggs – Illustrator, Cover Artist Derek Riggs is the artist who gave Iron Maiden its visual soul by creating Eddie, one of the most recognizable mascots in heavy metal history. Since the band’s 1980 debut, his artwork fused sci-fi, horror, and dark fantasy into covers that were as confrontational and imaginative as the music itself. Riggs’ paintings didn’t just decorate records, they built a world that became inseparable from Maiden’s identity.
    Derek Riggs Wiki

    • Album cover photography: Robert Ellis

    Robert Ellis is a renowned music photographer celebrated for capturing iconic live performances and behind-the-scenes moments of legendary rock and metal bands. His compelling visual storytelling has appeared in countless magazines and album sleeves. Discover more through this dedicated profile.

    Record Label & Catalog number: 

    EMI 2C 070-07.450  

    Media Format:

    12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
    Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 230 gram  

    Year & Country:

    1981 Made in France  
    Personnel/Band Members and Musicians on: IRON MAIDEN KILLERS FRANCE
      Band-members, Musicians and Performers
    • Clive Burr - Drums
    • Clive Burr – Drums

      The early Maiden groove machine: big feel, sharp fills, and that “Beast-era” punch that still rattles the walls.

      Clive Burr (8 March 1957 – 12 March 2013) is one of those drummers who didn’t just keep time—he gave a band its early backbone. I mainly hear him as Iron Maiden’s rocket fuel from 1979–1982, laying down that urgent, swinging drive on their first run of classic records and helping make the whole NWOBHM thing feel dangerous instead of polite. Before that, he did the London grind with Samson (1977–1978). After Maiden, the timeline gets gloriously nomadic: Trust (1983–1984), a blink-and-you-miss-it week with Alcatrazz (1983), his own Clive Burr’s Escape (1983–1984) evolving into Stratus (1984–1985), the supergroup cameo in Gogmagog (1985), Desperado (1988–1990), and later work with Praying Mantis (1995–1996). His later years were brutally shaped by multiple sclerosis, but the playing legacy stays loud, human, and unmistakably his own—Clive Burr Wiki

    • Dave Murray - Guitars
    • Dave Murray – Guitar

      Maiden’s calm killer: smooth leads, twin-guitar harmony for days, and that melodic bite that makes the “gallop” feel cinematic instead of chaotic.

      Dave Murray (born 23 December 1956, Edmonton, Middlesex, England) is one of the defining lead guitar voices of heavy metal, and in my book he’s the melodic “second spine” of Iron Maiden. His timeline with the band starts early: joining in 1976, getting briefly pushed out in 1977, then returning in 1978 and staying locked in ever since—making him one of the longest-serving members in the whole Maiden saga. During that 1977 gap he spent around six months with Urchin (Adrian Smith’s band), which is a fun little historical glitch in the matrix if you like your Maiden lore messy and human. Beyond the main band, his most notable “outside the mothership” credit is the all-star charity metal project Hear ’n Aid (1985), because apparently even guitar lifers sometimes leave the bunker to do side quests. Dave Murray Wiki

    • Paul Di'Anno - Lead Vocals
    • Paul Di'Anno – Vocals

      The OG Iron Maiden throat: street-level grit, punk heat, and zero “polite” in the delivery.

      Paul Di'Anno, (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024) locked himself into metal history by fronting Iron Maiden from 1978–1981, putting that snarling, rough-cut voice on the band’s early landmark releases. After Maiden, the timeline turns into a proper tour-bus saga: Di’Anno (1983–1985, then revived in the 1998–2001 era), the short, star-stacked Gogmagog detour (1985), Battlezone (1985–1989, back again 1997–1998), a notable studio cameo with Praying Mantis around 1990, and Killers (1990–1997, returning 2001–2003, plus a 2013 regroup). Later chapters include the Brazil-based Rockfellas run (2008–2010) and Architects of Chaoz (2014–2016). The common thread never really changed: that unmistakable, no-varnish vocal attitude that made early NWOBHM feel dangerous in the first place.

      Paul Di'Anno Wiki
    • Steve Harris
    • Steve Harris – Bass Guitar, Songwriter

      Iron Maiden’s engine room: galloping bass lines, history-nerd lyrics, and “captain of the ship” energy baked into every riff.

      Steve Harris (born 12 March 1956, Leytonstone, England) is the rare bassist who doesn’t just hold the floor—he draws the whole blueprint. In my book, he’s the founder and primary songwriter who’s kept Iron Maiden on its rails from 1975–present, with that instantly recognizable “gallop” driving huge chunks of the catalogue. The pre-Maiden grind matters too: first band days in Influence/Gypsy’s Kiss (1973–1974, including a documented gig run in 1974), then the older, blues-leaning Smiler period (1974–1975) where his more ambitious writing basically forced the next step: forming Maiden. Outside the mothership, he’s fronted his own hard-rock outlet British Lion (2012–present), a project that grew out of connections going back to the early 1990s and finally hit the world as his solo debut in 2012.

      Steve Harris Wiki
    • Adrian Smith
    • Adrian Smith – Guitarist, Songwriter Adrian Smith is one of those players I always associate with Iron Maiden’s classic sound and its later revival. Joining in 1980, leaving in 1990, and returning in 1999, his melodic solos and sharp songwriting helped define albums from The Number of the Beast to Brave New World and beyond.
      Adrian Smith Wikipedia
    Complete Track-listing of the album "IRON MAIDEN KILLERS FRANCE "

    The detailed tracklist of this record "IRON MAIDEN KILLERS FRANCE " is:

      Track-listing :
    1. The 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. Drifter

    IRON MAIDEN - Vinyl Records Discography Home Page