{"id":45362,"date":"2014-10-02T06:46:30","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T11:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=45362"},"modified":"2014-10-02T06:46:30","modified_gmt":"2014-10-02T11:46:30","slug":"neil-daniels-killers-the-origins-of-iron-maiden-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/neil-daniels-killers-the-origins-of-iron-maiden-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Neil Daniels | Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"IronYou don\u2019t really have to be a staunch Maiden follower with Eddie the Head\u2019s lovely face smiling from every t-shirt in your closet to know what this book is all about. One quick look at the front and back cover should be enough to get it. With Paul Di\u2019Anno on the front and Bruce Dickinson on the back, both photographed next to Maiden\u2019s sole founder and mastermind Steve Harris, you get a picture of two faces of the same band \u2013 both strikingly different, both of equally legendary status, none of the two more important than the other one. This fascinating duality of early Maiden \u2013 at the point of transition from the rough beginnings with Di\u2019Anno to their metal prime with Dickinson \u2013 was what inspired the UK-based rock writer Neil Daniels to pen Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden<\/em>. Being the second book on Maiden written by Daniels and released via Soundcheck Books, it focuses on the first eight years in Iron Maiden\u2019s history. The story is nothing perfunctory, however, as there are many flashbacks and flashforwards within it, too.<\/p>\n

While it could have been more glorious, perhaps, to tell the tale of an immediate success on a worldwide level that came with Bruce Dickinson\u2019s joining Iron Maiden, Neil Daniels chooses otherwise, following the earliest traces of Maiden\u2019s birth and development into the band we know today. The author literally follows them from the sordid clubs to the sold-out stadia and concert arenas, the path they trod during their early years \u2013 with an emphasis on creativeness and hard work that was Maiden\u2019s rocket to stardom. The approach to the book and the subsequent division of chapters are very balanced altogether \u2013 eight years, four full length albums, with both eras in the band\u2019s early history covered in detail. <\/p>\n

Alongside the two parts (the \u201corigins\u201d and \u201cascent\u201d of the band, respectively), the foreword and afterword as well as the author-penned postscript is provided. The latter, written by Tim \u201cRipper\u201d Owens (ex-Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen\u2019s Rising Force, DIO Disciples etc.) is a story of how influential Iron Maiden was towards him, complete with a balanced opinion on Maiden versus Priest ever-going debate. Fascinating is the former \u2013 penned by Guns N\u2019Roses guitarist Ron \u2018Bumblefoot\u2019 Thal \u2013 which in a way encourages every metalhead to return to their most treasured memories of how they discovered metal as kids\u2026 not necessarily Maiden, but whatever band that\u2019s made them interested in the genre.<\/p>\n

As usual with Daniels\u2019 works, it\u2019s the detailed and analytical nature of the book that stands for its biggest asset. Apart from the music reviews, tour-related stories and band\u2019s chronicles enriched with some retrospectives as well as flashforwards, Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden is also vivid and in-depth portrayal of both frontmen of Iron Maiden \u2013 Paul Di\u2019Anno and Bruce Dickinson, respectively. Simultaneously, it also portrays the band\u2019s driving force, the bassist Steve Harris, who \u201cis\u201d Iron Maiden from the start and remains so up to date. The author examines difficult relationships between band members that led to countless line-up changes, drawing much from the musicians\u2019 own comments that quoted in the book. Some of the musicians who played in the early Maiden incarnations share their thoughts on the book\u2019s pages, too, adding much to its genuineness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the \u201cbigger picture\u201d that is portrayed in Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden<\/em>, not as much in the background but alongside the regular story. The story of Iron Maiden is the story of NWOBHM in many respects, as well is parallel to the story of any other rock band that started out in the late \u201870s and continued ever since. There are many brilliant comments on relationship between music and politics, or music and society (infamous cases of Satanism accusations) as well as relationship between NWOBHM and other subgenres of metal (its influence over thrash, for example). Also by description of Di\u2019Anno\u2019s bittersweet post-Maiden musical career \u2013 and his ambivalent attitude towards performing Maiden songs live \u2013 the author poses an important question about the validity, or genuineness, of such drop-out acts. <\/p>\n

Another aspect of the book to be praised is the vast amount of content, heavily contrasted with only a few band-related photos \u2013 let\u2019s hope it remains a standard for every book on a rock\/metal band, leaving the glossy photobooks to the cute-faced boybands. And yes, the story of Eddie the Head\u2019s birth is always hilarious, even if you\u2019ve read it for the thousandth of times \u2013 so is the vignette on the young Dickinson urinating into his headmaster\u2019s dinner.<\/p>\n

As mentioned before, the postscript is provided; it starts with some musings on how Maiden could have possibly contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain in mid- and Eastern Europe (which is not as much out-of-this-world speculation as you might have thought it is, since they were the first heavy metal act to play in the Eastern Block in 1984). It further encompasses a summary of Maiden\u2019s history up from that point to date, turbulent as always, but nevertheless fascinating. There are further departures and comebacks, successes and feuds (with Sharon Osbourne back in 2005, for example). There\u2019s also Derek Riggs putting his pencil away, giving way to other artists who try their hand at re-inventing the figure of Eddie, or the fan club\u2019s heart and soul Keith Wilfort stepping down. But it\u2019s not all hitting the nostalgic note at the end of the book, as it finishes with a reflection on Iron Maiden\u2019s heavy metal legacy that continues.<\/p>\n

The appendices are Iron Maiden\u2019s detailed discography from 1979 to 1983, including live and studio albums, box sets, singles, VHS\/DVD releases and music videos, the summary of their tours from Di\u2019Anno and early Dickinson era, the line-up history (useful in case you were lost among the vast number of personal shifts which perhaps only the author and Steve Harris themselves were able to keep up with). There\u2019s also, as usually in Neil Daniels\u2019 books, a section devoted to \u201cmetal heads talking Maiden\u201d, in which rock scribes share their personal thoughts on the band and their music.<\/p>\n

Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden<\/em> is another fine piece in Neil Daniels\u2019 catalog, a solid biography of one of the most acclaimed metal acts. It attempts to explain why Iron Maiden became giants they are today, with analysis of all the factors that contributed to it \u2013 both artistic and business aspects. And, as it usually goes with chronicles of the early years of any band, it\u2019s also a story of hard work and scrabble, concerts burdened with food-poisoned musicians struggling to perform and dreadful conditions of the band\u2019s early tours. Moreover, it\u2019s also the history of Eddie the Head, perhaps the most recognizable and iconic band mascot ever \u2013 so if you\u2019d rather not fall into disfavor with him, I recommend you the book\u2019s careful reading so as to make the ol\u2019 Ed proud. <\/p>\n

ISBN: 9780957570023<\/p>\n

Publisher: Soundcheck Books<\/p>\n

Website:
\nhttp:\/\/www.soundcheckbooks.co.uk\/<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.neildanielsbooks.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — You don\u2019t really have to be a staunch Maiden follower with Eddie the Head\u2019s lovely face smiling from every t-shirt in your closet to know what this book […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":45363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[8719,10058,9542,10059],"class_list":{"0":"post-45362","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-book-review","9":"tag-killers-the-origins-of-iron-maiden","10":"tag-neil-daniels","11":"tag-soundcheck-books"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}