0330. Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden

The thing that always gets me with this album is that it's Paul Di'Anno on vocals and not to complain (yes it is) but he's no Bruce Dickinson. Their vocal ranges differ in such a major way that Paul can't even do some of his own songs justice - he just can't manage the high-pitched screams in Running Free or the fast paced vocals of Charlotte The Harlot.
The tracks that work are the mid-tempo metal ballads like Strange World, in which his voice fits like a boxing glove(coincidentally it's the only track off this album that's never been re-recorded with Dickinson on vocals).

But in spite of the vocal limitations this of course was a huge hit, not only due to the music (patented Iron Maiden material), but also due to the controversy regarding the cover of the Sanctuary single where mascot Eddie can be seen just after stabbing Maggie Thatcher to death in an abandoned street,and of course by them being the second band in almost ten years to perform live on Top Of The Pops after The Who did it back in the beginning of the seventies.

Not as great as Number Of The Beast, but a landmark as far as metal is concerned.