Iron Maiden: The Complete Albums Collection 1980-1988

Metal’s greatest band get back onto wax

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It was perhaps inevitable that the digital age would lead to a resurgence in enthusiasm for vinyl and the notion of physical artefacts as desirable items. And items don’t come more desirable than this collection of early Maiden albums; vibrant and vital evidence of a peerless eight-record streak that has never been rivalled.

It helps that these masterpieces were all recorded with the vinyl format foremost in their creators’ collective mind. The warmth and breadth of sound on display, from the raw urgency of that seminal self-titled debut through to the ambitious opulence of 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, plainly indicates that the modern metal scene could learn a thing or two about heart, soul and humble authenticity from these ageless monuments.

Once you factor in the brilliance of Derek Riggs’s immortal cover art and the added bonus of all the Maiden singles from that first triumphant decade also being reissued, it’s hard to imagine how any discerning vinyl junkie could resist snapping the whole lot up./o:p

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson began his inauspicious career as a music journalist in 1999. He wrote for Kerrang! for seven years, before moving to Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine in 2007. His primary interests are heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee, snooker and despair. He is politically homeless and has an excellent beard.