Prowler

How good is Prowler on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    16
Cool main riff and lead with the wah pedal make for a good intro to the album.
The song has a lot of energy and a nice bridge/solo, but I hate that it goes back into a repeat of the first verse.
That combined with the juvenile lyrics knock the score down a bit. A solid rocker that let people know what IM was all about early on.

7/10
 
I think the writing on this one is a bit simplistic, but I've grown to love the performance more over the years. Still, I'm gonna be stingy. 7/10
 
Strange to think Maiden would start their career about a song concerning stalking women, especially if you look at them now (the band, not the women, but good joke),

The intro of this song is pretty cool, and the riffs are nice. Definitely a good choice for an opener for the album. Although the lyrics are a little groan-inducing, and there are plenty of stronger openers that Maiden have done over the years.

6/10.

RTC's Maiden Ranking:
1: Prowler
 
I have some bad memories with this song which I'm not gonna be talking about.

Anyway, how does the first song ever to appear on a Iron Maiden match up today?

Actually, not that good. I don't like that main riff, I think it's a bit sleazy, in my book. But hey, it fits the more punk-ish style of the album which actually is something that I like about the debut. It makes it feel more special, besides being the debut. Anyway...

So, my main gripe with the song comes with the lyrics. I really don't like them even though they're probably a dozen times better than mine.

At least the fast middle section is cool with a decent solo.

All in all, this is a mediocre-decent song and I was struggling between a 5 and a 6.

But as it looks right now...I think I'll give this a 5/10.
 
8/10

Prowler is an absolute barn-burner of an opening track. The bridge immediately tells you that Maiden are no musical slouches: syncopated drums and bass pummel away under harmonized legato guitars led by Dave Murray. It’s a hell of a way to open an album, despite some silly lyrics.
 
The guitar melody is really nice and I like the energy of it, the sped up middle part feels odd in a good way and I can't remember them doing that anywhere else, often changing riff instead. But its a song I keep forgetting when I'm thinking about the record and of course the lyrics takes a point or maybe even two away from what I'd given it if music was all I took into consideration. I kinda feel I might want to raise it a point later but don't want to inflate my grading, so a five it is.
 
My time to start ranking.

Prowler leads off with phenomenal energy. Something about the way the guitar wails. This album is a terribly produced audiophile's nightmare, but the rawness of Iron Maiden cuts through despite that flaw, and Prowler is definitely one of the tracks where it does so. It's clearly a very good song, but does it approach great on the LC scale?

Perhaps not. Although it has really nice solos, a cool riff, it does have creepy lyrics. I can't help but wonder what might have happened if this song was saved for Killers and the superior Martin Birch production. All the same, it's a powerful start for the first release.

7/10.
 
Well, on I go. Gonna stick to the LC scale to find my way around the ratings.
  • Pure, raw energy. I find the lo-fi production a pro rather than a con here, it's a reflection of the rawness.
  • Love the way the bass pulsates through the track and the way it drives the rhythm once it gets involved in the main beat.
  • Bright, not particularly memorable solos. Although I do love the build up and the break down before and after the solos.
  • Creepy and frankly, stupid lyrics.
7/10.
 
Not a fan of the lyrics of this song, but it was a very important song in their history and one that helped them gain notoriety early in their career. It's just full of energy and great guitar work.
9/10
 
The lyrics are creepy, and quite frankly, silly. But somehow, I don't care that much; the energy and the wailing guitar grab me immediately every time. Not a true great, but worthy of a 8/10.
 
More than any other Maiden song, "Prowler" breathes a time and a place. It's their quintessential NWOBHM anthem, bringing you straight to some smoky London metal club. Musically it's a perfect showcase of Maiden's early style - all the raw energy of a great punk song but already showing a progressive edge, with multiple distinct sections and immaculate playing. It's easy to see why the Soundhouse Tapes version shot up to the top of Neal Kay's requests chart.

I love it. I'm giving it a 10 - and I won't be giving out all that many of those.
 
A fantastic way to start an album - Prowler is definitely one of their most energetic songs.
I don't mind silly lyrics as long as music delivers - and it does in this case.

However, I can't give this song more than an 8 because Iron Maiden have released songs that are two levels above this one.

The highlight: Dave Murray solo at 1:59.

8/10
 
Prowler is a very special one. The song that got me hooked into Maiden. In 1991 I bought the Live After Death LP-set (2nd hand of course), plus the Sanctuary 12" vinyl single, which I chose because Prowler was the B-side on it. I bought these items after having heard a recorded cassette of the Iron Maiden album.

I have never been so addicted to new music after hearing this stuff in my walkman. I was completely in another world. It was 11 years after its release but the debut album made an unbelievable impact and Prowler contributed to that immensely. It opened basically my "Metal Windows". The only hard rock I knew and appreciated before that was some Queen (I Want It All), Guns'n'Roses (Appetite For Destruction), Kiss (Alive II) and even Bon Jovi (You Give Love A Bad Name in particular), and Beat It by Michael Jackson. Yes, laugh, but I really think that Beat It is a great old school Hard Rock song! Great riffs and vocals, hehe! Alright, back to Maiden!

Actually, I knew a few Maiden songs, before 1991, such as Holy Smoke and Can I Play with Madness but these certainly did not have the same effect. The urge to get into this band.


Prowler is one of Maidens heaviest and most aggressive songs. Such thrilling energy and power. That mid piece is so fucking awesome, Clive banging the shit out of his kit at full speed and Dave's roaring solo on top of it. Classic Maiden, best song with Di'Anno on vocals.

I saw Paul Di´Anno about 10 years ago (maybe earlier, I forgot) and he was backed by a really strong Maiden cover band who opened the set without Paul (only post-Di'anno-era material), and then Paul joined. Naturally I went bananas during Prowler. His voice was fucked up because of a cold, but I liked the way he was into it. After the gig Paul signed the Sanctuary single.

A 10.
 
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Nice intro with the wah peddle, the fast middle bit is cool and the solo has a lot of aggression. Lyrics are a bit dull and this song really suffers from the production

7/10
 
I love the opening of this song. The rest of the song is great too, but just not as good as the opening. So, I award this a...

7/10
 
Ok, it's time to start voting. This time I'm using Iron Maiden relative scoring, that means my least favourite song of the catalogue gets a 1.

And this one gets a 5, it's barely passable. To simple, too stupid for anything else. Live versions could get a point up, but not the official relase. Meh.
 
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