DANGER – Keep Out

Iron Maiden is one of the most influential Metal bands of all time, inspiring countless other acts throughout their career. Black Sabbath may have one of a handful of bands that “invented” Heavy Metal, but Maiden played a big part in shaping it. Without Maiden, Metal as we know it today may have ended up being very different.

Do you own an Iron Maiden album… or ten? Chances are good that you do. If Keep Out, the debut release from Sweden’s Danger is any indication, this fivesome not only owns all of Maiden’s albums, but they’ve spent a lot of time listening to them as well.

Danger seems to draw a lot of influence from the early era of Maiden’s career, from the Paul Di’Anno days through the Bruce Dickinson Powerslave years. The Danger guitars feel very much like what you’d hear from Iron Maiden’s dynamic duo of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith in terms of style, tone, and melody. Danger’s guitar combo of Johan Jonasson and Robert Lilja isn’t on the same level as the aforementioned twosome in terms of pure talent, but they’re very good in their own right. Still, you’ll think that Murray and Smith snuck into the recording studio when no-one was looking while you’re listening to Keep Out.

Not only do the guitars sound like Maiden, but most of Keep Out‘s nine songs feel like Maiden too, although album closer “The Fallen One” sounds like something Hammerfall would do. Danger may not be original, but they’ve created some fun, well-crafted songs with a bit of a raw edge to them. Leadoff song “Enemy” is an energetic opener that gets things off to a rocking start, and track two, “Out In the Cold” is almost as good. “The Butchershop Diaries” is more mid-paced, but it has some nice fluid guitar work and a flamboyant solo. “The Curse” is Danger’s crack at a Maiden-style “epic” track; it’s also the song that the detractors will most likely use to strengthen their “Maiden Clone” argument, since “The Curse” is an unholy amalgam of “Alexander The Great,” “Rime Of the Ancient Mariner,” and “Powerslave.” It works, though.

One area where Danger doesn’t really sound a lot like Iron Maiden is in the vocal department: no one will mistake lead belter Kristian Wallin with either Paul Di’Anno or Bruce Dickinson. He has a good voice and a strong presence on the seven non-instrumental tracks on Keep Out, but he doesn’t have the rough-hewn charm of Di’Anno or the commanding stature of Dickinson. But then again, few do.

If you like early Iron Maiden, you may find Danger’s debut hard to Keep Out of your CD player.