Adrian Smith recently shared that one of his favorite Iron Maiden tracks is “kind of awkward” to play, despite his deep appreciation for the song.
In a conversation with Sonic Perspectives [via Ultimate Guitar], Smith named Wrathchild from Iron Maiden’s 1981 album Killers as one of his personal favorites.
“That’s a great one,” he said. “It’s not a great one to play, weirdly. It’s kind of awkward to play. That riff is kind of awkward. But I like the song. I do love the song.”
Wrathchild was featured on Killers, which was released just a year after Smith joined Iron Maiden. He had initially turned down an invitation to join the band in 1979 but reconsidered when Dennis Stratton left the lineup. His longstanding friendship with guitarist Dave Murray ultimately led him to accept the offer.
“When I was 15 years old, back in London, I met Dave Murray,” Smith recalled. “We became best buddies because no one else in our neighborhood at the time was into Deep Purple and Free. We were crazy about it… All the other kids wanted to do was get cars, get married, and all that. Nothing wrong with that. But we wanted guitars, to be in a band. That was it.”
Smith further shared how his musical journey developed alongside Murray: “Dave could play the guitar already, and I wanted to be in a band with him… I sang and learned guitar as I went along, and I did that right up until I joined Maiden.”
Though Wrathchild officially appeared on Killers in 1981, Iron Maiden had been performing it live since as early as 1977, back when Dennis Wilcock was the band’s frontman. A pre-Killers version of the song was recorded in 1979 and featured on the Metal For Muthas compilation in 1980, which played a key role in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.
Over the years, Wrathchild has been covered by several artists, including British metal band SikTh, the all-female tribute act The Iron Maidens—where guitarist Nita Strauss was a member from 2011 to 2015—and punk outfit Gallows, who recorded their version for a Kerrang! magazine Iron Maiden tribute album in 2008.
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