Growing up in the sleepy, rural village that I did there were very few rock fans in the school. Two of my friends were in the school year above me, even though there’s only 4 months in age between us. The father of one lad was heavily into Led Zeppelin and the 70’s rock stuff, so his son had some insight into the rock scene.
Don’t know how it came about but we ventured into town one Saturday in 1987 armed with varying amounts of saved up pocket money or milk / paper round wages, and all three of us brought a selection of vinyl.
I ended up with two Iron Maiden albums – purely from the superb Derek Riggs artwork of the bands mascot Eddie. The albums in question Killers and Somewhere In Time.
Within hours of getting off the bus we’d all dubbed our respective purchases onto some TDK 90’s and swapped them between us. We did that a lot over the next 3 years!!
I ended up listening to Metallica’s Ride The Lightning later that evening on my sisters boom box.
I can remember hearing the opening strains of Fight Fire With Fire and thinking “this isn’t all that good”. Less than a minute later I was hooked.
And that’s how I got into metal and all it’s sub genres. Twenty eight years later and both bands are my favourite two. Always have been, always will be.
A Lifetime With Music. 