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"Purgatory" is Iron Maiden's fifth single and second single from the Killers album. This song is a remake of a very early Iron Maiden song originally called "Floating" which they used to play live during 1976 to 1977. According to current drummer Nicko McBrain, "Purgatory" is a faster re-arrangement of the original. This was the band's last single with Paul Di'Anno.
"Purgatory" was one of the band's least successful singles and failed to break into the Top 50 in the UK charts. This may relate to the fact that this was their only single released with both a- and b-side already available on album in the same form. An interesting fact about this single is that the original cover art was withdrawn. The band had felt that it was of too high a caliber for just a single and requested a less complex cover be prepared in its place. The withdrawn cover later resurfaced as The Number of the Beast album. Ironically, the cover of this single has probably become more well known than any other Maiden cover as it is very often featured on merchandise despite the relative obscurity of the single.
Purgatory is the first of three Maiden single-covers to feature Riggs' depiction of the devil. On the cover of the Run to the Hills single he does battle with Eddie and on the single cover of The Number of the Beast his decapitated head is displayed by Eddie.
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