Disco de Iron Maiden: “Number of the Beast”

I cannot beleive that just before I wrote this review this album had an average score of a mere four and a half stars out of five. This album truly deserves the maximum quantity of stars. I am hoping that this review will help to tip the balance and give it the five stars it deserves. This is one killer album and if you haven't got it then buy it NOW. Every song ROCKS especially classics like 'Number of the beast', 'Run to the hills', 'The prisoner' and 'Hallowed be thy name'. If you want to buy one maiden album I would say buy 'Live after Death' because it has most of the classics from their first five albums, but if you want a good maiden studio album, this is the one. This album, along with 'Powerslave' and 'Peice of mind' which are also excellent should go down as one of the finest examples of heavy metal mastery EVER.

Forget about the fact that in the United States the band has rarely received any airplay on commercial radio. Nearly 18 years after its initial release, this album holds up as being one of the best rock albums (not just metal) of all time.

When this album came out in 1982, it quickly outsold the previous two Iron Maiden albums and confirmed that band leader, bassist Steve Harris & Iron Maiden had made the right choice in naming Bruce Dickinson as their new lead singer.

While many of Iron Maiden's albums are very good, if you can have only ONE Iron Maiden album, this should be it.

Producer Martin Birch has crafted a studio album that from beginning to end is flawless.

Invaders, which kicks off the album with its thunderous riffs, will have you snapping your neck and running for your guitar to try and play along. Children of the Damned is deceptively mellow at the beginning before speeding up and concluding with a wallop.

The Prisoner (based upon the 60's TV cult classic starring Patrick McGoohan) is a tremendous effort and a nod against conformity. 22 Acacia Avenue is the continuing saga of Charlotte the Harlot from the first Maiden album and features simple chords that wail.

The title track, which was supposed to be intro'd by Vincent Price (he was unavailable), to even the Maiden uninitiated is one of the best known of all the metal anthems. Dickinson's screams of six-six-six, the number of the beast, hell and fire conjure up the images seen on the cover artwork. With the following track, Run to the Hills, Maiden wrote a song that should have received a lot of US radio airplay but didn't. Never the less it is probably the most sing-along-able and memorable song on the album.

Gangland with its heavy drums rolls, is an underated, interesting song for two reasons; One, it is the only song drummer Clive Burr ever wrote for the band. Two, it has rarely been performed live. Total Eclipse which was originally a b-side has been added to this CD and is solid contender. The final track, Hallowed Be Thy Name is a mini-epic that features the dueling guitars of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith.

There are very few albums that TRULY deserve a five star rating. Number of the Beast is lyrically superior to others of the genre and musically brilliant. If you do not own this album, you are missing out on a classic that you should end up re-playing for many years to come. Hopefully it will start you on the road to Maiden fanaticism.

Everyone who grew up in the early 1980's and followed Maiden has a favorite album. You know what I mean, that album that has the most songs you love and harkens back to a time in your life when Iron Maiden was just so "cool". Number of the Beast is my personal favorite. Bruce Dickinson's first album, it just seems more raw and powerful than all the others. "Hallowed be Thy Name" is classic, even Cradle of Filth covered it. Everyone knows "Run to the Hills" and personally i think "22 Acacia Ave" is one of their best songs ever. Throw in "Prisoner" and "Children of the Damned" (based on the movie The Omen) and you have one of the best metal albums of al time. Not to mention it's drummer Clive Burr's final album with the guys. As far as I am concerned, if you are going to get just ONE Maiden CD; this is the one, although Piece of Mind is a close second.

The Number Of The Beast (1982.), Iron Maiden's third studio album

During the 1980's, the genre that ruled supreme in rock music was without doubt heavy metal. One of the definitive bands of the era was the mighty Iron Maiden. Formed in 1975, the band had at first emerged on the scene during the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) explosion at the start of the 1980's. The band's first two albums in the shape of their self titled debut and the follow up, 'Killers', established the band and proved that they were on top of the NWOBHM scene. However, in late 1981, original vocalist Paul Di'Anno left the band. Often when a singer leaves an already successful band, usually the results are disastrous, but not in the case of Iron Maiden. His replacement was former Samson singer Bruce Dickinson, who from this album onwards became the band's definitive and legendary vocalist. Soon after the arrival of Dickinson, the band recorded 'The Number Of The Beast'. The album has gone on to become recognised as Iron Maiden's definitive album and is hailed as one of the great triumphs of the genre. So is this album worthy of its reputation?

To be honest, I shouldn't even question this album's reputation; it IS a masterpiece. Even though I'm not sure I would rank this as my personal favourite Iron Maiden album, there is no doubting how well this album succeeds on many levels. The arrival of Dickinson is particularly important; although Paul Di'Anno is a great vocalist, there is no denying Bruce Dickinson's superiority. Dickenson's phenominal vocal range with resounding cries and fearsome power could only serve to improve the band's sound. It is true to say that Iron Maiden found their true heavy metal sound on this album, moving away from the heavy but quite punkish sound of earlier work. Dickinson's voice fits in perfectly with the improved sound change. Furthermore, the album has awesome songwriting. Bassist Steve Harris chiefly but Adrian Smith and Dave Murray also penned some classic stuff on this album; theres plenty of unforgettable riffs and lyrics. The band adopt an almost mythical and fantasy based persona with the themes on a lot of the songs and it fits in perfectly with the album's musical style.

Not too long ago, the Iron Maiden catalogue got totally remastered and improved. Hence the 1998 remasters are the way to go. The remaster job is great and all of the songs shine through with no sound glitches but also the recent version features and excellent accompanying booklet. The CD itself also has an enchanced multimedia section and you can view video footage of the 'Run To The Hills' and 'Number Of The Beast' songs from your PC.

This monster, or should I say 'beast' of an album kicks off with 'Invaders'. Remarkably, this track sometimes gets crticised by fans but I personally think its a great opener. True, the lyrics, about Viking invaders are a bit cheesy but looking beyond this is an excellent, growling vocal performance from Bruce Dickinson and some excellent power charged riffs to get the album going. Things slow down for the follow up in 'Childen Of The Damned'. The semi-acoustic sounding opening with a classic bass line from Steve Harris is great and builds into a slow but pounding chorus with anguished vocals from Dickenson. The song also has a clever change of style towards the end; it picks up pace and builds towards to a thrilling finish. One of my favourite tracks off the album, 'Prisoner', is next up. After a funny but cheesy spoken intro, a vibrant but resounding riff gets the song going before it builds into a classic, pacy Maiden performance. The song is a classic metal showcase with some great guitar solos; don't fail to miss Steve Harris' stellar bass work on this one. Then, if things couldn't get any better, '22 Acacia Avenue' follows. A snarling riff leads into the song that is the sequel to 'Charlotte The Harlot' from the band's first album. Some great lyrics with a commanding vocal performance from Dickinson make this one a classic. Some of the complex rhythm changes and guitar layers on this song are amazing.

The two most famous songs off the album are next. 'The Number Of The Beast' song is a famed song by the band and it is another classic. Who can fail to recognise the song's opening riff or Dickinson's 'in your face' vocals in the chorus! Then we have 'Run To The Hills'. Screaming guitars and Dickinson's vocals which ascend to amazing levels make this one a winner too. However, the next track is sadly a bit of a rough diamond. 'Gangland' ain't half that band but the song has a bit of a slapdash feel to it, especially in the chorus and it lacks the cohesiveness of the other songs on the album. After this little dip though, it's business as usual with 'Total Eclipse'. A slower, more restrained but still heavy performance characterise this song. The riffs are quite rich and memorable and pave the way for the final track of the album 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. This, my friends is one hell of a track. It is praised by countless fans of Iron Maiden and it's not hard to tell why. This is a 7 minute masterpiece; an epic story in some ways with clever changes of mood and some awesome riffs. Iron Maiden proved with this track their talent for longer songs and we see this more and more with epics on later albums such as 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner'.

This amazingly original album is a masterpiece. 'The Number Of The Beast' is one of the definitive moments with heavy metal and it has become a blue-print and massive influence for plenty of later bands as well as Iron Maiden themselves who would go on to put out plenty more awesome works. 'The Number Of The Beast' though is where Iron Maiden achieved their true classic status and it is a work that should be in any heavy metal fan's music collection.

MY RATING: 9.5/10

This cd is completely full of classics. There is no way Piece of Mind is better then this with fillers like Quest for Fire. I actually like this cd more than Black Sabbaths' Paranoid and by a long shot more than Metallica's Master of Puppets. Bruce's vocals are the best and so are Burr's drums (he was ranked 3rd in the world at the time) whom I think is a better drummist than Mc Brain. This and Powerslave are about tied in my book only because it seems this cd dosnt have the memorable solos that Powerslave does. Here are my reviews for the songs.

Invaders- its sounds really good until you get to the refrain which almost ruins the song with the chesesy riff. Also the lyrics are weak. I like the heavy sound though. - B

Children of the Damned- one of the best..I like its slow start up to the clashing refrain..Bruce's vocals are unbelievable..a masterpiece- A+

The Prisoner- the intro is interesting and memorable and so is the rest of the song which is quite different from their other songs. The chorus is very good but perhaps it goes on too long?- A

22 Acacia Avenue- an awesome tale of a tramp..I still think there's a screw up at the 50 sec. mark though.- A

The Number of the Beast- another classic and the guitars in the middle are amazing- A

Run to the Hills- the riff in the beginning is great and so is the chorus however the song will tire with repeated listens.- A-

Gangland- whats everyones problem with this song? Not bad by any means but not the best either- B

Total Eclipse- the suprise of the album this song is crazy..one of the best on the album and the end is surely the best- A

Hallowed be thy Name- the climax of Bruce's vocals. The finisher and their biggest masterpiece.- A+

There is no way any metal fan should not own this album. Why the band never got as popular as Metallica is an enigma to me. Buy it now even if its hard to find.