Search - Iron Maiden :: The Number of the Beast

Hallowed be this heavy metal classic's name!

howzat | 12/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"

The Grail of Maiden albums

Johny Bottom | Jacksonville, NC | 12/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Iron Maiden are a great band. Part of the original British invasion, these guys broke out with then new singer Bruce Dickenson, who's nickname bacame 'The air-raid siren'. With good reason, Bruce has gone down in metal history as one of metal's greatest and most accomplished vocalists. His style is easily identified and cannot be imitated.Maiden classics abound on this album and half the songs are still played at their live shows to this day. 'Run to the Hills', 'Hallowed be Thy Name' and the infamous title track with the ominous Bible quotation to start it off have all become Maiden staples to worldwide fans. 'The Prisoner' was always a personal favorite of mine.On this newly remastered album, a new song has been added, 'Total Eclipse' previously only released in England as a B side. First time I heard this song was years ago on Iron Maiden's home video '12 Years Wasted', an excellent history of the band including live clips and interviews, but that is another review."