Iron Maiden - The Number of The Beast (1982)

Singing about the devil himself is now a days pretty mainstream but when Iron Maiden released "The Number of The Beast" in 1982, it was something that had never been done before. So in a way, you could say that Iron Maiden was hipsters. Nah, but seriously, singing about the devil was not the only new feature in Maiden's third album. Out with Paul Di'Anno and in with, at time, relatively unknown Bruce Dickinson who got picked up by Maiden after a short sojourn in Samson. And that vocalist change later showed that Maiden went from being a good band with high potential to one of the biggest bands ever created.

The first notable difference on "The Number of The Beast", besides Dickinson, is that the production is cleaner than it was on both "Iron Maiden" and "Killers", which is necessary since the music on this album is more complex and epic than it was on the two predecessors. But even if the production would have been rougher, I still think that the strength of Dickinson's voice would be enough to give this album that much needed boost.

Now there is three songs in this album that has both made this album and the band legendary. The mighty three called "The Number of The Beast", "Run To the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name". These three songs are huge fan favourites and they still get frequent play time on various rock radio stations in all over the world. And even if these songs have been played over and over and over again I still cannot stop liking them. The title track is edgy and hooky with not one, but two of the coolest solos that Maiden has ever done. "Run To The Hills" goes perfectly with the slogan pedal to the metal because it just speeds up in such a fast pace that you barely can tag along, but you still stand there, singing out your lungs on that chorus and headbanging to that solo. But the best of them all is "Hallowed Be Thy Name". With out this song, "The Number of The Beast" would not have a epic grand finale that shocks you with one of the greatest riffs ever created and shows off the amazing qualities that every band member possesses. In other words, you cannot find a better album closer than "Hallowed Be Thy Name" since the song is perfection from first to last second.

But "The Number of The Beast" does not contain only three songs so how are the rest of the pack? Well, they are not nearly as good as "The Big 3", but they still have their charm. The epic story that "The Prisoner" is presenting is interesting even if the chorus could have been more powerful and the slower "Children of The Damned" is also epic but missing that final edge. The best song out of the rest is "22 Acacia Avenue" with its groovy attitude and very solid craftsmanship on every part of the song.

If I would point out the weakest songs on this album the it would definitely be the awkward "Invaders" and the bland "Gangland". None of these two songs holds the right amount of power that I want for this album which is such a shame since "The Number of The Beast" had such a high potential but fails on having a couple of fillers. Not good at all.

The biggest flaw in "The Number of The Beast" is actually that "The Big 3" is way too good. These songs steals the whole show and leaves the rest of the offerings as background characters which make for an uneven album. I cannot deny that "The Number of The Beast" deserves its legendary status but it is not the finest album that Iron Maiden has created. They still have one more level that they still have not shown, but the potential is there and with Bruce Dickinson now in charge of the singing, then I know that the full potential will show sooner or later.

Songs worthy of recognition: Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Number of The Beast, Run To The Hills, 22 Acacia Avenue

Rating: 9/10 Prisoners