I have a confession to make. This may come as a shock to some of you who have really come to know me. But here goes...

Back when I was five and six years old, my brother was heavily into Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, arguably the two best bands of the so-called "new wave" of British heavy metal. Anyways, for some reason, I was scared of Eddie, the Iron Maiden mascot (for lack of a better term), even though I knew he did not exist and he was merely artwork on the cover of a cassette tape. Funny how when you're five, things can get to you huh?

Anyways, now that I've shared with you more useless MattA75 trivia, the time has come for me to actually review an Iron Maiden disc. I've never considered Maiden my thing. Back in my early teens I was caught up in the early to mid 90s rock explosion of excellent bands coming out seemingly every week, so I never gave a second thought really to a band like Iron Maiden. In the words of one of the kids in the opening scenes of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Iron Maiden was basically "f*cking 80s style," and I was desparate to leave the 80s behind me.

Recently though, with the current crop of "heavy" nu-metal acts, I've found myself delving a bit more into British metal, and this resulted in my purchase of The Number of the Beast, probably the best known Iron Maiden album, and the one that really kind of made the band famous in America.

The Number of the Beast is a tour de force of speed, wailing guitar solos, heavy duty rhythm, and the powerful vocal stylings of Dickinson, who has a voice that can match Chris Cornell's in terms of pure screaming power. Anyone who is familiar with Cornell knows this is one of the highest compliments I could pay.

The two songs that people know best, not just from this album, but possibly from Maiden's career, come one right after the other on this very disc. The title track has one of the most memorable guitar riffs ever created, and in true Maiden fashion, the lyrics have a cheesy (yet appealing) over the top quality that the band would build on with their live stage show. Run to the Hills is, even moreso than the title track, the band's best anthem, and possibly their best song period. Lyrically, the song is an unbelievable indictment on the Native American war this very country fought ("White man came across the sea, Brought us pain and misery, killed our tribes, killed our creed, took our game for his own need"). Musically the song bristles with anthemic energy, driven forward not only by the great playing of guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, but by the rhythm section of Clive Burr (drums) and Steve Harris (bass).

In fact, one might go as far to say that without Burr and Harris, this album would not be half of what it is. It is their competent, talented playing that helps hold the album together, as they help push these songs from being merely "good" to being some of the best metal songs ever.

But this album holds a lot more than the two hit singles it's best known for. The closing track, Hallowed Be Thy Name, was undoubtedly an influence on future bands like Metallica and possibly even Tool, as it has a very progressive feel to it, given the fact it was released in 1982. The imagery used in the song ("I'm waiting in my cold cell, when the bell begins to chime, Relfecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time, Cause at 5 o'clock they take me to the Gallows pole, the sands of time for me are running low") is somewhat similar to what Metallica would use in their earlier days.

The band proves they aren't afraid to just let things rip though, as songs like the disc opening Invaders, and the driving Total Eclipse, which has more of a "classic" Black Sabbath influenced sound to it.

Perhaps my personal favorite song is track three, The Prisoner. The buildup is near perfect as the band moves from first gear into fifth gear, and the chorus is extremely poppy sounding considering it's Iron Maiden, and there's even a tad bit of hope in the ringing guitars that surround Dickinson's voice.

This 1998 remastered and enhanced version (there is also a 2002 remastered version out there, I guess remasters are to Maiden what greatest hits albums are to Kiss) features the videos for Run to the Hills (wow is all I have to say about that one!) and Number of the Beast. There is also an interactive band and Beast tour history, featuring photos, a full Iron Maiden family tree, and links to the web for more content.

If you're a metal fan, and you don't own this, your collection is not complete. Hell, it beats Godsmack, that's for damn sure.


Recommended: Yes