Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast review
| Band: | Iron Maiden |
| Album: | The Number Of The Beast |
| Style: | New wave of British heavy metal |
| Release date: | March 1982 |
Disc I
01. Invaders
02. Children Of The Damned
03. The Prisoner
04. 22 Acacia Avenue
05. The Number Of The Beast
06. Run To The Hills
07. Gangland
08. Total Eclipse [1998 remastered bonus]
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Disc II [1995 remastered release]
01. Total Eclipse
02. Remember Tomorrow [live]
Regularly vaunted as one of the best metal albums ever, The Number of The Beast stands tall in history. When you look at the album on closer inspection, it's a case of the classic songs being so strong they overshadow the weak points that come to the fore. Is it a bad album? Far from it, but is it one of their strongest releases? Probably not.
To cut right to it, half the album is some of the strongest metal in existence, to the point Captain America should dump Vibranium and use these as his shield. The other half? Average tracks that have been carried to heights they're not worthy of; swap "The Prisoner" with "Gangland" and you can skip to track five and sit back and enjoy.
"Run To The Hills", "The Prisoner", "Number Of The Beast" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" are what make this album what it is (along with some excellent artwork ala Derek Riggs). When you hear this album get the kudos it does, it is off the back of these four songs. "Hallowed?" is one of the strongest epics the band ever committed to tape, "?Hills" is commercial metal without diluting your sound, and the other two nail atmospheric yet bludgeoning metal once they crescendo. It's no surprise then that three of these tracks are regular compilation and live staples to this day, more than likely they're also the songs that pop to mind when you ask anyone to name an Iron Maiden song.
As if some kind of karmic ying and yang possesses this album, as good as those tracks were, the other four tracks are that much worse. "Invaders" sounds like the little brother trying to tag along with his older siblings and trying to act tough (now you'll have that stuck in your head when you next hear the chorus). "22 Acacia Avenue" and "Children of the Damned" are unmemorable and boring respectively. Gangland is a second rate "?Hills", which makes its existence redundant. Shed these tracks and yourself a flawless EP.
The musicianship throughout this album is top notch even on the bad tracks; they aren't bad due to being poorly played, they just aren't great examples of song craft. Harris' trademark bass is stamped all over this album, underpinning a guitar duo of Harris and Smith that had found their feet as a team. Burr's swansong is one hell of a departing present; he is more than just the drum fill on "Run To The Hills", he is one of the most underappreciated drummers in metal and he shows why here. Dickinson leaves one hell of a first impression and makes the songs his own, which is a feat given that he had no hand in making them.
Worthy of adoration? Absolutely, but it is not the flawless masterpiece you are lead to believe, The Number Of The Beast is an album of two halves; get the good one and you're in for a treat, get the bad one and you'll be reaching for that skip button in quick succession.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by omne metallum | 15.04.2020
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
At that time, Iron Maiden had already released two studio albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, which had made them known in the British metal scene. However, vocalist Paul Di Anno was fired from the group due to his uncontrolled alcoholic problems. Although this could have been proved a painful strike, Iron Maiden's golden era was about to start. Soon, vocalist Bruce Dickinson joined the group and in 1982 they released the historically important album The Number Of The Beast. Read more ›› |
Rating:
9.5
9.5
|
Rating: 9.5 |
The year is 1982, and metal is still a young and developing genre of music. The new wave of British heavy metal is beginning to take its toll on the American populace. We had already had a taste of Priest's British Steel and nine entire studio albums by Black Sabbath. Now it's Maiden's turn to hit the spotlight, and let me tell you, this release did it for them. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 28
Visited by: 136 users
| UPDIRNS Posts: 354 |
I disagree with a lot of what you wrote. Music is all personal opinion of course so no one is wrong, but it's still fun to argue. I love Children of the Damned and Gangland. I don't consider either boring or second rate, far from it. 22 Acacia is the only song I don't really really like or love. Hallowed is one of the most iconic songs every written by any bands in my eyes and a top 10 song in the history of music according to me.  I'd rate this album a 10/10 all day. I believe it's clearly one of the greatest musical achievements in the history of music on this planet and every other planet in the universe. UP THE IRONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| cubanmetalguy Posts: 13  |
I can't imagine this album without Children of the Damned and 22 Acacia Avenue.
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| Maco Pvt Funderground Posts: 3593  |
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| UPDIRNS Posts: 354 |
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| UPDIRNS Posts: 354 |
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| Maco Pvt Funderground Posts: 3593 |
---- Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7046  |
Written by cubanmetalguy on 16.04.2020 at 01:17 Me neither. I could easily do without Gangland and Invaders though.
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| RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 8629  |
I cannot listen to "Invaders" with a straight face and take it seriously. That said, "Children Of The Damned" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" are one of the best songs ever, so this album is a bit of a mixed bag.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7046 |
Written by UPDIRNS on 16.04.2020 at 00:29 Up The Irons indeed. You should have stopped there though, it's not that anyone who doesn't like the album is insulting you personally. One more comment like the ones towards Maco and The Witchfinder and you are getting a very long rest from posting on the site.
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| qlacs "The Quaker" Posts: 1537  |
Agree with the rating, but not the review. I have no problem discarding Gangland, Invaders or Total Eclipse from this record. The rest - yes please.
---- 
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| JoHn Doe Posts: 4886  |
Written by qlacs on 16.04.2020 at 11:18 Total Eclipse was not on the original album, I do not know if they used it for some B-side single, but as it says above, it's a remastered bonus. I disagree with the review and the rating. I can't go lower than an 8 for this album. Yes, Invaders and Gangland are the weak tracks, but they are still listenable. So not even filler. What's wrong with The Prisoner? Such a fun track if you ask me. As for Children of the Damned and 22 Acacia Avenue being unmemorable and boring, I LOLed. Yeah, I'm tired of Run to the Hills, it's been overplayed, still a good song.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 61010  |
Children Of The Damned and Hallowed Be Thy Name are IM classics, heavy songs, even Number has good rytmer, story and lyrics, its decent IM albbu,
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''  apos;'[image] I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| omne metallum Contributor Posts: 474  |
Written by UPDIRNS on 16.04.2020 at 00:29 Oh without a doubt, I can see that my opinion varies greatly from most here haha. I'm glad others found songs I didn't particularly take to enjoyable, you get to see what a band/album means to someone that way.
---- Just because I'm not listening doesn't mean I don't care
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| omne metallum Contributor Posts: 474 |
Written by JoHn Doe on 16.04.2020 at 11:53 Yeah, the copy I reviewed didn't contain Total Eclipse so I didn't include it, that said it would of been a good addition. I think going above 7 for what is a very 50/50 to me would be too generous, the classics are weighted down by the weaker tracks imo. Glad to see you really enjoy the album though. I Think The Prisoner is one of the bands best songs, I think it's one of the good songs on the album. I'll be honest, before re-listening to the album before reviewing it, I already knew all the songs like the back of my hand; the chorus to Children... and the tempo change in 22... were the only things I could remember from those tracks before re-listening. I think with so much quality material it gets pushed to the back and forgotten about.
---- Just because I'm not listening doesn't mean I don't care
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| alexf91 Posts: 1 |
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| UPDIRNS Posts: 354 |
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| omne metallum Contributor Posts: 474 |
Written by alexf91 on 16.04.2020 at 18:41 No, I do like songs of all tempos and I have no predisposition either way. It's not that they're slower that bores me, I just never really found them to turn my head and pay attention. Children... to me is an uninteresting riff leading to a meh chorus.
---- Just because I'm not listening doesn't mean I don't care
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7046 |
I am in disbelief that we are discussing if this album is overrated or not in 2020. Its importance to heavy metal is immense. We are talking about 1982. It is the first IM album with Dickinson, it is a departure from what the band did in the previous two albums, it has at least four songs that anyone who comes even a little bit close to metal knows most of their lyrics: "Hallowed...", "Children...", "Run To The Hills" and the title track. Subjectively, "Hallowed..." is IM's best track ever, objectively it is one of the most iconic heavy metal songs in history. Yes, overall it is lacking compared to everything before it and everything that came after, until No Prayer. But even this doesn't say much, all of Iron Maiden's '80s albums have defined heavy metal forever. It's just that The Number is the least great one.
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| Nihil Aeternum Posts: 127  |
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| tominator At best deranged Contributor Posts: 1061  |
Written by nikarg on 16.04.2020 at 10:59 Agreed! Even as a massive fan of IM, those two songs are not very compelling imo. Some of their weaker 80s songs if you ask me. Still love the album though. Hallowed and Children are still easily in my personal top 10 of best Iron Maiden tracks.
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5245  |
Leave the album alone. It's perfectly fine.
---- rekt
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| tintinb Posts: 1814 |
Maybe it's the Indian in me but I kept on reading gangland as Gangaland (the land beside river Ganges).  The album rips though. Hallowed is the most wholesome heavy metal song I can think of. Also, funny story, I was introduced to Hallowed through Cradle of Filth's cover of it. I think there was a really cool anime video of the song which fit the song perfectly in Dani's vocals. Later I heard the original version, saw multiple live videos of it, went to Bangalore to check out live Maiden. But I still remember in my late teens, Cradle's cover of Maiden's Hallowed was the heaviest shit I have heard till then. 
---- Leeches everywhere.
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| Redel Moderator Posts: 2056  |
Written by nikarg on 16.04.2020 at 20:17 These lines, imo, are effectively sufficient for a top-notch review summing up the key facts about this iconic album.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5941  |
I think this album's overall quality and impact is pretty fairly assessed in the metal community at large. If it's overrated, only slightly so. I do think though that there are other Maiden albums that are more consistent quality wise, and that are more fun to listen to as a whole front to back, particularly Powerslave and Seventh Son.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Dark Cornatus Powerslave Elite Posts: 4330  |
I actually agree that it's not one of their top albums, but for me 22 Acacia Avenue and Children of the Damned, are two of the best songs. The average filler for me are: Invaders, Run to the Hills (yes i know people love it - but i don't), The Prisoner, Gangland.
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| Răzvan Posts: 40  |
Written by nikarg on 16.04.2020 at 20:17 It's always important to talk about a record in the context of its release; what was going on around that time, the impact it had and all that. However that's not always possible and I think an equally valid approach is to talk about how well something holds up today. Some things can be immensely influential in the art or genre, but may not do too well when perceived through a modern lens. Not saying this is the case here, not in my opinion, but I totally get why someone may feel underwhelmed if they're, let's say, new to metal and making their way back through some of its major milestones. Take me for example: I absolutely love some of the songs on this albums, but others are take it or leave it for me. For its influence and for its highest highs, I'd give it near maximum scores. But if I'm honest with myself and how I feel in 2020 about some of the weaker songs, I would say that its current rating on MS, its position relative to how other Iron Maiden albums have scored is... greatly exaggerated. There are 4, maybe 5 other '80s Maiden albums that I would sit down to listen to from start to finish before I'd do the same with this one.
---- My subjectivity is better than yours.
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