Often times when a band replaces an important member like a singer, there is a period of uncertainty. No one knows for sure whether such a transition will allow the band to be able to survive. However, some times there are cases where such a change ends up not only allowing the band to survive but to flourish and thrive more than they ever had before. Such was the case for when power metal godfathers Iron Maiden changed vocalists from Paul Di'Anno to iconic long time and current vocalist Bruce Dickinson and they put out one of their best albums: The Number of the Beast.
Number of the Beast featured a massive change in sound for Iron Maiden. There music became a lot more dark, melodic, complex, exploratory, and grand. Due to the fact that Dickinson had better range and timbre than Di'Anno bassist and primary song writer Steve Harris was able to do a lot more than he ever had before. The sound was a bit more crisp and refined. It spawned multiple Iron Maiden classics such as: Run to the Hills, The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, etc.
Run to the Hills is one of those songs that anyone who knows heavy metal even remotely will recognize the instant that iconic drum intro comes on. I love how it builds up with instrument after instrument coming in only to stop and then have that thundering fast gallop of a riff come in with Dickinson sounding angry and fierce as hell. You almost feel like you're on a field with those men on horses chasing the Indians away. It almost makes you want to do as the chorus commands, to run for your life to the hills.
The Number of the Beast is probably THE quintessential Iron Maiden track. That is the song anyone looking to be introduced to the band should listen to first, which is what I did so many years ago. It starts off with a dreadfully read passage from Revelations only to be joined in by a fast guitar riff and a sinister melody being sung, followed by a break that has one of the single greatest screams I've ever heard. From there it's everything Iron Maiden: big riffs, thunderous rhythms, lightning quick melodic guitar solos, and the most deadly sounding clean vocals you could ever imagine.
The Number of the Beast while admittedly an offputting title to those who might be a bit more religious is actually not particularly Satanic. It doesn't give a bad message. It's just filled with some of the most well written and revitalized sounding heavy metal to ever be put on tape. Like I said earlier, it's the best album to listen to if you want to delve into Iron Maiden. It has some of their best stuff and will get you off on the right foot for exploring the rest of their catalog. It's one hell of a wild ride from start to finish.
The Number of the Beast, by Iron Maiden receives 3.8 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Number-Beast-Iron-Maiden/dp/B00EM60L6Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475827184&sr=8-3&keywords=The+Number+of+the+Beast
I have this album. In fact, the album that got me really into Maiden was Piece of Mind. The song that started it all-"Flight of Icarus" with "The Trooper" close behind. In fact, there's an 11 part metal documentary on VH1 Classic (now called MTV Classic, combining MTV with VH1, ugh, bad idea!) called Metal Evolution. Each episode is about a different type of metal or rock music. The opening theme is "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden.
ReplyDeleteI love this album. When I get to the title track, I am so tempted to crank it up. "Run to the Hills" is definitely my other song addiction on the album!! I love the whole thing. Not one bad song at all!!!!