Artist: Iron Maiden
Label: EMI
Release Date: 1982
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Title: The Number of the Beast Artist: Iron Maiden Label: EMI Release Date: 1982
Rating: 3 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
This is kind of strange for a metalhead, but I never really got into Maiden while I was growing up. Maybe I hung out with the wrong crowd or was too busy listening to Ride The Lightning to consider anything else was worth spending time with. In fact, this is the first Maiden record I've listened to in its entirety and the results are, well, mixed. No doubt, Iron Maiden is one of the most influential bands in the history of rock music, and you could look towards any one of their earlier releases as a blueprint for the future. Hell, as I was going over Beast I had to stop several times and make sure I wasn't hearing Queensryche's first two records (I swear the 'Ryche used "Children of the Damned" as a floor plan for "The Lady Wore Black.") Maybe things would be different if I was fifteen and this was 1982, but the tunes on this record don't hit me like Ride or The New Order did back in the day. Maiden definitely know their craft. When people talk about "true" metal, this is the band to look at. Driving rhythms, extended song structures, LOTS of power chording, socially-conscious lyrics, and aggressive but melodic vocals. Maiden IS metal. The only thing is they use charging rhythms and bare-bone chord progressions so consistently the songs tend to lack individual character. I still think there are some great tunes on this record. "Children of the Damned" has a cool contrast between the clean verse and dirty chorus (a classic metal device.) The guitar part right after the second verse in "22, Acacia Avenue" is powerful, and the solo after the breakdown is good, too. The intro to "Gangland" has a jazzy chromatic progression that caught my attention. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is my favorite and I think it's the best-arranged tune on the record. The quasi-baroque intro, the call-and-answer part between the vocals/band after it, and the subsequent guitar parts have a real classical feel that makes "Hallowed" stand out above the rest. The most unique thing about this record is, while the cover may be menacing to look at, the music is often upbeat and seems to defy metal convention. "Invaders" has a humorous, quirky riff that reminds me of those goofy Martians from a cheesy 50's sci-fi movie, and "Prisoner" has a very uplifting chorus section. "Number of the Beast" starts out in a (gasp!) major key despite the lyrical content, and "Run To The Hills" sounds pretty happy when you consider the song is about Native American genocide. Not a bad introduction to the beast called "Maiden," but I might have to listen to Somewhere In Time or Seventh Son to see what else the band is capable of.
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