Amazon.co.uk Review
Times might have changed, now--with the advent of new-metal acts like
Korn--but throughout the 1980s, a damning generalisation held true: English heavy metal rocked, while the American variant--with a few notable exceptions--sucked. The difference went beyond aesthetics--the Yanks' avowed penchant for big hair and eyeliner--though that was certainly part of it: British metal was essentially working man's food, loosely descended from biker-meets and Northern pubs; whereas, in the States, it was an outgrowth of stadium-rock, which traditionally subordinated substance to spectacle. Plug-ugly, cartoonishly morbid, Iron Maiden were typical of the local effort: emphasising a driving, no-nonsense approach to the music. And it worked: among metal aficionados, this album ranks as one of the defining moments of the entire genre. Of the eight songs here--including Maiden classics like "Run To The Hills" and the title track--only "Gangland" falls flat, though it's immediately overshadowed by "Hallowed Be Thy Name," acknowledged by many as this band's apotheosis.
--Andrew McGuire
Description
1982's THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST remains one of heavy metal'sall-time classics. Although the British quintet was in the midst of enjoying its first taste of global success, original singer Paul Di'Anno abruptly quit in 1981. Though stunned,the young band wisely agreed to soldier on, making ex-Samson singer Bruce Dickinson their new frontman. Nicknamed "The Air Raid Siren", Dickinson's voice was to become one of the band's most prominent signature characteristics. It also didn't hurt that the band had composed some of its best songs ever, such as the haunting title song, and its first U.K. Top-10 single, "Run to the Hills". Other highlights include thesinister "Children of the Damned", the melodic "The Prisoner", and the album-closing epic "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
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