Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. Today, we go back in time 40 years and a day. Iron Maiden gained a devout following thanks to their energetic live shows, ghoulish imagery, and full throttle brand of heavy metal. They quickly became one of the biggest bands of the NWOBHM scene, and after a 1981 stateside jaunt opening for Judas Priest, started gaining traction in the west as well. Little did they know that a sudden personnel change and their subsequent third album would propel them to heights beyond their wildest dreams. This week’s essay explores the circumstances leading up to, recording of, and eventual historic impact of The Number of the Beast: an album that many consider to be the greatest in metal history. “40, 40, 40! The Number of the Beast!”
Alright, so before we dive into all things devilish and diabolical, we have to explore where Iron Maiden was before recording NOTB, and that was, to put it lightly, between a rock and a hard place. Their second album, Killers, was tearing up the charts in their native England, peaking at #12. They also scored a Top 40 hit with an accompanying single, “Twilight Zone”. While the rest of the band was dead set on global domination, singer Paul Di’Anno had other things on his mind. And by “other things”, I mean cocaine. Look folks, this was 1981. The Peruvian flake was par the course for rock bands of all genres. For DiAnno, however, it became his primary focus.
This did not sit well with bassist/songwriter/founder Steve Harris, who was in it solely for the music. Just like that, Di’Anno was shown the door, and Maiden, now an academy headliner, was without a singer. That was until Bruce Dickinson AKA “Bruce Bruce”, the singer for meat and potatoes NWOBHM outfit Samson, walked through the door. In fact, he didn’t just walk through the door; he blew the hinges off of it. Don’t take my word for it. Hear his 1981 audition for yourself! There’s no denying Di’Anno was the right singer for the type of music Maiden was making at the time: gritty, savage, raw. With the operatic range and unyielding power of Dickinson, the creative possibilities were endless.
All of these possibilities and more were explored when it came time to enter the studio for album #3. Having dabbled with lengthy, prog inspired suites on past releases (i.e. “Phantom of the Opera”, “Prodigal Son”), Harris decided to make this the central focus on The Number of the Beast. Up until this point, only a handful of bands in hard and heavy music had explored these realms of ambitiousness: early Queen, Rush, perhaps even Judas Priest on songs like “Beyond the Realms of Death” and “Dreamer Deceiver” / “Deceiver”. Harris wanted to take this progressive style he grew up with, so steeped in 70s nostalgia, and revamp it for the new decade.
Of course, he couldn’t just do this to the unsuspecting public. He had to lure them in, which is why I’ve always felt “Invaders” was the perfect opener to NOTB. It’s fast, ferocious, powerful, and boasts that signature Dave Murray/Adrian Smith twin axe assault. One might call it conventional by both Maiden and NWOBHM standards, and that’s exactly the point. It set the stage for the epic “Children of the Damned”, which opened listeners ears to a completely different world of heaviness. Across this album, we’ll see that Maiden’s abilities as musicians, songwriters, and arrangers had elevated tenfold. “Children of the Damned” is a prime example of this. The eerie melodic guitars, picturesque lyrics, and full display of Dickinson’s vocal range gives me goosebumps to this day.
“The Prisoners” strides the line between NWOBHM fury and prog metal precision. It isn’t nearly as dramatic as “Children of the Damned”, but boasts enough musical twists and turns and complex instrumentation to stand tall as a distant cousin. One thing that should be noted about this song is Steve Harris’s bass lines. Whereas most bassists held down the rhythm alongside the drummer, Harris took the Geddy Lee approach of playing lead alongside the guitars. I’m sure there are past Maiden songs that demonstrate this practice, but “The Prisoner” is one of the best examples of such to my ear.
Side A closes with one of my favorite Maiden songs of all time, “22 Acacia Avenue”, or as it’s titled on the original insert, “22 Acacia Avenue (The Continuing Saga of Charlotte the Harlot)”. Whereas the original “Charlotte the Harlot” was an unapologetic slab of metalpunk, “22 Acacia Avenue” showcases the bands newfound songwriting talents, balancing heaviness and lightness to create drama and intensity. It most certainly is a dramatic piece, as we believe the emotion in Dickinson’s voice when he sings, “You’re packing your bags, you’re coming with me!”
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the legendary title track. I’m not sure what more I can say about this song that hasn’t been said already. It’s about as ingrained in our heads as Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” or Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law”. However, it should be noted that in 1982, this song, coupled with the album’s infamous cover art, was subject to much controversy. It was a clever tactic in the long run. Parents, teachers, and religious groups who didn’t look beyond the imagery were terrified, resulting in kids buying the album in droves. Who knows what the sales figures for bands with actual occult themed lyrics like Venom, Witchfynde, and Demon would’ve been had they received such outcry?
The title track is followed by the equally recognizable and synonymous “Run to the Hills”. If I heard this song on its own over my radio, I’d probably switch it because I’ve heard it so many times. That said, I can appreciate it in the scope of the album, as well as the influence it would have on future metal subgenres. The intense gallop riffing and fiery hot soloing lie a step above classic UFO, but right underneath thrash and US power metal. It’s no wonder these scenes would take charge just one short year later!
“Gangland” (not to be confused with the Tygers of Pan Tang song of the same name), takes it back to the no frills NWOBHM formula of “Invaders”, before we’re treated to the groundbreaking grand finale: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. Unlike “The Number of the Beast”, which generated controversy upon its release, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is a song that has generated controversy in recent years. An obscure English prog band by the name of Beckett claimed that Maiden borrowed musical and lyrical passages from their 1974 song, “Life’s Shadow”. This isn’t too far removed from reality. In fact, Maiden covered Beckett’s “Rainbow’s Cold” as the B-side to “2 Minutes to Midnight”.
Now let’s assume for a second “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is merely a reworked “Life’s Shadow”, the same way Led Zeppelin made “Dazed and Confused” their own. If this is the case, Maiden did Beckett a favor. Not only did they settle with the band out of court for an undisclosed amount of money, but they elevated their half baked prog suite into a full blown metal masterpiece. I remember listening to this song in junior high with my buddies. My one friend, Jimmy, insisted this was “the greatest metal song of all time”. We’d all go “Nah” and suggest a Sabbath song, or a Metallica song, or perhaps even another Maiden song. The older I get, the more I think Jimmy might’ve been on to something. If “Hallowed Be Thy Name” isn’t the greatest metal song of all time, it’s easily in the Top 5.
When all was said and done, fans welcomed Maiden’s change in style and singers with open arms. The album would break Maiden worldwide, spawning a couple more notches on the English Top 40 (“The Number of the Beast”, “Run to the Hill”), platinum sales in the states, and airplay on the then fresh faced MTV. They’d yet again open for Judas Priest in America, before becoming full blown headliners by the end of the tour. It’s been that way ever since. With the exception of the dark ages that were the late 90s, Maiden have only continued to grow, selling out arenas, amphitheaters, and stadiums virtually anywhere they play. And it all started with The Number of the Beast.
“Woe to you, oh Earth and Sea
For the Devil sends the beast with wrath because he knows the time is short…
Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number
Its number is six hundred and sixty six”
Let us hope they close with “Hallowed Be Thy Name” come this October! 😎🤘