I’ll be totally honest with you – I’m an unashamed fan of heavy music, but Iron Maiden are an act that I’ve never really been into. I kind of lump them in with Ozzy and Judas Priest; something about the arrangements and the high-pitched vocal work just puts me off.
Not to mention that Iron Maiden’s repertoire seems so big as to be insurmountable; this was their third album of seven released in the 1980s. They’re currently at seventeen and counting.
This album – it turns forty this year – is one of their best and most successful, containing a pair of their biggest songs – title track “The Number Of The Beast” (one of my favourite Maiden tracks) and “Run To The Hills”, their first top ten single in the UK. Second track “Children Of The Damned” is great too, and closer “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is an all-time-great Maiden song.
You probably won’t believe this, but it was also met with harsh criticism from (you guessed it) conservative groups in the United States who accused the group of being Satanists.
As I say, I’m not an Iron Maiden fan. I think of them like how I think of the TV series The Sopranos – I can see why people love it, and I can appreciate the artistry, but it isn’t for me. But I would also say I enjoyed listening back to this one.
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CLTM (Chris Listens To Music) is my attempt to listen to a new album every day; you can follow my efforts on Instagram here (and send recommendations), and if you like what I’m doing, support my efforts by shouting me a cuppa at Buy Me A Coffee.