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Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast



9.1 | 2956 votes |
Release date: 22 March 1982
Style: New wave of British heavy metal

Owners:

3847 have it
128 want it
3 trade it


Disc I
01. Invaders
02. Children Of The Damned
03. The Prisoner
04. 22 Acacia Avenue
05. The Number Of The Beast
06. Run To The Hills
07. Gangland
08. Total Eclipse [1998 remastered bonus]
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Disc II [1995 remastered release]
01. Total Eclipse
02. Remember Tomorrow [live]

Top 20 albums of 1982: 1
Top 200 albums of all time: 11
Featured in "Getting Into: Iron Maiden"

Additional info
Produced by Martin Birch.
Engineering by Martin Birch & Nigel Hewitt-Green.
Cover art & photography by Derek Riggs & Rod Smallwood.

''The Prisoner'' was inspired by the 1967 TV series of the same name. The spoken intro to the track is directly lifted from an episode intro.

"22 Acacia Avenue" was originally written by Adrian Smith and performed by his pre-Iron Maiden band Urchin .

Guest review by
Arian Totalis
Rating:
9.5
The year is 1982, and metal is still a young and developing genre of music. The new wave of British heavy metal is beginning to take its toll on the American populace. We had already had a taste of Priest's British Steel and nine entire studio albums by Black Sabbath. Now it's Maiden's turn to hit the spotlight, and let me tell you, this release did it for them.

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published 18.02.2010 | Comments (24)

Guest review by
omne metallum
Rating:
7.0
Regularly vaunted as one of the best metal albums ever, The Number of The Beast stands tall in history. When you look at the album on closer inspection, it's a case of the classic songs being so strong they overshadow the weak points that come to the fore. Is it a bad album? Far from it, but is it one of their strongest releases? Probably not.

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published 15.04.2020 | Comments (28)

Guest review by
HS
Rating:
10
At that time, Iron Maiden had already released two studio albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, which had made them known in the British metal scene. However, vocalist Paul Di Anno was fired from the group due to his uncontrolled alcoholic problems. Although this could have been proved a painful strike, Iron Maiden's golden era was about to start. Soon, vocalist Bruce Dickinson joined the group and in 1982 they released the historically important album The Number Of The Beast.

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published 18.09.2003 | Comments (23)

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Comments: 117   Visited by: 3268 users
22.03.2020 - 12:58
Rating: 5
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by JoHn Doe on 22.03.2020 at 11:15

What?
I wasn't talking about best songs on the album.
Also you give NOTB a 5, yet Virtual XI you gave a 6. Talk about cringe... Are you sure you don't wanna re-evaluate things a bit, or something?!

Are you talk about votes. I voted maybe when i was 22 and alcohol... So it dont counts
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Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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22.03.2020 - 13:17
JoHn Doe
Written by Bad English on 22.03.2020 at 12:58

Are you talk about votes. I voted maybe when i was 22 and alcohol... So it dont counts

again, have you read what I said?
RE-EVALUATE...
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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17.01.2021 - 00:50
Rating: 10
JavierPaper
Very good album, the best of Iron Maiden.
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04.04.2021 - 14:39
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Staff
Written by AndyMetalFreak on 04.04.2021 at 14:23

... the underrated Hallowed be thy name ...

Are you very sure about "underrated"?
I always thought it was one of the two or three most popular and iconic Iron Maiden songs ever. It's that particular track I would play to visitors from outer space in order to demonstrate what heavy metal is all about.
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04.04.2021 - 14:46
JoHn Doe
I've never understood why some people dislike or find Invaders underwhelming. I always loved it.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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04.04.2021 - 15:35
Rating: 5
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by JoHn Doe on 04.04.2021 at 14:46

I've never understood why some people dislike or find Invaders underwhelming. I always loved it.

I like each song here, one of album album could be best here, as compilation.
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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04.04.2021 - 16:36
Rating: 9
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
Written by Starvynth on 04.04.2021 at 14:39

Written by AndyMetalFreak on 04.04.2021 at 14:23

... the underrated Hallowed be thy name ...

Are you very sure about "underrated"?
I always thought it was one of the two or three most popular and iconic Iron Maiden songs ever. It's that particular track I would play to visitors from outer space in order to demonstrate what heavy metal is all about.

I suppose I see it as underrated because when I've spoken in the past to people about what their top Iron Maiden songs are, they always seem to mention Run to the Hills, The Trooper, Number of the beast, 2 minutes to midnight, and Fear of the dark, but for some reason Hallowed by thy name has often been missed out. I would say it would be one of my first choices, but to be fair they Maiden have done that many good songs.
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04.04.2021 - 17:28
nikarg
Staff
Written by JoHn Doe on 04.04.2021 at 14:46

I've never understood why some people dislike or find Invaders underwhelming. I always loved it.

C'mon, the chorus is outright ridiculous.
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04.04.2021 - 17:37
JoHn Doe
Written by nikarg on 04.04.2021 at 17:28

Written by JoHn Doe on 04.04.2021 at 14:46

I've never understood why some people dislike or find Invaders underwhelming. I always loved it.

C'mon, the chorus is outright ridiculous.


ridiculous?! how?
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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04.04.2021 - 17:40
nikarg
Staff
Written by JoHn Doe on 04.04.2021 at 17:37


ridiculous?! how?

The music behind the chorus sounds like a sound clip from an Atari video game of that era
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04.04.2021 - 17:42
JoHn Doe
Written by nikarg on 04.04.2021 at 17:40

Written by JoHn Doe on 04.04.2021 at 17:37


ridiculous?! how?

The music behind the chorus sounds like a sound clip from an Atari video game of that era

well, I don't know what that is TBH, so...
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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06.04.2021 - 02:09
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Staff
Written by Bad English on 04.04.2021 at 15:35

I like each song here, one of album album could be best here, as compilation.

Dude, you should really re-evaluate your ratings.
You look like a fool when you point out how much you like every song and then still keep the 5/10 rating.
"22 and alcohol" is a poor excuse, that was 14 years and 40,000 posts ago.
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07.04.2021 - 13:14
Rating: 9
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
Written by Starvynth on 06.04.2021 at 02:09

Written by Bad English on 04.04.2021 at 15:35

I like each song here, one of album album could be best here, as compilation.

Dude, you should really re-evaluate your ratings.
You look like a fool when you point out how much you like every song and then still keep the 5/10 rating.
"22 and alcohol" is a poor excuse, that was 14 years and 40,000 posts ago.

I thought the same, when I saw a 5 out of 10, changing the rating is quite easy to do, to my knowledge. It would also save really harsh criticism, unless he is genuinely happy with the rating of course.
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03.07.2021 - 07:54
Rating: 6
F3ynman
Nocturnal Bro
Contributor
This album is tough to rate for me. Hallowed Be Thy Name might be the best song ever, Children of the Damned is super heavy, and the title track is pretty cool. The problem is, those are the only songs I like on the album. All the other songs sound kind of weak or corny. I guess people praise this album because it was the start of Iron Maiden's epic era with Bruce Dickinson. While I respect historical significance, when I look at this album's music quality as a whole, I say it's good, but no more than that. Number of the Beast has a few amazing songs and a lot of weak ones.
On the other hand, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son are the true Iron Maiden masterpiece albums in my opinion - all three have consistently great tracklists.
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04.07.2021 - 01:26
Rating: 9
Redel
Moderator
Written by F3ynman on 03.07.2021 at 07:54

On the other hand, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son are the true Iron Maiden masterpiece albums in my opinion - all three have consistently great tracklists.

Powerslave: Back in the village -- not great I think.
Somewhere in Time: Wasted Years, Deja vu, Sea of Madness -- not top notch
Seventh Son: The Prophecy -- weaker song
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04.07.2021 - 05:33
Rating: 6
F3ynman
Nocturnal Bro
Contributor
Written by Redel on 04.07.2021 at 01:26

Written by F3ynman on 03.07.2021 at 07:54

On the other hand, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son are the true Iron Maiden masterpiece albums in my opinion - all three have consistently great tracklists.

Powerslave: Back in the village -- not great I think.
Somewhere in Time: Wasted Years, Deja vu, Sea of Madness -- not top notch
Seventh Son: The Prophecy -- weaker song

Alright, maybe I should say those three albums are MORE consistent. They're PRETTY CLOSE to perfect!
I agree that Back in the Village is weak. But The Prophecy has great atmosphere and the songs that you named from Somewhere in Time are all amazing! (The weakest song from SIT is Heaven Can Wait... and it's still a good song!)
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23.09.2021 - 07:16
Rating: 10
CobiWan1993
Secundum Filium
I've been revisiting Maiden's works these past few days and I think this most recent listen solidified this album as my favorite work from them altogether! Bruce sounds so energized and makes every song seem effortless to sing, with a level of ferocity that gets toned down a lot on later albums. Clive Burr who has been the drummer up to this point delivers his best performance to date and brings a smooth, almost jazz-like groove to this album that would disappear once Nicko McBrain (a great drummer in his own right) joins the band on the next album. Every song is all killer and no filler for me, even the tracks people say they don't like (Invaders, Gangland) I consider to be underrated gems that don't disrupt the flow of the album but just keep a great thing going! The songs that have been played all the time (the title track, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills) haven't really gotten old for me and still sound as poignant as ever, and the other songs (Children of the Damned, 22 Acacia Avenue, and The Prisoner) are some of the best they've ever written. Everyone is firing on all cylinders and it's like they captured lightning in a bottle with this album! It combines the best aspects of their previous two albums while also foreshadowing their work to follow in a perfectly concise, flawless package. I've got basically nothing bad to say about it, this album is a masterpiece.
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08.11.2021 - 05:23
Rating: 9
majormalfunction
Been listening a lot to this record lately. Phenomenal piece of work. The sound, the tight fast paced drumming, Bruce soaring vocals, the simple yet diversive song structures... this record set the standard for how heavy metal should be played. The only "big" question is why they didn't put Total Eclipse on the album and used the quite weak Gangland as a b'side.
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25.03.2022 - 14:53
Rating: 9
nonZero
9.2/10 for me - 'The Number of the Beast', 'Run to the Hills' and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' are the standout tracks. 'The Prisoner' is also fantastic.

Strange they didn't include 'Total Eclipse' on the original version as I think it would have been one of the best songs on the album. Great to see it on the remaster though.

Worth listening to if you haven't heard it already:

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22.04.2022 - 20:58
Rating: 8
Vinther1991
Here is a hot take: Clive Burr was a much better drummer than Nicko McBrain, he is much more interesting to listen to, while McBrain is really just a pretty standard metal drummer.
The Number of the Beast is a great album, though overrated. I love the three most popular songs, Children of the Damned is a good ballad, Invaders, Prisoner are all solid, though they have parts I don't care too much about, especially the choruses, but also the the cringy spoken intro on the latter. 22 Acacia Avenue is good, but the verses could be stronger. Gangland is a painfully average filler, but I can tolerate it better than a lot of other fillers from otherwise good Iron Maiden albums.
The material is really elevated by the execution though. All members sound absolutely great.
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13.07.2022 - 21:54
Rating: 8
Game changing album from the metal perspective. Bruce in his prime, final album with Clive Burr, just the true beginning of the proverbial “golden years”

Hallowed, Children of the Damned and Prisoner are iconic Maiden songs. The singles Number of the Beast and Run to the Hills are live staples.

The rest of it isn’t bad but namely some filler like Invaders and Gangland
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20.07.2022 - 06:51
Rating: 9
dingobattler
This album is significant in Iron Maiden history for making them famous through their 3 hit songs (and the demonic controversy), the other 5 tracks are pretty average. I can't even begin to describe how much I hate gangland because I have to suffer through it everytime I listen to side B. They could use side A as a chopping board, and I couldn't care less. Great songs, average album. Still, can't fight against 3 big hits. Start of their golden era too.
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01.01.2023 - 17:20
gavdann
Written by vikavikafox on 01.01.2023 at 15:10

Written by Mountain King on 15.09.2011 at 21:13

Best of Iron Maiden but not anywhere near a 9.1 rating. I would give it an 8 for sure. But i don't get how a crappy album like Somewhere In Time gets a 8.8 rating...

If you think,Somewhere In Time it's crap, it's most likely that the crap is in your head.

It's objectively the worst of their 80's albums. I agree it's not worthy of 8.8
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01.01.2023 - 17:37
A Real Mönkey
Written by gavdann on 01.01.2023 at 17:20

Written by vikavikafox on 01.01.2023 at 15:10

Written by Mountain King on 15.09.2011 at 21:13

Best of Iron Maiden but not anywhere near a 9.1 rating. I would give it an 8 for sure. But i don't get how a crappy album like Somewhere In Time gets a 8.8 rating...

If you think,Somewhere In Time it's crap, it's most likely that the crap is in your head.

It's objectively the worst of their 80's albums. I agree it's not worthy of 8.8

Actually that would be Piece of Mind.
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01.01.2023 - 23:05
gavdann
Written by A Real Mönkey on 01.01.2023 at 17:37

Written by gavdann on 01.01.2023 at 17:20

Written by vikavikafox on 01.01.2023 at 15:10

Written by Mountain King on 15.09.2011 at 21:13

Best of Iron Maiden but not anywhere near a 9.1 rating. I would give it an 8 for sure. But i don't get how a crappy album like Somewhere In Time gets a 8.8 rating...

If you think,Somewhere In Time it's crap, it's most likely that the crap is in your head.

It's objectively the worst of their 80's albums. I agree it's not worthy of 8.8

Actually that would be Piece of Mind.

Nah not for me. PoM has one or two bad tracks but SiT has less outstanding ones.
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02.01.2023 - 01:22
A Real Mönkey
Written by gavdann on 01.01.2023 at 23:05

Nah not for me. PoM has one or two bad tracks but SiT has less outstanding ones.

"Where Eagles Dare", "The Trooper" and "Flight Of Icarus" are the only good songs on Piece of Mind, every thing else ranges from average ("Revelations", "Sun And Steel", "To Tame A Land") to unmemorable ("Still Life") to just plain bad ("Quest For Fire").

Meanwhile, Somewhere In Time's only real weak song is "Heaven Can Wait".
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"Change the world. My final message. Goodbye."

~Last words of Harambe, seconds before he was shot, according to child he shielded from gunfire
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08.11.2023 - 19:00
Rating: 9
I'd say the only really weak thing here are the choruses of some of the songs The Prisoner and The Number of the Beast, Run To The hills is the chorus that I find the most annoying, I avoid listening to the song sometimes because of the chorus.
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