Okay I really don’t think I need to review this classic masterpiece from Iron Maiden. This is really just a story of how this album changed my life and the reason for this website and previous websites I have had.
Going back to the year this was released when I was 16 years old. I grew up in rural farmland in Ontario, Canada. Back in the days of 5 tv channels and no metal on the radio except for your early days of metal bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, ACDC, Nazerath and bands like that. No internet, no mtv/muchmusic. The closest town to me was a town of about 5,000 people and one store sold records. It was September of 1982 and it was close to my birthday and I bought Circus magazine as I did like the hard rock bands I did hear on top 40 AM radio at the time. I was looking through the magazine and came across this ad for a concert in NYC and the group was Iron Maiden. ( I still have this ad) And it said the band wore leather and had this monster on stage and their influences were bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and it had the picture of the album cover and it made me want to hear this. I told my brother if the local store has this album I want this for my birthday.
So I got my birthday presents on September 30th, 1966 and open up my best birthday present ever and of course it was this album. I put it on my cheap turntable and played it through my cheap stereo and as soon as the needle hit the grooves I was blown away. I was hooked. I was a metal head!! Not even sure if I knew what Metal meant back then. But every song was ecstasy to my ears. Especially the spoken word intro to THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST and the title track just enthralled me. The Prisoner was another favourite but they could all be my favourites. After hearing this album there was no turning back. I was a shy awkward quiet teenager and this didn’t change that but now I had this music to take me away from the teasing I would get in highschool and my lack of friends. I had this music to save my life.
First chance I got I went out and bought the first 2 Maiden albums and their live EP Maiden Japan. Those are also classics to me. Well there 1st 5 are my favourite Maiden albums still to this day. It lead me into buying almost any metal album I saw. If the band photo had guys with long hair I was buying it!!
So many years later I have built up a big collection of vinyl, cds, some cassettes and my spotify is filled with hours of Metal.
I am not a writer which is why I choose to not really write a review but to look back on my personal history.
But I will give this album a rating and its easy to predict.
10 out of 10
….Blake Mossey