THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

The combination of raw, primal energy with the elaborate soundscape envisioned for Iron Maiden's future by Steve Harris was cemented with the vital addition of Bruce Dickinson, with his wide vocal range and powerful stage presence, replacing the problematic Paul Di'Anno in the second half of 1981, injecting the band with an extra dose of dramatic and innovative textures that explode in "The Number of the Beast" (1982), the English band's third album. An album not without controversy given its challenging demonic aesthetics and musicality, which even led it to be the centre of debate in the United States due to its rejection by conservative religious groups who considered it an apology for Satanism (especially the song of the same name), something that naturally contributed to its greater popularity and interest in listening to it...

A devastating offering, somewhere between marginal, vigorous, sophisticated and epic, it was also a source of inspiration for countless bands attracted by songs that, controversies aside, ended up becoming fundamental to heavy metal, such as the sombre and intense "Children of the Damned", where Adrian Smith shines with impeccable clean acoustic arpeggios at the beginning and a great guitar solo, or the unrestrained and painful "The Prisoner" and "22 Acacia Avenue", both pure metal power, or the provocative and galloping "The Number of the Beast", or the aggressive and infectious "Run to the Hills", a scathing critique of colonialism. And finally, the unavoidable "Hallowed Be Thy Name", an epic that describes the reflections of a man condemned to die by hanging, from the solemn introduction tense with bells in the background, Dickinson's theatrical singing and the synchronised riffs and guitar solos of the Murray/Smith duo in a stupendous middle section sustained by the rhythmic base built by Harris' bass and Clive Burr's percussion. A definitive icon of the genre.

With 20 million copies sold, "The Number of the Beast" not only contributed enormously to the mass dissemination of heavy metal, but also transcended the boundaries of the genre itself, turning the band into a global phenomenon.

4/4.5 stars

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