The Number Of The Beast 40th Anniversary Cassette | Throwback Album Review

Released by Parlophone Records on March 18th, 2022

Quick Background

The 40th anniversary of Iron Maiden’s classic third album, The Number Of The Beast was celebrated with a commemorative cassette release on 18th March 2022. This seminal recording, first released in the UK on 22nd March 1982 - and the first to feature Bruce Dickinson as vocalist and last with Clive Burr on drums – catapulted Iron Maiden to international stardom and set them on course for the spectacular trajectory of success which the band continues to enjoy to this day.

The cassette is comprised of the 2015 remastered recordings of the original eight songs on the album, with front cover colour art based on the 1982 C-60 cassette release plus a re-designed & updated inlay. Ultimately it’s a tribute to a watershed album that sold in its millions in record stores all around the world; a celebration of those bygone times and a fitting souvenir for the fans who have loyally followed the band ever since. I of course bought it and listened to it a couple of times in cassette before this review. It's been fun to listen to it on cassette. The clicking noise to start and stop the tape, the flipping of it for side 2, and the background noise between songs and during quieter passages, all of it makes it a very nostalgic experience and I loved it. 

The Number Of The Beast was not my first Maiden album, I was too young when it was released. But probably around 1986 I listened to the album for the first time. It's not my top 3 Maiden album, but I still love it. It is a bit overplayed and some of the songs I've seen live too many times. But when I stop everything to listen to the album from beginning to end, it is after almost 40 years, still a goose bump experience.

The Number Of The Beast

Just one year after Killers, one of the most acclaimed metal album of all times was released. Back to the 4 songs on each side format and almost ticking 40 minutes, the album was mainly written by Harris. In addition to the fact that this was Bruce Dickinson's debut in Maiden, what's also very important for their sound is the fact that Adrian Smith already co-wrote 3 songs (2 with Harris and 1 with the drummer Clive Burr ).  The Harris/Smith duo delivered two of the best Maiden songs ever: "The Prisoner" and "22 Acacia Avenue". "Gangland" is not that great, but it doesn't interfere the overall experience. 

With the range and versatility of Bruce, Steve Harris upped his game and also Adrian Smith brought his style and song writing to the table. Clive Burr was a beast behind the kit and the twin guitars riffs in 3rds or 5ths or the transitions from one guitar solo to the other are always memorable. Martin Birch got a huge sound and performance from those then so young, talented and hungry guys. Not often mentioned the album has a secrete weapon: how perfect Adrian Smith vocals work as backing vocals for Bruce. It's all over the album and it's majestic.  

Let's go through it track by track. 

Side 1

1. Invaders

"Invaders" is about an invasion of England as seen through the eyes of a Saxon. Looking back, it feel weird to hear Maiden singing about Vikings. It's a straightforward metal song with about 3:30 minutes. I really like the intro of this often underrated song. The sound of the bass and the drums are so powerful from the get go. I also find the verse and pre chorus really strong. But indeed the chorus is underwhelming compared to the other songs on the album or records from those years. In that sense it may be the weakest album opener of their 80's albums and it has never been played live. Even the TNOTB tour was opened with Murders in the Rue Morgue. 

2. Children Of The Damned

Despite the acoustic guitars and soft start, this song is far from being a ballad. And despite being just over 4:30 minutes if quite a progressive song. Having the verse and chorus only sang twice, and fast paced guitar solo but a bridge and outro section that ends the song in super heavy fashion with Bruce screaming his lungs out. Based on science fiction films from the 80's the lyrics are also dark. All in all, it was one of my favorite Maiden and  metal in general songs of all time. Nough said. 

3. The Prisoner

Inspired by a British television show of the same name the song starts with a sample of the series first episode. Then the incredible drum intro from Burr, the Hammersmith video comes immediately to my mind, this intro, OMG is so amazing. The verses are great and the chorus is just perfection. How awesome it is that the first time around only half is sung? It build the suspense and the expectation for the second time around. And only on the third and final time we get the full chorus. Brilliant. The instrumental break is a variation from the intro and that smoothly turns into the base for the guitar solos. 

4. 22 Acacia Avenue

Here Adrian create a simple but memorable guitar riff and overall an amazing guitar song. In terms of song structure it's also quite progressive.  We get first the two amazing verses based on the intro riff, then we get this other amazing an fast riff which serves as the base for a long pre-chorus section, by the time we get to the chorus the anticipation is built and it's such an explosion. And we only hear the pre chorus and chorus twice in the whole song, and again with another riff we have the pre solo bridge and then the solo. A long one that goes from calm to heaviness hinting to what we would get even more in 1986's Somewhere in Time album.  We get the pre-chorus again but no more chorus, it actually leas us to another guitar solo that is even more interesting due to the bass below it and for a moment on the foreground. Again, this another of my favorite Maiden songs of all time. 

Side 2

1.The Number Of The Beast

Obviously one of the most iconic songs in metal. From the narration to the intro verse emphasizing Bruce's vocal to the memorable riff with a flanger effect to the immortalized scream. This song is a classic, although, I don't have to listen to it very often anymore. When the drums come in full and we go to the heavy verses, it's pure energy. The very fortunate writing choice from Steve to have the chorus sang half the same, half differently, it's brilliant, and even more so that only on the third and last time we hear six, six, six on both sentences. Only to get us back to the intro verse to close the song full circle. Moreover the instrumental break is one of their best ever. Two guitar solos with that awesome breakdown in between and then a bass solo to close it. And the song is not even 5 minutes long. 

2. Run To The Hills

Their first single out of the album released on 12 February 1982 is a phenomenal hit and a visit card to the world of what Bruce was capable of. One of the most iconic drum intros in metal and a chorus that can shake arenas. 

3. Gangland

The only song credited to Clive Burr (and in this case with Adrian Smith), Glangand doesn't get much credit, Steve and Bruce have both declared that including this song instead of Total Eclipse, was a mistake. Never played live, it became a deep cut in their discography. While not a fantastic song, it has its moments, for example I love the bridge. 

4. Hallowed Be Thy Name

The album closes with a song that I consider to be a perfect metal song. An epic closer that changed metal and probably my life (and of millions). I've listened to it so many times when I was young. I learned on the guitar and used to play it with my high school band. Nowadays I'm a bit fatigued from it, but when I take the time sit and appreciate it, it's goose bumps every time. The twin guitar riffs are just perfection. There are many of them but they are all variants of the same main idea so we get attached to them but not bored. Bruce performance and the lyrics are a match made in heaven, the emphasis on his voice in the first verse was a magical choice.  The fact that the song doesn't have a chorus speaks for it self. Or you can consider that last two sentences when the Hallowed Be Thy Name is sang twice to be the chorus, then we basically have a 6 min build up to sing one of the mot amazing melodies ever written for a metal song. And often screaming this brings me tears. I also must say that the instrumental break before the chorus tricks you to think it's time to sing, but no there always one more time creates such an amazing experience when we finally can say yeah yeah yeah hallowed be thy name.  

The Picky Guy

The only problems with the album are the album opener being not as strong as most of their songs from the 80's and having chosen Gangland over Total Eclipse. Nowadays the final concern here it's fatigue. # of the 8 songs are played in pretty much every single show. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

The amazing thing about Harris music writing here is that he is able to create repetition which is key for song likability but he makes subtle or sometimes very visible changes to avoid that it becomes boring or repetitive. This balance is perfectly achieved in this album. Their ability to be inventive and progressive and yet heavy and condensed is exceptional. Listening to the 2010's albums and we know that's not achieved anymore. Moreover the album cover is beautiful and very innovative for their time. In 1982 nobody was writing music like this. There's of course UFO, Deep Purple, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath influences, but this was so new and fresh. 

All in all, "The Number of the Beast" is perfection, one of the best albums of all times. All songs are masterpieces and "Children of the Damned" one of my all time favorites. The arrival of Bruce and his amazing vocal range and technique gave Harris the freedom he wanted to combine heaviness and power with melody and progressiveness. The guitar duo Murray/Smith was like a perfect marriage and by now the riffs, solos and twin guitars rose to new levels. I mean, how perfect is the solo sequence of the title track?! Like their debut The Number closes with a 7 min epic track "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (one of the best album closer of all times).  TNOTB became a template to thousands of bands and 40 years later brings me to tears and gives me goose bumps. Now in cassette brought a further touch of nostalgia. 

SCORE: 98/100

Genre: Heavy Metal

Released by Parlophone Records on March 18th, 2022

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

wordcount = 1873