THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

As Iron Maiden was the first rock band I really got into, I feel I should review the first Maiden album I heard. I love this album. It's not my favourite, but it does have sentimental value, and a few great songs. None of the songs are bad, although I don't like some as much as the others. For example, "22 Acacia Avenue" and "Run to the Hills" never really grew on me. The best song on here, though, is "Hallowed Be Thy Name", a mini-epic about a condemned man. The power this song has is incredible, and you can't help but thinking that it is you that is headed to the gallows. My other favourites are "Invaders", which is about viking raids (you don't get much more metal than that), the title track, which was about a nightmare Steve Harris had, and led everyone to think they were satanic, and Children of the Damned, which starts off as a kind of power ballad then builds up into a rocker with that energy that Maiden is known for. I wouldn't call it their best work, but it's very good and comes highly recommended.