Five seconds short of 45 minutes, The Number Of The Beast was Iron Maiden‘s third album, but first to feature new lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Today is the 35th anniversary of the release of the record, which has become one of the most celebrated metal albums of all time.
It is not my favourite Iron Maiden album – that honour actually goes to 1983’s Piece of Mind – but it is almost as formidable. It also contains what I believe to be the band’s best song ever, the haunting “Hallowed Be Thy Name“.
Happy Birthday to the Beast. Fuck, what an album!
