Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden (1982)
There was a span of a few years around the start of the 80s when British metal wasn’t all that distinguishable from 70s hard rock from both sides of the Atlantic. These bands kept that attitude and the general groove, but added more darkness, more rage, and less worship of rock history.
Some of my favorite loud records come from this era. Judas Priest’s British Sttel and Screaming for Vengeance, Ozzy’s early solo work, Ronnie James Dio’s Black Sabbath record Heaven and Hell as well as his own Holy Diver.
But with all of that, Iron Maiden stands out. This is the first time we’d hear singer Bruce Dickinson, who has been the main voice of the band ever since. Bassist Steve Harris is always the heart of the instrumental attack, with heavy but rounded figures that gallop and rage and push everyone into a frenzy.
In just a couple of years the band would fully arrive as one of the metal bands of the era with Powerslave, my pick for the peak example of this era for both the band and for the genre.
