Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

If there's one record that turned Iron Maiden from a promising NWOBHM act into a genuine metal institution, it's this one. Released in 1982, The Number of the Beast was the first album to feature new vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and his arrival transformed the band overnight, giving Steve Harris's galloping bass lines and twin-guitar attack a frontman with the range and theatrical power to match. It became Iron Maiden's first album to top the UK charts and crack the Top 40 in the US, and their first certified platinum release stateside.

Produced by Martin Birch, who pushed the band through take after take chasing the sound in his head, the album delivers one classic after another. "Run to the Hills" became an instant anthem, "Hallowed Be Thy Name" showcased the band's ambition for sprawling, dramatic songwriting, and the title track itself, inspired by a nightmare Steve Harris had after watching Damien: Omen II, stirred up genuine controversy in the US, where the band's imagery and lyrics led to public record burnings by religious groups who mistook the band for Satanists.

None of that hurt the album's legacy. It's regularly cited as one of the defining records of the entire NWOBHM movement and remains the album most credited with cementing Iron Maiden's classic lineup sound, the last to feature drummer Clive Burr before Nicko McBrain joined the fold.

This 2015 remaster marks the album's first time on vinyl in this form, pressed on 180 grams for a heavier, more dynamic listen than the originals ever delivered. For any serious Maiden collection, this is the record that started it all.