Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (40th Anniversary Edition) 3xLP

Label: Parlophone
Format: tri-fold 180 gram vinyl 3xLP
Cat: 505419 7157608
Released: 17 Nov 22
Genre: Metal

Tracklist
Side 1
1."Invaders" 3:23
2."Children Of The Damned" 4:35
3."The Prisoner" 5:39
4."22 Acacia Avenue" 6:37

Side 2
1."The Number Of The Beast" 4:26
2."Run To The Hills" 3:53
3."Total Eclipse" 4:18
4."Hallowed Be Thy Name" 7:14

Side 3
1."Murders In The Rue Morgue" 4:32
2."Wrathchild" 3:11
3."Run To The Hills" 4:14
4."Children Of The Damned" 4:55
5."The Number Of The Beast" 5:07

Side 4
1."Another Life" 3:55
2."Killers" 5:02
3."22 Acacia Avenue" 7:13
4."Total Eclipse" 4:20
5."Transylvania" 5:51

Side 5
1."The Prisoner" 5:46
2."Hallowed Be Thy Name" 7:07
3."Phantom Of The Opera" 7:21
4."Iron Maiden" 4:27

Side 6
1."Sanctuary" 6:37
2."Drifter" 6:49
3."Running Free" 3:25
4."Prowler" 5:11

Are Iron Maiden the finest stadium heavy metal band the UK, or any other country, has ever produced? Maybe, but let's not get into subjective comparisons. The fundamental truth of the matter is the English titans of frantic riffs really did crack the formula and set a benchmark - combining thunderous instrumentation with mesmerising theatrics and wonderfully tongue in cheek branding.

The Number of the Beast was (and still is) the outfit's third full length record, and by this point it's safe to say they had fully entered the stride of their finest era of the last 50 or so years. Boasting at least some of their biggest anthems ('Run to The Hills', 'The Number of the Beast' itself, and 'Iron Maiden', to name but three), it's almost ridiculous to think they managed to pack this LP with 26 consistently powerful and inescapable tracks, all played with the energy of their legendary live shows.