The Number of the Beast

Great classic metal album. Prisoner is a highlight song and a wild-ass show if you have not.

Not as good as I had hoped, but better than I expected

Il est des matins où le destin, ce grand farceur, décide de vous envoyer un uppercut dans les gencives avant même que le café n'ait eu le temps de couler. Ce matin, 6h00, le logiciel de sélection aléatoire de mon projet "1001 Albums" a craché son verdict, implacable, cruel, dénué de toute pitié. Sur l'écran, en lettres de feu numérique, s'est affiché : Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast.

"Putain... Iron Maiden."

Les mêmes mots, la même intonation lasse et désespérée que pour leur premier album. Vous vous souvenez ? Cette purge que j'avais dû m'infliger il y a quelque temps et qui avait récolté un magnifique 1/5, une note aussi généreuse qu'un compliment de Serge Gainsbourg à un jeune artiste pop. Pour les masochistes ou les nouveaux venus, le récit de cette torture auditive est toujours disponible ici. J'espérais, dans un recoin naïf de mon âme de rocker cabossé, que le sort m'épargnerait une seconde dose. Espoir vain, car me voilà donc, une fois de plus, face au monstre, face à la Bête.

Alors, mettons les choses au clair tout de suite. Oui, je sais, cet album est considéré comme un monument du heavy metal. Un classique, le disque qui a propulsé Maiden au rang de superstars planétaires. Le premier avec Bruce Dickinson au chant, ce qui, paraît-il, a tout changé. Et bien, soit, changeons de bourreau, mais gardons la guillotine.

Car si le chanteur a changé – on est passé d'un docker un peu aviné à une sirène d'alerte nucléaire – le fond du problème, lui, reste tragiquement le même. Ce qui me hérissait le poil sur leur premier opus est ici magnifié, élevé au rang d'art, poli comme un trophée. La production est plus propre, c'est vrai. Les compositions sont peut-être plus "épiques". Mais c'est précisément ça, le problème. Tout est plus... plus rapide, plus aigu, plus technique, plus... chiant.

Le cœur de mon aversion, la source de mon urticaire musical, c'est cette manie de la démonstration. Cette fameuse "branlette de manche", pour l'appeler par son nom. Chaque morceau est un prétexte à une course de Formule 1 sur six cordes. Des solos interminables, complexes, sans le moindre doute virtuoses, mais qui me laissent aussi froid qu'un discours de Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Ça file à toute vitesse, ça tourbillonne, ça exécute des figures incroyables, mais ça ne raconte rien. C'est de la technique pure, une démonstration de force qui sacrifie toute âme, toute subtilité, sur l'autel de la performance. J'ai l'impression d'assister à une compétition de gymnastique, pas à un concert de rock.

Et puis, il y a cette voix... Bruce Dickinson, le nouveau messie pour des millions de fans, c'est LA voix du metal. Pour moi, c'est le son d'un homme qui essaie de chanter l'opéra pendant qu'on lui coince les valseuses dans une porte. Ces montées dans les aigus, ces "Woooooaaaaah" qui s'étirent comme un jour sans pain, cette théâtralité permanente... C'est trop, c'est surjoué. On est face à un super-héros en spandex vocal qui hurle des histoires de batailles et de démons. Très peu pour moi.

Je me souviens, au début des années 90, il y avait le pote d'un pote, un type qui ne jurait que par Maiden. Il passait des heures à nous expliquer le génie de Steve Harris à la basse, la complexité des harmonies de guitare, la profondeur des textes. Il nous cassait la tête avec sa merde. Et à chaque fois qu'il mettait un morceau, c'était la même chose : un riff sympa, rentre-dedans, prometteur... puis la voix de Dickinson qui décollait vers la stratosphère et, inévitablement, le solo de guitare qui venait tout gâcher. Trente ans plus tard, rien n'a changé. La sensation est exactement la même. C'est une musique qui me promet un sprint et qui m'impose un marathon de figures imposées.

Alors oui, il y a des titres qui fonctionnent mieux que d'autres. "The Number of the Beast" et son intro parlée, "Run to the Hills" et son rythme de cavalcade... On sent bien le potentiel, l'énergie brute qui pourrait tout emporter. Mais à chaque fois, le vernis technique et l'emphase vocale viennent tout recouvrir. C'est du rock passé au karcher et lustré à la cire de compétition.

Et ne me parlez pas de la pseudo-controverse sataniste aux États-Unis. C'était du pain bénit pour eux, une publicité inespérée. Le satanisme pour les nuls, parfait pour effrayer les ligues de vertu et se donner une image de rebelle. Une belle opération marketing, mais musicalement, ça ne change rien à l'affaire.

Bref, ce deuxième round contre Iron Maiden se solde par un nouveau K.O. technique. Je suis au tapis, assommé par les décibels et l'ennui. Cet album a beau être dans le "1001", pour moi, il restera l'un de ceux que j'aurais volontiers évité avant de mourir. Il conforte mon idée que le heavy metal de cette école et moi, nous vivons sur deux planètes différentes. La mienne est probablement plus morose, plus pluvieuse, mais au moins, les guitaristes y jouent des notes qui ont un sens.

Verdict : 1/5. Pour la constance dans l'excellence... de ce que je déteste.

Gallops along in a rather fun way, even if it is all a bit of nonsense. Dickinson is a better singer than Di'Anno, but he's a bit too operatic for my tastes.

As a metal fan, I recognize the historical importance of Iron Maiden, but I have an unpopular opinion about the band: Iron Maiden isn't as heavy as I wish they were, and I don't enjoy their music as much as other metal music. Every time a band covers an Iron Maiden song, invariably it's heavier and I enjoy it more than the original. If you like heavy metal and Iron Maiden, I won't hold it against you. You're entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. I don't hate Iron Maiden, I just wish they were more like the metal music they inspired.

I'll rate this pretty high as it is important and deserves to be on this list, but if I'm in the mood to listen to some heavy metal, I'm not going to be playing Iron Maiden.

This is the one Iron Maiden I actually owned growing up. What a string of absolute bangers.

Maiden always seemed super uncool to me for ages but older wiser me now appreciates how much they rule. This is their best

ovo cilja da bude "epik", al je baš krindž

Of course I’m going to hate this album, this isn’t my sort of thing.

Turns out I was wrong! This is more listenable than I expected with melodies that complimented the heavy riffs. I’m not sure the lyrics will win any songwriting awards but it’s a good listen, better than I ever imagined it would be.

I've been doing my best to try to get into iron Maiden since the late '70s. I just can't do it. They seem like a cool band, got nothing against them, I just don't like the music

UP THE IRONS!!!

Classic album with only a couple of ho hum songs in the heap of metal goodness.

That being said I can think of 3 other Maiden albums that should be on a list like this before The Number of the Beast.

bizarro o quão o vocal do dickinson encaixa muito melhor com a banda do que o outro vocalista que eles tiveram né.

ter 10 anos e ouvir esse aqui eh emblemático demais.
heavy metal bem jovial e bobinho. mas foda-se po, não dá pra fingir que esse aqui nao eh DIVERTIDO pra um caralho!!!!!!!! bom demais!!!

A metal classic that 100% deserves its place on this list for the amount of influence it's had. Banger after banger.

A super solid album from start to finish. Pretty distinct and interesting, with some decent heaviness. Run to the Hills was a pleasant surprise. 4/5

I did not realise how conceptual Iron Maiden were as a band. I couldn’t imagine turning up to band practice with some very literary lyrics about defending the Earth from alien invaders. I don’t know where that impulse comes from. But I’m glad someone’s done it. When you think of how many bands out there have utterly meaningless or derivative lyrics. To have a band write an ode to 1960s TV show The Prisoner, I’m all here for that. Their music is a lot of nerdy, camp fun - and instrumentally very impressive. They’re adding something to the culture that you’re simply not going to get anywhere else.

A very strong album. Excellent musicianship all round.

Solid metal album with hints of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple

God, between this and getting Sabbath a couple days back, I'm getting a lot of albums that I have some history with. I was kind of raised in metal, so to me this is an absolute classic (but not quite my favorite Maiden, that's probably Powerslave). To me, this is kind of archetypal "Heavy Metal" so much so that I almost can't put the sound of this into words, its just metal to me, but I'll try. Basically the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM )is *one of* the earliest genres of metal that very specifically held itself separate from hard rock in a post Sabbath world (note that while Sabbath was *very* important to this movement, this sounds totally different from Sabbath, whose best music often slots a little neater into Doom Metal which would get more established later). Iron Maiden formed in 1975, when the genre was still kind of being hammered down, but their first album got released in 1980, when everything was a little more established. Maiden's sound kind of lands between more melodic metal at the time, and what was thought of more as speed metal. Maiden operates at an energetic gallop, but they never give up a catchy chorus as a consequence of it. Some of the things that distinguished Iron Maiden from their peers was *a little* prog influence, which mostly showed in their song structures, riff writing, and later, high concepts. Additionally, Maiden had two lead guitarists at this time, which allowed them to play with guitar harmonies. As a consequence, the solos on this are *awesome* with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith playing the aforementioned harmonies at some times, and trading dueling passages at others, the effect is electric. Honestly, the whole band is super tight, Steve Harris' bass work is mixed high, and is very distinct and enjoyable, and Clive Burr may not be Maiden's most iconic drummer, but he holds down the fort on this album. I also have to mention Bruce Dickinson, he's a super charismatic frontman with a very distinct and powerful voice. The songs on here are consistently energetic and exciting, and while the A Side here is great in its own right, the B Side here has some classics, The Number of The Beast, Run to the Hills, and Hallowed Be Thy Name are all iconic Maiden songs. Some lines on Run to the Hills have aged a *little* awkwardly, but overall *I* think it has aged a lot better than I think something like this could have, especially because, at the end of the day, it's Maiden's earnest attempt at making a song calling out British Colonialism. Anyways, the song is driven by an iconic galloping lead riff, catchy melodies, and a soaring chorus. Number of the Beast is a wonderful blast of hokey Satanism, conjuring grim rituals and tall shadows, and also it just absolutely rips. And Hallowed Be Thy Name is Maiden's grandest statement here in its lengthy, multi-phased structure and lyrics about a death row inmate in grim denial. It is filled with incredible passages, and epic riffs and is one of Maiden's greatest songs ever. The rest of the tracks here may not consistently reach these highs, but they are pretty great songs in their own right. I will say I've seen people complaining about the lyrics here, but they are good enough to yell along with at a show, and I think that might be what really matters here. Overall this is just cool, Maiden has an iconic metal sound, and they consistently deliver great songs, its a blast.

My first iron maiden album and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it

Reeeeeeeal boring.