iron maiden

You remember that classic Chuck Jones cartoon "Hare Way to the Stars," where Marvin the Martian sprouts a bunch of 'instant martians' from tiny pills by dousing them with water, then hastily sends them chasing off on a fool's errand after Bugs Bunny, who has absconded with the 'Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator'? That's kind of what Iron Maiden's new live release "En Vivo!" is like. (Albeit without the slapstick.)

What a week it's been. The hours that have been invested in this project are numerous, that is to be sure. Certainly though, "The Number of the Beast" is an album that must be treated with sufficient respect and grandeur. As we have discussed and reminisced all week, "The Number of the Beast" means more to heavy metal and the history of the genre than nearly all other albums before or since. It is a symbol of all we as metal fans hold dear, and a true testament to the staying power and virility of heavy metal that is perfectly executed.

I've been saying all week that Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast," now turning 30 years old , is a pinnacle achievement in the history of heavy metal and in the pantheon of the world's greatest, most memorable albums. It is a dynamic experience, rife with differing styles, musical ideas and divergent themes. Over the course of the week, I've enlisted other writers from the ranks here at Bloody Good Horror, as well as the world at large. For the final act of this week-long way ward play, I intended to reach out to the farthest corners of the heavy metal universe and have as many people feed back to me what their experience of Iron Maiden's cardinal effort are and were. What quickly became apparent in talking with friends, coworkers and contacts is that "The Number of the Beast" is an experience so tied into personal memory that people remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard it.

Continuing my conversation with author Chris Colavito about Iron Maiden and "The Number of the Beast." To see part 1, click the link at the bottom.

"The Number of the Beast" is not an album, it's an experience. Not just for the music it contains, but for what it means to the heavy metal genre's past, present and future. The textbook example of heavy metal's evolution from a rough-around-the-edges marginal grouping of musicians to a hard-charging, mother-scaring, school-administrator-nervous-sweating phenomenon, "The Number of the Beast" not only changed the face of heavy metal, but helped change what was possible for it.

“When I first heard the intro to “The Number of the Beast,” it scared the shit out of me... And I wanted more.”

In March of 1982, Iron Maiden recreated itself with their release of “The Number of the Beast,” an album that immediately entered the vanguard of heavy metal’s assault on popular radio, the conceptions of heavy metal to that point, and everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Metal fans are a fickle lot, aren't we? We demand material worthy of our fandom, and one day's hero can be the next day's goat. Fortunes change both for better or worse in an instant with one album release, one radio hit, or even something as elementary as a haircut.

Metal fans are a fickle lot, aren't we? We demand material worthy of our fandom, and one day's hero can be the next day's goat. Fortunes change both for better or worse in an instant with one album release, one radio hit, or even something as elementary as a haircut.