There was only one record appropriate for this entry. And truth be told, I had to borrow it, bending the rules of the blog for a bit. But given the opportunity at hand, I’m not sure I had another option.

Numerical gimmicks aside, this is my first time listening to this record, or any Iron Maiden record, most of my previous exposure coming from the Iron Maiden pinball machine (though the self-titled track here is my favorite song on that machine).

That said, like most classic heavy metal before it (see also: Black Sabbath), it’s not nearly as evil as the controversy surrounding it would suggest. Instead, it’s just a great album filled with virtuosic performances and surprisingly catchy songs.

Naturally, the seemingly demonic cover art and album title fueled a firestorm of controversy among conservative Christians. During the Satanic Panic of the ’80s, Iron Maiden was hoisted up by worried holly rollers as clear evidence that the worldly media was evil.

But in reality, besides the title track, very little of the subject matter has anything to do with spiritual darkness. “Invaders” is sung from the perspective of a village defending themselves from Viking pillagers. “The Prisoner” is about a man being freed from jail. “Gangland” is about inner city crime. Even the title track was inspired by a nightmare that bassist and songwriter Steve Harris had after watching The Omen II rather than any sort of occult devotion the band themselves had to the Dark One.

But that doesn’t mean these riffs aren’t gnarly as hell.

This album races along with hellfire at its heels, palm muted guitar riffs, machine gun drums, and hyperactive bass lines rushing under the soaring vocals of Bruce Dickinson. And of course, every single song features a fretboard-melting guitar solo. I mean, Iron Maiden are legends for a reason, right?

The album isn’t all pedal-to-the-floor, high-octane heavy metal though. “Children of the Damned” (which is about a sci-fi movie, not hell) slows the tempo down and offers an absolutely stunning power ballad. “Hallowed By Thy Name” is a shapeshifting seven-minute rock epic.

Overall, The Number of the Beast is a powerful album that effectively demonstrates exactly why Iron Maiden is regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. I may have borrowed this record, but I’ll be on the lookout for a copy of my own.