Metal Underground.com

There are many elements that come together to create an astoundingly masterful work in "The Number of the Beast," and the well-rounded nature of the band contributes highly to making it such a successful outing. We can see the duelling guitars at their greatest point from "22 Acacia Avenue" and others where Iron Maiden is out to create as enjoyable a standpoint to play from as possible.

Moments on "The Number of the Beast" are untouchable in greatness and memorability and there are more of these types of occasions than you’ll find almost anywhere. The song-writing is catchy, yet has an undeniable epic flavour to the tone, making for as effective a trip as possible.

The crisp guitar playing is complemented by equally solid backup in terms of bass playing and drums to create a sound that is often imitated, but rarely duplicated. Of course Bruce Dickinson’s signature vocal wailings complement the music nicely and he displays some acrobatic capabilities in such places as “Hallowed be thy Name,” where his stellar range is displayed to its fullest capacity.

Everything melds together greatly over the length of the album and hooks are crafted that complement each other nicely throughout. There is very little, if anything, to fault with the album here, as the consistency is great, even for Iron Maiden. "Piece of Mind" displays a slight edge in terms of crafting some songs that had a slightly greater effect on me, but "The Number of the Beast" is definitely at the top of the heap in terms of their discography.

The sheer excellence of "The Number of the Beast" has been an obvious influence on much of today’s metal bands, as we can see elements of the band’s style seeping into a lot of material from our current metallic landscape. When looking for a great traditional release, it’ll be difficult to top the overall presentation you get from this album.