Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast

The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The album was released on March 29, 1982 through EMI. This was the debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden. It has been cited as one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time, and is widely acknowledged as one of the best and most iconic albums of the genre.

The Number of the Beast also cemented Iron Maiden as one of "the biggest metal bands on the planet".

Of all the songs in the album, "The Number of the Beast", "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" remain on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours, with the latter two often used to close a show. All three songs have been released as singles in various forms. The album is also Iron Maiden's highest selling album worldwide with over 10 million sales estimated.

The Beast on the Road was the tour supporting the album.

1. "Invaders" Steve Harris 3:24
2. "Children of the Damned" Harris 4:35
3. "The Prisoner" Adrian Smith, Harris 6:03
4. "22 Acacia Avenue" Smith, Harris 6:36
5. "The Number of the Beast" Harris 4:50
6. "Run to the Hills" Harris 3:54
7. "Gangland" Smith, Clive Burr 3:49
8. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" Harris 7:11

The album was reissued in 1995 with bonus material, including the songs, "Total Eclipse", and a live version of "Remember Tomorrow". Both songs had already been released before, appearing the first one as b-side for "Run to the Hills", and "Remember Tomorrow" was included in the title track's single release. The album reissue incorrectly includes Paul Di'Anno in the song-writing credits for "Total Eclipse", which had actually been written by Harris, Murray, and Burr. In addition, the liner notes claim this version of "Remember Tomorrow" was recorded live in Milan, Italy, during Bruce Dickinson's first performances with the band in 1981. However, it is the same recording included on Maiden Japan except that with Dickinson's vocals overdubbed over Di'Anno's original performance.

It was also released as an enhanced CD version in 1998 which included photos, band history and the music videos for the songs "The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills".

Master of Puppets Metallica

Master of Puppets is the third album by American heavy metal band Metallica. The album was released on March 3, 1986 through Elektra Records and was met with high critical reception. "Puppets" is now considered a classic heavy metal album by fans, critics, and the band members themselves alike.[citation needed] It reached #29 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was the band's first Gold record for sales of 500,000 copies. This was done without any radio airplay or the release of a single or music video. The album is now 6× Platinum in the U.S.

Master of Puppets marks the last recording by bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in a bus accident while on tour to promote the album.

Track listing
"Battery"
"Master of Puppets"
"The Thing That Should Not Be"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"Disposable Heroes"
"Leper Messiah"
"Orion" (Instrumental)
"Damage, Inc."

According to Allmusic's Steve Huey, Master of Puppets "was the band's greatest achievement." "Some critics have called Master of Puppets the best metal album ever recorded", Huey noted.[1] Master of Puppets has been featured on several "greatest albums of all time" lists. The album is present in a list dubbed "The All-TIME 100 Albums" published by TIME magazine in November 2006.[2] In TIME critic Josh Tyrangiel's opinion, "Metallica didn't bother with hooks or pop discipline" in writing Master of Puppets.[2] IGN rated the album as being at first position in a list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums" issued in January 2007.[3] The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Q magazine counted it among the 50 heaviest albums of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 167 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album has frequently been tagged by critics as "one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time."[4]

As an early parody of the PMRC's "explicit lyrics" warning labels, many prints of Metallica's 1986 release of Master of Puppets sported an octagonal sticker on the front saying:

"The only track you probably won't want to play is "Damage, Inc." due to the multiple use of the infamous "F" word. Otherwise, there aren't any "Shits", "Fucks", "Pisses", "Sucks", "Cunts", "Motherfuckers" or "Cocksuckers" anywhere on this record."

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release, Metallica played the album in its entirety on their Escape from the Studio '06 tour for the first time ever at the Rock am Ring festival on June 3, 2006. These concerts included the first-ever complete performances of the instrumental "Orion" (previously only portions of the song's lengthy middle section had been performed onstage as part of instrumental medleys and bass solos).

The title track was ranked Number 51 in the "The Greatest Guitar Solos" from Guitar World. In 2006, the album was voted the fourth "greatest guitar album of all time" in Guitar World. And the April 5th edition of Kerrang! was dedicated to it, providing readers with the cover album "Master of Puppets: Remastered". In March 2007, the guitar magazine Total Guitar ranked the 100 greatest riffs of all time and the main riff of the album's title track was ranked number one.

"Damage, Inc." is the last of four songs to feature writing from all members of the Cliff Burton-Kirk Hammett era of Metallica.

Every song from this album except "Leper Messiah" and "Damage, Inc." is playable on the music video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. The song "Battery" is featured in the game Rock Band 2.

50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums In History

1		Black Sabbath Master of Reality (1971) The masters of everything that's metal, goth, doom, death, black, industrial and so on, are on Master Of Reality in absolutely mindblowing shape. Have this, or don't consider yourself a metal listener at all.
2		Mercyful Fate Melissa (1983) Early black metal pioneers Mercyful Fate's full length debut album Melissa, is only inferior to the marvelous Don't Break The Oath. These two are a must for a complete metal collection.
3		Slayer Reign in Blood (1986) One of the fastest album you can hear. Slayer has had it's definite ups and downs, mostly downs lately, and therefore no huge statement to make that Reign in Blood will always be the one Slayer album to have.
4		Coroner No More Color (1989) Of all the albums Coroner put out, none bears the dubious tag of mediocrity, in fact they're all great in their own. But No More Color has to be my very personal favorite of the bunch. Fantastic progressive thrash with few peers.
5		Death Leprosy (1988) Classic early Death. While later they'd adopt more of a progressive sound, here Chuck Schuldiner and co. lays the primitive and raw death metal sound on us...
6		Samael Passage (1996) Samael is a completely unique band. Their black/industrial metal sound is very fresh indeed, with the biggest lyrical obsession for anything outer space seen in metal since Voivod. Passage demonstrates that very well.
7		Kreator Pleasure to Kill (1986) The german thrash meisters Kreator know how to make quality metal. Pleasure To Kill is a stone cold metal classic.
8		Motörhead No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (1981) Motörhead are one of the most consistent metal bands ever, but of two of their albums on this list, is this legendary live album, No Sleep 'Till Hammersmith. Pounds harder than an iron fist.
9		Terrorizer World Downfall (1989) Forces from Morbid Angel and Napalm Death, namely Pete Vincent and Jesse Pintado, join up with Nausea's Oscar Garcia, to create an instant grindcore classic.
10		Cannibal Corpse Vile (1996) So there are a few Cannibal Corpse albums to pick for the place on this list, but ultimately Vile might deserve this spot the most. This is Corpsegrinder's debut with the band, and in my mind a way superior vocalist than Chris Barnes. With him the band was simply taken in the most logical direction.
11		Bathory Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987) Bathory are without doubt one of the best black metal band ever. Not to mention it's biggest influencer. Their catalogue spans over about two decades, and there are many fantastic albums to be found there, but Under The Sign Of The Black Mark is the greatest one.
12		Metallica Ride the Lightning (1986) Metallica is probably the biggest name in metal history, but far away from the best. That's mainly because of their sorely dissapointing sellout. But their first four albums are great metal work, Ride The Lightning always brings the goods.
13		Rotting Christ Theogonia (2007) Rotting Christ's Theogonia is a violent maelstrom of buzzing metal guitars and hypnotizing middle eastern sounds. It's also the best album of their long career, which is interesting because they already have a few great out before.
14		Napalm Death Scum (1987) The debut of Napalm Death, Scum, was one of the penultimate groundbreakers for all grind to come. Soon after it's release, grindcore bands were popping up everywhere...but few had the audacity and abilities of Napalm Death.
15		Carcass Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (1991) Carcass successfully fuse their early raw grind sound with somewhat more groove orientated riffing. A metal classic loaded with fantastic riffs and pretty catchy songs. Still just as violent as their first two, and laid the groundwork for future albums that were somewhat frowned upon by elitists.
16		Venom Black Metal (1982) The gruesome trio from Newcastle were scorned by many at their prime, but the idiots who did so would never have imagined how many metal bands Venom would win up influencing. Black Metal is a seminal metal record, and has stood the test of time with excellence.
17		Deep Purple Deep Purple in Rock (1970) Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple were a part of the holy trinity of heavy metal. The bands who practically made the genre what is since has become. In Rock is probably inferior only to Machine Head, but stands nonetheless as a superb album. "Speed King" is just a killer.
18		Anaal Nathrakh The Codex Necro (2001) This is some of the most chaotic, violent and fucked up black metal you can find. But being so and pushing the genre into new directions at the same time.
19		Morbid Angel Altars of Madness (1989) The debut of Florida death metallers Morbid Angel is considered by oh so many death metal veterans to be an all time classic of the genre. While later albums, Blessed Are the Sick and Covenant to be precise, had better production and even a more balanced set of songs, Altars of Madness just has that dirty and ugly feel that is essential to death metal.
20		Candlemass Nightfall (1987) The first album that featured high octave giant Messiah Marcolin, Nightfall is a tad bit more focused and epic than the doom genre groundbreaker Epicuus Doomicus Metallicus. Here they build on the foundation already set, creating a metal classic.
21		Opeth Still Life (1999) Pretty much equal to My Arms..Your Hearse and Blackwater Park in quality, Still Life is a perfect blend of the vibe on these two that came before and after. Perhaps the one to choose if only one can be.
22		Autopsy Severed Survival (1990) Ever wondered how would death metal with sludge/doom undercurrents sound? Listen to this album and you'll know. Of course it's mainly death metal, and about the nastiest, most old school of the american camp you can get. And I love the cover.
23		Immolation Close to a World Below (2000) Scary good. These guys sure know how to pump out the demonic harmonies and crushing yet catchy riffs, and they just keep on coming on Close to a World Below. Like with so many bands on this list however, almost all of their output diserves a spot here, and this album is an utter must have for anyone who considers himself a death metal fan.
24		Darkthrone A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992) Darkthrone are for sure what purist dub "pure blackmetal". Wether you like that label or not, Darkthrone is an incredible band. Their consistency on keeping their signature style intact for years and keep making similar but always great album is remiscent to metal legends Motörhead. A Blaze In The Northern Sky is a rock solid classic. "In The Shadow Of The Horns" has one of 90's metal greatest main riff.
25		Moonspell Wolfheart (1995) Their first full length album, Portugal's very own Moonspell hit the bullseye with a perfect mix of death metal with gothic overtones. Wolfheart is a classic.
26		Possessed Seven Churches (1985) Possessed disappeared into the mist of fading interest in thrash metal at the beginning of the 90's. Probably it was more due to Jeff Becerra shot by muggers, winding up in a wheelchair. Not that Possessed were pure thrash metal, more a hybrid of thrash and death metal. Therefore they pioneered death metal in the beginning of the 80's, and Seven Churches is their only metal classic.
27		Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) Black metal all time landmark! Over the years, this album has gained much momentum in the world of metal, and not wihtout a reason. Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is in much part the late Per "Dead" Yngve Ohlin's creation. But to flesh it out are the late exceptional black metal guitarist Euronymous and the ever incredible drummer Hellhammer, among others.
28		Sodom Persecution Mania (1987) Along with Destruction and Kreator, Sodom was the biggest name in German trash metal history. Persecution Mania is an awesome trash metal album, that has also had influence on black metal, such as Mayhem and Cradle Of Filth for instance.
29		Cryptopsy None So Vile (1996) Seldom has such brutality and mayhem sounded so enchanting.
30		Burzum Hvis lyset tar oss (1993) All of Burzum's albums, up to and with Filosofem, are black metal must haves. Hvis Lyset Tar Oss is very athmospheric and moody, gloomy and misanthropic. Simply drags you down into a pit of hopelessness and darkness. Essential all throughout.
31		Cathedral The Ethereal Mirror (1993) Cathedral has a pretty impressive canon of recordings, The Ethereal Mirror is one of their career highlights. Lee Dorrian left Napalm Death cause he wanted to play slow. Forest of Equilibrium was very fucking slow and mean doom. Here the pace might have been cranked up, but only a tiny bit. Doom classic.
32		Iron Maiden Piece of Mind (1983) Iron Maiden have so many albums for exactly such a list as this one. Piece of Mind has always been a personal favorite so I'm sticking that one in here...though any of their 80's albums belongs here...
33		Repulsion Horrified (1989) Dirty and raw grindcore in the vein of the earliest Napalm Death albums. The influence of Repulsion on death metal has been significant. Horrified is a tight collection of songs, and actually is composed of demos. Impressive..
34		Sepultura Arise (1991) Beneath the Remains is often cited as their best, but Arise is arguably even better. With slightly more focus on the musical direction, and an more muscular production courtesy of Scott Burns. This is as best as Sepultura got, before departing from their thrash roots.
35		Accept Restless and Wild (1982) Accept do the job of putting out the last definitive proto trash masterpiece before the American thrash scene rocked the metal world. Breaker was good, but Restless & Wild is even tighter sonically and musically, taking no prisoners.
36		Exodus Bonded by Blood (1985) An underrated thrash gem, that got lost in the midst of the four big ones, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica. Bonded By Blood is a classic metal album, including such highlights as "Bonded By Blood", "Piranha" and "A Lesson In Violence".
37		Electric Wizard Dopethrone (2000) The cream of the crop of stoner and doom metal, UK's Electric Wizard remain relatively obscure. Dopethrone is perhaps their crowning achievement, despite no lack of fantastic, crushingly heavy albums.
38		Akercocke Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone (2005) With Choronzon, Akercocke reached new creative heights by adding synthesizers and acoustic instruments to the mix with great results. Words... expands upon the ground built with that album, creating an incredibly powerful and original listening throughout.
39		Voivod Dimension Hatröss (1988) Always kind of underrated, Voivod are one of a kind. Kinda like Rush playing thrash metal. Very prog, but very thrashy too, just check out the fantastic "Tribal Convictions" if you're in doubt. This one with Killing Technology displays the very finest aspects of thrash metal, both are essential metal.
40		Suffocation Effigy of the Forgotten (1991) Holy fucking crap! You hear that? That's the aural equivalent of slamming at full speed into a monolith. No compromise. Of course some props alos go to death metal producer veteran Scott Burns, and as we know he has the Midas touch.
41		Celtic Frost Morbid Tales (1984) [EP] The soothing sound of Celtic Frost should be instantly reckognizeable to any metal fan out there. If it isn't to you, begin with this album and go up from there in order of date of release. But skip Cold Lake.
42		Dismember Like an Ever Flowing Stream (1991) Along with Grave, Hypocrisy, Entombed and Unleashed, Dismember are in Sweden's league of greatest death metal. Then came all the melodeath and metalcore crap that undoubtedly tarnished Sweden's reputation a bit. This debut by Dismember was described by some as how a serial killer would sound if he were an album. Come to think of it, the guitars kind of sound like a very fucking rusty chainsaw.
43		Emperor Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997) Emperor is perhaps the greatest black metal band there ever was, and despite the crushing brutality, I think most common metal fans should be able to enjoy Emperor's music. Not the mallcore turds though.
44		Judas Priest Stained Class (1978) Stained Class is the third Judas Priest album on this list, and the darkest and most ominous of them all. Jam packed with ear splitting riffs and wailing solos, courtesy of the ever awesome Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Blissful listening experience.
45		Saint Vitus V (1989) This album and perhaps Born Too Late, are the definite Saint Vitus albums to have. Although this last album with doom legend Wino has going for it more solid production values than before. "I Bleed Black" and "Living Backwards" are doom anthems for the ages.
46		Nile In Their Darkened Shrines (2002) Egyptian themes may not seem interesting in metal. They didn't to me at first impression. But Nile perform so impeccably and create a fantastic atmosphere with each of their songs. Wish History classes were this fucking awesome.
47		High on Fire Surrounded by Thieves (2002) After Sleep, Matt Pike arguably formed an ever more precise doom metal ensemble, High on Fire. Surrounded by Thieves is perhaps their loudest and heaviest.
48		Cephalic Carnage Anomalies (2005) From Colorado, USA, comes Cephalic Carnage, a band that's kind of an anomaly like the title of this album says. Fusing prime Sabbath sludginess with frantic time signatures and grindcore undercurrents, this band is one of a kind in many ways. Anomalies is one of their best.