50. Iron Maiden --- The number of the Beast --- (1982)

As we reach the halfway point in our first 100 albums, it seems appropriate to mention the powerhouse album that took Maiden from NWOBHM top act to worldwide superstar status and true metal gods. With the addition of Bruce Dickinson on vocals, much of the punkish (shut up Batty) elements of the previous two albums were gone and in their place stylish, crisp and clean songs that still rocked like ****, such as "Run to the hills", "22 Acacia Avenue", the immense title track and of course the to-be-classic "Hallowed be thy name".
If an album was to redefine what traditional metal was all about and make it suddenly accessible outside the genre, Iron Maiden kicked down those walls with this, their third and most commercially successful album.
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