Originally Posted by The Batlord (Post 1835711)

Number of the Beast has some great tunes, but it also clearly has some not so great ones. "Children of the Damned" is kinda dull, "The Prisoner" feels like a highly decent next-to-last-step to their signature sound with Bruce Dickinson, "22 Acacia Avenue"'s charm wears off once you've heard the lyrics more than five times, and I honestly don't even remember what "Gangland" and "Total Eclipse" sound like. I feel like the chorus to "Gangland" is on the tip of my tongue though.

Everything else is metal royalty though, and nothing is truly bad by any stretch of the imagination, but NOTB was definitely a transition album.

Piece of Mind was pretty much the exact same thing, but with much better consistency, and Powerslave was much the same again (excepting "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner"), but on some next level asskicking.

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix (Post 1835714)

I really enjoy all of their work from debut to Seventh Son, only after that do they kind of drop off for me. But they do come back a few times. NoTB was my first maiden record, so it holds a special place for me. I really enjoy every track immensely, but I see where you are coming from.

Originally Posted by The Batlord (Post 1835715)

It was my first Maiden album too, but time kind of hasn't been kind to Maiden in general for me, and especially to NOTB. At this point I think Brave New World might end up being my go to Maiden album.

Originally Posted by Exo (Post 1835954)

Ride the Skies by Lightning Bolt is still their best album in my opinion. They're still on the top of my list of bands I still have to see live. I've been trying since high school.