Metaldome II: Number of the Beast or Run to the Hills

OK, so it looks like Halford and the boys carried the day in the first Metaldome, but let's have a round of applause for the Blizzard of Ozz band. Good job, guys.

Now, this time, I lay before you two cuts from Iron Maiden's masterpiece "Number of the Beast" LP. Both were hit singles, and remain Maiden favorites to this day.

On the left hand path, the title track. "Number of the Beast". With its eerie spoken intro and absolutely devastating bass line (how about that fill- you know the one), it's a propulsively wicked number with a huge chorus that has that "I can imagine plumes of flame erupting when I hear this" feeling that great 1980s metal often does. This is also one of those songs that captures how dangerous and possibly soul-threatening metal was in the 1980s. When you're nine years old hear this track and it's 1984, it feels like you're going down a very, very dark path indeed.

On the right hand side, "Run to the Hills". This is an example of the kind of history nerd subject matter that no band other than Maiden does better. With a rather cartoonishly Native American-sounding riff and that brilliant opening "White man came/across the sea/he brought us pain/and misery" and a soaring arena-filling chorus, it's one of the band's best singles and it had a great video with lots of old Hollywood depiction of Indians. It wouldn't be until Anthrax's "Indians" that metal would approach the subject again. It's also the definitive example of Maiden's galloping rythym section that I can think of, a true power metal classic if ever there were one.

So how about F:AT? I don't need to ask if you like Maiden, that should have already been determined when you applied for membership here.

My vote? Beast.

Thanks for the shout-out to the Anthrax cut. My vote is for Run To The Hills, because there's something awesome about white guilt transparently masquerading as anthemic calls for solidarity. Plus RTTH is more fun for me to sing along to.

Run to the Hills for being instantly recognizable, immediately awesome, and just a damn fine piece of music.

Run to the Hills


also didn't it have an awesome animated video with lots of Native Americans on a very long tandem?

It wasn't animated- it was like all clips from old movies that had stereotypical images of Native Americans...there may have been some actual footage in there, I haven't seen it in a long time.

Beast supporters, where are you?

Damn, this is tough...from the same band! Both are outstanding live. Hallowed Be Thy Name is my favorite off this album when I'm in the car, but between these...

On the one hand, you have the song about the occult which helped tie metal with Dungeons & Dragons. I'll never forget playing D&D at my friend's house. I was in 3rd grade and his high school brother was the GM. Maiden posters and records all over his room. Seeing a Maiden logo always takes me back...

Run to The Hills is the first of their masterpieces on historical events (I don't recall any on the first two albums) which are followed up with The Trooper and Aces High.

This gonna be tough....

Ha, in Metaldome I, I mentioned that Blizzard was one of my very first real albums. Well, Beast was *the* album of my young teenage years (edit: I was 14 when it was released).

Vote: Title Track, and it's not even close. Anyone who votes for Hills should stick to AORDome. "Beast" should win alone for having one of the greatest metal screams (up there with "Angel of Death"), and that solo/riff/solo break in the middle is killer.

666

When I saw Maiden on their greatest hits tour about 5 years ago or so I remember that when they played Number of the Beast each time he said "SIX" six giant fireballs exploded out from the stage and into the sky. I could feel the heat from my nose bleed seats. It was awesome.

Run to the Hills is incredible in the sense that it discusses Native issues in a way that was very rare for a band of that type.. and still is to some degree. To hear that back then was definitely out of the ordinary. Beast is a more straight forward song but the riff is better, the lyrics are fun and the song feels perfect. Run to the Hills feels more like a reasonably successful experiment, and I still find that main riff kind of awkward. Especially once he starts copying the riff with his voice. I think they should have tried a different melody for the vocal line, one that works with the riff but doesn't double it. Beast hits it out of the park, it makes no mistakes.

Vote: Number of the Beast

I listened to Maiden last night with the kids (while playing Dungeon!).

vote: Number of the Beast

It was easier for us to sing along to.

On the note of kids. I've seen Maiden 3-4 times the past 10 years and regardless of the subject matter they're a pretty clean band and the shows (being in arenas) are pretty safe with awesome pyrotechincs and such. My son (6) has become a fan and I think I just might take him the next time Maiden comes through. I expect the boy to be 7 or 8 when it happens. I know Steve Harris has mentioned Maiden being near the end of the line, but I just want the boy to experience one of the greats live if there's the opportunity. My daughter may still be a bit too young.

Vote: Number of the Beast.

Frankly, they are probably about even, as I absolutely adore Hills' driving drumbeat.

However, when I first saw the band (at this point Barnes rolls his eyes) they were on their first US tour as the warmup band for .38 Special. I was more of a Southern Rock and Johnny Cash fan because of growing up in rural Kentucky.

So this was a shock, as Iron Maiden was SO good. And then halfway through the show, they dimmed all of the stage lights, and all around the auditorium in the dark you could hear "Woe to you of earth and sea...."

Then a very tiny spot slowly came up on Bruce during the "what I saw that night" bit. And then when the guitars kicked in and stage lights, he was dwarfed by a 25 foot demonic puppet.

And thus was born a metal-space-rock fan. Problem is, I prefer Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Rainbow to anything Metallica and onward. So I'm not so sure I'm a metal fan.

Vote - Number of the Beast

Run to the Hills narrowly edges out Number of the Beast.

Let him who hath understanding
Reckon Chapel's vote for the Number of the Beast

I'm convinced that the number of the beast is 867-5309