IRON MAIDEN THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

Try out the gut-punching riffs and rapid-fire solos in Maiden’s classic slice of 80s British heavy metal

- STEVE HARRIS

Widely regarded as one of the greatest metal albums of all time, The Number Of The Beast saw Iron Maiden rewriting the heavy metal rulebook for the 1980s. Sure, TNOTB topped the charts, but, whereas Judas Priest had taken a more commercial turn with 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance, Maiden’s offering was pure metal.

At the core of band is the twin axe attack of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, who trade rapid-fire solos. Both lead breaks are a challenge for most guitarists, but listen out for Smith’s slightly bluesier phrasing in solo 2. It’s a subtle distinction, and, if you’re tackling both solos yourself, a few rocks of a wah pedal will get you closer to Murray’s tone in solo 1 and help contrast between the two.