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Last Active 04-29-20 1:18 pm
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| The Number of the Beast vs Piece of Mind
Iron Maiden's two back-to-back early-80s masterpieces go blow for blow for the title of best in the Brits' discography - but which will come out on top?
NOTE: For the purposes of track matching, this list uses the remastered, nine-track reissue of Number of the Beast, as opposed to the original. | | 1 | Iron Maiden
Invaders / Where Eagles Dare
The two opening tracks set diametrically opposite moods and vibes. [i]Number[/i] opts for the traditional Iron Maiden full-throttle, no-frills speed-rocker, with Bruce acquitting himself and displaying all his vocal prowess right from the off; [i]Piece[/i], on the other hand, goes with an epic, layered mid-tempo as its calling card – and the gambit ends up paying off. [i]Eagles[/i] is far and away the best of these two tracks, giving [i]Piece of Mind[/i] a nitro boost right at the starting line.
WINNER: Piece of Mind
TOTAL SCORE: Number 0 – 1 Piece | | 2 | Children of the Damned / Revelations
After intense opening tracks, both albums choose to slow down the tempo for their second song – and both achieve stellar results. Choosing between one moody, top-notch metal ballad and the other will ultimately come down to personal preference, although [i]Children[/i]'s sudden burst of heaviness midway through gives it an element of surprise that its successor never manages to achieve – allowing it to scrape a win in this second round.
WINNER: Number of the Beast
TOTAL SCORE: Number 1 – 1 Piece | | 3 | The Prisoner / Flight of Icarus
Much like Round 2 had seen ballads all round, Round 3 sees two epics square off against one another – and, again, present anyone attempting to judge their relative merits with a tough challenge. [i]The Prisoner[/i] is a fan-favourite to this day, but there is a reason why [i]Flight[/i] is the better-known of the two songs – there was a noticeable leap in songwriting quality and consistency between albums, and it definitely shows here. Icarus aims for the Sun and takes Round 3 along with him.
WINNER: Piece of Mind
TOTAL SCORE: Number 1 – Piece 2 | | 4 | 22 Acacia Avenue / Die With Your Boots On
Two fan-favourites square off in Round 4, each showcasing the prototypical Iron Maiden sound that made the band famous during this period in their career. Once again, choosing between the two is hard, and will inevitably come down to personal preference – although, in this instance, neither song quite reaches top-tier in terms of songwriting. [i]Boots[/i] scrapes a win on the back of a stronger chorus, but neither song deserves to be overlooked.
WINNER: Piece of Mind
TOTAL SCORE: Number 1 – 3 Piece | | 5 | The Number of the Beast / The Trooper
…and here it is. Round 5. The round that pits together two of the songs that better epitomise Iron Maiden in public consciousness. Once again, each record takes a diametrically opposed approach to its big single, with [i]Number[/i] producing the more layered track this time – though still delivered at a blistering pace. [i]Piece[/i] puts up a respectable fight with its representative, creating arguably the best-known riff of Maiden's career (and one of the most famous in heavy metal history) but ultimately falling prey to repetitiousness in the long run. Still, any song that can get away with passing off 'whoa-oh-oh's as a chorus deserves kudos; sadly, said kudos are not enough to earn it the round. [i]Number[/i] closes the gap between the two records, and is back in the race with a shout.
WINNER: Number of the Beast
TOTAL SCORE: Number 2 – 3 Piece | | 6 | Run to the Hills / Still Life
Round 6 brings about the first truly heart-breaking decision, as a fan-favourite deep cut squares off against an all-time smash hit – with predictable results. As amazing of a track as Still Life is – and it is, moody and sombre and haunting – it is up against [i]the[/i] Iron Maiden track. The one even laymen know. The one that gets legit radio airplay in 'normie' radio stations. That one. Very few tracks would stand a chance against a pedigree like that, and the fact that [i]Run to the Hills[/i] is a fantastic track in its own right – transcending its legendary intro riff to deliver a top-to-bottom heavy metal anthem – does not help, either. [i]Number of the Beast[/i] runs away with this one, and catches up to its younger brother to tie the score at three apiece.
WINNER: Number of the Beast
TOTAL SCORE: Number 3 – 3 Piece | | 7 | Gangland / Quest for Fire
Round 6 stands out in an otherwise tight contest for constituting the most clear-cut of all round decision, as a decent-to-good album deep cut goes up against a fairly weak album deep cut. [i]Quest For Fire[/i] suffers from all the worst tropes of Steve Harris's songwriting, with the repetition of an overly simplistic chorus taking up more than half the song's runtime, and being drilled into the listener's brain to the point of exhaustion. By contrast, speedy rocker [i]Gangland[/i] offers up an unpretentious slice of uptempo NWOBHM, which never aims to be more than it is, but is nevertheless very good at what it does aim for. Piece of Mind loses the lead for the first time in this race, giving Number a late stamina boost on which to aim for the gold.
WINNER: Number of the Beast
TOTAL SCORE: Number 4 – 3 Piece | | 8 | Total Eclipse / Sun and Steel
Round 7 pits a song that was not deemed good enough for inclusion on the original press of the album against a song many think should not have been deemed good enough for inclusion on the original press of the other album. But as criticised as [i]Sun and Steel[/i] is, at least its repetitive, chorus-heavy structure makes it somewhat memorable – which is more than can be said for [i]Total Eclipse[/i], a fitting title for a song that totally vanishes from memory moments after being played. Piece of Mind catches up again, and ensures the two albums remain neck-and-neck going into the eighth and final round.
WINNER: Piece of Mind
TOTAL SCORE: Number 4 – 4 Piece | | 9 | Hallowed Be Thy Name / To Tame a Land
In yet another mirror match, both albums choose to close out with a 7+-minute epic, showcasing the lenghtier, more epic kind of songwriting the band would thrive on in subsequent decades. And like with most Maiden epics, neither track here is all that memorable – although both are definite fan-favourites. Still, of the two, [i]Hallowed[/i] is the clearly superior track, leading in with yet another epic riff before Bruce Dickinson lets loose with a stunning vocal performance to overcome the song's lack of chorus. By comparison, [i]To Tame A Land[/i] has very little to recommend it, other than the 'nerd cred' of basically recounting the plot to [i]Dune[/i]. Otherwise, it is a dull track, and arguably the one low point in an otherwise stellar record – allowing [i]Number[/i] to once again edge past its successor to nail a shock skin-of-the-teeth win right at the buzzer.
WINNER: Number of the Beast
FINAL SCORE: Number 5 – 4 Piece
FINAL WINNER: Number of the Beast | |
ReturnToRock
10.27.20 | Not gonna lie guys, the result of this one surprised even me. I had this down as a draw. Enjoy. | Senetrix666
10.27.20 | Killers | CocaineDick
10.27.20 | somewhere in fucking time | CocaineDick
10.27.20 | notb tho b/t the 2 | el_newg
10.27.20 | you chose die with your boots on over ACACIA AVENUE? bruh | SymbolicInTime
10.28.20 | ^as would I | rockarollacola
10.28.20 | Two of the most overrated metal records of all time. Both are overflowing with some of the bands worst filler to date. Take the good tracks from both and THEN you've got a classic, but as they stand they are both immensely overrated. With that being said, Piece of Mind is a little better IMO.
Now Powerslave vs. Somewhere in Time would be a fucking showdown. | TheAntichrist
10.28.20 | number of the beast is so much better
hot take rockarollacola | porcupinetheater
10.28.20 | Hallowed Be Thy Name isn’t all that memorable? The fuck? | TheAntichrist
10.28.20 | yeaaaaaeyeaaaaeyeeeeeah
haaaallowed be thy naaaaaame | rockarollacola
10.28.20 | I'm unintentionally the king of hot takes. | Scoot
10.28.20 | powerslave | Dewinged
10.28.20 | NOTB, the only one that hurts is Flight of Icarus cause it's one of my favorite Maiden songs. | TheAntichrist
10.28.20 | @rockarollacola you're a hot t.a.k.e. | Pikazilla
10.28.20 | Piece of Mind is the worst 1st bruce era maiden album | ReturnToRock
10.28.20 | ^Now THIS is a hot take. | Pikazilla
10.28.20 | Obviously, it's just my opinion. But it's the one I ever return to the least. I don't like Where Eagles Dare and Revelations at all. | SymbolicInTime
10.28.20 | The Trooper alone makes it better than FotD and NPftD come on pika | Pikazilla
10.28.20 | FotD t/t > any song on PoM | Pikazilla
10.28.20 | Fuck, I forgot about No Prayer lmao
I don't listen to that one much either | rockarollacola
10.28.20 | NPFTD and AMOLAD are neck and neck for the worst Bruce Dickinson album. I think I prefer NPFTD because it's shorter and isn't a substitute for Quaaludes. |
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