10 Most Important Albums In Metal History

As metal was just starting to earn its road stripes, all eyes were focused on Britain to see where the sound would go next. While the progenitors of the genre like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin had called England home, there was a new movement going on towards the end of the '70s, as bands started to emerge as authentic metal acts, with razor sharp riffs and vocals that reached for the highest notes possible. The metal revolution had come to town, and right in the center of it all was Iron Maiden.

Though Maiden had been one of the more popular acts on the metal scene since their days with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, it wasn't until they hired Bruce Dickinson behind the mic that they really started to do some damage, with Number of the Beast standing as their crowning achievement. On every track here, you get a little taste of what Maiden were all about, from the tales of underdogs trying their best to survive to knowing that your time has run short on a ballad like Hallowed Be Thy Name.

For all of the guitar fury coming from Adrian Smith, the real fire behind the band here has to be bassist Steve Harris, taking his signature galloping technique on his four string and making it sound like the cavalry coming right at you, ready to tear you limb from limb. Some metal acts may be more complex with their writing and some may be on the poppier side of the spectrum, but there was never a band more pure hearted about their metal roots than Maiden.