10 Perfect Metal Albums With ZERO Flaws

Judas Priest may have set a new precedent in the metal world, but the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was what kept metal going into the next generations. Across the UK, bands were popping up bringing a much heavier spin to the genre that would go on to define later offshoots like thrash and death metal. There may have been huge breakout stars like Def Leppard and Diamond Head, but when it came to pure metal, Iron Maiden was the perfect package.

Emerging from the English metal scene in the early 80's, Maiden first came to fruition with Paul Di'Anno at the front, but didn't completely gel until they were acquainted with Bruce Dickinson's wail. When the band finally got down to record Number of the Beast, almost everything they touched was turning to gold. With songs like "The Prisoner" and "Gangland," the band had cultivated their manic performances to a near science, with Adrian Smith and Dave Murray trading some of the best lead lines of the decade.

For a genre known to be dark and dour, Maiden were able to take the major key riff of the title track and turn it into one of the most demented sounds the rock world had ever heard. Metal had been going through its growing pains in the 70's, but this is what happens when metal music finally grew into its final stage.