12 PERFECT Metal Albums With NO Bad Songs

Metal may have had a great start in the '70s, but the next decade opened up a new well of possibilities. While acts like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple were still going strong with their respective lineups, the next generation coming from England kickstarted a more straightforward assault that became known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. There were plenty of perfect albums to go around in the scene, but if there's one crowned jewel, it has to be The Number of the Beast.

After making a name for themselves with their first two records, Iron Maiden ditched singer Paul Di'anno in favor of Bruce Dickinson, who brings an added drama to every one of these songs. On their own, songs like "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed be Thy Name" are already fantastic, but once the band comes together, the results are almost too good for words.

While the rest of the bands of Maiden's ilk tended to reach for more intense subject matter or darker sounding tunes, Maiden made some of the most intense metal imaginable without ever having to sacrifice any of their melodicism. The band still had a long way to go from here, but The Number of the Beast was the moment when metal went from a niche genre into a household name.