There are those who prefer the Paul Di’Anno era of Iron Maiden, and that’s okay – those first two records have an undeniable scrappiness they’d never achieve again. In exchange? Their third album forged the shape of metal to come and established these literary Brits as the second biggest metal band in the world. New vocalist Bruce Dickinson’s operatic vocals played a big part in that, transforming exceptional compositions like the title track, “Run to the Hills,” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” into anthems for the ages.

– Jeff Treppel