The Nature of the Beast is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band April Wine, released in 1981.

[1] The album was recorded at Le Manoir Studios,[4] in the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell, in Oxfordshire, England following the band's 1980 European tour.

April Wine's version of the Lorence Hud song "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" also became a moderate hit, reaching #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, #19 on the Top Tracks chart, and #40 in Canada.

Hud's original version of the song had also been a hit single in Canada in 1972 (#16 RPM charts).

All tracks are written by Myles Goodwyn, except where noted^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.