JUDAS PRIEST ALBUM RANKING GAME: FINAL ENTRY AND RECAP

[Mosh]

Spoiler: My ranking as of today

Great
1. Defenders of the Faith
2. British Steel
3. Painkiller
4. Stained Class
5. Screaming for Vengeance

Very Good
6. Sin After Sin
7. Firepower
8. Sad Wings of Destiny
9. Killing Machine/Hell Bent For Leather
10. Turbo

Good ideas but often disappointedly executed (by their standards)
11. Jugulator ("Bullet Train" is in my top 10 though, and "Cathedral Spires" not far behind)
12. Ram It Down (the lack of a real drummer underlines how this band can have been cheap... and the less said about the integral box set the better )
13. Point of Entry
14. Rocka Rolla
14tie. Nostradamus (for the sake of the game, let's say it is #15, because they were professional by then so fewer excuses, for the amateurism of the cover for instance)

A hiatus would have been better than these instances of uninspired brand-milking releases
16. Angel of Retribution
17. Redeemer of Souls
18. Demolition (though I admit I haven't listened to it in a while)

@Mosh "CDitis" = great invention!

You should have PMed those to me so I'd include them in the game. Next time!

I personally like them all well enough, except for Metal Messiah.

IMO the chorus on Metal Messiah is the closest this album gets to classic sounding Priest or even some of the more memorable moments on Jugulator. But the rest of the song is quite the mess. There are a few songs I could pull out as being pretty good, Bloodsuckers is OK, Hell Is Home seems to be one that everybody enjoys but idk, any song that I enjoy is with an asterisk.

I like Demolition. It has several good songs, along with one great (Hell is Home), but almost every other Priest record is better. It's a bit like Maiden's Virtual XI in that aspect, close to universally disregarded, but appreaciated by a small faction of the Maiden fans.

The difference is that Virtual XI at least was a blueprint for the band to follow and contained some classic tracks such as The Clansman which even recently had encore status in the setlist. Judas Priest pretty much went clean slate on Angel of Retribution as if the Ripper albums never happened. Also, can anyone imagine any Demolition song being that much of a fan favorite even if Priest gave this era live attention?

I was really disappointed when Priest advertised that they would be playing a song off each album on the Epitaph tour, making it sound like they would finally pull out some Ripper tracks. That said, I'm not sure if there is one off Demolition I really need to hear live. I know Richie likes Hell Is Home, I wonder if he has lobbied the band to include it?

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I had previously held Demolition in higher regard than Jugulator. Now, it remains to be seen if that will still hold true when we get to that first Ripper album (presumably next), but one thing is for certain upon my latest relisten: Demolition absolutely stinks. It's awful. Truly, truly horrendous stuff.

Every song is way too long. The lyrics are terrible, the vocals are terrible, the songwriting is terrible. The production is fine enough for an industrial band, but sounds bad for Priest. Ripper’s voice is so thin that they dub him like 2-3 times on every line (and even more with harmonies) and that makes him sound even worse (especially on the ballads). Cyberface and Metal Messiah are two of the worst songs the band has ever written.

So, is anything good?

• I've always liked Bloodsuckers and I still think it has the coolest chorus on the album.
• In Between actually has some decent vocal melodies in the verses (that are later ruined by the harsher vocals).
• Feed On Me is the best song here and actually feels like Judas Priest (literally the only full song here that does).
• Subterfuge has some simplistic catchy riffing and an alright chorus, but it’s trying so hard to be nu-metal. Would’ve made a killer Rob Zombie song with a guest appearance by Jonathan Davis on the pre-chorus, though.

My ratings dropped on almost every song, including the ones I like. My rating for the entire album dropped by a full 1.2 points (previously 4.6/10 now a very decided 3.4/10).

I'm truly sorry to be so disrespectful to an album that some folks around here enjoy, but today I spent 70 minutes of my life listening to this album for the last time.

 

[DJ James]

I also missed the deadline to submit my rankings but the only thing that matters is that I have Sad Wings at number one. Also Firepower is top 5. God that album blew me away in 2018 when it dropped. Not that Priest was considered “washed” but if there was a name for when a band is past even their “twilight” that’s where I considered Priest at the time.

 

[Kalata]

Demolition is bottom Priest, but I like it better than the other Ripper album because it at least has a melodic approach. And it's kind of a natural progression from the previous album. The style of the album is so far from Priest, I don't think it was the right move for the band at all (unlike Turbo for its time). Aside from the style, the other main problem of the Ripper era is the weak songwriting. And ofc, Ripper's vocals fit the material (live too), but he can't replace Rob's style. But I can enjoy once in a while half of the album. It has some good moments.

The best song is probably Hell Is Home, it is the most memorable of this style of them. One On One is another song that works in this style.
Feed On Me is kind of solid and reminds of old Priest, Bloodsuckers with its riff and vocals too (Painkiller vibe). Special mention to the ballads Close To You and especially Lost And Found, they are very nice. And Metal Messiah is one of the nu metal songs I like - with one of Priest's best choruses imo. But that's it really.

Some of the wild solos that Glenn and KK approached during this era are cool.

It's a bit like Maiden's Virtual XI in that aspect, close to universally disregarded, but appreaciated by a small faction of the Maiden fans.

VXI is so far ahead of it, no contest (even with only one song). There are similarities between the reception of Jugulator and X Factor, to some extent.

 

[Diesel 11]

but I like it better than the other Ripper album because it at least has a melodic approach.

Yeah, I agree here. With Demolition I can actually understand what they were doing with each song, unlike Jugulator which is just stupid and puzzling from beginning to end.

I like the album but I don’t view it as a Priest album. It feels very distinct. It’s far from perfect, I’m not the biggest fan of Ripper, I could do without the rapping, the lyrics are pretty dull, and it definitely runs on longer than it needed to. That said, the blend of classic metal, grunge, industrial, and new metal, alongside acoustic pieces, to me makes for a really interesting record that does its own thing in the middle of nowhere and it’s fun to dive into. It almost feels like the sole record from a short-lived band that’s been forgotten to time.

I like it, I won’t say it’s the best Priest album or anything but it’s also more cohesive than some of the classic albums which I feel had a bit more in the way of filler tracks. The one thing about CD-itis is that while yes, lots of bands (Priest included) dump more songs onto albums because of the extra space, this does mean that if your material is of a higher quality in general, it will pull up the album even when there’s an occasional filler. In the ‘70s and ‘80s a filler or a bad song had far more weight to it on a single LP.

Of course you’ll dog on me for saying that because I’m talking about Demolition here, but if you do you better not have Jugulator ranked any higher. “Machine Man” alone is more of a Judas Priest song than anything on Jugulator.

 

[Kalata]

Yeah, I agree here. With Demolition I can actually understand what they were doing with each song, unlike Jugulator which is just stupid and puzzling from beginning to end.

Demolition has its own charm. Jugulator is most liked by the thrash metal fans and I ranked it last.

I like the album but I don’t view it as a Priest album. It feels very distinct. It’s far from perfect, I’m not the biggest fan of Ripper, I could do without the rapping, the lyrics are pretty dull, and it definitely runs on longer than it needed to. That said, the blend of classic metal, grunge, industrial, and new metal, alongside acoustic pieces, to me makes for a really interesting record that does its own thing in the middle of nowhere and it’s fun to dive into. It almost feels like the sole record from a short-lived band that’s been forgotten to time.

Yeah, that is an accurate point of view.

In the ‘70s and ‘80s a filler or a bad song had far more weight to it on a single LP.

^Definitely. Demolition should have been 8 songs at most.

“Machine Man” alone is more of a Judas Priest song than anything on Jugulator.

This is most likely true. Really cool wild solos in this song.

 

[Forostar]

Warning: MAJOR controversial/impopular pick

17. Angel of Retribution
18. Demolition

I have 5 albums for position 13 til 17 which are very close together. In the end I decided to go for Priest's "back with Halford"-album.

While Angel of Retribution does contain 2 supahdupah songs (maybe they are both in my top 5 or even top 3(!) of all post-Painkiller era material), namely Demonizer and Hellrider, the rest consists of:

- a relatively simple repetitive/monotone opener
- a rip offerish 2nd song (too many echoes of Made in Hell from Halford's 2000 solo album), although I still love that bridge and solo part
- two of the least songs of the entire catalogue (Revolution and Lochness),
- the meh-ish Wheels of Fire and Eulogy
- two pretty okay/good songs: Worth Fighting For and Angel.

Not a bad album, but certainly one of the least enjoyable Priest albums, saved from the last spot by Demonizer and Hellrider, providing for 11 awesome minutes.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Warning: MAJOR controversial/impopular pick

17. Angel of Retribution
18. Demolition

Wow. This is shocking. I don't disagree with some of the stuff you've said, but I rate AOR pretty highly within the catalogue.

Surely, there's more quality here than Jugulator, Nostradamus, Rocka Rolla, Ram It Down, etc. etc.?

 

[Yax]

Warning: MAJOR controversial/impopular pick

17. Angel of Retribution
18. Demolition

I have 5 albums for position 13 til 17 which are very close together. In the end I decided to go for Priest's "back with Halford"-album.

While Angel of Retribution does contain 2 supahdupah songs (maybe they are both in my top 5 or even top 3(!) of all post-Painkiller era material), namely Demonizer and Hellrider, the rest consists of:

- a relatively simple repetitive/monotone opener
- a rip offerish 2nd song (too many echoes of Made in Hell from Halford's 2000 solo album), although I still love that bridge and solo part
- two of the least songs of the entire catalogue (Revolution and Lochness),
- the meh-ish Wheels of Fire and Eulogy
- two pretty okay/good songs: Worth Fighting For and Angel.

Not a bad album, but certainly one of the least enjoyable Priest albums, saved from the last spot by Demonizer and Hellrider, providing for 11 awesome minutes.

I ballpark agree with the song descriptions, but I rate it higher. It's a collection of good songs and a couple of really good ones, peaking with Judas Rising. So the average quality is pretty high (which is why I rate it a few spots higher), there isn't much in the standout songs department. But while, say, Ram it Down has more in the low quality filler department (which is why I rate it lower) than AoR, it also has the majestic peak of Blood Red Skies. The takeway is, I suppose, that average song quality is in this case, more important than high peaks (coupled with quality valleys) in song quality, but I can certainly see that an album with bigger peaks might ultimately be a better, or more fun, album for others. AoR is fine, a good album but largely uninteresting compared to the rest of Priest's stuff.

 

[Forostar]

Surely, there's more quality here than Jugulator, Nostradamus, Rocka Rolla, Ram It Down, etc. etc.?

To be continued.

 

[Diesel 11]

- two of the least songs of the entire catalogue (Revolution and Lochness)

We can’t start the “Lochness” slander already! “Revolution” is a fun ‘70s throwback too. The one song on this album that genuinely is one of the least songs in the catalogue IMO is “Wheels of Fire”, which like if Priest turned stock google search images and turned them into a song.

 

[Mosh]

Warning: MAJOR controversial/impopular pick

17. Angel of Retribution
18. Demolition

I have 5 albums for position 13 til 17 which are very close together. In the end I decided to go for Priest's "back with Halford"-album.

While Angel of Retribution does contain 2 supahdupah songs (maybe they are both in my top 5 or even top 3(!) of all post-Painkiller era material), namely Demonizer and Hellrider, the rest consists of:

- a relatively simple repetitive/monotone opener
- a rip offerish 2nd song (too many echoes of Made in Hell from Halford's 2000 solo album), although I still love that bridge and solo part
- two of the least songs of the entire catalogue (Revolution and Lochness),
- the meh-ish Wheels of Fire and Eulogy
- two pretty okay/good songs: Worth Fighting For and Angel.

Not a bad album, but certainly one of the least enjoyable Priest albums, saved from the last spot by Demonizer and Hellrider, providing for 11 awesome minutes.

Other than the Judas Rising slander, I 100% agree with this.

I went back to Angel of Retribution a few weeks ago for this thread and I was actually taken aback on how filler-y it was. I spent a long time thinking "Judas Rising was great, when does the album reach that level again?" And it never really did. I agree Demonizer and Hellrider are great songs.

But with all that said, it was the right Priest album for the time. Competently produced, songs that are at least pretty well written (although I'm fairly meh on a lot of them) and the album I think is a pretty decent cross between British Steel/Screaming For Vengeance/Painkiller. In other words it was the safe album and helped reset the band. That's enough to keep it above albums that I would consider to be severe career missteps such as Jugulator, Nostradamus, Point of Entry.

 

[Kalata]

Surely, there's more quality here than Jugulator, Nostradamus, Rocka Rolla, Ram It Down, etc. etc.?

I don't think it has the highs of Nostradamus, only Hellrider.

The takeway is, I suppose, that average song quality is in this case, more important than high peaks (coupled with quality valleys) in song quality, but I can certainly see that an album with bigger peaks might ultimately be a better, or more fun, album for others.

I always consider the average songs quality. If it is similar, then I consider the high peaks, which in any case play an essential role.

 

[Boroking]

Ouch, this one hurts. I don’t think there’s a single weak track on this album. Judas is Rising is one of my all time favourites and Revolution is a fun, ear worm single. I used to have a lot of house parties and often I’d get bored and ditch my guests and go listen to this record super loud in my room. Far superior to a lot of the drivel on Turbo or Ram it Down.

 

[Mosh]

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16: Jugulator
17: Demolition
18: Rocka Rolla

Highest Score: 11 (@Sth2112)
Lowest Score: 1 (@Kalata @Diesel 11 @MrKnickerbocker)

I think everybody would expect the two Ripper albums to be ranked next to each other. Additionally, it comes as no surprise (at least to me) that Jugulator came ahead of its followup. I've seen plenty of defenders for Jugulator over the years and feel that of the two albums, it's the most "classic" sounding Priest. The songs are mostly pretty concise, very riff driven, and the comic book-esque lyrics in songs like Jugulator and Decapitated are at least somewhat in the realm of Priestish.

Somewhat. I believe Jugulator and Demolition more or less suffer from the same main problems. The band is still taking themselves way too seriously on Jugulator and the lyrics are just trying too hard to be dark and based in reality. There's no humor in any of these songs, which I feel is counter to the classic Priest songs of the 80s. Ripper sounds less annoying on this album, but my previous criticisms of his vocals still apply (particularly the annoying midrange and too many tuff guy vocal parts). The guitars also sound awful on both of these albums.

With all that being said, I think the songs on Jugulator are lightyears better than Demolition. These songs have hooks, memorable choruses, and some decent riffs. The album being 12 minutes shorter also makes a significant difference. It has a much better flow and is a little less filler-y. It sounds more like they're trying.

My take on the Ripper era as a whole is primarily indifference. I think both albums are pretty weak and, unlike Blaze's Maiden era, there really isn't much to gain from either album. It's a sound that they rightfully abandoned immediately and while I think it's silly for them to act like the albums never existed I also wouldn't mind if I never hear a single song from either of these albums again.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Yeah, Jugulator isn't a great album either but as a whole package, it's more enjoyable than Demolition. In theory a crushingly heavy Priest album should work well for me but the songs here just aren't very good for the most part. The title track and Bullet Train are my favorites for sure, with Burn In Hell being a strong semi-classic too. I guess my main issue with the album is the horrendous guitar effect that they seem to use on every single solo. It really ruins most of the otherwise fine instrumental sections on the record. Scott Travis puts on one heck of a performance at least, I think he's easily the MVP of Jugulator.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

The only thing that makes listening to Jugulator preferable to Demolition is that it's shorter.

The only song worth listening to is Cathedral Spires, which is genuinely decent. Not "amazing and perfect", but it's good. The title track is low-mid and Burn In Hell is a solid 5/10. Everything else is absolutely unbearable.

I hope to never hear this album again. It dropped more than half a point from my previous ranking and now sits at an incredibly accurate 3.0/10.

 

[Kalata]

Jugulator, what to say. It's just not the style for Priest, and it's not like I don't enjoy some thrash metal albums. Crushing riffs, yes, maybe a logical continuation of the Painkiller sound (albeit too different; that's Angel Of Retribution for me), but there is no melody at all. I get that they weren't trying to sound melodic, but you listen to the same song over and over again (with screams). The main problem is that the songwriting is weak imo. Almost no memorable parts or hooks! The production is fitting, but I'm not a fan of some of the sound effects. Ripper's vocals are perfect for this kind of album.

Also, wild solos for every single song is not what I want from an album. Scott's drumming should be noted.

The only songs I like are:

1)Burn In Hell - although too long, probably the most memorable song from this era with memorable parts. It, the title track and the chorus of Bullet Train best represent the style they were aiming for, I think.

2)Cathedral Spires - a special song, I'd say, one you wouldn't expect to find from this era. It never realized its full potential due to the short solos and not strong later part of the song. For 9 minutes, more interesting parts should have followed, like a melody. The intro and chorus have a real melody and are very memorable. The album should have had more of them. Great song title btw.

The rest is forgettable and boring/not for me. If we combine both Ripper era albums -> then an 8-to-9 songs decent, more ''familiar'' for the band and maybe with a strong impression album would be made.

 

[Diesel 11]

I genuinely don't get why Jugulator gets more defenders than Demolition. I understand not liking the style of the latter, finding it boring, hating the rapping on "Metal Messiah" etc, but dammit if you think that "Cathedral Spires" is good why wouldn't you also enjoy "Hell Is Home" with that big chorus? "Subterfuge" cooks, too. "Machine Man" also sounds like it's a Priest song. Nothing on Jugulator sounds like Priest or is any good. Demolition's songs feel at least competent at being songs. Jugulator is just fucking awful from beginning to end, with its most interesting pieces squandered in a sea of shit. Every track feels composed of random nonsense strung together in a stew. None of the choruses pop beside "Cathedral Spire" and even it is a sluggish, lukewarm track at BEST beyond that chorus. "Decapitate" is genuinely one of the dumbest songs I have ever heard. And the tough guy shouting from Ripper is enough to make me lose my own head. Easily the worst Priest album and frankly still one of the dumbest albums I've heard period.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I genuinely don't get why Jugulator gets more defenders than Demolition. I understand not liking the style of the latter, finding it boring, hating the rapping on "Metal Messiah" etc, but dammit if you think that "Cathedral Spires" is good why wouldn't you also enjoy "Hell Is Home" with that big chorus? "Subterfuge" cooks, too. "Machine Man" also sounds like it's a Priest song. Nothing on Jugulator sounds like Priest or is any good. Demolition's songs feel at least competent at being songs. Jugulator is just fucking awful from beginning to end, with its most interesting pieces squandered in a sea of shit. Every track feels composed of random nonsense strung together in a stew. None of the choruses pop beside "Cathedral Spire" and even it is a sluggish, lukewarm track at BEST beyond that chorus. "Decapitate" is genuinely one of the dumbest songs I have ever heard. And the tough guy shouting from Ripper is enough to make me lose my own head. Easily the worst Priest album and frankly still one of the dumbest albums I've heard period.

I, too, think Demolition is a stronger record. But by that I mean...Jugulator is the sonic equivalent of getting purposefully kicked in the junk and Demolition is the sonic equivalent of getting accidentally slapped in the junk. I don't want either to happen to me.