Judas Priest Discography Discussion (part 2 starting page 20)

I like Johnny B Goode. It's dumb and fun, though I wasn't really expecting anything that high brow from this era of Priest.

Baptizm of Fire is awesome, very interesting and very different to Priest. The guitar work is stellar of course, and Glenns vocals are actually really good. He's got this really cool, grunge-y snarl on some tracks like Enter the Storm. Fun fact: the solo to that song was recorded with a Gibson ES-335, which Glenn cites as his favourite guitar.

lead-breaks.jpg


Gotta love his Hamers. I want one.
 
Forostar said:
@MrKnickerbocker are you also interested in doing non-Priest studio albums Halford and Tipton did, either alternating with Priest material in chronological order, either seperately?

Halford did these albums:
1993: Fight - War of Words
1995: Fight - A Small Deadly Space
1998: 2wo - Voyeurs
2000: Halford - Resurrection
2002: Halford - Crucible
2010: Halford - IV Made of Metal
(there is another one: Halford - "III: Winter Songs", but I don't know if this Christmas album is worth checking out to be honest; the tracklist looks garbage)

Glenn Tipton did two non-Priest albums:
1997: Glenn Tipton - Baptizm of Fire
  • Glenn Tipton – all guitars and vocals, bass on track 13
  • Robert Trujillo – bass on tracks 1, 2, 10
  • C.J. de Villar – bass on tracks 3, 4, 8, 9, 11
  • Billy Sheehan – bass on tracks 5, 6
  • John Entwistle – bass on track 7
  • Neil Murray – bass on track 12
  • Brooks Wackerman – drums on tracks 1, 2, 10
  • Shannon Larkin – drums on tracks 3, 4, 8, 9, 11
  • Cozy Powell – drums on tracks 5, 6, 7, 11, 12
  • Rick Tipton – drums on track 13
  • Don Airey – keyboards on track 6
  • Whitfield Crane – backing vocals on track 10
2006: Tipton, Entwistle & Powell - Edge of the World
  • Glenn Tipton – guitars, vocals
  • John Entwistle – bass
  • Cozy Powell – drums
Additional musicians
  • Don Airey – keyboards
  • Neil Murray – additional bass on track 11
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I will most likely check out Fight and the Halford stuff later when I finish with Priest. Didn’t know Tipton sang, so I’ll probably try that too!

Right now, though...

Holy fuck Painkiller rules.
 
Chris Tsangarides (producer of Painkiller) owns a studio. LunarMile, whose members include Toni-Marie Iommi (daughter of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi) and Alex Hill (son of Judas Priest's Ian Hill), recorded there in June 2007.

 
Painkiller (1990)

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Painkiller – First of all, what happened to the drum machine and who the hell is this drummer? I’ve never heard anything like this in Priest. This is some Slayer drumming or some Anthrax drumming, I’m accidentally listening to a Megadeth album, right? The guitars kick in and the riffs are more metallic, the tone is heavier, and the drums make everything more intense. Halford is on fire throughout this whole song, with nary a moment of Rob’s singing. Holy hell this is heavy and awesome. Painkiller is a non-stop onslaught of heavy metal shredding. The chorus is pummeling, even with nothing but shrieks coming from Halford. The insane blast beat section before Glenn’s solo is out of nowhere and not something I ever expected to hear from Priest. This is a genre-defining, band-defining moment. Gone is the earlier Priest that flirted with blues and pop and light rock, all herald the welcome of Judas Motherfucking Priest. The solos are insane and long and melodic and shredding and AAGGGHHHHHH IT’S JUST TOO AWESOME. A guitar harmony, some whammy bar theatrics, more shredding and shrieking, and this is the dawn of a new age. Truth be told, I don’t love Halford shrieking throughout the entire song. I love his deeper, more natural low tenor, but his performance here is so spot-on and intense that I am weary to nitpick. 10/10

Hell Patrol - I adore the swing of this song. It sounds like the template of literally every single Sabaton song. The jaunty sway of the rhythm, the riffs, the drums, the guitar harmonies before the solos, the solos themselves, the vocal melodies…there’s nothing I don’t love. Hell Patrol is a perfect Judas Priest song that sounds nothing like Judas Priest before this album. Halford is on fire, the band is on fire throughout the tune. Scott Travis deserves an MVP award for taking this band to the next level. This is immediately in my Top 10 Priest tunes. 10/10

All Guns Blazing – I’m familiar with the Sabaton cover, but the original is far superior. The intro is a little off-putting (lots of layered shrieks), but this song also kicks ass. Rob’s tone during the verse is exceptional. The chorus melody and guitar tail are a little too rigid for my liking, but it’s a minor quibble when the song is rocking this hard. Glenn gets another killer solo with some crazy picking technique. It seems like the solos on this album are longer, again reminding me of Rust in Peace. I love the half-time drums after the solo. It’s such a small change, but the dynamics really add to the power of the song. The lyrics (as with the last two songs) are a little silly but there’s nothing downright bad, even when Rob is literally making up words. 9/10

Leather Rebel – A manic, furious guitar and drum intro lead into this upbeat barnburner. I’m in awe. This album just kicks ass through and through. I never expected Priest to have this much prominent double bass and I love every second of it. The melodies are good, the lyrics are typical “rocker wearing leather” fare but they are actually written with ambiguity and cleverness. Rob’s singing “Leather Rebel” throughout the chorus, which should be stupid, but it’s so damn pummeling and catchy that it overwhelms all critiques. Another brilliant track. 10/10

Metal Meltdown – The guitars take immediate focus here with intense shredding that acts as an intro to a more chordal, trypical Priest riff. The tone is still darker, though, more metallic and scary. The verses are intense and Halford delivers some higher-than-hell shrieks during the pre-chorus. The chorus is the biggest downside of this album. It sounds like a weird creepy demon, but not a fun one, and the lyrics lose the subtlety and majesty of the previous tracks. Despite the lame chorus, this song still fires on all cylinders (showing how much this quality of instrumental can overwhelm the lyrics). The guitars are absolutely ripping up the track. As with All Guns Blazing, Scott Travis pulls back for a half-time bridge and it sounds epic. The ending repeat of the title gets tiresome, but at least carries some emotional weight. 7/10

Night Crawler – We finally get a bit of moodiness with this song and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The intro is spooky as the guitars subtlety build into the main riff. Rob’s verse melodies are outstanding, even if the lyrics are a little daft. It’s an immense song with a catchy chorus and some incredible underlying music. I love this tune. The guitar harmony that is built on the verse melody is a wonderful touch. It’s seriously like the band leveled up 1000% before making this record. That verse before the bridge, “As the night is falling/ The end is drawing near/They'll hear their last rites echo on the wind,” is just perfect. A nice slower riff that fades into an atmospheric vocal section with a legitimately high level of creepiness adds so much to the scope of this scaretale. This is such a heavy metal song. I’m pretty sure every metal band ever has imitated this song in the middle of their albums. That spoken word bit shows up in at least 5 different Iced Earth songs. Night Crawler is another stand out. 10/10

Between The Hammer & The Anvil – We continue into sludge with the intro chords, building on the spookiness of the last song. Just when you think Judas Priest might play you a slow song, however, the beat kicks in and we’re rocking again. The mixing is great, with guitars, effects, and vocals all filling separate space to add tiny musical layers. The transition from the second chorus to the bridge is outstanding. Finally, the cheesy metal sounds of things hitting other things fits into a Priest song! The solos are impeccable as is the short drum and guitar sync-up before the final verse. Apparently this song has some relevance to the lawsuit that embroiled the band around this time and I really have to give Rob kudos for using metaphor in the lyrics instead of literally talking about a lawsuit (i.e. Parental Guidance/Private Property). We end with a recap of the intro, which works perfectly to introduce us to the next song. 9/10

Touch of Evil – Some very Dio-esque keyboard swirls introduce a crushing, simplistic chord riff that changes the pace. The layers in this track are incredible. The transition to the chorus feels a little janky and the bass is slightly overwhelming, but all the parts are there. I feel like this is the weakest arrangement on the album, despite my love of prog. Some of the parts feel smashed together. The solo section, however, is otherworldly. Glenn really outdoes himself here with melody, flash, and technique. Halford’s shrieks are as powerful as ever to close out the tune with some additional lead guitar swells and keyboard mania. 8/10

Battle Hymn/One Shot at Glory – Melody and drama bring this incredible album to a close with this short intro track and final epic. This song has everything that makes a great Priest song: a pedal riff, Rob using all of his different tones and range, incredible rhythm section, killer guitar solos, and catchy hooks. I feel like this song inspired a 100 different power metal album closers. Halford’s slightly bluesy run on the line “I still see the banners fly” might be my all-time favorite vocal performance from him. He’s not just using his falsetto as a shriek, he’s actually implementing full voice technique into it and it’s ludicrously impressive. The fact that he pulls out that vocal again at the end is mind-numbing. I love the outro, it’s so epic. Another non-standard Priest song that ticks the boxes of everything this band should be doing. 10/10

Album rating – 9.2/10

Painkiller is easily the best Judas Priest album. I haven’t even heard the last 28 years of music from them, but I feel confident making this statement. It’s as good as Rust In Peace, Master of Puppets, or Seventh Son of a Seventh Son/Powerslave/Brave New World (depending on your opinion). It’s an absolute tent-pole metal album. A fucking classic through and through. Jon Schaffer has tried to write this album every 3 years and failed. Sabaton has covered this album on every one of their own albums. I’m sure my ratings on the “weaker” songs here will go up with repeat listens. Painkiller is the result of a band at the top of their creative game and working at peak performance levels. It’s a shame Halford left after this high. Based on the material here and its focus on high-pitched, shrieking vocals, I can definitely see why the band chose Ripper as their next vocalist.

I’ll be taking a short break from the discography in preparation for the Priest/Purple show this Wedsnesday, but also spoiling myself on the newer songs based on recent setlists/predictions. I feel like this is a nice time to take a breather before listening to the “Dark Ages” of the band.
 
The band took a seven years break themselves. ;)

You just reviewed my favourite album by any artist in any genre.

Between the Hammer is my fav Priest song with the most grabbing riffs ever. I also feel it has the best Downing solo from his career. Downing is also awesome in the album closer with his bonechilling divebombs. Glenn's Painkiller solo section is magic. What a build-up in the solo. Such beautiful soaring high tones. So well produced. And Ken's riffing on the left, totally locked in with the rhythm section is such a pleasure to the ears. Metal perfection. @MrKnickerbocker have you heard this on headphones? Please do if you haven't yet.

I'd rate Anvil, Metal Meltdown and Touch of Evil higher and All Guns Blazing and Leather Rebel a little less.
 
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Good to see so many 10s, this album is simply incredible. Painkiller was my Eruption, I'd never heard a solo like that before (or since), and it started a near year-long obsession with Priest and Glenn in particular. Hammer & Anvil is definitely one of KKs greatest solos, though I think I'd put Rock Hard above it personally.

Also, Leather Rebel is awesome. Lightning in the Daaaark!!!
 
I guess its a generational thing but to label this record as amongst HM's finest and Priest's best is a little insulting as it's a shallow affair.
Separate out the Painkiller track as it's a bit special with forehead vein popping shrieks and almost telepathic solos. Still not top tier Priest though.
The rest is well played and sweetly produced but predictable, similar to the b side of Defenders; strong but safe songs but here it feels more surface.
I don't rate the drummer anywhere near the Great Lombardo.

Litmus test-I've bought Ram and Steel twice, I own three copies of Vengeance and Defenders, but have just the one original of this.
I never play it.
 
Yeah, Painkiller is the best Priest album by far, it's over the top good. I came to Priest well after this album came out, so it did not form part of my metal awakening, but I am confident in saying that this is my 1A, Stained Class is my 1B.
 
Forostar said:
The band took a seven years break themselves. ;)

You just reviewed my favourite album by any artist in any genre.

Between the Hammer is my fav Priest song with the most grabbing riffs ever. I also feel it has the best Downing solo from his career. Downing is also awesome in the album closer with his bonechilling divebombs. Glenn's Painkiller solo section is magic. What a build-up in the solo. Such beautiful soaring high tones. So well produced. And Ken's riffing on the left, totally locked in with the rhythm section is such a pleasure to the ears. Metal perfection. @MrKnickerbocker have you heard this on headphones? Please do if you haven't yet.

I'd rate Anvil, Metal Meltdown and Touch of Evil higher and All Guns Blazing and Leather Rebel a little less.
Click to expand...

As I said, I’d be shocked if this doesn’t become an album full of 10/10’s (except Meltdown obviously) over time and repeated listens. Anvil is probably the next to receive a bump. Touch of Evil is honestly the only song that after a few listens I still couldn’t remember if I walked away from the album. It’s a fine listen, but not as gripping as the others.

Edington said:
Good to see so many 10s, this album is simply incredible. Painkiller was my Eruption, I'd never heard a solo like that before (or since), and it started a near year-long obsession with Priest and Glenn in particular. Hammer & Anvil is definitely one of KKs greatest solos, though I think I'd put Rock Hard above it personally.

Also, Leather Rebel is awesome. Lightning in the Daaaark!!!
Click to expand...

That KK solo in Anvil really is something, guys, I just relistened to it and "wow!" - especially for KK.

I love that I'm having the same reaction to this album that others had either on its first release or as they entered the entire world of heavy metal. There's something to be said about the quality here that it can incite the same reaction as either a brand new, exciting genre or after you're long entrenched in the genre.
 
I've listened to some Firepower tracks in preparation for tomorrow's show and I've gotta say: if this is where the band is heading, I love it. Other than the title track I don't hear anything incredibly standout, but overall it's so much more metal than anything pre-Painkiller. Honestly, it all sounds a lot more like modern Iron Maiden than classic Judas Priest...

Forostar said:
@MrKnickerbocker have you heard this on headphones? Please do if you haven't yet.
Click to expand...

Yes! I generally listen to every album twice in the car or home stereos and then once or twice on studio quality headphones before reviewing.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
I've listened to some Firepower tracks in preparation for tomorrow's show and I've gotta say: if this is where the band is heading, I love it.
Click to expand...

Firepower is baffling. How is an album so late into Priests career so good?! Necromancer, Rising From Ruins and Lone Wolf are particular highlights to me.

Looking forward to your analysis of the Ripper years. I'm only familiar with a couple of songs, so I'm interested to see whether they're as bad as everyone says. Hope you enjoy the Priest show tomorrow (Or today, depending on what time it is where you are)!
 
I’ve heard a bunch of Priest songs over the years that I was a metal fan, but I’ll be honest, Firepower is the only album I heard in full. And I’m not a fan. I love the production, but nothing except the title track and No Surrender stood out to me. It’s metal, yeah, but little more than that.
 
@MrKnickerbocker
From the Turbo sessions in 1985 (releases on 2001 SFV remaster):
Prisoner of Your Eyes:

Also previously unreleased, from the Turbo sessions, this song appeared on a compilation set Metalogy: Heart of a Lion:
 
I like Priest a lot. Here's my short review of all their albums:

1.Rocka Rolla 1974 - Not so good debut, maybe weak, but it has some songs with a traditional Priest vibe, like Never Satisfied.

2.SWOD 1976 - I'm not so big fan of the Priest albums in the 70's, but Victim Of Changes is great and The Ripper is a fun little song... Genocide is a classic. Tyrant is good too. If we combine all of the Priest albums in the 70's in one - well, from my choices, it would be a real strong album.

3.SAS 1977 - The real debut. Sinner is great song with a strange solo, Diamonds & Rust is classic and I like to some extent Starbreaker and Last Rose Of Summer.

4.Stained Class 1978 - For me, it is not so good album like some music critics make it. Exciter is Painkiller for the 70's and the gem is Beyond The Realms Of Death !

5.Killing Machine (HBFL) 1978 - Very good album ! Delivering The Goods is a good rocker with a nice groove, Hell Bent For Leather is eternal classic, Before The Dawn is a song that I like a lot - really beautiful song ! Running Wild is top-notch too, Take On The World and TGM (WTT-PC) are amongst the other good songs on the record.

6.British Steel 1980 - The first real strong album from Priest. Great hard rock songs and a lot of their greatest hits are on this album - BTL, LAM, Metal Gods and songs like Rapid Fire, Grinder are also fantastic headbangers. Steeler is like a song from Turbo and United is a 50/50 song for me.

7.POE 1981 - Again, not so good album, but it has its moments. HOTTH is a fantastic song, Hot Rockin' is good too, but the real gem is Desert Plains.

8.SFV 1982 - The first of two eternal classics albums ! The Hellion/Electric Eye is one hell of a song to open the album, ROTW is great fast song, the title track is fierce and of course the biggest hit - You've Got Another Thing Comin'. Devil's Child is great and the gem on this album is Fever.

9.DOTF 1984 - The second eternal classic ! For me this is the best Priest album (Painkiller and Firepower are close second). So many highlights and greatest hits, like Freewheel Burning, Jawbreaker, RHRF, The Sentinel (amazing song), Love Bites, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll, Night Comes Down (great power ballad).... the only ''bad'' thing about this album is the title track - if I was on the Priest place (and probably Maiden too) with that title, I would have done a great 13+ minute epic to close the album.

10.Turbo 1986 - I must say, I like this album - great glam metal songs. The tittle track is a classic, Locked In is great, Out In The Cold is a very good mini-epic, and I even like Parental Guidance. RYAATW is a fun song, but the real gem is Reckless. Hot For Love is unnecessary ! Private Property and Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days are not so bad songs too.

11.RID 1988 - Weak album, only the title track is awesome - one of the best Priest songs with a solos out of this world ! Blood Red Skies, Come And Get It and I'm A Rocker are good songs though, the cover of Johnny B. Goode is fun...

12.Painkiller 1990 - Fantastic speed metal ! The title track is.... pure metal with a brutal solo, Night Crawler is a fantastic song too with a great chorus, melody and tempo - actually I like all of the songs, except Metal Meltdown. The hidden gem is One Shot At Glory.

13.Jugulator 1997 - not a album that I like, though it has two very good songs - Burn In Hell and Cathedral Spires. Bullet Train is not bad too.

14.Demolition 2001 - this album has two great ballads - Close To You and Lost And Found. Hell Is Home and Feed On Me are also good songs. Bloodsuckers is a not a bad song with a great riff.

15.AOR 2005 - Good album - the first song is great, Hellrider is awesome (soooo heavy), Angel is a great ballad, Revolution and Deal With The Devil are also a good essential Priest songs.

16.Nostradamus 2008 - 23 songs are unnecessary many for a album, and most of them are 1-2 minutes intros ! The title track is on par with Painkiller, other great songs are: Prophecy, Revelations, Persecution, Alone, Visions and the hidden gem Future Of Mankind.

17.ROS 2014 - Good first album with Richie Faulkner - amazing guitarist btw ! The opener Dragonaut is classic Priest, the title track is simple, but great, Down In Flames and Battle Cry are one of the best songs on the album, but the greatest hit from it is definitely Halls Of Valhalla - amazing epic ! I also like a lot the bonus disc with the 5 bonus songs - Snakebite is great, Tears Of Blood has one of the best melodic riffs in metal, Creatures is good, Bring It On is classic sounding Priest and Never Forget is one of the most beautiful and emotional songs that I've ever heard - I like it a lot. Actually all of these songs should have been on the album !

18.Firepower 2018 - Amazing album (Maiden should work very hard to top it). For me it doesn't have any bad song. Lightning Strike is a great single, the title track is great, No Surrender, Sea Of Red, Evil Never Dies, Flame Thrower, Never The Heroes. Two of the best songs are Rising From Ruins and my personal favorite of the album - Traitors Gate, modern sounding Priest vibe. Guardians is a fantastic intro, Specter and Lone Wolf are songs that have parts in them that I like, Necromancer (great song title btw) and Children Of The Sun have great riffs. This album have a very good album cover too !

And that's it ! I hope guys, you will like my humble opinion on the Priest's albums. :)
 
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