karljant
Ancient Mariner
THE 80's first half:
British Steel: With this release Priest's aim was clear: to solidify what the previous release left quite unfinished. Long gone are the 7 minute compositions... the new decade Priest is all about short heavy metal songs jagged as hell and full of hooks that please both headbanger and radio stations alike. I think the rise of the NWOBHM and popularity of AC DC back in the day was pivotal on this paradigm shift.
As for the songs once Breaking The Law starts you notice it's destined be an all time favorite. Then there's the brutal assault of Rapid Fire (that screams "opener" all over - point amended on the cd reissue). Metal Gods comes marching relentlessly with a gigantic chorus and Grinder basicly does what the title states. Then, after a breath taking start, things start to slow down: United is a nice yet quiter corny sing along with flashes of pop metal and Living After Midnight (a fan favorite - not the case) also goes down that road. The rest of the songs are solid but nothing more than that and Steeler is a great finisher.
Overall this is an excellent and pivotal album on the band's carreer but it's a bit too uneven and overrated: while the first half is amazing, the second can't keep that status and features a couple of la la songs. Nevertheless this album is mandatory to every single Metal fan.
Highs: The First 4 songs and Steeler are simply unstopable
Lows: 2 distinct parts regarding quality. Insisting in pop metal (namely Living After Midnight)
Rating: 7.5/10
Point Of Entry: With their new formula the band found a gold mine both in sale numbers and music quality.
So in POE they kept exploring it. Heading Out To The Highway uses that premise on a pretty good note and so does Solar Angels. Desert Plains and Hot Rockin' are a bit more radio friendly but keep the quality level in a respectabele standard. As for the rest of the album... A major letdown. Most songs are rockers that lack the strength of BS and KM and there are some that are quite poor (Don't Go).
There's not much else to say about this album. To sum it all: more a miss than a hit with a few gems. Yet another comercial sucess.
Highs: Solar Angels and Heading Out To The Highway
Lows: Lots of boring, uninspired and even weak songs.
Rating: 6.5/10
Screaming For Vengeance: After releasing a quite forgetable album for their diehard fans expectations and with the rise of younger bands (like Iron Maiden) Priest had to take their next step carefuly yet with determination and force. And the answer to the challenge was nothing short of impressive... another iconic album filled with classics under the name of Screaming For Vengeance!
After the epic intro that is The Hellion, this infectious fast paced metal anthem called Electric Eye comes storming in as an instant classic, followed by the amazing speedster that is Riding On The Wind (one of Halford's best ever performances). The following 3 tracks are cool heavy rockers (resembeling those short cuts from the turn of the decade) and off we go to the title track, a beast made of speed and aggression penned with laser precision skill, where Halford's high pitch shrieking voice (that would figure in some of the band's most noticeable tracks) makes its first proheminent registry. You've Got Another Thing Comin' fills all the requisits to please both metalhaeds and radio stations alike worldwide... plus it turned out to be an amazing live sing along. The album closes in a real great note with Devil's Child, an awesome rocker that mingles a classic Priest with something Angus and Malcom would do for AC/DC. It was also during SFV's storming tour that Judas Priest started to become really popular in the USA. Plus the band recorded their first live concert ever, properly named "Live Vengeance" that many state to be the Priest at its prime.
With Screaming For Vengeance the band learned that you don't have to go full sell out to sell tons of albums (a lession that they seemed to forget a couple of years later). This album is without shadow of doubt a classic and keeps a ridiculous high level of quality for almost 40 minutes. If you like metal and don't have this there's something really wrong with you.
Highs: it features at least a handful of all times classics and the few songs that don't fit that class are quite enjoyable...
Lows: ... except perhaps for the case of Fever that is a bit forgetable.
Rating: 8.25/10
British Steel: With this release Priest's aim was clear: to solidify what the previous release left quite unfinished. Long gone are the 7 minute compositions... the new decade Priest is all about short heavy metal songs jagged as hell and full of hooks that please both headbanger and radio stations alike. I think the rise of the NWOBHM and popularity of AC DC back in the day was pivotal on this paradigm shift.
As for the songs once Breaking The Law starts you notice it's destined be an all time favorite. Then there's the brutal assault of Rapid Fire (that screams "opener" all over - point amended on the cd reissue). Metal Gods comes marching relentlessly with a gigantic chorus and Grinder basicly does what the title states. Then, after a breath taking start, things start to slow down: United is a nice yet quiter corny sing along with flashes of pop metal and Living After Midnight (a fan favorite - not the case) also goes down that road. The rest of the songs are solid but nothing more than that and Steeler is a great finisher.
Overall this is an excellent and pivotal album on the band's carreer but it's a bit too uneven and overrated: while the first half is amazing, the second can't keep that status and features a couple of la la songs. Nevertheless this album is mandatory to every single Metal fan.
Highs: The First 4 songs and Steeler are simply unstopable
Lows: 2 distinct parts regarding quality. Insisting in pop metal (namely Living After Midnight)
Rating: 7.5/10
Point Of Entry: With their new formula the band found a gold mine both in sale numbers and music quality.
So in POE they kept exploring it. Heading Out To The Highway uses that premise on a pretty good note and so does Solar Angels. Desert Plains and Hot Rockin' are a bit more radio friendly but keep the quality level in a respectabele standard. As for the rest of the album... A major letdown. Most songs are rockers that lack the strength of BS and KM and there are some that are quite poor (Don't Go).
There's not much else to say about this album. To sum it all: more a miss than a hit with a few gems. Yet another comercial sucess.
Highs: Solar Angels and Heading Out To The Highway
Lows: Lots of boring, uninspired and even weak songs.
Rating: 6.5/10
Screaming For Vengeance: After releasing a quite forgetable album for their diehard fans expectations and with the rise of younger bands (like Iron Maiden) Priest had to take their next step carefuly yet with determination and force. And the answer to the challenge was nothing short of impressive... another iconic album filled with classics under the name of Screaming For Vengeance!
After the epic intro that is The Hellion, this infectious fast paced metal anthem called Electric Eye comes storming in as an instant classic, followed by the amazing speedster that is Riding On The Wind (one of Halford's best ever performances). The following 3 tracks are cool heavy rockers (resembeling those short cuts from the turn of the decade) and off we go to the title track, a beast made of speed and aggression penned with laser precision skill, where Halford's high pitch shrieking voice (that would figure in some of the band's most noticeable tracks) makes its first proheminent registry. You've Got Another Thing Comin' fills all the requisits to please both metalhaeds and radio stations alike worldwide... plus it turned out to be an amazing live sing along. The album closes in a real great note with Devil's Child, an awesome rocker that mingles a classic Priest with something Angus and Malcom would do for AC/DC. It was also during SFV's storming tour that Judas Priest started to become really popular in the USA. Plus the band recorded their first live concert ever, properly named "Live Vengeance" that many state to be the Priest at its prime.
With Screaming For Vengeance the band learned that you don't have to go full sell out to sell tons of albums (a lession that they seemed to forget a couple of years later). This album is without shadow of doubt a classic and keeps a ridiculous high level of quality for almost 40 minutes. If you like metal and don't have this there's something really wrong with you.
Highs: it features at least a handful of all times classics and the few songs that don't fit that class are quite enjoyable...
Lows: ... except perhaps for the case of Fever that is a bit forgetable.
Rating: 8.25/10
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