Judas Priest Discography Discussion (part 2 starting page 20)

It's very classic balls-to-the-wall Judas Priest with lyrics discussing the hypocrisy of war ("With open arms we fight for peace!"). But it lays a good glaze of metal cliches on top of it to disguise the true meaning from those that don't usually delve into the lyrics. I love it. Best song on the album, with "No Surrender" being close behind it.

As a whole, the album takes a good few listens to get into, but it's awesome once you do. I agree that "Flame Thrower" is by far the weakest song on there though.
 
There are no weak songs on Firepower....

But if I have to choose - Lone Wolf or Flame Thrower.
 
Last edited:
My final ratings on the entire Priest discography:

First, a little bit about my process. Initially, I listened to each album individually at least 4-5 times. Usually a couple times through without much context just to get the feel of the music and then a few more times after researching the history and/or reading the lyrics. These were all listened to on various sound systems (studio headphones, car speakers, ear buds, home speakers, etc). I listened one more time while writing each review that I posted in this thread. Then I came up with my in-depth ratings.

Over the last week I've listened to every album again one more time only without trying to focus too much on anything, just trying to let the musical experience and overall feel wash over me. That said, here's my final album ranking:

1. PAINKILLER - 9.5
2. FIREPOWER - 8.8
3. SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE - 8.7
4. ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION - 8.2
5. SIN AFTER SIN - 8.1
6. KILLING MACHINE/HELL BENT FOR LEATHER - 7.8
7. BRITISH STEEL - 7.8
8. DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH - 7.7
9. STAINED CLASS - 7.6
10. SAD WINGS OF DESTINY - 7.5
11. REDEEMER OF SOULS - 7.4
12. NOSTRADAMUS - 6.4
13. ROCKA ROLLA - 5.6
14. POINT OF ENTRY - 5.2
15. TURBO - 5.0
16. RAM IT DOWN - 4.7
17. DEMOLITION - 4.6
18. JUGULATOR - 3.6

Nearly every one of these ratings changed (for better or worse) during that final relisten when I wasn't overanalyzing everything. For those of you really, really interested in the numbers I have each individual song and album rating and change listed in spoilers below. Here's the gist:
  • Biggest positive change: Nostradamus by 1.2 whole points and Sin After Sin by .8 of a point.
  • Biggest negative change: Ram It Down by .5
  • Every album went up or down except for the two Ripper albums. Even if some of those songs changed by a point or two, the albums themselves averaged out the same. They are equally as terrible no matter how you listen.
  • What do my rankings tell me about how I like Judas Priest? Well, I hate when they are trying to be something they are not. Case in point, every album at the bottom of the list shows the band experimenting with something that doesn't generally work in their core sound (industrial sounds, jagged production, pop metal, pop hard rock, straight up 70s blues rock, a lack of self-editing). Priest are best when they are heavy, fast, and loud. Sure, I love some of the ballads and mid-tempo tracks, but nothing works for Priest better than a twin guitar attack, heavy drums, bass somewhere in the mix, and Halford writing super catchy hooks.
ROCKA ROLLA - 5.6 (- .2)
One for the Road - 5/10 (-2)
Rocka Rolla - 4/10 (-1)
Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat - 7/10
Cheater - 6/10 (+1)
Never Satisfied - 9/10
Run of the Mill - 6/10 (-2)
Dying to Meet You/Hero, Hero - 4/10 (merged, averaged)
Caviar and Meths - 4/10

SAD WINGS OF DESTINY - 7.5 (+ .2)
Victim of Changes - 10/10 (+1)
The Ripper - 9/10 (+1)
Dreamer Deceiver - 10/10
Deceiver - 7/10
Prelude - 6/10
Tyrant - 9/10
Genocide - 5/10
Epitaph - 5/10 (-1)
Island of Domination - 7/10 (+1)

SIN AFTER SIN - 8.1 (+ .8)
Sinner - 10/10 (+3)
Diamonds & Rust - 10/10 (+1)
Starbreaker - 6/10
Last Rose of Summer - 4/10 (+1)
Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest - 9/10
Raw Deal - 9/10 (+1)
Here Come the Tears - 8/10
Dissident Aggressor - 9/10

STAINED CLASS - 7.6 (- .2)
Exciter - 8/10
White Heat, Red Hot - 7/10
Better By You, Better Than Me - 8/10 (-1)
Stained Class - 7/10 (-1)
Invader - 7/10
Saints in Hell - 9/10
Savage - 6/10
Beyond the Realms of Death - 10/10
Heroes End - 7/10

KILLING MACHINE/HELL BENT FOR LEATHER - 7.8 (+ .2)
Delivering the Goods - 10/10
Rock Forever - 8/10
Evening Star - 6/10 (+1)
Hell Bent for Leather - 10/10
Take on All the World - 2/10
Burnin’ Up - 7/10
The Green Manalishi - 9/10
Killing Machine - 9/10
Running Wild - 9/10
Before the Dawn - 9/10
Evil Fantasies - 7/10 (+1)

BRITISH STEEL - 7.8 (+ .4)
Rapid Fire - 8/10 (-2)
Metal Gods - 8/10 (+1)
Breaking the Law - 10/10
Grinder - 8/10 (+1)
United - 3/10 (+1)
You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise - 6/10 (+1)
Living After Midnight - 10/10 (+1)
The Rage - 10/10
Steeler - 8/10 (+1)

POINT OF ENTRY - 5.2 (+ .3)
Heading Out to the Highway - 9/10
Don’t Go - 4/10 (-1)
Hot Rockin’ - 7/10
Turning Circles - 4/10 (-2)
Desert Plains - 8/10
Solar Angels - 6/10 (+2)
You Say Yes - 1/10
All the Way - 4/10 (+1)
Troubleshooter - 4/10 (+1)
On the Run - 5/10 (+2)

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE - 8.7 (+ .3)
The Hellion/Electric Eye - 10/10
Riding on the Wind - 9/10 (+1)
Bloodstone - 9/10 (-1)
(Take These) Chains - 8/10 (+1)
Pain and Pleasure - 5/10
Screaming for Vengeance - 10/10
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ - 10/10
Fever - 9/10
Devil’s Child - 9/10 (+2)

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH - 7.7 (+ .4)
Freewheel Burning - 10/10 (+1)
Jawbreaker - 10/10
Rock Hard Ride Free - 9/10 (-1)
The Sentinel - 10/10
Love Bites - 7/10 (+2)
Eat Me Alive - 6/10 (+2)
Some Heads Are Gonna Roll - 8/10 (+1)
Night Comes Down - 9/10 (-1)
Heavy Duty/Defenders of the Faith - 1/10

TURBO - 5.0 (+ .2)
Turbo Lover - 8/10
Locked In - 7/10
Private Property - 6/10 (+2)
Parental Guidance - 2/10 (+1)
Rock You All Around the World - 1/10 (-1)
Out in the Cold - 10/10 (+2)
Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days - 1/10
Hot for Love - 3/10 (-1)
Reckless - 7/10 (-2)

RAM IT DOWN - 4.7 (- .5)
Ram It Down - 8/10
Heavy Metal - 2/10 (-1)
Love Zone - 3/10
Come and Get It - 1/10 (-1)
Hard as Iron - 7/10 (-1)
Blood Red Skies - 10/10
I’m a Rocker - 3/10
Johnny B. Goode - 3/10 (-1)
Love You to Death - 4/10 (+3)
Monsters of Rock - 6/10 (-4)

PAINKILLER - 9.5 (+ .3)
Painkiller - 10/10
Hell Patrol - 10/10
All Guns Blazing - 10/10 (+1)
Leather Rebel - 10/10
Metal Meltdown - 7/10
Night Crawler - 10/10
Between the Hammer & the Anvil - 10/10 (+1)
Touch of Evil - 9/10 (+1)
Battle Hymn/One Shot at Glory - 10/10

JUGULATOR - 3.6
Jugulator - 3/10
Blood Stained - 5/10
Dead Meat - 2/10
Death Row - 3/10
Decapitate - 1/10
Burn in Hell - 6/10 (-1)
Brain Dead - 2/10
Abductors - 4/10 (+1)
Bullet Train - 2/10 (+1)
Cathedral Spires - 8/10 (-1)

DEMOLITION - 4.6
Machine Men - 7/10 (+1)
One on One - 4/10
Hell is Home - 1/10 (-1)
Jekyll and Hyde - 5/10
Close to You - 6/10 (-1)
Devil Digger - 1/10
Bloodsuckers - 8/10
In Between - 1/10 (-1)
Feed on Me - 9/10
Subterfuge - 9/10
Lost and Found - 5/10 (+2)
Cyberface - 2/10
Metal Messiah - 3/10

ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION - 8.2 (+ .4)
Judas Rising - 9/10 (-1)
Deal With The Devil - 9/10
Revolution - 8/10 (+1)
Worth Fighting For - 8/10
Demonizer - 10/10 (+3)
Wheels of Fire - 6/10
Angel - 9/10
Hellrider - 7/10
Eulogy - 6/10
Lochness - 10/10 (+1)

NOSTRADAMUS - 6.4 (+ 1.2)
Dawn of Creation/Prophecy - 9/10 (+1)
Awakening/Revelations - 4/10 (+1)
The Four Horseman/War - 4/10
Sands of Time/Pestilence and Plague - 3/10 (-1)
Death - 5/10 (+2)
Peace/Conquest - 8/10 (+3)
Lost Love - 7/10 (+2)
Persecution - 10/10 (+1)
Solitude/Exiled - 4/10
Alone - 7/10 (+1)
Shadows in the Flame/Visions - 8/10 (+1)
Hope/New Beginnings - 1/10
Calm Before the Storm/Nostradamus - 10/10 (+2)
Future of Mankind - 10/10 (+3)

REDEEMER OF SOULS - 7.4 (+ .2)
Dragonaut - 9/10 (+1)
Redeemer of Souls - 9/10
Halls of Valhalla - 10/10
Sword of Damocles - 10/10
March of the Damned - 7/10 (+1)
Down in Flames - 6/10 (+2)
Hell and Back - 6/10 (+1)
Cold Blooded - 8/10 (+2)
Metalizer - 2/10 (-2)
Crossfire - 8/10
Secrets of the Dead - 8/10 (-1)
Battle Cry - 7/10
Beginning of the End - 7/10 (-1)

FIREPOWER - 8.8 (+ .1)
Firepower - 10/10
Lightning Strikes - 10/10
Evil Never Dies - 10/10
Never the Heroes - 8/10
Necromancer - 9/10
Children of the Sun - 7/10
Guardians/Rising from Ruins - 10/10
Flame Thrower - 4/10 (+1)
Spectre - 10/10
Traitors Gate - 9/10
No Surrender - 10/10
Lone Wolf - 8/10
Sea of Red - 8/10
 
Angel Of Retribution:

Reunions always carry great expectations. And, after 2 great Priest like solo albums, re-signing with Columbia records, the return of Rob made expectations go sky high and fans could not be slightly disappointed with the band's newest recording: Angel Of Retribution.

Judas Rising kickstarts the album with a guitar lead fade strongly resemblant of 76's masterpiece Sad Wings of Destiny only to be interrupted by the storming rumble of Travis' kit and Rob's hear piercing warcry. What comes next is nothing short of amazing. Heavy and epic as hell, this mammoth of a song shows a band focused in Heavy Metal's pure essence whith guitars and double bass druming leveling anything that dares to cross its path. Rob's singing sounds brutal, spewing some kind of avenging metal gospell to be revered in the following centuries. In contrast with the cheesiness of their 2 last albums each verse out of this track could be easily a strong name for a metal song itself or even an album. By now the only question is wether the rest of the album can hold on to the standards of such a mythical opener.
Well... in all honesty it does. Deal With The Devil is a great fast paced banger, resembling the Screaming/ Defenders era while Revolution has that kind of late 70's/ early 80's punch without sounding slightly forced or out of place. Worth Fighting for is a beautiful and melancholic rocker (featuring a slight revisiting of 84's Love Bites guitar lead) and Demonizer could easily be taken out of Jugulator such is the heaviness and aggression of this anthem letting fans know that the band insn't done with that recent feature of their sound quite yet. Wheels of Fire is an ok straight forward radio friendly rocker and Angel is simply gorgeus: a typical 70's semi acoustic Priest ballad filled with emotion and intention while not sounding dated. Hellrider comes storming in at an unstoppable pace like some beast out of the Painkiller album while Epitaph is an interlude that brings strong memories of some of its 70's sibblings (once again exquisitly).

By now two things are rock solid: 1) Angel Of Retribution is nothing short of a masterpiece. 2) One feature that reinforces that standard is the fact that this album covers all the aspects that made Priest an Heavy Metal legend from the Mid 70's to the late 90's. There's a little bit of every era and nothing seems out of place. Due to some strange type of alchemy only metal legends can master, the diverse hues of these songs seem to combine in perfect harmony. Nevertheless, there's a color lacking in this painting: the long classic. And so enters Lochness.
After a guitar intro we're presented a eerie, slow paced, heavy doomer that sounds like something Candlemass would write. And man does it sound great! Then Rob starts singing a nice spooky melhody that goes along just fine with the whole ambiance... but... what is this? A poorly penned description of the imaginary dinosaur under loch Ness? After 8 songs of solid crafted heavy metal imaginarium we're presented with a epic 13 minute track wich verses seem like a 10 year old depicting a giant lizard hidding in a lagoon? and if the music up till now is still great then enters the chorus and the whole thing falls to pieces. The melody is awful and the lyrics get even worst: "Loch Ness confess your terror of the dee / Loch Ness distress malingers what you keep/ Loch Ness protects monstrosity/ Loch Ness confess to me" WTF????????? Seems like Rob is also trying to prove he can pen some Demolition like lyrics on this one and by now I'm left wishing Epitaph would be an epilogue and not an interlude to this... errr... thing.

Nevertheless, and in all fairness, Angel Of Retribution is a blatant triumph and a huge comeback for Priest as the following tour would prove. The gang was together again and the metal machine was well oiled. So what would be the next chapter. As always these guys would surprise half world.

Highs: Judas Rising, Demonizer, Hellrider, Angel, variety of sounds while remaining coherent.
Lows: Yeah... Loch Ness *sigh*
8.25/10
 
Last edited:
Nostradamus:

With fifteen studio albums in their pocket and almost 40 years of domination while defining a whole musical genre, Priest could play it safe. But instead these veterans took the long road again while risking a conceptual double disc symphonic metal opera based on the well known 16th century's french clairvoyant Nostradamus. One must admire the balls it takes to 5 soon to be sexageneries to make such a game changer following their huge reunion.

Dawn of Creation wellcomes the listener, drenched in syths and effects, and then all of a sudden Prophecy kicks in: a mid tempo theatrical Priest tune, filled with orchestrations giving the moto to the whole record. The track itself is merely ok and serves as a proper prologue. After a short interlude (one of many) Revelations gets going in a way more dynamic and even more theatrical fashion, with the orchestrations propelling the narration to a more intense pace. Like it. Then things tend to get a bit problematic.
The following 4 songs consist in 2 beautiful interludes and 2 songs regarding the 2 initial horsemen of the apcalypse - War and Death. Both songs are slow, heavy and once again cinematic and orchestral as metal can get (the former giving a more belic groove with its war drumming while the later being a sombre dirge - totally fitting to the narrative). The problem here is these 2 tracks is that both also sound like lengthy interludes themselves, and by now don't get surprised if you start yawning. Following another interlude (also gorgeous but... another one?) enters the 3rd horseman: Pestilence and Plague. And fortunately this horsemen's mount has whole lot more of torque and its potency immediatly recaptures your atention to this passionate and intense metal piece with its chorus featuring a transcription of the original quatrain in its original language (buono!). The last horseman arrives after (yes you guessed it) another interlude and it's a superb old school pompous metal anthem, featuring some arabesque licks and a great lead guitar that drives this tune onwards. Lost Love is simply boring. Persecution, on the other hand, kicks in relentlessly. A fast heavy rhythm crusher that wouldn't seem dislocated in Painkiller's track list, closing the first disc on a real high note.

As you hit play the second disc starts surprisingly with another goddamn intro. By now these interludes tend to get tiring and are way below the quality of the "4 horsemen" sequence in disc one. Exiled is also quite average and a bit boring melodic down tempo. So this is far from a good start of the 2nd part of a double album until we get to Alone. And let me tell you: this track is nothing short of amazing! Like its predecessor Alone's also an acoustic theme that bursts into metal power chords but the similarities end here. If it wasn't for the orchestrations this tune could be included in any top Priest album and still would hold its ground. That chorus, the bridge with the acoustic guitar, the choirs and most of all Rob's voice. Mr. Halford turns back the clock on this one (just check the man's last high pitch scream... wow!). Absolutely masterful. Then, well... you guessed it: another short interlude and by now I'm already developing severe eardrum rashes due to "interludotitis". Nevertheless Visions is a superb mid tempo tune that eases my interlude saturation only to be aggaravated by another one before the title track starts. With a pompous, dramatic intro, Halford's voice goes full tenor and then everything gets dragged by a warp speed monster ryhtm strongly resembling Painkiller: a really great track sabotaged by goofy and unnecessary Broadway like choirs chanting "Nostradamus" 1000 times throughout the song in a really annoying fashion. To wrap the whole thing I'm tortured with one last interlude making way to Future of Mankid, with its slow paced heavy riffing revealing an uninspired chorus, dragging itself through the last 8 minutes of the plot.

So what do we get? A lot, that's what we get. And that's the problem with Nostradamus. It has too much. Sure some songs are really great but sometimes they appear to get smothered in orchestrations and an excessive amount of intros that ironically break the record's pace and narrative. Plus some tracks could be way shorter while others are simply boring transicional points. Would the band managed to round the edges and remove all that's accessory, Nostradamus could easily fit in 75 +- minutes and become the great opus it was intended to be.
Nevertheless I must stress it once again: hats off to the band for not playing it safe and pulling out something new into their legacy. And no matter how many interludes I'm surmounted by, that alone is enough for a strong applause.

Highs: Revelations, Pestilence And Plague, Conquest, Persecution, Visions and the wornderful Alone. A band of veterans innovating/ taking risks
Lows: Saturating at times, too much interludes, lenghty stagnant songs, too much interludes, some musical cliches here and there, too much interludes, could easily fit in one record.
6.75/10
 
Last edited:
I've found that ''The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)'' was added to the US release of the album Killing Machine (in the US the title of the album was Hell Bent For Leather) and was not part of the original UK release of the album back in 1978.

Originally, the cover was exclusive to the US version of the album, but it was added to later releases of the album.
 
Forostar said:
Also previously unreleased, from the Turbo sessions, this song appeared on a compilation set Metalogy: Heart of a Lion:
Click to expand...

This is a awesome song (great riff and chorus). Should have been on the Turbo album IMO.

If I'm not mistaken, Scott Travis previous band (before Priest), Racer X recorded that song for one of their albums. Rob gave them the song without Glenn's or K.K.'s knowledge.
 
Kalata said:
The song ''Freewheel Burning'' was released with a guitar harmony intro for the 12'' single version (that is not on the album version of the song).

It's strange to hear the song with a intro - it's nice too.

Click to expand...

Like it. Gives that Victim of Changes or Judas Rising like ambiance before hitting the gas at "breakneck speed" ;)
 
karljant said:
Like it. Gives that Victim of Changes or Judas Rising like ambiance before hitting the gas at "breakneck speed" ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah. Priest have other songs (besides the two aforementioned) which starts with guitar harmony intro like ''Hellrider'' and ''Halls Of Valhalla''.
 
Last edited:
Kalata said:
The song ''Freewheel Burning'' was released with a guitar harmony intro for the 12'' single version (that is not on the album version of the song).

It's strange to hear the song with a intro - it's nice too.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the find. I am glad they ditched the intro though.
 
Redeemer Of Souls:

After turning the Nostradamus page one could only guess what path would the Priest go onto next. From the get go the band would suffer a severe blow: original member KK Downing leaving the band. Richard Faulkner was the chosen axemen to carry the legend and one could only wonder if he was skilled enough to do the job. But more often than not this band grants us big surprises and the rookie's performance happily falls under this category. Cause when you pick great musicians "it isn't what it is": you can do no wrong.

So, after a loud as hell thunder blast a sharp as hell cutting riff gives the motto to the fast paced Dragonaut, something that could be described as a mix between Painkiller and Electric Eye resulting in an outstanding addiction to Priest's extensive character list and working wonders as the album opener. Great in your face traditional metal guitar riffage seems to be the word of the day once again ... and so does fuzzy guitar production (albeit nothing compared to the nightmare that is Demolition so let's not get stuck in details). The excellent title track follows and once again all I can think of is something that mixes their early 80's glory with something out of the Painkiller era. By now everything's in it's place... Although failing to present us anything new, the first two tracks are exceptionally well crafted and energizing while full of addictive hooks. But there's one thing that's missing: Halford's high pitch voice. Don't get me wrong: Rob's approach on these tracks is perfect (his tenor voice is better than ever) . Nevertheless one can only find odd the fact that past 2 entire themes there's absolutely no sign of such a prominent trait in the band's sound.

Track 3 kicks in with a somehow familiar guitar harmony fading in (Victim Of Changes/ Judas Rising anyone?) and Halls Of Valhalla makes its way in truly epic fashion (what would you expect out of a song named like that?) as Rob unleashes his first scream of the record and... man, did his high pitch degraded! Hey... nothing to be ashamed of here: the burden of age catches up to everyone and even the metal god himself is no exception. And although we all knew this day would come I think it's that kind of experience one can only have the proper notion once it happens. Other than that Rob's voice remains stellar and we're also rewarded with some awesome growls as a bonus, spicing up a song that is by itself another excellent epic Priest composition. Speaking of epic, Sword Of Damochles keeps that tone with its great guitar harmonies, rendering another great song. March Of The Damned is one hell of a retro metal "Sabbathesque" anthem that could have easily be featured on the band's early records. Down In Flames is also really enjoyable, fitting 100% in the Screaming For Vengeance/ Defenders Of The Faith mid paced metalized rocker archetype.

Hell And Back seems to be the halfway mark of this album. For the first time in Redeemer Of Souls presents us calm acoustic tones that work wonders to give the listener a bit of rest from the stimulating metal spree that began with Dragonaut. But that's not meant to last because this soft starting track unfolds into a slow paced megaton crusher. Can get a bit tiring but still intense and adds variety to the whole package. The remainder of the album is not as solid as the first part, although having its high points. While Crossfire is a somehow uninspired heavy blues ramble, Metalizer is something so intense that could be ranked among the heaviest tunes of albums such as Jugulator or Painkiller. The rhythmic section is firing on all cylinders on this one particularly (also, due to some "studio magic" Rob's high octaves seem to work particularly well as an exception). Secrets Of The Dead follows the same recipe Hell And Back offered and is equally enjoyable. And, before Beginning Of The End wraps things up in a slow mood, Priest offers us one last rush of adrenaline with the excellent "how-great-heavy-metal-should-sound-like" Battle Cry.

So, by reading the above lines one may say I consider this to be one of Priest's finest hours due to so many positive adjectives. Not quite. Let there be no mistakes: Redeemer of Souls is a good album filled with good songs and is extremely addictive and easy to listen to. But there's the feeling that everything the band presents here has been done a bit better in the past. And, while this aspect somehow downgrades the final product it also works as a paradox: if it's true that nothing seems extremely compelling, the majority of the songs here when compared with their classics still sound really solid and by no stretch counterfeit material. That alone for a band with so many albums released and more than 3 decades of existence is one hell of an achievement. So, Redeemer Of Souls also works as a reminder that we the fans can no longer be as demanding as we were in future releases and that it will be pretty much impossible to listen to an album that resembles classics like Screaming For Vengeance or Painkiller, that Richard Faulkner's new blood isn't enough to turn back the clock and that the unique war cry of the metal god is not what it used to be. Or could they?

Ladies and Gents... This is Judas Priest. One of the most surprising metal bands ever. And let me say in advance the following FIREPOWER would prove time travelling is possible.

Highs: Really solid material with lots of great songs, easy listening, works well as an album, great bonus tracks (especially Tears Of Blood)
Lows: Rob's high pitch voice, guitar producing, sticking a bit too much within "their sound"
Rating: 7.5/10
 
Last edited:
karljant said:
Redeemer Of Souls:

After turning the Nostradamus' page one could only guess what path would the Priest go onto next. From the get go the band would suffer a severe blow: original member KK Downing leaving the band. Richard Faulkner was the chosen axeman to carry the legend and one could only wonder if he was skilled enough to do the job. But more often than not this band grants us big surprises and the rookie's performance happily falls under this category. Cause when you pick great musicians "it isn't what it is": you can do no wrong.

So, after a loud as hell thunder blast a sharp as hell cutting riff gives the motto to the fast paced Dragonaut, something that could be described as a mix between Painkiller and Electric Eye that resulting in an outstanding addiction to Priest's extensive character list and works wonders as an album opener. Great in your face traditional metal guitar riffage seems to be the word of the day once again ... and so does fuzzy guitar production (albeit nothing compared to the nightmare that is Demolition so let's not get stuck in details). The excellent title track follows and once again all I can think of is something that mixes their early 80's glory with something out of the Painkiller era. By now everything's in it's place: although not presenting nothing new, the first two tracks are exceptionaly well crafted and energizing while full of addictive hooks. Except for one thing that's missing: Halford's high pitch voice. Don't get me wrong: Rob's approach on these tracks is perfect (his tenor voice is better than ever) . Nevertheless one can only find odd the fact that past 2 entire themes there's absolutely no sign of such a proheminent trait in the band's sound.

Track 3 kicks in with a somehow familiar guitar harmony fading in (Victim Of Changes/ Judas Rising anyone?) and Halls Of Valhalla makes its way in truly epic fashion (what would you expect out of a song named like that?) as Rob unleashes his first scream of the record and... man, did his high pitch degraded! Heynothing to be ashamed of here: the burden of age catches up to everyone and even the metal god himself is no exception. And although we all knew this day would come I think it's that kind of experience one can only have the proper notion once it happens. Other than that Rob's voice remains stellar and we're also rewarded with some awesome growlings as a bonus, spicing up a song that is by itself another axcellent epic Priest composition. Speaking of epic, Sword Of Damochles keeps that tone with its great guitar harmonies, rendering another great song. March Of The Damned is one hell of a retro metal "Sabbathesque" anthem that could have easily befeatured on the band's early records. Down In Flames is also really enjoyable, fitting 100% in the Screaming For Vengeance/ Defenders Of The Faith mid paced metalized rocker archetype.

Hell And Back seems to be the halfway mark of this album. For the first time in Redeemer Of Souls presents us calm acoustic tones that work wonders to give the listener a bit of rest from the stimulating metal spree that began with Dragonaut. But that's not meant to last because this soft starting track unfolds into a slow paced megaton crusher. Can get a bit tiring but still intense and adds variety to the whole package. The remainder of the album is not as solid as the first part, although having its high points. While Crossfire is a somehow uninspired heavy blues ramble, Metalizer is something so intense that could be ranked among the heaviest tunes of albums such as Jugulator or Painkiller. The ryhthmic section is firing on all cylinders on this one particulary (also, due to some "studio magic" Rob's high octaves seem to work particulary well as an exception). Secrets Of The Dead follows the same recipee Hell And Back offered and is equally enjoyable. And, before Beggining Of The End wraps things up in a slow mood, Priest offers us one last rush of adrenaline with the excellent "how-great-heavy-metal-should-sound-like" Battle Cry.

So, by reading the above lines one may say I consider this to be one of Priest's finest hours due to so many positive adjectives. Not quite. Let there be no mistakes: Redeemer of Souls is a good album filled with good songs and is extremely addictive and easy to listen to. But there's the feeling that everything the band presents here has been done a bit better in the past. And, while this aspect somehow downgrades the final procuct it also works as a paradox: if it's true that nothing seems extremely compeling, the majority of the songs here when compared with their classics still sound really solid and by no stretch counterfeit material. That alone for a band with so many albums released and more than 3 decades of existance is one hell of an achievement. So, Redeemer Of Souls also works as a reminder that we the fans can no longer be as demanding as we were in future releases and that it will be prety much impossible to listen to an album that resembles classics like Screaming For Vengeance or Painkiller, that Richard Faulkner's new blood isn't enough to turn back the clock and that the unique war cry of the metal god is not what it used to be. Or could they?

Ladies and Gents... This is Judas Priest. One of the most surprising metal bands ever. And let me say in advance the following FIREPOWER would prove time travelling is possible.

Highs: Really solid material with lots of great songs, easy listening, works well as an album, great bonus tracks (especially Tears Of Blood)
Lows: Rob's high pitch voice, guitar producing, sticking a bit too much within "their sound"
Rating: 17/20
Click to expand...

I agree with you that ROS is a great album - not great like Firepower, but still is a very good Priest album covering all of the styles of the past albums of the band. Awesome album cover too. And the 5 bonus songs are also a top-notch Priest material - all of them could have been on the album, especially ''Tears Of Blood''... how can you leave a song with such an amazing riff off the album? Great song.

Short review:
- for me the classics from this album are ''Halls Of Valhalla'', ''Battle Cry'' and the title track. HOV is a top 10 song!
- great album opener..., vintage Priest. One of the best songs in the album.
- two songs close to classics are ''Sword Of Damocles'' and ''Down In Flames'' is a hidden gem. One of the best short rockers of the band.
- the album has one ''mystic'' song with a heavy riff. ''Secrets Of The Dead'' is epic.
- nod to their earlier albums is ''Crossfire'' (70's heavy blues). I'm not a fan of the song, but I'm sure a lot of fans like it.
- one song that has a weak chorus is ''March Of The Damned'' (the riff is inspired by Black Sabbath, nod to their heavy material from the 70's).
- nod to their speed metal (Painkiller era) is ''Metalizer'' (which was a working title for the album). Not so good song.
- the song ''Hell & Back'' is 50/50. / ''Cold Blooded also, but that song has one part with riff and solos which are brutal (2:38-4:02)
- and ''Beginning Of The End'' is a nice ballad to end the album.
 
Last edited:
The song ''Metal Meltdown'' was included in the compilation album Metal Works '73-'93 [1993] (there's also a Priest video documentary entitled Metal Works) and the song is missing the intro which has on Painkiller - any reason for that?
 
Kalata said:
The song ''Metal Meltdown'' was included in the compilation album Metal Works '73-'93 [1993] (there's also a Priest video documentary entitled Metal Works) and the song is missing the intro which has on Painkiller - any reason for that?
Click to expand...

Only on the first issue, the intro is on the remastered version. I've no idea why
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top