Re: Judas Priest Survivor FINAL BATTLE: Realms of Death vs. Painkiller (Feb 24-26)
Beyond is a beautiful song yes. But...
There's quite a difference in metal before Painkiller, and after Painkiller. Yes, bands like Slayer, and other trash bands already presented such aggression, but
Painkiller presented a new combination of aggression and melody. In fact it was the best combination of aggression and melody, ever. It still is. Listen to all those metal bands who have tried to play in that style. They all failed to be as good, since they didn't have a strong vocalist like Halford, but at least as important: their riffs sounded too much Painkiller, or at least: never better.
BTROD wasn't that groundbreaking. It wasn't new. It was a beautiful song, but Priest had made such a work earlier. Anyone remembers Dreamer Deceiver? The same style really. The same (also quite) beautiful solo. Anyone remembers Run of the Mill? Here Come the Tears? A bit different, perhaps, and most of you will probably find these songs less good, but the style was already there. The sad, melancholic (semi-)ballad with long guitar solo.
Jeffmetal said:
Priest proved that they could run at same speed of their offspring, but Stained Class was a watermark to the whole genre. More than Painkiller.
That's your personal view. You could say my post is also subjective, but I think you would deny the total world metal press when you say that Painkiller was a lesser watermark to the whole genre. Before Painkiller, Priest sounded thinner with their crappy computer drums. The arrival of Scott Travis was very important. Listen to that fat sound, those double bass drums. A true reborn Priest. They reinvented themselves.
Whichever song we like better, the importance of the Painkiller album (and song) in the landscape of metal is as sure as 1 + 1 = 2.