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By Vinnie Apicella |
Judas
Priest| Metal
fans today would be hard pressed to point to any band, any song, any style
that Judas Priest hasn't in some way had an impact on, directly, indirectly
or otherwise. For instance, take many if not all of the premier Power
Metal acts prevailing overseas right now and if the elements contained
within their music weren't enough of a testament to the fact, ask them
who their influences were and odds are the name Judas Priest figures prominently.
Take the band Running Wild, German metallers, overseas legends in their
own right, twenty years strong. you can swipe their name straight off
of Priest's classic "Hell Bent for Leather" release back in '79. And Judas
Priest, as they are to this day, remodeled, revitalized, cyclic revisionists
and defenders of a faith that's rewarded they and their fans a hundred
times over. such faith has allowed them to endure to this day and replace
a beloved front man with a relative unknown who, surprise, was found fronting
a Judas Priest tribute band when Glenn, KK, and the boys came calling.
Priest's influence is boundless, everybody knows that and for those who
don't, here's a brief lesson in Head banging 101. A long overdue reissuance
of their massive catalog-one that began in relative obscurity in the not
so golden age of early '70s Metal-then, a term too few could identify
with, many knew what to do with. Simply, when you think of the terms "Heavy
Metal," you think of Judas Priest, case closed. At long last the band's
back catalog gets the remastering treatment-beginning with the four classic
early '80s titles that few could argue against being their best work of
all-time. Beginning with 1980's "British Steel," the follow up studio
effort to "Unleashed in the East" live and acclaimed "Hell Bent For Leather"
releases-and let's hold on right here, shut down the engine, turn back,
there's little point in going any further. Considering the magnitude each
of those records had at the time of their release, each signaling the
next step in the world domination the Priest were well on their way to,
no one had a right to think they could top themselves. "British Steel"
had that sort of name where you just knew what it was about-yes the razor
blade held carefully in the spike-wristed hand and the law of the land,
laid down loudly to all who would listen-"Rapid Fire," a storming opening
cut signaled right off something sensational was about to begin-rejoice,
they didn't max themselves out yet. No they certainly didn't. This was
the album that would go on to produce the universally acclaimed Heavy
Metal anthems like "Metal Gods," "Breaking the Law," "Grinder." and who
could discount their longtime set closer "Living After Midnight;" simple
songs, simply stated, but with such sheer power few could ever hope to
match. "British Steel" delivered the goods on an equal scale as its "Hell
Bent." studio album predecessor and proudly proclaimed that there would
be no stopping this beast as it headed thunderously down the highway.
I'm not going to try to whitewash anyone into thinking "Point of Entry,"
Priest's 1981 follow up to the bruising "British Steel" outperformed its
better known predecessor simply because it fits into a pretty little chronologically
arranged significance. no, rather "Point of Entry" was not even remotely
better nor would some even consider it amongst the highlights of the bands'
career-which is not to necessarily knock the record but rather they had
so many hits sooner or later there's bound to be breakdown from time to
time. "Point of Entry" was a solid record that threw caution to the wind
audibly and stylistically and was met with mixed results and still yielded
some of the best songs they've ever done-the incredible opener "Heading
Out to the Highway," for those who like to get a little tight-fisted on
the throttle grips, consumed by a need for speed and want a little something
extra to spit at the so-called "mod" crowd. It was a different record
but undeniably Priest with many classic moments that remain crowd favorites
to this day-"Don't Go," "Hot Rockin,' and of course "Desert Plains," which
is also found as one of the two featured bonus cuts, here the live version,
thunderously paced and recorded during their '81 tour. Okay so two albums
in and we're rockin' harder than ever, flipping through the pages of a
glorious past adorned with full lyrics, period photos and a top notch
audio upgrade that leaves a pleasant buzzing in your ears long after the
motor's shut down. Yet all the while my thoughts turn to drummer Dave
Holland and what were they thinking? Few could deny the album that followed
next was the one that vaulted an already mighty band into the annals of
Heavy Metal supremacy. Of course if taking the world by storm weren't
enough in the years leading up to '82s "Screaming for Vengeance," maybe
shaking it by its foundations would do the job. If the band itself lies
as the undeniable root of all things Metal, this was the album that's
at the top of everyone's all-time favorites or damned close. Perhaps none
more so, this album, as with many of the rest, stands the test of time,
some twenty years later, still as powerful as ever! Upon the opening notes
of "The Hellion," turn the lights off for full effect, you just knew something
dangerously magnificent was about to occur. "Electric Eye," an immediate
crowd-stirrer at any Priest concert past or present signaled the start
of the mightiest of Priest records and from there, no turning back-the
leather, studs, and decibel crushing volume, leveling all their path,
the Birmingham bad boys turned everything up a notch on this one. "Riding
on the Wind," ""Blood Stone," "Pain and Pleasure," the piercing title
track, all unrelenting, undeniably fierce and then of course the Rock
radio hit that broke down those unforgiving commercial barriers "You've
Got Another Thing Comin'" that roared forth in true Priest fashion, broke
those barriers till they begged for mercy and devoured the masses with
an anthemic quality second to none. What more could be said about this
record? It has it all, spared no rod, spoiled no one and offered no apologies-multi
platinum success all on their terms and a must for any true head banger's
catalog. And two years later, the birth of the "Metallian." a term quite
fitting the phenomenon that was Judas Priest, Metal legends in the prime
of their career and with the release of this 1984 juggernaut, whatever
seemingly insurmountable obstacles they created for themselves an album
ago were immediately knocked to the ground by the massive might of the
Tipton/Downing twin-guitar power surge and a Halford-led performance to
raise the fists of the dead. "Defenders of the Faith" blazed a trail of
fire and fury from the moment "Freewheel Burning" flew loose from the
speakers and didn't let up till the final calling of their anthemic title
track. to say this album was "heavy" would be a gross understatement.
By this point, a little over a decade's worth of Priest style Heavy Metal,
a music that broke all the rules and fostered an inspirational tradition
that knew took no prisoners, this was ten tracks of pure power with nary
the hint of a weakening link in the chain. The band's sound, continually
rising in intensity, knew no compromise, bound stronger than ever, melody
and aggression a perfectly matched union, the band successfully defended
the faith to their legions of fans in storming through a set that included
the likes of "Jawbreaker," "Rock Hard Ride Free," "The Sentinel." free-wheeling,
ass-kicking, fist-pumping, jaw dropping. even when they felt the need
to take the more romantic approach and lay down their tough-guy personas
for a moment, the end result, "Love Bites," delivered an devilish taste
of fear in a compelling nocturnal setting that could've scared the Hell
out of anyone who actually expected otherwise. "Some Heads are Gonna Roll"
got the nod on Rock radio play lists this go-round and not lacking for
heaviness, it faithfully kept the Priest pride intact while again raising
listener awareness that Heavy Metal wasn't about to take the back roads
on this journey. Really the creators could've decided to spotlight this
most memorable of periods in the band's history and left it at that-four
albums that defined for a generation of listeners what the cause was all
about. and who was in command. Integral parts of any collection, these
four reissues, remastered, plus extra bonus tracks, all featuring one
previously unreleased album-era studio track and one live, plus original
artwork, extra band images and brief notes on the making of the originals.
A must have collection for head bangers, nay Sayers and brow-beaters of
all types, these, the first four in a series of twelve overall to be released
over separate intervals-so as not to overwhelm anyone all at once-they
were the best Priest had to offer at the time, yet just when you thought
they could do no more, they storm back stronger than ever. The music lies
as it should at the forefront of these reissues though the bonus studio
tracks are not of a too enthusiastic variety-revitalized and better than
ever, they stood the test of time after all these years, now they'll conveniently
ride right over it and leave it coughing in the dust. More Ear Busters
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