judas priest

Really tight headbaging band. Better than some prog bands. Will definitely go see them if they come to Montreal.

Yeah, I like the preist of old. I remember when Screaming for Vengeance came out and the video for You`ve Got Another Thing Coming was banned on Much Music because they blew a guy up at point. I think it lasted one week before they pulled it!  Ithink it was banned on MTV as well but I`m not sure.

billyshears'67 wrote: I' own about 10 Priest albums and I got their new album "Angel of Retribution" the day it came out and it's ok, but not essential. The single from it "Revolution" isn't any good and it takes the riff from "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction (a great band). The lyrics and titles seem to still be cheessy, ex: "Demonizer," "Lochness." They're still a great live band and I'm gonna see them with Queensryche this year. Peace & take care

"Revolution" sucks. So does "Wheels Of Fire". but the rest of it, taking away the lame chorus of "Deal With The Devil" is far above expectations. I'm a huge Priest fan, especially of their '70s material, but this comeback stuff is getting a bit old. So I was surprsied that 'Angel Of Retribution' is so very good, definitely all kinds of great singing by Halford here too. I'm glad they mellow it out toward the end with "Angel" and "Eulogy", Halford sounds amazing on "Angel". "Judas Rising" is one the best J.P. songs period. But I have to disagree with BillyShears67 as quoted above, regarding the lyrics to "Lochness". Sure, the idea of them writing a song about the Lochness Monster is cheesy, but I think the lyrics pull it through (not to mention it being a hypnotic 13-minute plodder...):

"A beastly head of onyx, with eyes set coals of fire

its leathered hide glides glistening

ascends the heathered briar"

I mean, that's good! It sure ain't Krokus-level cheese or anything...

Now, let's get back to prog. I love metal, and JP's early albums have some prog elements, but this is a prog site so we're probably overstepping the bounds, eh? 

I am a Brummie and back when I was a teenager in the dim and distant past I loved Judas Priest particularly Sad Wings and now see that that album was a stepping stone into the prog I got into by the late 70's.However I dug the album out about three months ago and have to say although I enjoyed the nostalgic element I found the album naive and almost laughable(maybe they did have their tongue firmly in their cheek but it's a fine line to walk and where Alex Harvey did it with aplomb Judas Priest did not).I finally lost complete faith with them when I went to see them(for about the 5th time) just before or after the release of British Steel at Birmingham Odeon and they made us wait hours because they felt it more important to be in London recording TOP OF THE POPS!!!!!!! What a sell-out!!!!!!!!

Joren wrote: Vibrationbaby wrote: I have about 6 priest albums from the 70`s. One of my favourite covers is Fleedwood Mac`s Green Manalishi done by Rob & the boys. I haven`t heard the latest album with Halford back but will give it a listen next time I`m in the record store. I`ve read a few unfavourable reviews though. Last summer Halford substituted for Ozzy at a Black Sabbath gig in the states somewhere, would have loved to hear that! Apparently Iommi was impressed with his performance.  Cool! I believe I once downloaded a version of Into The Void with Halford on vocals once... so it wouldn't have been the first time then... (can't find it anymore though). That must've been quite something, Vibe!

Rob Halford fronted Black Sabbath twice, the first time in 1992 on the two final dates of the Dehumanizer Tour when Ronnie James Dio suddenly left the band. The second time was last year on the Ozzfest when Ozzy Osbourne was ill (the band included Adam Wakeman on keyboards on that tour), incidentally Judas Priest was the co-headliner.

Anyway, I've always been a big Judas Priest fan, they were (along with Iron Maiden) arguably the Greatest Heavy Metal band ever. However, personally I think Savatage is a much more enjoyable band.

Joren wrote: I used to be a huge Priest fan about two years ago (I have almost all of their albums), but what I've heard from the new album was not that great. I still like some of their earlier stuff though (from Rocka Rolla to Killing Machine). I would even dare to say that their first two albums have progressive elements.

I was listening to Rocka Rolla tonight after a while and was thinking that it contains prog, so I searched the forum to see what others think and found out that some think the same. I like Judas Priest, Beyond The Realms Of Death seems to be Judas Priest's Stairway to Heaven. There is an interesting story about that song:

 "Our drummer at the time, Les Binks, was left-handed. One day he walked into the studio and picked up one of the guitars - it must've been mine because Glenn would guard his with his life! Anyway, Les picked it up, turned it up-side down and played that riff. We thought, 'That's nice! Let's put a song around that...'. I don't know where he got it from. I've never heard him play anything else on guitar, ever!"
- K.K. Downing, Metal Works liner notes, 1993

     "Les came in and grabbed an electric guitar and played the intro to what became 'Realms...', and Rob had written out lyrics already about subliminal thoughts and some other weird sh*t, so we put the song together. Well he wrote all the licks expect for the solos. I suppose that he was just f**king around with the guitar and picked the riff up."
- K.K. Downing, 1988

Gentle souls one and all, Priest would never condone such infighting among it's fans.

Remember Painkiller? Sooo soothing and peacful. only wish the volume knob went to 11!

 

Sad Wings... the first Prog Metal album?

Well, it was 1972, and the songs are incredibly complex for 1972. This album stands up alongside any of the NWOBHM, yet it was 6 years too early - so it's possible.

I love the cover of Spooky Tooth's "Better By You, Better Than Me" - which leads me to suspect that the Priest (as well as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple) were heavily influenced by the latter's "Spooky Two" album - a much overlooked classic.

infact sad wings of destiny isn't bad and has SOME good tracks but especially the eigties material is really 

I love their song, "Exciter". One of my favorites.