Metal Reviews

I see no filler on Painkiller, nor selfcopied riffs. The only song in there that, for some reason, I don't like that much is Metal Meltdown, but the rest are all killers. Like Orion, I think it's probably the greatest heavy metal album.

However, I'm undecided. I find Sad Wings Of Destiny equally godly, just in totally different ways. I guess I'm a man of the extremes: my favourites are their mellowest and their angriest.

Lol, funny thing is back then I was about ten years old and listened to the black album But as u can see I did much growing up since!!!

I just want to put a set of songs, in order:
Breaking The Law - Rapid Fire - Metal Gods - Grinder - United - Living After Midnight - You Don'T Have To Be Old To Be Wise - The Rage - Steeler.
Yeah. British Steel.

Each of these songs are better than all songs from Painkiller, excepting Painkiller. Are faster as hell, are Metal in pure state, some are really gay but incredible (United, I really love this song) and all them kick ass.

And see the year it was released... 1980... this year marked the start of a new age in metal... the NWOBHM. And this album marked a way to go, its a clear influence in a lot of bands that changed the world of metal.

Painkiller is an incredible album, one masterpiece, after two lesser albums... Was the swan sing of a great band... that ten years before of that album, have defined the way metal has to be.

Painkiller is numero two for me.

Sad Wings of Destiny is the best.

British Steel was (is) an incredible album BUT :

a) it did not invent nwobhm. It was INFLUENCED by the new wave of british heavy metal raw sound, and gave back elements to the genre in return. But like you said it was released in 1980, the genre of nwobhm dates at least two years beforehand. Now the older Priest albums, like Killing Machine or wings, indeed influenced the new wave era.
b) Most of the songs aren't fast! They are anthemic mid tempo! Painkiller is fast!

Agree with the rest of the points, personally if I had to pick my fave Priest albums I'd say Killing Machine (hell bent for leather), British Steel, Defenders of the faith and Painkiller in equal measures. All flawless, all milestones for their time of release.

Saying Painkiller has filler songs is blasphemous. The offending parties should be banned from the forums and then have their testicles ripped off by leather clad men.

Well, I didn't said it invented nwobhm... older Judas albums were a clear influence in the start of nwobhm, but this album was a influence in how nwobhm evolute and changed metal world.

1980 is the mainly starting point of nwobhm... yeah, the bands were there before, but the main starting releases, the real explosion, was on that year... for example:
Iron maiden - self titled.
Angel Witch - self titled.
Def leppard - On Through The Night
Saxon - Wheels Of Steel
Girlschool - Demolition
Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat.

The only important album before that year is Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations, released in 1979.

But well, Painkiller is a great album, but not the best Judas album. The third one for me, just before Hell bend for leather (killing machine).

Thanks to this thread, today I'm just listening to Judas

Sad Wings of Destiny is my favorite. It's better than Painkiller.

Stained Class and Sad Wings of Destiny are hands down their greatest albums....those two albums are in the top ten of greatest metal albums ever. GOddamn they're awesome. Painkiller can't even hold a candle up to those two. They are truly majestic.

Painkiller hands down... it was the first one I listened to by JP, after that i'll kept on buying almost the entire back catalogue waiting for another Painkiller, but sadly that moment never came...:(. Still, this happened around '92- '93 so my opinions on the old catalogue changed a lot, only the top remained the same: PAINKILLER
Tha album has no fillers at all, just rips from beginning to end. the only song I find a little sub par is Metal Meltdown (except the awesome intro)... My favourite song on this album is One Shot At Glory ...ahh, man , got to listen to the album AGAIN NOW!!! On all the other albums there are fillers, a lot of them.The only one I find to be almost as consistent (but the songs are not so strong) is DOF '84
So I rate JP albums as follows (still haven't listened to SWoD, Rocka Rolla or Hell bent for leather) :
1. PAINKILLER
.
.
.
2. Defenders...
3. British Steel
4. Screaming For Vengeance
5. Ram It Down
6. Turbo

P.S. Although it's the last one I find Turbo very enjoyable in the right state of mind (70+)
P.S. 2 I haven't rated AoR, but for me it's a very strong album fitting in the top with Painkiller and Defenders.

Painkiller really is a special, incredible album- one of my absoloute favourites. If there's another JP album that comes close to touching it, it would be Stained Class, though. Such an underrated album; meanwhile, average ones like British Steel are placed at the top of their catalogue (nothing too bad about it of course, but British Steel gets a low 70s from me whereas Painkiller and many of their others are up there in the high 90s). I mean... How can one even say seriously that songs like "Living After Midnight," Breaking the Law and "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" compare to "Painkiller", "One Shot at Glory," "A touch of Evil," etc...? As for the NWOBHM argument, if there was a Judas Priest album that truly did influence the genre, then it definitely wasn't British Steel. Sad Wings, Sin after Sin, and especially Stained Class paved the way for NWOBHM. British Steel... Not so much so.

In any case, I'll stop ranting. Painkiller rules.

Not true, Quartz put out their self titled album in 78, and it has heavy metal songs on it. But other than that your right.

For me, Painkiller is one of those special albums that comes around once in a blue moon where the band exceeds their potential. Definately the best from Priest.

Painkiller is easily the best Priest album. Nothing else comes close.

The next 3 best albums after Painkiller, IMO, would be



and



and

:shock:

:shock: indeed.

OK, I should say MY favourite top 4 Priest albums. People here have already mentioned Turbo and Ram It Down. And i think Demolition is great, love Rippers vocals. Not into their 70's material although there are a few good songs sprinkled about

JUDAS PRIEST TOP 5 ALBUMS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The top 15:

1. Painkiller
2. Stained Class
3. Sad Wings of Destiny
4. Defenders of the Faith
5. Screaming For Vengeance
6. Sin After Sin
7. Ram it Down
8. Angel of Retribution
9. Killing Machine
10. British Steel
11. Rocka Rolla
12. Jugulator
13. Turbo
14. Point of Entry
15. Demolition

In my opinion...

1. British Steel
2. Killing Machine
3. Painkiller
4. Screaming For Vengeance
5. Stained Class
6. Sad Wings of Destiny
7. Sin After Sin
8. Defenders of the Faith
9. Turbo
10. Point of Entry
11. Ram it Down
12. Angel of Retribution
13. Jugulator
14. Demolition
15. Rocka Rolla