JUDAS PRIEST

JUDAS PRIEST
KILLING MACHINE (1978)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

"Killing Machine" was released in 1978, and it was the first time Judas Priest delivered the goods all the way from start to finish. The album holds a lot of strong songs and it fits in naturally time wise regarding the band's development from a more or less progressive rock band to metal gods. I would say that there are no weak spots to be found anywhere on this solid effort where the song writing seems to have been in focus. The furious "Hell bent for leather" might be the most known track here, but there are plenty of other highlights to explore. The ballad "Before the dawn" with its beautiful vocals and guitar play is really a gem, and there is no similarity at all to the ballads metal bands used to put on every album during the hair metal days. "Take on the world" is built like "United" from the "British Steel" album, and serves as a sing-along-with-the-band with its melodic and catchy chorus. Other great tracks are "Delivering the goods", "Evening star", "Burnin' up", "Killing machine" and "The green manalishi". I could go on and on, giving you examples of this album's greatness. With such variation in the material, Judas Priest really capture the attention of the listener, and "Killing Machine" is an album you will never grow tired of. I consider this one almost equally great as the classic masterpiece "British Steel", and it's without doubt one of the finest efforts from Judas Priest. This album reminds of a time when the band had too much pride to put out any song that can be seen as a mediocre filler. My advise is: Get it, you won't be sorry!

1. Delivering The Goods
2. Rock Forever
3. Evening Star
4. Hell Bent For Leather
5. Take On The World
6. Burnin' Up
7. Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)
8. Killing Machine
9. Running Machine
10. Before The Dawn
11. Evil Fantasies
Bonus Tracks
12. Fight For Your Life
13. Riding On The Wind (Live)

BRITISH STEEL (1980)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

With Hell Bent for Leather, Judas Priest had begun the task of developing their image for increased mainstream attention, reveling in leather-and-motorcycle trappings while beginning to simplify and streamline their sound. British Steel brings that process full circle, offering the band's catchiest, most accessible set of tunes yet, while retaining the precision guitar assault and quasi-operatic vocals that had come to define their sound. It was the simplest music Priest had yet attempted, but thanks to the (mostly) top-notch songwriting and AC/DC-like willingness to allow the songs' grooves room to breathe, the record is a smashing success overall, with maybe one or two subpar tracks. There are a couple of trends beginning here that would take their toll later on — the lyrics are a bit more juvenile, and the music seems to prize commercialism over complexity — but in this context, neither really matters, as Priest display a real penchant for stadium-ready anthems. "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" became genuine hit singles in the U.K., and deservedly so, while the album became their first to reach the U.S. Top 40, going platinum in the process.

1. Rapid Fire
2. Metal Gods
3. Breaking The Law
4. Grinder
5. United
6. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
7. Living After Midnight
8. The Rage
9. Steeler
Bonus tracks
10. Red, White & Blue
11. Grinder (Live)