This album rules and is the first big surprise this year. I didn't see that coming after the boring Redeemer of Souls. Firepower makes the band members sound thirty years younger than they actually are. How this can even be compared to the lifeless new Saxon output without any memorable songs is beyond me. I'm looking forward to seeing the band in concert soon!

Why all this trash talking about "Ram It Down?" A hatred of fun, I suppose.

Anyway, listened to it just now and it is a slog. Definitely in need of some trimming, and as a result it tends to lose one's attention. Don't think they'll ever reach "AOR" levels again.

I like "Ram it Down" quite a bit, (well 50% of it at least), but it's generally not well-regarded. This new one seems to be very well-regarded and I don't think it's songs are even half as good. Lowered expectations IMHO!

Better example of Priest doing Doom Metal is Monster Of Rock from Ram It Down.

It's a better song than Lochness as far as I'm concerned anyway

I have to say this album has been a grower. It's gotten better with each listen. I was also happy to come home from work to find the CD in my mailbox.

Also, count me in as not hating Ram it Down. The cover song was crap, but the rest wasn't bad. It's one of my favorite Priest albums.

A grower after two days?

Going to lay down the law and declare that an album cannot be declared a grower until six months after the initial release/leak.

Ram it Down always lasts one song in my house and it is the opener.

I let the first lot of albums slip, but you lost me completely with that Killing Machine comment.

Just noticed the Ripper studio albums and live album isn't on Spotify. Odd.

Argh, just realised that I cut and pasted my post from the JP thread on the Terorizer forums (I also post there), and forgot to alter the ratings (on Terrorizer forum users tend to rate albums on a scale of 1-5 fists for some reason, so 3.5 fists = 7/10).

I would probably rank the new one alongside HBFL/KM, i.e. 7/10 or about 70-75%.... I know that HBFL/KM gets praised by some but I've always thought it distinctly lightweight compared to the albums surrounding it (despite some excellent songs), and a major step down from Stained Class.

Firepower has more weight to it, but not that many standout tracks, so it's middle of the road in a different way.

Overall I really enjoy this album... it is probably their best since Painkiller and doesn't sound as forced as Angel Of Retribution and Redeemer Of Souls. The songs have their own vibes and energy to them, this is the most energy Halford has provided for a long time. It is a nice mix of aggression and hooks. We get a lot of modernization that makes the album sound similar to a Halford solo album. There are things that remind me of Painkiller and Defenders Of The Faith... in fact it sounds like a combination of those two albums. The album is a great listen. Probably what is to modern Priest what Brave New World and The Book Of Souls are to modern Maiden.

+ the solo section in 'Hard as Iron'

The local music store didn't have it in stock today for some reason.

I did listen to it online and thought it was good though.

No Surrender my favourite at the moment.

Killing Machine one of my favourites, hence my comment (which was in jest ).

Ram It Down is Painkiller lite with a drum machine on two songs, and then the rest is like Turbo B-sides. Album blows. But not as much as Point Of Entry.

I'm giving it some more spins just to see if I was a bit too harsh in my first impression of the album and I think I was. I'm liking it better this time. This one may take some time before I can form a lasting opinion. "Rising From Ruins" is a favorite so far.

It is a little too long--I think you could cut Flame Thrower, Lone Wolf, and Sea of Red (haven't seen anyone point to it as a standout) and you'd have an excellent Priest album. As it is, yes, those are some real duds and they do a disservice to the whole. But there are some outstanding songs on this record. Traitors Gate and Rising From Ruins are great. For me, they illustrate the whole point of the album: this band has mastered traditional metal. At the track level, they understand technique, structure, and drama in a way that other bands still struggle to imitate.

Even the bad songs are still okay. There aren't any true clunkers like Heavy Duty or at least half of Turbo. Still, just a little restraint would have taken this to another level.

Yeah, album should finish with No Surrender.

Of course, the beauty is, it can. I think it's strange that plus hour-long albums are held to 8/9 track 80s classic LPs. How can they match them?

Also I do hear a lot more Rob on this the more I listen, in vocal melodies but also the instrumentations. Spectre sounds like a Crucible track.

I really enjoy all three of those, tbh. The only problem is that they follow a lot of similar-sounding tracks, so we're a bit oversaturated on that sound by that point.

This is a very good album from what I've heard.

I'm personally really impressed by this album, I think it's fan-fucking-tastic. The only potential low point is "Flame Thrower", and even that blows away most of the stuff on the previous few albums. I thought "Sea of Red" was pretty good as far as ballads are concerned, but yeah..."No Surrender" definitely would've been the perfect album closer. God, what a fucking incredible song that is!

What I really like is, where "Redeemer of Souls" felt like an attempt to revisit different sounds & styles that Priest has had over the decades - maybe a little "self congratulatory" if you want to see it that way, this one is very consistent in style and seems to have a lot more character and personality as it's own album. It also feels surprisingly youthful and energetic...Rob in particular sounds amazing here, obviously he can't do the screams as well as he once could, but he more than makes up for that in the sheer passion and conviction of his voice.

Anyway, in my book, this is easily the best thing Priest has done since "Painkiller", though I suppose many will argue that it isn't really saying a lot .

After listening to the whole thing I'll go even further: this is the one of the best albums Priest has ever done. If I had to rank their albums I'd go Painkiller/Stained/Defenders/Sad Wings/Screaming, and then a tie between this and Killing Machine (after that there would be British/Sin/Ram then whatever's left).

It doesn't need 14 tracks and it could handle more speed, particularly in the second half, but this is very good stuff. Who knew they had it in them?

Upon more listens, I am still really digging it. Personally, it has two throw away tracks to me.
I find Children Of The Sun boring. And does ANYONE ELSE hear "Lone Wolf" as a song that could have been on Load/Reload? Holy shit. Everything about it sounds like 90's Metallica to me.

I actually thought it sounded like straight up doom metal with a tiny sprinkle of Alice in Chains in Rob's vocals.

It sounds like an Alice in Chains song with a slowed down version of the "Sad But True" vocal line. It's not bad but it's definitely the most out of place song.

Three listens in and I really like it. It's a solid B grade, right between Ram It Down (B-) and Screaming for Vengeance (B+) for me. I'll probably grab a copy if I find it cheap.

Early contender for album of the year. Seriously it's their best since the mighty Painkiller. Hell i've even warmed up to Never the Heroes that's how much it rules!

But does anyone notice that the piano in Guardians sounds a bit like Maiden's Empire of the Clouds?

You mean that seemingly routine lyric in the second verse of Lightning Strike where Rob struggles and sounds incredibly forced and out of key?How? That would be insulting since they have released five good to great albums, two of which are almost classics (Jugulator & Nostradamus) since the lone time in their career where they tried to be consistent. (Painkiller)
- Worshiping Painkiller demonstrates a lack of appreciation for what Judas Priest had always stood for. Judas Priest are the definition of inconsistent. No two consecutive albums have sounded the same and they never maintained any kind of style/theme/speed on any album. A good example? Take Sin After Sin:

Opens with an epic Power Metal anthem (Sinner), which is followed by (Diamonds & Rust) a cover of a ..... Folk song? A song that pretty much gave Iron Maiden the identity they would abuse for over 30 years. (Starbreaker) is next and that song is just a distorted guitar away from being a Jehtro Tull reject. Followed by an all out ballad (The ONLY time this happened until Lost Love on Nostradamus 31 years and 13 albums later) complete with Jazz guitar lines and percussion and one of the most emotional vocal passages of Rob's life with (Last Rose Of Summer). (Let Us Prey) is .................. Gospel! That is right, despite having no energy whatsoever since the first song, Priest greets their listeners with a song that literally begins with a Church Organ. Then it segues directly into a song (Call For the Priest) that is probably the first ever true Speed Metal track and combines said Speed Metal with Gospel. (Raw Deal) has thrash riffage during the final section and the first half of (Here Comes the Tears) sounds like an Eddie Money rejection before the album ends with what very well may be the first ever true Thrash Metal song (Dissident Aggressor)!

How is that for consistency? Judas Priest built their entire legacy on being eclectic and not making every song on the album sound the same. Each album has that one song that sounds like a completely different band than the rest.I don't know, maybe it is just having grown up with Priest but I cannot fathom how one could have every Priest recording at the tip of their fingers and find this is on par with Killing Machine, Sin After Sin, Turbo, Defenders or Jugulator. Or hell, even Nostradamus.I must be the oddest Judas Priest fan there is, except for when I remember how many fans before the internet loved the albums everyone on the net seems to hate. Since the albums can be ranked, for me, it would go:

1. Unleashed In the East: (Single greatest Metal album ever recorded. Sorry. The final Running Wild scream followed by that epic guitar breakdown is when I officially became a fan of the band. Also, how can one NOT just adore how Rob sings, "VICTIM OF CHANGES!" or his blood chilling screams at that intense as fuck outro to Genocide? Or how ruthlessly brutal Ian Hill is throughout but at the end of Tyrant.)
2. British Steel: (Contains my all-time favorite Priest song: Steeler)
3. Killing Machine: (Love all the elements of Funk/Folk/Motown. This masterpiece is seductively groovy)
4. Turbo: (I adore just how fun and carefree this album is. Takes me back to 1986 and how exciting an adventure it was to see a Judas Priest show. Contains my all-time second favorite Priest song: Reckless)
5. Jugulator: (Tim Owens is a beast and in the lower register is a superior vocalist to Halford. Songs like Bullet Train, Brain Dead, Blood Stained, Death Row, Dead Meat are ALL wicked awesome. Cathedral Spires is such a masterpiece and only Decapitate and Abductors bring the album down from a legendary status. Judas Priest lost one of the greatest vocalists to ever live and somehow found a man who was able to fill in his shoes but fit snug in with the band as if he had always been there.)
6. Sin After Sin: (An eclectic Metal masterpiece. A testament of how Metal should be: VERSATILE!)
7. Defenders Of the Faith: (This has to be the fastest 80's Priest album.)
8. '98 Live Meltdown: (That is right, another Owens album. There is no way one is being honest if they hear the amazing renditions of all the Jugulator songs but also The Ripper, A Touch Of Evil, Metal Gods, Diamonds & Rust & Night Crawler and say Tim does not deserve respect. However, nothing Priest ever did of their classic material slays as much as this live rendition of Rapid Fire. [Read Below])
9. Stained Class: (This album is more hype than anything else.)
10. Point Of Entry: (Not sure why so many dislike it. Because it is Priest-Lite? So what? Metal does not always have to be over the top. There is a thing that even the earliest metallers understood: It is good to utilize subtlety and quieter moments to emphasize the heavier parts. There ARE some duds though as Don't Go and All The Way are bad with the former being one of the most embarrassing moments in the bands career. Troubleshooter, On The Run, Turning Circles & Desert Plains are all amazing though.)
11. Sad Wings Of Destiny: (The start of true Heavy Metal but holy shit is that production job dated. The one thing that, while nice for educational purposes, brings the material down.)
12. Screaming For Vengeance: (First 4 songs rule with authority, rest of album sucks a big hard one)
13. Demolition: (This could honestly be higher since In Between, Bloodsuckers, Cyberface are all awesome and Subterfuge is a flipping masterpiece. Something about this album does not work as well as Jugulator though. It is still better than everything released since Halford rejoined the band.)
14. Nostradamus: (Dawn Of Creation, Death, Lost Love, Persecution, Solitude, Exiled, Alone, Calm Before the Storm, Nostradamus & Future Of Mankind are ALL awesome songs. I also appreciate it how much branching out Priest was doing here. Adding yet ANOTHER style of Metal under their belt, how many does that make now? It would probably be easier to identity which subgenres of Metal has Judas Priest not sampled or even created at this point. This album proves that Priest are without peer.)
15. Painkiller: (PRIESTKILLER! The title track & All Guns Blazing are amazing songs, the rest is just good. Overhyped beyond belief.)
16. Ram It Down: (While the tour for this album was great when I caught it, the album is almost too mechanical and less diverse. A sign of what was too come with the following album.)
17. Angel Of Retribution: (Boring comeback and immediate knowledge that this incarnation was not your parents Judas Priest. Instead of sticking it out with Owens, the band decided to, for at least 1 album, to rest on their laurels and be self-congratulatory.)
18. Redeemer Of Souls: (Production is bad but Richie gives the band some energy. Overall however, this album is rather boring, way too much filler. Crossfire, Dragonaut and Halls Of Valhalla are all great though.)
19. Firepower: (Jury still out on this one)
20. Rocka Rolla: (Does anything else BUT this deserve to be last on the list? Run Of The Mill is an early masterstroke. Oh damn those ending vocals, that extremely emotional opening guitar solo by Glenn and the psychedelic solo by Ken. I wish the band had done this live past the Sad Wings tour. The entire rest of the album sucks, especially Never Satisfied, the single worst song on Judas Priest's career. How many riffs does this song have? I think it is just 1)

I saw Priest live with Tim Owens five times. 2 times on the Jugulator tour and 3 times on the Demolition tour. The first was in the Avalon Ballroom in Boston and when they did Rapid Fire, about four songs in, I was stunned. I had obviously already heard Jugulator so I knew Tim was great but I can still remember the exact moment I was sold on him being the man for the job. The added bridge after the second verse, the "Rapid Fire! Between the Eyes!" part, most of the audience was more stunned than anything else. Most I saw kinda stopped and listened, a little confused, and not even really in the mosh pit. That can be a disaster for such a Speed Metal classic but I think one of the reasons it worked is the part only lasts for ten seconds before Tim screamed the words Rapid Fire. The way he screamed them and then held the note for another ten seconds was godly and he stood kind of like a stone while everyone, including me, yelled back our approval. He soaked it up while the band does that simple thrashy riff that builds to the amazing bridge and, to be honest, instead of moshing, most of the people I could see was more floored by how high Tim's voice got than the song itself. He made that part his own and most of the crowd seemed shocked by how much he sounded like Rob but that final scream of the song capped it all off. It was a mix of excitement for such a great live song - as well as a classic by Priest - but the added elements was brand new to the audience. '98 Live Meltdown had obviously not even been recorded yet and this gig was only the 4th concert of that tour. The band was fresh and that song was the highlight of the show, pretty remarkable considering how awesome they did everything else. Another special moment was Night Crawler. The way Tim sang that outro was unnerving and downright creepy, the way the song was intended. Thing is, I saw Priest twice on the tours for Painkiller and both times they did Night Crawler and both times Rob was kind of bad. The band did the song on both of the gigs I saw on that tour and both times they easily destroyed the '90 and '91 efforts with Rob.

I accept that I will always be in the minority here but the Tim Owens era is extremely underrated and unfairly criticized just because Halford was absent. Interesting how people could not accept Rob out of the band but can accept both K.K. and now Glenn out of the band when they were very much more vital to the identity of Priest than Rob was. The Owens era showed someone else could be Rob Halford but 2011-present era shows that no one else can be K.K. & Glenn and still be Judas Priest.

While I like lots of Killing Machine, it's short and has lots of weird crap on it. If it had three more songs of the same quality as "Hell Bent for Leather", it would have been perfect.

Sin After Sin has "Sinner" and "Dissident Aggressor." The rest of that album leaves no impression on me at all.

I've honestly never listened to Rocka Rolla all the way through. The stuff I've heard sounds better than Demolition and Point of Entry at least.

I share your appreciation for Tim Owens vocals, and while I do think Jugulator is a good album it's hard to think of it as Priest. It's just so weird and different. Demolition is the same thing, just with nu metal influences and the lack of an amazing classic like "Cathedral Spires".

Been listening to it quite a bit. Wonder if Joey Demaio likes the opening note progression of Traitor's Gate. Haha.

I do think that JP reached their live peak under Owens. 98 Live Meltdown and Live In London are both superb albums. Owens frankly blows Halford away on them. I like how the band seemed to update their sound and become even more ferocious during that era.

I will slightly disagree about the band lacking something without KK - I've seen Priest four times and oddly the best show of that lot was in 2011 when Faulkner had just joined, he seemed to give the band an energy boost and they were terrific that day.

Also, I disagree that JP couldn't maintain a consistent style for a whole album before Painkiller; Stained Class is noticeably more focused and uniform than the preceding albums in terms of songwriting, structure and sound.

It's easier to sing two hours of Judas Priest material when the guitars are tuned down a whole step.



They're not missing something in the live shows, it's the studio where the quality is clearly lacking post-KK.

I don't think that has anything to do with it. Listen to the live version of Diamonds and Rust from 98 Live Meltdown, Owens reaches high notes Halford - or any other singer for that matter - never gets near.

Fact is that Owens can do stuff Halford just can't. Halford is still a brilliant singer, but Owens was phenomenal.

That's a completely different version, and again one that is tuned down a whole step. I love that version too, but that really has nothing to do with what I am saying. I'm talking about singing a whole set, and any singer will tell you these songs would be easier to sing one step down.



Not even close to true. Ski and Eric AK have hit higher notes than Ripper IIRC.

I was a HUGE fan of Ripper, especially Brainicide, Winters Bane, and Jugulator. But Halford has been far more consistent overall. His voice doesn't sound all that great these days. He sounds more slurred and drunken than aggressive IMHO. I actually met Ripper back on the Jugulator too BTW.



You really need to listen to Altered State's demo. Ski is far better than Owens ever was. You can thank me later.

Maybe Painkiller being consistent is Priest's ultimate nod to inconsistency by being their only consistent album, ahhhhhh.

What's the absolute highest note documented from these guys?

Halford briefly touched a C#6 live in 1984. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Xz9WFOt4c

Tim Owens hit an even better C#6 in Israel in 2010. holy shit, it sounds absolutely hair raising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... zN7ARU7RSc

This is the first Priest record i really enjoy since Angel. I think it might be their best since Painkiller. A lot of Defenders-era feeling in this record and since that is my second favourite Priest album (Stained Class being number one), that's a good thing. Favourite tracks as of now is Rising from Ruins and the ripping No Surrender!

Halford sounds really good and the slogging Redeemer and overly pompous Nostradameus are already leaving my mind. The drumwork also feels much more energetic again. I would however edit out Necromancer, Children of the Sun, Guardians and the last two tracks. It drags on a bit too long. 40-45 min is optimal for a Priest record.

If they decide to end it with this record, they end on a high note. I am a KK fanboy and it would be fantastic to see them all together a last time. I also want a cure for the dreadful Parkinson disease. One can dream..

Albeit a technically fantastic singer, i never liked Rippers tone nor the album he appears on. Priest with Halford or no Priest at all for me.

For those setlist junkies, Holy shit, did they ever shake it up for the opening night of the tour.

(Guardians Intro Tape)
1. Firepower (debut)
2. Running Wild (Fist time since 2002 / first time with Halford since 1980)
3. Grinder (first time since 2009)
4. Sinner (first time since 2009)
5. The Ripper (first time since 2009)
6. Lightning Strike (debut)
7. Bloodstone (first time since 1990)
8. SAINTS IN HELL (DEBUT!!)
9. Turbo Lover
10. Angel (first time since 2009)
11. Evil Never Dies (debut)
12. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll (first time since 1991)
13. Breaking The Law
14. Hell Bent For Leather
15. Painkiller
----
(The Hellion intro tape)
16. Electric Eye
17. Metal Gods
18. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
19. Living After Midnight

I'm so glad they mixed up their set list! Anthrax take note!!!