Artist: Judas Priest
Label: Epic Records
Release Date: 3/1/05
Abyss's Review:
Longtime readers of this site (both of you) probably know that I've never been the biggest Judas Priest fan. And because of this I maintain the slightest trepidation with regard to this review. I've warmed up to classic Priest significantly in the past few years, but I'm still not sure I understand what the defenders of the faith are really looking for with regard to this album. Priest has many different eras with regard to their sound, and it's nearly impossible to come to a consensus on what their best era was (although I'm pretty confident it wasn't Ram It Down!).When legacy, expectations and history are all taken into consideration, I have to believe that this album is exactly what the average Priest fan was hoping for. One thing's for sure, it's anything but an embarrassment. On the contrary, at a minimum it is an all-around solid metal album that honors many eras of the Priest sound while showing that they are still a vital creative force.
"One word review: Resurrection!" The album kicks off with "Judas Rising" a relatively heavy song that combines the classic Priest sound with a splash of Nevermore, resulting in a thick, almost modern sound. From there the album jumps around a bit, moving between both the old-school metal and the pop-fueled years the band was famous for. In many ways, this album will satisfy the both "Screaming For Vengeance" and "Livin' After Midnight" crowds. Songs like "Worth Fighting For" and "Deal With The Devil" could easily fall on the side of cheesiness if such care in writing and production wasn't taken, but the fact is they are easy to endorse, because they make no excuses for what they are. The band unapologetically takes turns revisiting and reminding you of their earlier work, whether it's Point Of Entry, British Steel, Sad Wings Of Destiny, or Painkiller.
While Halford's performance is impressive, I'm much more floored by Tipton and Downing. The solos on this album are incredible, like the band realized that they had something to prove. And prove it they did, all without having it sound forced. The simple fact is that Judas Priest are back. If you've been a longtime lover of this band you'll be pissing your pants. Luckily some of you are old enough that you're already wearing adult diapers. One word review: Resurrection!
Death's Review:
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year and a half, you know that Rob Halford is back with Judas Priest. For the first time in twenty-five years, Ozzy is back with Black Sabbath, Bruce Dickinson is back with Iron Maiden and Rob Halford is back with Judas Priest. All is right with the world.The summer of 2004 marked Priest's triumphant return with the band playing the European summer festival circuit and the U.S. Ozzfest. Now comes Priest's new studio album, Angel of Retribution, the first since Halford's return and the first Halford-fronted Judas Priest album since 1990's Painkiller. In short, expectations are through the roof for this record, and Angel of Retribution has a lot of heritage to live up to, before you even hear note one.
"Priest is back and they have made a cool new record that many people coming from different parts of the metal spectrum are equally going to enjoy." For the most part, Judas Priest succeed with this new album, which is in many ways a return to the "classic" Priest sound and style. This album very much comes off as a calculated attempt to capture the magic and feel of "classic" Priest records like Hell Bent for Leather, Screaming for Vengeance, Sad Wings of Destiny and Sin After Sin. The album cover harkens back to the artistic angelic symbolism of Sad Wings of Destiny, crossed with the modern, metallic and comic-book feel of the Painkiller artwork. The guitar tone evokes the warm fuzzy power of 70's metal, and the main drum beat of opener "Judas Rising" reminds one slightly of the lumbering force of something like "Dissident Aggressor."
Of course, the lyrical themes are overly simplified here, as they are without, which is the album's weakest point. However the classic-style guitar solos rip on each song, and songs like "Deal With the Devil" and "Hellrider," "Wheels of Fire" and "Demonizer" rock with the catchy metallic edge of Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith -era material, and these songs grow on you and get embedded in your brain after four or five listens - you'll find yourself singing them and getting them stuck in your head. Angel of Retribution is also to be commended because of the variety of the material. Again, in the tradition of some of the better classic metal albums from the 70's and early 80's, there is a balance to the songs and a flow to the tracklisting that moves from balls out rock to power ballad to lengthy epic with a natural ease. Of the mellow material, the soaring "Angel" works best, showcasing Halford's voice well. I also like the haunting but too-short "Eulogy," which reminds me of stuff like "Epitaph" from Sad Wings Wings of Destiny or something from Rocka Rolla (made me think about the recent Metal Maniacs interview that was asking Halford about why he doesn't sing in the mid-register baritone of the early years anymore - as a side note, that same article was also funny because of the writing quizzing the band members as to the "best" tracks off of each of the classic Priest albums and telling them they were "wrong" when they picked something other than the writer did; great stuff and a fun read). Clearly, there was a conscious effort to re-capture some of the old Priest magic, but the artistry has been dumbed down a bit in 2005 to appeal to the least common denominator. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the album closer, "Lochness," a lengthy epic which is exactly what I was looking for from Priest except for the fact that the lyrics (about the Loch Ness Monster) just come across as a little too cheesy. Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings had awesome lyrics; so did "Beyond the Realms of Death" and even some of the stuff on Screaming for Vengeance. Why everything here is about "metal" and "steel" and "monsters" is beyond me, but I'll take it. All in all, Priest is back and they have made a cool new record that many people coming from different parts of the metal spectrum are equally going to enjoy. It's great to have the band back together and I'm looking forward to the rumored tour this summer with Queensryche. But because they got so much right here, it makes me regret the 10-20% they appear to have held back. I'd love to see the band take things to a greater level of depth next time around.
The album comes in several versions that include a DVD (or DualDisc) of a 40-minute documentary on the reunion with live performances of classic material form the 2004 summer tour. I like the acoustic "Diamonds and Rust" the best; Halford also really gets into it on "Touch of Evil," which is also of interest; "Hell Bent for Leather" shows him come out on the motorcycle, so there is a good deal to see here. Short and pretty much what you expect, nothing more, but this footage definitely adds to the value of the overall package.
Hel's Review:
This is an intimidating review to write. There's been so much build up to this album. Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford - what's it going to sound like? Well, it turns out that it sounds pretty much like you think it would.Though there seems to be some denial going around about the existence of Demolition, I nevertheless recall it quite vividly. Sure, it was a train wreck of a record, but I also remember that its sole saving grace was some of music itself was palatable. Take out Ripper and put Rob back in, and there you go. Things are pretty much back to normal.
"Angel of Retribution is an extremely strong return for this legendary band." There are a couple of small things I feel the need to comment on. First, Rob doesn't hit as many of the highest of the high notes anymore. Not really a problem, just something I noted. Unless you're addicted to those high notes, then you may have some issues with it. I'm pretty much ok with it myself. The other thing is that a few of these lyrics are just plain goofy. "Lochness" - need I say more?
Angel of Retribution is an extremely strong return for this legendary band. The music is well written and performed with the talent the members of the band are so known for. Of course the production is excellent. The limited edition 2 CD set is packaged as a hardcover book, which is a nice touch, and the DVD is interesting and entertaining.
All in all, I’d say this is definitely a worthwhile purchase for Judas Priest fans. It’s pretty much everything you’ve always loved about the band, but it’s circa 2005. How cool is that?
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