Title: Painkiller
Label: Columbia Records
Release Date: 1990
Rating: 4 Skulls
Title: Rocka Rolla
Label: Koch Records
Release Date: 1974
Rating: 5 Skulls
Artist: Judas Priest
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Title: Painkiller Label: Columbia Records Release Date: 1990
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Rocka Rolla Label: Koch Records Release Date: 1974
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Solomon's Review:
The name "Judas Priest" needs no introduction. One of the oldest and certainly one of the most important bands in the Hall of Noise, Judas Priest have been assaulting ears since Rocka Rolla came out in 1974. Guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, along with the highly influencial Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden, helped pioneer the dearly-loved multiple-guitar attack, a staple metal ingredient carried forward by everyone from Metallica to Megadeth, Tesla and In Flames. Rob Halford is, hands-down, the true "Metal God." One of the original leather-clad screamers, Halford is one of, if not THE most celebrated vocalist in metal history. The band's impact on the sound of metal is immeasurable and, at the turn of the last decade, Painkiller represented a shift in the group's style that was prophetic if not a bit "too much, too late."Actually, Painkiller didn't totally reinvent the Priest rulebook, but rather took the traditional/power metal template already established on records like Hell Bent For Leather and Screaming For Vengeance and gave it a considerable boost. Before Jugulator, Painkiller could agruably be Priest's heaviest/hardest record, a speed/power metal opus that makes the band's previous catalogue look tepid. The opening title track by itself is a classic. New drummer Scott Travis kicks the song off with an unforgettable drum spot that makes you say "THIS is Judas Priest?!" The following guitar barrage and Halford's penetrating wail makes "Painkiller" one of the band's greatest tracks. Unfortunately, the rest of the album, while not weak, doesn't live up to this kind of kick-off. "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" has a cool, driving, traditional metal riff. "Touch of Evil," hinting back to the Turbo days with key/synth shadings, digs in with a heavier, more laid-back feel that makes it one of the best tracks on the album. Above all else, the lead work of Tipton and Downing deserves some kind of Nobel Prize for Kicking Ass. These guys must have done some serious homework with a Chris Impelliteri or Paul Gilbert instructional video. Not that they were chumps before, but practically every solo sets a track record. "Painkiller," "All Guns Blazing," "Metal Meltdown" and "One Shot At Glory" will give any six-string apprentice his money's worth.
Funny how this record, representing a new-found fountain of power for the band, was released shortly before grunge broke and all that fret-wanking became old hat. Also, Painkiller was Halford's last Priest effort before going his own way in the 90's, pursuing other bands and solo projects with varying degrees of success. Luckily, the down-tuned rumblings of 90's bands rubbed off on the seasoned vets of metal, and they returned as an even heavier act on 1997's Jugulator, proving you can teach an old British rock god (er, dog) new tricks. Painkiller remains one of the best in the Priest pantheon.
Painkiller:
Death's Review:
After almost three years of weekly classic review postings, we have written surprisingly little about Judas Priest, one of my all-time favorite bands and absolutely one of the undeniable legends of heavy metal. So when classic king Solomon told me he was setting up a Priest grudge match where he would write about Painkiller and I was to counter with another offering, the question was what to pit against it. Since I basically consider Painkiller the last true Priest album (for obvious reasons), I figured, why not compare it to Rocka Rolla, Priest's first?For those of you who have not heard this ancient metal classic, let me warn you: it is old. This is classic rock Priest, still heavy, but from a time when JP were more drugged-out hippies than leather-clad metal madmen. Rocka Rolla comes from the time when music could not be "too pretentious," where grand aspirations and muddy production values came together to create some epically heartfelt and emotionally powerful tunes. Rocka Rolla surely ain't no Defenders of the Faith, and as Priest has reinvented itself countless times throughout its almost 30 year career, it is not even truly representative of the Priest catalogue. Still, it maintains that essential intensity, with killer riffs, Halfordian wailing and ripping leads. Defenders, British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance all need their day here in the classic section of Metal Judgment, as does the killer follow-up to Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny, but this time we go back to where it all started with Rocka Rolla. And staying true to the grudge match form, as lauded as Painkiller is as "one of the top metal albums of the 1990's", in terms of true emotional spirit, in my opinion, Rocka Rolla blows Painkiller away.
For me, the essence of the genius of Rocka Rolla is twofold: the lyrics and the dynamics. Never before had an album (with all due respect to Sabbath, Rush and Zeppelin) gone from quiet to brutal and back again with such power and effectiveness. This dynamic effect, combined with long, adventurous journeys into metallic sonic landscapes through droning riff repetition with increasing intensity (perhaps a very early and indirect precursor to bands like Neurosis?), and the introspective and existential lyrics, make this a record designed for serious contemplation only. Sure, the title track is a bit of a "party" number, but songs like "Winter" ("In the morning when I wake up, Get this feeling deep inside, And I wonder if I'll die young, Or I'll go out of my mind"); "Never Satisfied" ("Where do we go from here, There must be something near, Changing you, changing me forever, Places changes, faces change, Life is so very strange Changing time, changing rhyme together, There's no where else to go, This could be our last show, Changing dreams, changing schemes never, We are never satisfied"); and the AWESOME, incredibly powerful "Run of the Mill" - in my opinion one of Rob Halford's finest performances and a tune I'd pay $100 to hear performed live, project an a quest for life's meaning which remains eternally relevant. These lyrics remain some of my favorites I've ever heard to this day. Check out "Run of the Mill" and really think about it:
What have you achieved now you're old?
Did you fulfill ambition, do as you were told?
Or are you still doing the same this year?
Should I give sorrow, or turn 'round and sneer?
I know that the prospects weren't all that good
but they improved, and I'd have thought that you could
have strived for that something we all have deep inside -
Not let it vanish, along with your pride.
Now with the aid of your new walking stick you hobble along through society thick
And look mesmerized by the face of it all
You keep to the gutter in case you fall
I can't go on
I can't go on
I can't go on
I can't go on
I, I, I, I...Does this shit speak to you like it does me? It is sad, if you let it be. But really, instead, Rocka Rolla is a celebration: the earliest evidence of a band that has had as much impact on the world of heavy metal as any that have come before or since. All hail the mighty Priest. And if you are truly a real fan, forget about the mindless drivel and the sugar-rush accessability of Painkiller (and yes, I like it, especially, the ballads and the title track, but I think there is some serious filler there too), and instead dig deep, kick back, and throw on Rocka Rolla. In my opinion, this is much closer to the true essence of this legendary act that their later-day attempt at jumping on the already played out by then "thrash" bandwagon.
Rocka Rolla:
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