Artist: Judas Priest
Label: SPV Records
Release Date: 7/23/02
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Live In London (DVD) Artist: Judas Priest Label: SPV Records Release Date: 7/23/02
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Dawnrazor (10/1/02):
Anyone who thought this band was dead in the water after the departure of one Rob Halford and several years of inactivity and the subsequent recruitment of a no-name Priest cover singer was obviously a little out of touch... myself included. Not so much that I ever thought Priest could comeback sans Halford, considering said vocalist lost much of his own credibility from departing the scene for favor of experimentalist BS, but more so, sustenance not on their past, but a future that required rewriting. So Judas Priest, some five years after their comeback Jugulator release, still stands, proud as they once were; a few years older, maybe a chord or two slower, yet no less severe as their latest Demolition release ascertains. And while again I'll be quick to add that Demolition is not the long awaited rerun classic album we've all hoped for since their re-emergence, for all its forward looking dynamism, is a formidable album that's unflinching in its ferocity, and with positive long term growth prospects... not quite the dismissive Turbo result that was too easily swayed by the quick skip. And such brings us to the Live In London DVD, recorded from their Demolition tour at the end of last year and follow up to '98s Live Meltdown. First point I'd like to make is this: how difficult is it to believe that a guy named Holland once manned the drum kit? Just a thought.You've got a tireless band storming through decades' worth of material, spanning the expected hits, occasional misses and all out mindblowers through a near twenty song recreation and resurrection of an age old Metal machine running full bore. I first saw the renovated model four or five years back and they blew by expectations only moments after Ripper rode in on the Harley. They've pulled a few new twists and tricks nowadays but by the end of the set, here or there, you're consumed in sweat and the seismic effects of true Metal blaring through the speakers. "Metal Gods" makes for the inviting, and somewhat unexpected, opener, followed by the equally unlikely "Touch Of Evil" and stammering "Blood Stained," making for an odd trio... until caution succumbs to the wintry wind of their unparalleled "Victim Of Changes" where Owens' really shines... and the first song that got him the original gig, of course. Of the newer material, the band cuts through Demolition's first single, "One On One," a confrontational mid-paced shredder; "Feed On Me," of a similar design, and "Hell Is Home." Neither of the last two seemed to pack the same wallop as the former, but yet fit in not a degree less than any of their '82 era staples. As such we're treated to "Running Wild," "Electric Eye," and "Hell Bent For Leather," the set closer and still we're left feeling less than satisfied not for any such deficiencies related to delivering the goods, but simply not enough time to throw in eight or ten more worthy occupants. Of a real head-turning quality, we'll peg titles like "Diamonds & Rust," which I can't remember the last time they played, "Desert Plains," and the "Turbo Lover" kicker which, while many will turn a deaf ear to, is nostalgic enough and it jammed. While Live '98 will naturally involve that many more Priest classics of the time, Live In London four years further, has some tabloid quality BTS footage made all the more interesting by a band of legendary status, all very real and very Rock n' Roll... with cheers going out to Ripper, who throughout practically every interview we've seen of him, never quite adds up to the offbeat personality portrayed here. For those hurrying to see where they'll head and for how long they'll last, many doubts are dismissed in the latest 2+ hour chapter of a no-quit band built for speed, built on skill, and built to last.
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