![]() It’s basically a ‘Halforized’ ZZ Top tune, and a 5-minute waste of time when one could be listening to “The Sentinel” instead. Fact is, it’s a (very famous) filler, as the band have pointed out many times. Now, I honestly couldn’t care less if this song awarded the band’s persistence in trying to break into the mainstream with millions of Sterling pounds. After that helluva track comes the band’s most famous song and biggest commercial hit ever, especially amidst non-metalheads, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”. Now, that one’s the advent of the faster, darker, meaner and much better Defenders of the Faith. It’s the heavier, most complex and angrier tune here by a thousand miles and then some. The title-track is a raging heavy metal marvel which I wish the band had played more often live, especially recently. Side-B holds longer tunes, but for me personally, it’s way more uneven. Sadly, side-A ends up with a totally disposable anthem-like rocker in “Pain and Pleasure”, which sounds like the advent of Turbo. “(Take These) Chains”, written by American songwriter Bob Halligan Jr., is a semi power-ballad with enough atmosphere and hooks to hold its own among the album’s strongest tracks. “Bloodstone” is more laid back yet still heavy, hard rocking number with great riffs and awesome lyrics and vocals, being more potent at its chorus section. “Riding on the Wind” might be even heavier, and Rob really reaches the stratosphere, going almost “Painkiller”-like on this one. The guitar tone is delicious, and the warm and organic rhythmic section, while never spectacular during the 80s, sounded tighter and meaner than on the last pair of releases. The deadly introductory combo of “The Hellion / Electric Eye” is one of the most hair-raising starts of an album ever, displaying the band’s top qualities right away: the scorching dual-guitar attack by Downing/Tipton and the Metal God’s powerful and inimitable vox. Thankfully, 1982’s Screaming for Vengeance saw the band reincorporate their signature fiery metal into their sound, even though the commercial hard rock vibe wasn’t entirely eradicated… as it wouldn’t leave them until a new change in decade. The 80s were no different for the Brits, as the classic (but clearly overrated) British Steel brought them greater recognition amidst the non-metal masses, soon followed by the preposterous Point of Entry, one of the band’s lowest… points in their career, a clear and utterly vapid attempt at even more mainstream appeal. Unlike other metal acts with sufficiently long discographies, who had a clear ascent from solid debuts up to their masterpieces or best works in a linear, progressive way, or at least had long periods of great production and performance before some quality loss, Priest were totally hit-or-miss release after release ever since their 1974 debut, Rocka Rolla. It’s hard for me to accept this, since I’m taking about one of my top 3 bands of all time here, but Priest’s discography is certainly a headache-inducing roller coaster in terms of quality throughout each and any of their decades of production.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |