Diary of a Madman: March 2018

First, the new album review: Firepower rocks hard. Many people are calling it the best Judas Priest album since Painkiller. I quite liked Angel of Retribution and Redeemer of Souls, however. I would have to put this one inbetween those. I've spent much of the last two months listening to Judas Priest and it is about as hard ranking their albums as it is for me to do for Weezer or Chevelle. They have many great albums. Firepower starts off with three kick ass songs, Firepower, Lightening Strike, and Evil Never Dies. In fact, these are the three they have been regularly incorporating into their new live show. It fits into the set great. I think this new album has been viewed so favorably is that it has some of the classic Priest sound (Never the Heroes, Children of the Sun), some modern heavy rock sounds (Necromancer, Lightening Strike), and some sick lead guitar solos (Rising From Ruins, Traitors Gate). There is something for everyone. The songwriting is strong, the melodies are fresh and the riffs really rip. There's not a bad song among the generous 14 tracks. If you like metal and you haven't checked this one out, do yourself a favor and give it a listen.

I wasn't going to miss the Firepower tour as Judas Priest is one of my favorites. I caught them on March 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Opening was Black Star Riders. They are a Thin Lizzy spinoff band with Scott Gorham on guitar and fronted by Irish-born Ricky Warwick. I liked their Irish-inspired songs the best including a cover of Jailbreak, followed by Heavy Fire and Soldiersintown.

Mohegan Sun Arena 3-22-18 by me

Next up was Saxon. They are a British heavy metal band formed in 1977. Although I had heard of them, I never really listened to them much. I thought they were really good. Highlights included Nosferatu, They Played Rock and Roll, Denim and Leather, and Heavy Metal Thunder.

Mohegan Sun Arena 3-22-18 by me

Then came the almighty Priest. This was my third time seeing Judas Priest live. While Rob's voice isn't as impressive as when I saw him in 2011, he can still go. There's no KK and Glenn has been battling Parkinson's disease so he isn't playing full sets, but he did play the last three songs of the night. The metal gods are still rocking out and holding it down for the genre they helped define. They played an awesome setlist and I wrote down the tracks as they played them. I only had to look up the cover.

1. Firepower (Firepower)

2. Running Wild (Hellbent)

3. Grinder (British Steel)

4. Sinner (Sin After Sin)

5. The Ripper (Sad Wings)

6. Lightning Strike (Firepower)

7. Bloodstone (Screaming)

8. Saints in Hell (Stained Class)

9. Turbo Lover (Turbo)

10. The Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac cover)

11. Evil Never Dies (Firepower)

12. Some Heads are Gonna Roll (Defenders)