Judas Priest is awesome. I've loved them since I first heard "Breaking the Law" as a kid. Now they are one of my all time favorite bands, I own almost all of their 17 albums (18 in March), and some of the deeper tracks have become the most well-liked. I've been fortunate enough to see them live twice ('04 and '11) and I'm hoping to catch them this year for the Firepower tour. I find it interesting that many of the editorial lists for their "best albums" don't agree. The fact that there isn't a clear top album is fascinating, but also points to the quality that this band has put out over the last 40+ years. I've been listening to them a lot recently and it is my turn to weigh in. Here we go from best to worst:
1. Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
The opening of "Hellion/Electric Eye" is one of the best in metal. You've got the monster hits "Screaming for Vengeance", one of the best songs ever, and "You've Got Another Thing Coming," a lampooning chorus that rocks my socks and is a favorite saying by my father. You add the juxtaposition of heartbreak and upbeat anthem of "(Take These) Chains" and the grizzly "Pain and Pleasure," just to name a couple more standouts, and this album is very well rounded and rocks throughout.
2. Stained Class (1978)
Holy crap! The drum and guitar riffs on opening track "Exciter" are ridiculous and Rob's vocals soar over top. They came out swinging with this one and the rest of the album helped solidify Priest as a cornerstone of heavy metal. Their drummer is named Binks for goodness sake. This album may be their most consistent throughout. It has been in regular rotation in my car. It doesn't have the blockbuster songs of
British Steel, but it doesn't have the sleepers either. My other favorite track is "Better By You, Better Than Me." I'm still not sure what it's about, but that doesn't stop me from feeling the song every time.
3. British Steel (1980)
It's got "Breaking the Law" which is iconic. It's got "Living After Midnight," one of their other most popular songs. But then there is "Metal Gods" which might have been boastful at the time, but now is an ever-so-appropriate anthem. "You Don't Have to Be Old To Be Wise" takes you to school with life advice and song structure lessons. "Grinder" is more fun every time I hear it. The worst track is "United" and I don't even skip that one. However, "United" and "Red, White and Blue" don't really fit with the rest of the album. They aren't as hard rocking and that takes away from
British Steel's standing on this list. If you asked me when I first got into Priest, this would have been #1.
4. Painkiller (1990)
The title track is straight fire! The album cover is undoubtedly one of the best of all time. After a couple of albums that suffered the pop and electronic influences of the '80s, this album comes hard and fast with some heavy bass drumming by Scott Travis. There are also more metal guitar sounds and themes such as on "Leather Rebel" and "Metal Meltdown." Some lists rank this at the top. It's definitely the speediest crop of songs from Priest. I don't rank this album higher mainly because I think it starts strong and then doesn't maintain the same power, leaving a lackluster finish.
5. Angel of Retribution (2005)
I'm probably going to get some heat for putting this album in the top 5, but screw it, it's my list. I think "Judas is Rising" and "Hellrider" are two of their best songs and "Angel" is a great ballad. "Demonizer" is heavy. There isn't a bad song on the whole album. It was a big comeback album for the Halford-fronted Priest. It got me back into listening to them. It made them relevant again. There are some wicked fast riffs and awesomely constructed songs to sing along to. It even won Best Album at the
Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.
6. Firepower (2018)
This album marks a concerted effort from Rob Halford and company to continue to produce their classic heavy metal for as long as they stay healthy enough to do so. This will help cement their legacy and hopefully help rekindle this brand of metal. Andy Sneap is credited with producing, mixing, and mastering the album and he certainly made it sound a lot fresher than the last Priest album. He likely contributed some guitar ideas as well and is touring in Glenn Tipton's spot while he deals with health issues. Opening tracks "Firepower, Lightening Strike and Evil Never Dies" are fast and mark a new evolution of the band's sound. They have been in regular rotation on stage and in my earbuds.
7. Sin After Sin (1977)
This album showed what Priest had in store for the metal world. I hear a lot of Black Sabbath influence in this. The second track is a metal version of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust" that they originally covered in 1975, but didn't release right away. It sounds like it was made for them! There are also hints of speed metal and thrash metal throughout this album. One sleeper song and less than 10 tracks keeps this one from moving up my list any higher. However, this began a string of excellent albums that would cement Judas Priest as one of the defining bands of heavy metal and one of the best bands of all time.
8. Redeemer of Souls (2014)
Some redemption was needed after a concept album failed to capture the audience. Blend up the desire to reignite the band, some ancient mythology, and add in Richie Faulkner on guitar, and we have one hell of a metal record. On "Halls of Valhalla" Rob shows off his range, possibly better than ever in one song, by using gutteral growls and soaring screams.
Redeemer also has a really big sound. I just think the treble is too low on the mix; something is off and it is kind of muddy. If the sword of Damocles was hanging over the band, they evaded it big time with this comeback album with some of their best work.
9. Ram It Down (1988)
Sometimes this album gets a bad wrap, but for its time in its decade, it still goes pretty hard. It is also consistent start to finish, and that's important when ranking albums. The title track is fun. "I'm a Rocker" and "Heavy Metal" are too. "Hard as Iron" is pretty heavy. The supped up cover of Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode is probably the most well known track here. Its nice, but I don't love it, and I don't even think it's the best track on the album. I'm ranking albums here and even though this one doesn't have amazing face melting singles, it is solid.
10. Defenders of the Faith (1984)
"The Sentinel" is epic. If you don't know it, listen to it now. "Jawbreaker" rips and shreds. "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" is a classic Judas Priest song. Loudwire ranked this album number one. I don't get it. I definitely don't think it's anywhere near the top album by Judas Priest, although it is a good one. The first half is definitely strong and then it slows down and there are some average songs intermingled. When I listen to and rank albums, I want to listen start to finish and be entertained throughout. I don't get that from
Defenders.
11. Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Everyone takes more risks on the second major release and the sound identity is coming together. Some fans consider this much more of a masterpiece, but I don't feel it as there are definitely a few tracks that I would skip. 8-minute opener "Victim of Changes" is dynamic and interesting. "The Ripper" does just that, coming in at less than three minutes and rocking harder and faster than anything else on this album. It's also creepy and edgy because it's about a London serial killer. The rest of the album is not as exciting, but the gothic and doom metal influences definitely set this album apart from the rest in the catalogue.
12. Rocka Rolla (1974)
This is the major debut that started it all. It is more blues-based rock and roll, issuing just a prelude to the metal dominance that is to come, but there are signs of brilliance here. Glenn Tipton had recently joined the band and only co-wrote two songs to make the final cut. Some tracks even have previous singer Al Atkins on them. The title track is probably the best one here. Some albums in rock history have average or terrible songs picked for the album name, but not Judas Priest. You'll find that the title tracks are usually excellent.
13. Hell Bent for Leather/Killing Machine (1978)
This album has iconic imagery and a classic title track. It's just too pop-influenced for my liking. Being inbetween Stained Class and British Steel chronologically, it just doesn't make much sense. It has been said that Glen Tipton was influenced by Eddie Van Halen's tapping technique and maybe he is somewhat to blame. The album title in the US was changed because of the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego. The band continued to gain popularity and the lasting impression of this album is the leather and studs imagery that would influence countless bands that came after.
14. Point of Entry (1981)
"Heading Out to the Highway" is certainly the best song on this album. Following up on the anthemic
British Steel saw Priest going back to a more blues-based rock. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the song writing and inspiration seems lacking overall. There's some album filler and some '80s cheese that I don't particularly appreciate from the metal gods. To me, this is a speed bump in a string of near perfection from 1977-1982. Most critics would agree that this wasn't a strong album.
15. Turbo (1986)
Not terrible, but also not the Priest that I love. They got possessed by the '80s arena rock sound. Some metal purists will never listen to it. I think it has its place. I wouldn't go back to it regularly as it is not my taste. It is a cult classic for others. That I don't get, although it is still better than a lot of what passes for rock these days.
16. Demolition (2001)
This is the second effort by Tim "Ripper" Owens at the microphone. It's pretty heavy, but it is stuck between modern and classic sounds. "Devil Digger" sounds like it fits in with the nu-metal of the time. "Cyberface" is industrial sounding. "Metal Messiah" has a power metal chorus but then there are middle eastern electric piano noises and modern metal basslines. The whole thing is confused.
17. Jugulator (1997)
The first Priest album with Tim "Ripper" Owens as lead vocalist. It's not the same. It's not the same. The music is more experimental for the band. Some down-tuning is employed and lyrics are darker. There are elements of death metal and thrash metal for sure. The screaming vocals are pretty good, but I don't like the lower yells Tim does at all.
18. Nostradamus (2008)
A concept album about the world's most famous prognosticator sounds good, in theory. In reality, I'm kind of sorry I bought it. After
Angel of Retribution, I could not have predicted that they would take a dump like this. It is the most symphonic of all Priest albums. It just fails to either engage in telling a continuous story or engaging the listener in rocking out. Long, boring interludes make some parts unlistenable. The two discs certainly should have been pared down to one. The best tracks on the first disc are "Phrophecy," "Revelations" and "Persecution." The best tracks on the second disc are "Visions" and "Nostradamus."
