Judas Priest's Reviews
British Steel (Average Rating: 8.84 out of 10)
'Steel paved the way for the 80s metal scene (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
tkdmateo
from Manhattan, Kansas United States
And I DON'T mean the hair metal scene. I'm talking about the pure metal which branched out into several subgenres like speed and thrash. The band itself was just beginning to experience the pay off of all of their hard work through the 70s. Judas Priest had already gained international popularity with 'Stained Class', and achieved a definitive metal fashion image with 'Killing Machine'. After the tour that followed the album, it seemed that the band achieved an all time high. The question was: could Priest match their own success again?Not only could they match themselves, but they also surpassed 'Killing Machine's success several times. Priest found a new producer, Tom Allom, who stayed with the band until '88 when 'Ram It Down' was completed. Dave Holland also joined the band as their 'then' new drummer. Teaming up with Rob Halford's scorching vocals, Glenn and K.K.'s godlike guitar shredding abilities, and Ian Hill's thumping bass playing, Allom produced Priest's strongest piece of work in the 80s, better known as 'British Steel'. In the nine-track listing of songs here, there is a wide variety of styles displayed, and each to the best of the band's ability. Not only is the songwriting and instrumentation excellent, but every song maintains a classic sensibility that is unrivalled compared to Priest's other albums. British Steel starts off with seven widely known Priest songs, many of which are still used today in live shows. Every facet of NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) is explored in these songs. They go from the speed metal riffs of 'Rapid Fire' and 'Steeler', to powerful metal anthems like 'Metal Gods' and 'United', to straight ahead rockers like 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight'. Of all the songs on here, my personal favorites are 'Rapid Fire', 'Metal Gods', 'United', and 'Breaking The Law'. These tracks alone defined Priest's raw power that showed and continue to show people the band's trademark of natural versitality. The other tracks are good as well, such as the commercially successful 'Living After Midnight' (a little overplayed, but not nearly as much as the song 'You've Got Another Thing Comin'), or the AC/DC inspired 'You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise', or the melodic and guitar-driven 'The Rage'. 'Red, White, and Blue' is an extra track which wasn't part of the album, written in '85 supposedly for Turbo. Very slow and anthemic, like United. There is also a live version of Grinder taken from the '83 Defenders tour. These extra tracks bring up a reminder: the remastering quality for this album is excellent and really brings out the crisp, raw-edge sound of British Steel. After this album, the band gradually took a more and more commercial direction until they commercially peaked in 1986's Turbo. British Steel shows Priest at the heart of their influence on metal, yet still rooted to an old-school sound that remains their own. For a first time Judas Priest fan looking to buy some albums, 'Steel would definitely be a good place to start. Then go for some other ones like 'Defenders Of The Faith'(my personal favorite), or 'Hell Bent for Leather/Killing Machine'. With this album in hand, you're now living in the land of the metal gods!
Buy this album on Amazon at $10.99
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