(Rated this album with 6 out of 10) Reviewed by
Alvin Tan
from Brisbane, Queensland Australia
I almost stayed away from this album due to the many less than pleasant reviews. The only reason why I changed my mind later was because the Australian Tour Edition contained an additional CD with 3 extra tracks. After spinning 'Demolition' on my CD player a few times, I was not disappointed. One major controversy on Priest these days centers around their new vocalist, Ripper. To most Priest fans, Rob is the best and he is irreplaceable. But personally, I find the comparison between Rob and Ripper unfair as Ripper does not have Rob's more than two decades of experience as a performer and songwriter. On the whole, Ripper is a great screamer in his own right. I watched them live the other day in Brisbane and I was really amazed with Ripper's vocal range. He may not be as great as Rob but I don't think there's anyone more suitable than Ripper as Rob's replacement. Perhaps, what might strengthen his role in the band would be greater songwriting involvement in future. He has almost no involvement in songwriting on 'Demolition' other than the extra track on the bonus CD. On the whole, 'Demolition' marks a return to the more familiar territory of the traditional Priest sound (after the ultra-heavy 'Jugulator'). Yes, I agree with the other reviewers that lyrically, 'Demolition' is mediocre in comparision with the Priest albums of Rob's era. But musically, 'Demolition' is a return to form. Tracks like 'One On One' and 'Metal Messiah' can be rated as two of their best tracks over the last decade. Even the ballad 'Lost and Found' can arguably be one of their best slow tracks ever. Although 'Demolition' is no 'British Steel' or 'Stained Class' and it is unlikely that any of the tracks here can be on par with classics like 'Breaking the Law', 'Beyond the Realms of Death' or 'The Hellion/Electric Eye', the fact is that Judas Priest's career is far from over (as many have commented). 'Demolition' shows that there is still potential for future development. One major flaw of 'Demolition', however, must be its very dull and boring cover.
