(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
Hooramack Sobhany
from Baltimore, MD United States
Previously, Judas Priest's career could easily be divided into two parts. One part was the musically pioneering band and enormously influential band of the 1970's that fused the speed and variety of Led Zeppelin and the gloom and doom of Black Sabbath with the band's own classical training to yield such unnerving classics as "Stained Class", "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Hell Bent for Leather". The second part was the ludicrously silly band of the 1980s that, with the exception of a few good songs here and there, continually released albums saddled with bad production, uninspired and recycled guitar riffs and god-awful lyrics -- the band that inspired "This is Spinal Tap" (remember the exploding drummer gag?). Now it's 2001, and Judas Priest faces an uncertain future with a new singer, Tim "Ripper" Owens. "Demolition" summarily destroys the notion that this band was going to fade into musical oblivion (the fate almost guarantied with "Jugulator"). "Demolition" finds Judas Priest updating their sound for 2001 while retaining their own distinct identity. Modern production values are deftly handled by Glenn Tipton and the song-writing is much stronger than their previous recent efforts. A few problems remain: yet another song about racing motorcycles (give it a rest, Glenn) and some questionable (read:stupid) lyrics on "Devil Digger", and "Cyberface". The positives: Ripper Owens, who is just as comfortable screaming in the classic Halford style as he is singing in the modern aggressive style, and the inclusion of three extremely well written and emotive ballads displaying a side of the band that has not been seen since "Before the Dawn" on "Hell Bent for Leather." People my age (24) and younger will also recognize a few guitar riffs lifted from the soundtracks of the video games "Mortal Kombat" and "Grand Tourismo" (hey it may not be creative, but it sure as hell is cool!). Fans of the 80's Priest may not be happy with this release, but for the rest of us who are open-minded and appreciate a band not content with recycling their sound and rehashing their old albums and that is willing to take a risk and stretch their creative wings, "Demolition" is quite a satisfying piece of work indeed.
