(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
birddogger5150
from Roseville, MN USA
I really don't know why everyone's dogging on the JP remasters. I think all of them have sounded pretty good so far. On this one, the drums and cymbals punch through with more clarity and the guitar intro to "Delivering The Goods" has even more of a staccato flair. As for the album itself, this CD is definitely my favorite of the pre-"Screaming For Vengeance" era Priest discs. It runs the gamut from full-on hard rockers ("Delivering The Goods", "Rock Forever", "Hell Bent For Leather", "Running Wild", "Burning Up"), pop-ish singalongs ("Evening Star"), beat-heavy rhythmic dirges ("Take On The World", "Green Manalishi", "Evil Fantasies"), ballads ("Before The Dawn"), and even a prototype disco-metal tune ("Killing Machine"). Moreso than on previous releases, the studio bonus track is a throwaway (nothing more than "Rock Hard Ride Free" with a different chorus), but the live version of one of my faves, "Riding On The Wind" is excellent.
