Judas Priest's Reviews
Jugulator (Average Rating: 6.88 out of 10)
Continuing the trend (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
A music fan
from Pittsburgh, PA USA
This is not classic Judas Priest. This is Judas Priest continuing the evolution of their sound. Rocka Rolla does not sound like Heavy Metal today, but at the time it was. This is the heavy metal of today, and still marks Korn, etc. as wannabes. Judas Priest has consistently pushed the edge musically. They pioneered the two guitar attack that became the staple format for later bands like Guns'N'Roses and Skid Row. They delved into popularity with anthems like Livin' After Midnight and You've Got Another Thing Coming. They explored how keyboards could be used in Turbo. With Ram It Down, they resumed the path of metal. Painkiller was even heavier. Jugulator continued the trend.I've seen reviews comparing this to Pantera and Slayer. Musically, this may be true, but the fact is that Pantera and Slayer only wish they could deliver vocals like this. Ripper Owens is not Halford. He lacks the damage that years of screaming have provided. His voice complements the music beautifully with full range, continually. Halford is a better lyricist, which contributed to the band's success in the early 80s. It's nice that they had a chance to taste that, but I'm glad that they didn't try to stay there. In my mind, British Steel and Hell Bent for Leather were their two worst albums. The music simply wasn't that great. Here, the music's the thing. I love Halford, but he could distract from the music. Frankly, I don't look to lyrics for true beauty of language and insight. The limitations of the format ensure that they can never match up to poems and essays in general. Further, what one person loves (When the Night Comes Down, Blood Red Skies), another hates (Breaking the Law never pulled me). By de-emphasizing lyrics, the band is making it easier to enjoy the work as a whole, rather than a few singles. I think it's cool that Halford is joining the band again, but I hope that it doesn't mean that they are going to abandon Ripper permanently. Like Zachary Stevens did with Savatage (I loved Edge of Thorns), he restores much of what was originally attractive about the band.
Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98
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