Judas Priest's Reviews

Jugulator

(Average Rating: 6.88 out of 10)

Not Your Father's Priest

(Rated this album with 4 out of 10)
Reviewed by Erich Heintzelman from Orlando, Florida United States

The best way to approach this album is with the understanding this is no longer the Judas Priest of old. After a 7 year hiatus most fans were overjoyed Priest even managed to stay together and release this album. After hearing it, I can only wonder that in 7 years they couldn't write better material.

The album starts with the title track, reminescent of the Painkiller sound and with enough high shrieks from Owens to assure fans he had the pipes to fill Halford's shoes. "Bloodstained" is a decent song with a heavy riff to complement Owens awesome vocal display during the verses. From there the album goes down hill, bogged down by juvenile lyrics and borrowing heavily from Slayer-type themes and subjects (death, blood, etc).

There are 3 other tracks worth listening to. The vengeful "Burn In Hell", the ultra-heavy and fast "Bullet Train" and the best track on the album "Cathedral Spires". This song has a gothic feel to it with heavy detuned guitars crashing in after a melodic intro. The vocals are top notch and the backing vocals are eerie yet beautiful. If the rest of the album had been as carefully constructed and well-thought out as this song it might have been a classic.

The chief problem with this album is that Priest adopt to the current trend of low-tuned guitars while offering nothing fresh or original. The lyrics display a sort of helplessness that reveals the impact that Halford had on song composition within the band. The solos are chaotic and Slayer-esque, offering nothing melodic or similar to the beautiful solos Tipton and Downing have done and are capable of. On the bright side, Owens is more than up to the task of filling Halford's shoes as a vocalist and Priest fans should be happy the band will be able to play all the old material live without missing a beat. This album had potential but in the end it is limited by unimaginitive lyrics, guitar riffs and solos.

Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98