(Rated this album with 6 out of 10) Reviewed by
An Amazon.com Customer
There are moments when this record comes so close to being what you'd hope for that I almost feel bad giving it 3 stars..but the truth is that 1)Glenn Tipton oviously carries most of the weight on the record..wich isn't a bad thing at all because he is one of the true metal gods..but Judas Priest wasn't a band built on one man..2) Rob H. is sorely missed..although Ripper does an ok job..and on Cathedral Spires actually manages to capture the intesity, emotion and fury of old priest (Also the only of 2 tunes on the record that sound anything like old Priest)He spends TOO much time talking in a monotone and "evil" sounding voice or trying to copy that high pitch Rob H. scream on the rest..there are times on this record where I almost blush with embarasment for him when listening..3) To many of the songs start out fast and heavy and fall into that album fill formula trend after the first 30 seconds..Jugulator is the greatest example...it starts out AWESOME (Slayer heavy guitar rifts..enoiugh evil fury to make you want to do an air guitar..the singing starts out great..) Then it hits the chorus and just totaly sinks. Deathrow and Abductors are the only other tracks that manage to successfully capture that heavy sound and keep it up..If you were just to set you program to play Jugulator (despite the rest of it..that first 1:30 really kicks off) Deathrow, Abductors & Cathedral Spires you could convince even a non priest fan to buy the album..but the rest of it will have them walking from the room and laughing..telling you to go out and buy some Tool or Korn..after Tipton's solo release "Baptism of Fire" I really was expecting so much more..all the rest of the guys in the band except the bass player to some extent have a burned out sound..maybey Tipton should stick that bassest on his next solo effort and forget Priest letting them be remebered for the gods they once were..as it's not so much Rob H.'s voice that is missed..but his combined songwriting genious mixed with the expertise of Tipton's..that's what made Priest great.
