Judas Priest's Reviews
Metal Works '73-'93 (Average Rating: 9.32 out of 10)
10 Out of 10 people agree, Metal Works! Especially Priest! (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Will Culp
from Greenville, South Carolina
Released in 1993, Metal Works '73-'93 was the first Judas Priest compilation to be issued and was put out to commemorate Judas Priest's 30th Anniversary.For a little less than 3 decades, some of the hardest, toughest, and in-your-face metal was put out by a band called Judas Priest, whom any metalhead will instantly recognize. Being one of the few British Metal acts to hit the mainstream, along with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest still resounds firmly in Metal History, with instantly familar songs such as "You've Got Another Thing Coming" and "Breaking The Law" solidifying them as Metal Gods to be reckoned with. Before Metallica bursted into the scene in the late 80s, Judas Priest proudly carried the Speed Metal torch that by the 90's was dimmed, but their legacy has never been distinguished. So, to commerate the 30th Anniversary of Judas Priest, the members got together and chose all their favorite songs from Sin After Sin through Painkiller, and these songs you find on this collection. While this CD technically might not be a "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" compilation, it still covers all of Judas Priest's most popular songs, so don't fret. So how does Metal Works as a retrospective for Judas Priest measure up? Well, if I must say so, pretty damn well! PROS-
-THE BEST JUDAS PRIEST COMPILATION-The Other Judas Priest compilations, Livin' After Midnight and Metalogy, each aren't as good as Metal Works. Livin' After Midnight simply isn't as expansive or complete as Metal Works, while Metalogy is way too expensive and I only recommend that to die-hard fans if you want a CD of demos.
-METAL WORKS HAS ALL OF THE BIG JUDAS PRIEST RADIO STAPLES-Casual fans will be delighted to find on Metal Works such radio staples as "You've Got Another Thing Coming", "Breaking the Law", and "Livin' After Midnight" for your listening pleasure!
-METAL WORKS HAS MANY UNDERRATED MASTERPIECES-Of all the songs on here, my favorites are the relatively obscure and well-picked songs only the band members of Judas Priest could think of. Two songs that come to mind are the phenomenal "Blood Red Skies" and "Metal Gods".
-EVERY ALBUM FROM SIN AFTER SIN TO PAINKILLER HAS REPRESENTATION-For each album during Judas Priest's "Glory Years", Metal Works takes 1-4 songs off every one of those albums and compiles them. It is very interesting to see how Judas Priest's sound differed over the years.
-NO 90'S (RIPPER) MATERIAL!- As any fan of Judas Priest will admit, all of Priest's 90's material with Tim "The Ripper" Owens in fortuneatly nowhere to be found! Thank God!
-SUPERB LINER NOTES- For every song off Metal Works, the band members of Judas Priest each give a history for every song on Metal Works, and it makes for a very informative and interesting read.
-EXCELLENT COVER DESIGN- Although this in no way affects my rating for Metal Works, like every other Judas Priest album, the Cover Design is some of the best you'll ever see! CONS(THERE AREN'T MANY)-
-NO REPRESENTATION OF JUDAS PRIEST'S FIRST TWO ALBUMS- Although I've heard Priest's Early Material wasn't all that great, I wish Metal Works would have covered it, because many people I've heard from say that the Early Stuff isn't half bad!
-WHERE'S THE "GREEN MANALISHI"?- As most fans will tell you, the "Green Manalishi" is one of the band's biggest hits, and this is the only compilation missing that little gem of a song. Oh well, you can't have every song you want.
-MORE EXPENSIVE AND HARDER TO FIND THAN LIVIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT- Although Metal Works isn't out of print, it's not that easy to find in most CD stores, and it is more expensive than Living After Midnight, which might turn some casual fans off. Overall, Metal Works '73-'93 is one of my favorite compilations, if not my favorite, and it is a glorious retrospective of Judas Priest, one of the greatest Metal bands of their time. Although not as easy to find or buy as Livin' After Midnight, Metal Works is overall the better compilation, and if you happen to find it, I suggest buying it on the spot, as you'll find no Judas Priest retrospective nearly as good as Metal Works. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! FANS OF CLASSIC ROCK, METAL, MODERN ROCK, AND MOST FANS OF ROCK IN GENERAL WOULD HIGHLY ENJOY METAL WORKS! A GOOD INTRODUCTION TO JUDAS PRIEST, BUT IF YOU LIKE METAL WORKS, GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE THEIR ALBUMS! ALSO RECOMMENDED- British Steel-Judas Priest
...And Justice For All-Metallica
The Number of the Beast-Iron Maiden
Thanks for reading!
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