(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
Terrence J Reardon
from SC and Mass., USA
Judas Priest's Painkiller, released in 1990, was one of the greatest Priest albums I ever heard next to Screaming for Vengeance, Stained Class and British Steel. When I first heard the title cut on the radio in late 1990, I thought I was listening to an album by Slayer but it was Priest. Scott Travis' drumming breathed new life into a band that were heading for mediocrity, Priest were never known for lightning double-bass drumming. Scott's drumming on songs like the title cut, Hell Patrol, A Touch of Evil, Between the Hammer and the Anvil and A Shot at Glory showed Priest were back. Unfortunately, the record buying public disagreed and this album flopped when it first came out because of stuff like Poison and Vanilla Ice. I guess for some people, hearing a whole album of Rob Halford singing in falsetto got on their nerves rather quickly. I say tough! On the older albums, he sang normal and would have maybe a song or two in a high octave. Unfortunately, Rob Halford left in 1993 after this classic. I hope the new Priest album is just as good if not better! Highly recommended!
