Judas Priest's Reviews
Painkiller (Average Rating: 8.64 out of 10)
It's cheesy, it's goofy...and it's good. (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
the_wickerman
from Purgatory
If you're thinking about buying this, do it, but you must know one thing: This album is cheesy. VERY cheesy! So cheesy it should come with a mullet wig. This album will throw every heavy metal cliche at you that you can think of. Is that a bad thing? Well, perhaps for some it is, but for me? Not really.As big a metal fan as I am, I've never really been big into Judas Priest. I mean, I know all about them, I've heard "Living after Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" on the radio a zillion times, I've heard every metalhead refer to them as the "gods of metal" and praise Halford as the greatest singer alive, etc. So, I figure, "Hey, I gotta get something by this band. What have I got to lose?" Of course I knew about "British Steel", "Sad Wings of Destiny", "Screaming for Vengeance", and all those, but then I stumbled across "Painkiller". Now this sounded REALLY good! So, I had to go and buy it. I gotta say, I was initially rather shocked. I'm more accustomed to bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden, who take a more sophisticated approach to metal. So, when I began to listen to this, and was bombarded with lyrics about blazing guns, metal meltdowns, and leather this and that, I was like "Whoa, now this is just too much!". It felt like there should be a label that says "Do not listen without mullet". But, I stuck it out, and it just so happens this is quite a good CD. If you can get past the abundant cheese, this is a very well-made album. The musicianship is excellent, and the aggression is kicked up a notch from the earlier material. Scott Travis is a much better drummer than Dave Holland, allowing for the band to throw in a bit more speed, and with good results. The guitar work is the best I've heard from them as well. Great harmonics, and scorching leads. On "Between the Hammer and the Anvil", Tipton taps for like 30 seconds straight. Very impressive. Now, about Halford. Personally, I think he's a bit overrated. While he is a great singer, he is most certainly not the best singer on the planet. He's got a great voice, but I would never put him on the same level as Bruce Dickinson or Geoff Tate. Plus, the high-pitched wail thing can be a bit much. It works if he throws it in at just the right time, but when he does it throughout the duration of a song (like on the title track), it tends to overstay its welcome. All in all, this is a pretty good album. Best metal album ever? Well, no, not quite, it's no "Powerslave", but if oldschool metal is your thing, and you don't mind a little cheese, go check "Painkiller" out. You'll be glad you did.
Buy this album on Amazon at $10.99
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