Judas Priest's Reviews
Ram It Down (Average Rating: 6.26 out of 10)
4 Stars for Priest's Most Underrated Work (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
ruthian
from Los Angeles
In the wake of the disaster better known as Turbo, many Priest fans were apprehensive about their favorite band had become, and with good reason, as Turbo was easily the weakest album since their debut, and a significant departure from the tried-and-true Priest sound. However, despite what some might have you believe, Ram It Down is most certainly a return to form, as it is a fusion of Defender...'s dark moodiness with Turbo's techno vibe, and Hell Bent..'s aggressiveness. The only Priest album that compares in sound is Painkiller, but Ram It Down lacks the relentless aggression and overall blazing speed of its' descendant."Ram It Down"- A+++ : Wow, where to begin? This is a blazing piece, highlighted by THE BEST guitar solos in the history of JP, which last nearly half the song. One of Priest's best five songs, period. "Heavy Metal"- B+ : The forerunner to "Metal Meldown" off Painkiller, Tipton and Downing live up to the title, delivering more scorching solos. "Love Zone"- D+ :One of the weaker Priest tunes, nothing very memorable, it's the one track I regularly skip. "Come And Get It"- B : If any other band played this song, it would probably rate more like a C/C- but the great musicmanship and vocals combine to revive this track. "Hard As Iron"- A : An overlooked Priest classic, this song picks you up and slams you down with incredible sonic force. The whole song is quite a stand-out. "Blood Red Skies"- A- : A great slow, moody piece that really show off Rob's pipes "I'm A Rocker"- B : A chunky, mid-tempo cut again showcasing Halford's high-end antics. Nice driving tune. "Johnny B. Goode"- B+ : Excellent cover, played at a semi-high rate, with some of the best axework on the disc. You can really feel Tipon's passion on this song. "Love You To Death"- B- : Funky, semi-kinky lyrics (complete with sampled whip sounds) drive this mid-tempo tune. Only the speedier section is memorable. "Monsters Of Rock"- B : Similar to the chugging style of "I'm A Rocker" but with a darker theme, and mean, grinding tones. There you have it, while Ram It Down is certainly not in the league of Screaming... or Painkiller, it is a lot better than it gets credit for. There are at least five songs here that no Priest fan should be without, and the title track is one of their best ever, so what are you waiting for? Update from non-remastered review: The two bonus tracks on here are nothing special, neither adding to nor distracking from the original album, which does sound marginally better as a result of the remaster. I would recommend it over the "regular" edition for the latter of those reasons.
Buy this album on Amazon at $10.99
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