(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
A.J. Taylor
from Sparta, NJ United States
This album is widely considered the first classic album from Judas Priest, arguably their best ever. I must digress from this opinion, however. While this is undeniably a huge improvement over their 1974 debut, the much-maligned Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings is still not classic. It would take two more years and two more albums, as well as two more drummers to finally produce their first classic, Stained Class. As for Sad Wings of Destiny, the album is interestingly experimental, covering everything from early second-generation metal(The Ripper) to piano ballads(Epipatath). Unfortunately, some of this experimentation(the aforementioned Epipatath) falls flat, and some of the rockers sound generic. In addition, the drumming is absolutely terrible, and nobody will soon miss Alan Moore. To make up for these shortcomings however, is the timeless epic "Victim of Changes", followed up by other great Priest tracks like "The Ripper" and "Tyrant." Most of the winners on this album can be found in evenbetter verision on "Unleashed in the East", but if you're into musical diversity and 70s Priest, this is one album not to miss.
