Top Of The Heap: Judas Priest

As promised here is the debut of Top of the heap. It's simple, twice a month we pick a band and then Andy and I pick our favorite album by that band and give reasons why we picked it. Then you are invited to comment on what your favorite album by that band is. For our debut we selected Judas Priest. Our favorites are...

Andy's Pick-


Gull Records 1976

For our first installment of Top Of The Heap Mark suggested Judas Priest. A great choice I though but how do I possible decide what my favorite record is by them? The band has been around now for something like 38 years! Aside from their last few releases I'd enjoyed just about every Priest album I've heard. I wore out all the tapes I had from them over the years (including the underrated Painkiller) and have put some serious wear and tear on my LPs by Rob Halford and company. What I'm trying to get at is other than maybe Black Sabbath there is no other band that has made an impact on classic heavy metal like Judas Priest. On this (their second record and last for Gull Records) early example of 1970's heavy metal the band churn out what I consider to be the first "true" heavy metal classic album. Sad Wings Of Destiny starts of with "Victim Of Changes" which is one of the greatest Judas Priest songs of all time. Still played in concert today this song is a classic with it's hard edge approach and brilliant solos. Followed up by the creepy sounds of "The Ripper" and the brilliance of "Dreamer Deceiver"/"Deceiver" Sad Wings Of Destiny is an actual "album". What I mean by this is that Judas Priest wrote quality songs for a complete record allowing the album to have that perfect flow. They didn't seem bothered to write "hits" and then tack on filler at the end. This record is meant to be enjoyed as a whole. By the time you hit "Prelude" you realize this. With it's dark feel this short instrumental paves the way for the timeless classic "Tyrant". "Genocide" is bluesy hard rock while "Epitaph" is a sorrowful ballad. "Island Of Domination" is heavy 70's hard rock that does dissolve into pub rock with an AC/DC vibe going for it at times. Sad Wings Of Destiny is an album Judas Priest fans either love or hate. There doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground. I for one love it. It isn't overly produced. It isn't all heavy metal. There is a lot going on here from beginning to end emotion wise. It showcases the band right before stardom would overcome them and in the process gives you a first look at where their greatness started from.

Metal Mark's pick-

Hell bent for leather

Columbia/CBS

1978/1979

I have changed my favorite Priest album over the years as Screaming for vengeance, Sad wings of destiny and Sin after sin have all been my favorite album in the past. For the last year or two it has definitely been Hell bent for leather. The first time I heard this album was in the mid-1980's. I was at a yard sale of a guy who was desperate to get rid of everything. I bought a box of stuff for a $1 and it had Star Trek books, some darts, old guitar straps, flashlights but most importantly stuffed into the bottom of the box were a couple of tapes. There was KISS-Creatures of the night, Whitesnake-Slide it in and Judas Priest-Hell bent for leather. I thought that I had hit the jackpot and in a way I had. I liked all three tapes, but Hell bent for leather made the strongest impression on me. To me Hell bent for leather is like a middle of the good albums of Priest's career. As such I think it has some of the raw sound of the previous 1970's efforts, but it also has some of the unbelievable tightness and heavy melodies that would dominate their outputs of the early 1980's. Hell bent for leather is a rollercoaster ride of some of the band's most exciting songs. They have powerful heavy hitters like the title track, Killing Machine and Delivering the goods as well as real headbangers like Running wild plus Rob Halford really gets a chance to show his tremendous skills on the likes of Before the dawn and the fantastic Evening Star. To me this album has the sound and the spirit that made Judas Priest such a legend in the metal world.

***So what is your favorite Judas Priest album?