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Halford still has it. Really excited that these guys are still touring and doing a special one for British Steel this year.
This is one of those albums that isn't just a single with a bunch of filler, but something that makes sense from start to finish. I am not a fan of everything metal but there are some albums I think of as classics and this is one of them.
While the new stuff is great, this album, even in its 30 year anniversary, sounds as good as ever. The BAND is tight and plays as a single unit.
This was Judas Priest at its peak. If you love this album and they're in your area, be sure to check them out.
The guy can scream like nobody's business.
not like those songs are horrible, but they're not vintage either. Priest Just keep releasing great albums. British steel is another gem, though i find it hard to give this one 5 stars with the likes of breaking the law, living after midnight, and the poor mans Queen like anthem "united". The vintage priest songs here are rapid fire, metal gods, grinder and "the rage". Once again, priest delivers the goods.
This album is quite short too which is kinda nice because I like short albums. Still, I think that "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Stained Class" would deserve better treatment, because they are a little bit better than this.
I don't remember which was first.this or "Painkiller". This was one of the first Priest albums I have ever heard.
I cannot blame them who think that way. Well anyway, this album is the classic one.
This is often said to be the best Judas Priest album because there's hits "Living After Midnight", "Breaking the Law", "Rapid Fire", and "United". This is true metal, I'm not saying anything against it.
The 35 minutes of great metal which must have inspired many metal bands.Stars: United, Rapid Fire, Breaking the Law
I bought this one when it originally came out in the 80's on vinyl, and now more recently on CD Remastered. One of Judias Priest's best records and one of the best heavy metal records as well. Up there with AC/DC Highway to Hell and Back in Black.
It has more classic guitar work, singing and lyrics. Second, the band recruited producer Tom Allom (beginning a decade long association with the band after being an engineer for Black Sabbath in the early 1970s and also produced Def Leppard's superb debut album). First, the band (which consisted of lead singer Rob Halford, lead guitarists Glenn Tipton and KK Downing and bass player Ian Hill) got a new drummer out of ex-Trapeze drummer Dave Holland (who would be their second long serving drummer (only his successor Scott Travis has been with them for 19 years)). It's ironic that Judas Priest, (a British metal band), wrote a song about what is also construed as an anthem for American pride. Next is "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise" (which was the first track on Side Two of the UK release of the album) and is an underrated, great track. The songs, production, playing and the resurrection of hard rock and metal at the time made this a timeless album.The remastered CD version of the album features the tracks in its UK sequence ("Rapid Fire", "Metal Gods", "Breaking the Law", "Grinder", "United", "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise", "Living After Midnight", "The Rage" and "Steeler") plus an outtake from the scrapped double Twin Turbos album (which became Turbo in 1986) entitled "Red White and Blue" which was a great power ballad.
Next is the track "Rapid Fire" (which opened the UK issue of the album and opens the remastered CD (the US version switched tracks around)) which is a fast, prototype speed-metal kick*ss rocker. Recorded at Titenhurst Park (the estate of Beatle Ringo Starr (previously owned by his deceased bandmate John Lennon)), they created a masterpiece which is still one of the best albums ever made (as I found out when I bought the original US cassette edition in 1997 (I was familiar with three tracks on the disc "Breaking the Law", "Metal Gods" and "Living After Midnight" as they were on the 2-CD best of Metal Works)).The original US album opened with "Breaking the Law" which is one of the band's best loved tracks and a great song still to this day. Great lyrics and superb guitar dueling by Tipton and Downing. Next is the great rocker (which became the band's nickname by fans and rock journalists) "Metal Gods". Metal Gods Judas Priest released its sixth studio album British Steel in May of 1980.The album was a change for the band in several ways. Like "Take on the World" (on 1979's Hell Bent For Leather), this is an uplifting, singalong anthem and is also one of the greatest rock/metal anthems ever written."Living After Midnight" (which kicked off Side Two of original US/Canadian release) is next and was one of Priest's first US rock radio hits and became a staple of American rock radio. This track may have been seen as sellout city but its hook, riffs and lyrics make this song rock.
Next is "The Rage" which starts with a cool bass guitar riff from Hill before turning into an epic rocker with some uneartly Downing guitar solos. We close the album with the fast heavy rocker "Steeler". We then have "Grinder" which is another rocker with raunchy, in a good way, lyrics, and another staple of the band's. Third, the band released their first album of the decade they would reign supreme, the 1980s. A kick*ss way to close the album.
Halford's superb singing and sci-fi lyrics coupled with Downing and Halford's riffing makes this a killer rocker. The first half ends with the track "United". British Steel became Judas Priest's first US Top 40 charting album and first Gold seller (would hit Platinum after the success of 1982's Screaming For Vengeance) for good reason. There's also a live version of "Grinder" from 1984's Defenders Of the Faith Tour.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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