The 15 Best Songs by Judas Priest

I present to you the 15 best songs from Judas Priest, presented from the first idea of ​​ten only because the group’s legacy is very important, the discography is too big, and – that may be surprising to neophytes – too many to limit to just ten.

All fanfare has been thrown out the window in favor of work – otherwise “Delivery” and “Starbreaker” would have been there – so I dug up what I thought the most important part of the group, whether in terms of influence, interest, length, or in a few cases, all of the above.

Following the lead of Deep Purple’s 1971 song “Fireball”, which at the time had some of the fastest kicks ever heard in heavy metal, “Exciter” cranks up the intensity a hundredfold .

Propelled by a throttling two-time beat by drummer Les Binks, two kicks in overdrive brought unprecedented speed, intensity, and dexterity to the brand.

The riffing from Glenn Tipton and KK Downing is sharp and powerful, their twins do the rounds, while Rob Halford turns up the vocals.

The song would become a huge influence on the crash/speed metal wave of the early 1980s, inspiring the Canadian speedsters of Exciter to name their band after it.

“Metal Gods” – (British Steel, 1980)

A slightly different version of a special album designed for critical success, the competitive, battle-hardened “Metal Gods” is also one of Priest’s heaviest albums to date.

Over a simple but wonderfully tight section by Ian Hill and Dave Holland, shuffling hi-hats give it just the slightest sense of groove, the chorus features a call-and-response A good example of a loud Halford and a similar-sounding one. Tipton and Downing.

It also features the band at its most creative in the studio, whipping guitar chords, smashing pool cues, and most famously, sending spoonfuls of cutlery to complete the song’s real sound. .

The most commercial song of the successful British Steel, “Living After Midnight” is still in the records of some old-duddy metal, but as trite as this little song , his connection is irresistible and glorious, the voice. of a study group where it never hurts to have a little fun once in a while.

Backed superbly by Holland’s smart, powerful backbeat – his simple style is why he was hired to play on this album – the song is all about the hook rather than the riff, about the fact the song begins with chorus.

Technically, it doesn’t do anything different than what “Exciter” did the previous year, but what “Freewheel Burnin” has over the speech is incredible.

The guitar noise is tar thick, yet sleek, Holland’s robotic drumming – a far cry from the unhinged speed of Metallica and Slayer in the same year – cold and impersonal, while Halford’s voice is on top, screaming, screeching , spit out lines like bullets. .

Capped out by the greatest twin solo from Tipton and Downing, it was a defiant, anti-commercial single in 1984, he strived to anticipate “Painkiller” the following year.

The most popular movie of the Sad Wings of Destiny, it’s no secret that Rob Halford wanted to follow the Queen’s Night at the Opera, which was made at Rockfield Studios in Wales. before Judas Priest went there to record his second album.

And indeed, starting with the blood-curdling, fader-fiddling intro the musical depiction of Jack the Ripper is an example of heavy metal at its most dramatic, two minutes and 51 seconds timeless of flamboyance and menace, led by Halford’s booming voice. .

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