For me, this is the album that started and cemented the modern Priest legacy. Before this, all of the albums were a bit patchy, and the full-on Judas Priest Heavy Metal Experience manifested itself fully on this album. There is not one bad second on this album and it is a classic of the genre. All tracks are original compositions, apart from the cover of Better By You Than Me, which was a Spooky Tooth tune.
The album opens with Exciter, and you could say this was the genesis of the whole speed metal movement as the seeds were sown with this gem. All the elements of future classic Priest are here in this one track. Killer tune! White Heat Red Hot follows and Halford’s vocals are incredible, they have the full on range mixed with a great riff – it’s classic British metal. The aforementioned Spooky Tooth cover follows, and it sounds nothing like the original as it’s been given the JP treatment. The title track is next up and it starts with a good old gallop (which Maiden would steal to great effect a couple of years later), mixed with some great guitar dueling from KK and Glenn – we have a winner! Invader closes out Side 1 and the riff has a very seventies feel to it mixed with a super catchy chorus – it has more of a hard rock vibe than metal.
Saints In Hell opens up Side 2 and Halford’s vocals are superb, what a range he had in his prime, I don’t think anyone could touch him back then – plus this song has a great middle section as well. Savage is next up and it has a very Ian Gillan era Deep Purple vibe to the whole thing, which never struck me before. An all time classic Priest tune in Beyond The Realms Of Death is next up, and all of the elements of every great rock song ever are all here. The slow acoustic intro, the big build up, the explosion of power, and the solo section – the template to every great metal epic is right here folks. Heroes End closes out the album and is, what I would call, a stock Judas Priest song, a pretty simple riff elevated by the outlandish vocal.
This would be the beginning of a six album run culminating in Defenders Of The Faith where Priest could do no wrong.
9.5/10 from The Grooveman.
