Judas Priest: You Make The Call
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 02:21PM Happy Record Store Day! Today's post is from our friend HIM.
In previous posts, I have made a case for why, after so many years of great music, Priest have been placed in the shadows of another classic British band, Iron Maiden. This post is not about that (though, perhaps, it has some bearing on what I am writing).
I stumbled across these (not great quality) videos on another site. And I started to think: “How do I feel about hearing these songs played this way, today?” Keep in mind, I have seen Priest over half a dozen times. I have seen them blow other bands off the stage. I have seen them when Halford could barely move and could hardly muster the strength to suggest he was/is the Metal God. I’ve seen them in outdoor amphitheaters and smaller venues. I love Priest, even if I don’t really get into the newer material for a host of reasons.
These three songs—two for what I consider their “classic period” and one from the point where they were moving in a different direction—are all songs I love. The first two? When I initially heard them, I was floored. And I mean floored! The first song is just a straight-ahead monster of spit and venom directed at the fairer sex. Classic metal. The second song shows just how much Priest were able to blend different textures into their music when they were firing on all cylinders (compare it to “The Rage” and you will see what I mean). The third song was them moving into an aggressive revamp that certainly suggests them moving towards some trends at the time. But, boy oh boy, what a take on those trends! I still recall listening to this on my Walkman as I was walking around Yugoslavia (yeah, when it still existed) and just smiling at my luck to be there, listening to this song.
That is a roundabout way of saying I am not making any judgement in asking you what you make of these songs played this way nowadays. I have my own opinions, and I now infrequently offer them. But this post is about asking you how you feel about the following:
Devil's Child
Victim of Changes:
Painkiller:
To be clear, I am glad that Priest are still around. More than happy (and also glad that KK is making his music for those who want to hear it). But I would love to hear your thoughts.
Judas Priest