Review Summary: A comeback album in every sense of the phrase.
Of the many pioneers of classic heavy metal, Judas Priest was one that never really seemed to stick with the same sound. From the blues-inspired epics of Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny to the slightly more poppy sound of British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance, Priest weren’t afraid to experiment with the boundaries of their music. However, around the mid-80’s, the heavy metal titan’s success came to a screeching halt when the band began toying around with glam metal on Turbo. Even worse, the follow-up, Ram It Down, was an unfocused mess that was divided between Priest’s classic metal sound and the more glam-influenced songs on Turbo. By the late 80’s, Priest was heavily overshadowed by thrash giants such as Slayer and Metallica. Hell, even their contemporaries Iron Maiden seemed to be doing fine. Fast forward to 1990. Judas Priest announces the release of a new album, Painkiller. Everything seems to be working against the band. A controversial lawsuit coupled with record label issues delayed the album’s release by nearly 6 months. But the question lingered: Could the mighty Judas Priest rise back to the top with this album? Was this what the fans had been waiting for? And the answer, without a single doubt, is yes.
The first part of this album that deserves praise is, of course, newcomer Scott Travis’s drumming. He goes for an aggressive, over-the-top style as opposed to former drummer Dave Holland’s more reserved style. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing’s dual guitar leads shine through with this album, each guitarist utilizing his signature style to the fullest extent, with Tipton’s longer, more melodic solos contrasting from Downing’s dive bombs and thrash-inspired solos. Bassist Ian Hill doesn’t stick out as much as the rest of the band on this album, but he does put in a good effort, and thus deserves some praise as such. However, this album’s strongest point comes in the form of vocalist Rob Halford. Whether it’s his calmer singing on “Leather Rebel” or his ear-piercing shrieks on the title track, Halford’s vocal melodies never fail to show off his four octave range and blow away the listener. There are still some synth-influenced parts on “A Touch of Evil”, but even then, they are executed in a far better way than on previous albums. Chris Tsangarides’s production job also helps, allowing for both the instrumental and vocal parts to come out crisp and clear. The album already has a strong first half, with the title track, “Hell Patrol”, and “Leather Rebel” being choice highlights, but the second half is an utter masterpiece, with fantastic tracks like “A Touch of Evil”, “Night Crawler”, “One Shot at Glory”, and the haunting ballad, “Living Bad Dreams”. Judas Priest brought their A-game to this album, and it paid off.
The main reason why this album is the greatest in Priest’s catalog, even more so than Sad Wings of Destiny or Screaming for Vengeance, is because this isn’t just the album we needed: It’s the album that they needed. See, as I explained in my ridiculously long intro, these guys were really starting to falter by the end of the 1980’s. Most metalheads had already found a thrash metal or speed metal band that was heavier and faster than Priest once they turned into glam. And with all the internal conflicts within the band, too, including Halford’s drug abuse and struggle with his sexuality, Judas Priest really needed to cement that they weren’t quite ready to retire yet. They needed one shot at glory (crappy pun intended). And in the end, they pulled it off.
