Review Summary: Halford’s return to the band is a very welcome one, bringing fresh yet nostalgic material that’s also accessible to straightforward metalheads.
The post-Painkiller years were a rather rough time for Judas Priest. Between an eventually dismissed lawsuit, Halford leaving the band and the unenthusiastic reaction to the Tim Owens albums, it seemed as if the Priest had hit an all-time low. However, fans were soon revitalized at the news of Halford re-uniting with the band in 2004 and touting the release of their latest effort, Angel of Retribution. Though the album’s lead single, “Revolution” didn’t strike a chord in most, the album itself managed to fare considerably well by comparison, and with good reason.
“Judas Rising” kicks things off very well, with an intro that gradually builds to an explosive track, being succeeded by the equally gratifying “Deal with the Devil” (both of which seem to be almost mockery-like retellings of the band’s history). The aforementioned single, “Revolution,” isn’t a bad song but is pretty weak by the band’s standards. “Worth Fighting For” is a fairly relaxed track that, although not exactly solid, is still a decent and catchy enough song. Returning to the heavier style of the opening tracks, “Demonizer” is one big slice of Priest cheese; both lyric and theme-wise with fitting instrumental work to boot. Arguably the most nostalgia-inducing track, “Wheels of Fire” plays mostly to a slower paced, chorus-fed fashion. The following tracks, however, are where the album truly shines. “Angel” is easily one of the band’s most beautiful tracks, having perhaps the most powerful lyrics the band has written since “Beyond the Realms of Death.” Next in line is “Hellrider,” which might as well be called “Painkiller Part II” just for the guitar solos. As for the closing tracks, “Eulogy/Lochness,” they’ve very chilling and elaborate, respectively; blending into each other to make for a lengthy, yet well-paced ending to the album.
One of the best parts of Angel of Retribution is the overall production. Though the band hasn’t exactly had trouble releasing well-produced work, here it greatly helps to make the album sound exactly as it needs to be, only rivaled by Nostradamus. Each track and instrument played here sounds crystal clear, allowing for even the less stellar tracks to at least sound decent. As for the songs themselves, what we’re given is material that hits high at first, lacks sufficient punch in the middle but closes strongly as an ultimately solid overall listen. Similar to Painkiller and the pre-Turbo work, there aren’t any truly weak or bad tracks present here (fair is about as low as it goes), which is a very nice contrast to the absurdly indecisive release that was Demolition.
But what some people were most interested to know was how the band sounded together after fifteen long years. Fortunately, Angel of Retribution is easily the most comfortable-feeling Priest album since Painkiller. While bassist Ian Hill has a mostly negligible presence once again (save for the intro to “Revolution”), the rest of the band is in top form. Scott Travis’ drum work here is simply grand, managing to top his performances during the Owens-era. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing put on their best performances in years here, serving up a number of excellent dual guitar solos to once again solidify them as two of the most talented metal guitarists. Then there’s Rob Halford reprising his role in the band. Although he can’t quite match his glory days (his vocal pitch isn’t as strong or pronounced), what the Metal God has to offer us here is more than satisfactory. Halford’s vocal range is heard all throughout Angel of Retribution, with passionate singing present in “Angel” and “Worth Fighting” in addition to hitting higher notes on “Deal with the Devil” and “Demonizer.” Altogether, the band hasn’t sounded this great in years.
As a whole, Angel of Retribution is a most welcome return for the band with Halford back at the helm as frontman. While not nearly as good as Painkiller or Stained Class, the album ranks well with British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance, managing to be almost, if not AS good as the said records. Angel of Retribution definitely lives up to its name given its lukewarm at-best predecessors.
