Review Summary: Priest does its early classics justice in this essential live recording
UNLEASHED IN THE EAST is an often overlooked gem that compiles much of the best of their earlier work and bring these songs to life in such an electrifying way that the studio versions failed to capture. It was my first real primer on Priest’s back catalog and a superb one at that!
The album itself was recorded at two different Japanese venues in Tokyo during the month of February 1979. Judas Priest was touring to support their HELL BENT FOR LEATHER album and were just beginning to capture the attention of U.S. audiences. It was rumored that much of this album was re-recorded in the studio, but it was only Rob Halford’s vocals that were dubbed in because the original vocal tracks had been ruined.
As I noted in my opening statement, the renditions for each of these songs seems preferable to their original studio counterparts. Some of the problem with the original recordings was the production itself. Plus, the band had additional time to really polish and develop these songs over many tours. These are all wonderful Priest gems here with a not a dull song to be found. The throttling “Exciter” is almost proto-speed metal and includes some great guitar breaks from Tipton. “Running Wild” is a fairly straight forward, but very likable up-tempo song from HELL BENT FOR LEATHER. And then we have “Sinner”! This was really K. K. Downing’s trademark showcase as he furiously abuses his whammy bar during the extended guitar solo.
Of course, Rob Halford shines throughout this set, putting his powerful, shrieking vocals on full display. His abilities seemed almost superhuman to behold as a young metal fan. His reading of the 1976 gothic melodrama “The Ripper” really gives him a great opportunity to show off those pipes. The original side A of the vinyl version of this album (which I still have) ended with an amazing rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)” that got plenty of FM radio airplay back in the 80s.
Side B began with their quintessential version of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds And Rust”, which just shine as brightly on SIN AFTER SIN. The album finally reaches its pinnacle with this staggering rendition of “Victim Of Changes”, which was really their finest song up to this point in their career. It’s a powerhouse of a track with its very unorthodox arrangement and dynamic moments. Halford really gets to show off his range here and pretty much owns the crowd after pulling this one. The album climaxes with two more great songs from SADWINGS OF DESTINY, “Genocide” and “Tyrant”. The original release was relatively short by today’s standards, but you felt pretty wrung out by the time it wrapped up.
One thing I really loved about this recording was the fact that K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton’s guitar parts were panned hard left and right on the mix for this. It was really easy to tell who was playing what and figure it out much more easily. This provided guitarists like me an opportunity to learn their bits separately, as the studio mixes would blend them together.
There were actually other songs recorded at these shows and several of them have appeared as odds and ends for other releases and b-sides. These songs included “Rock Forever”, “Delivering The Goods”, “Hell Bent For Leather”, “Starbreaker” and “Beyond The Realm Of Death”. The bonus tracks are certainly a welcome addition, but I feel the album is perfect just as it was originally sequenced.
