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Judas Priest - Painkiller
1990 Columbia
Track
Listing:
1. Painkiller
2. Hell Patrol
3. All Guns Blazing
4. Leather Rebel
5. Metal Meltdown
6. Night Crawler
7. Between The Hammer & The Anvil
8. A Touch Of Evil
9. Battle Hymn
10. One Shot At Glory
Line-Up:
Vocals:
Rob Halford
Guitars: Glenn Tipton, K.
K. Downing
Bass: Ian Hill
Drums: Scott Travis
Website: www.judaspriest.com Uncle
Meat's Rating: A
Overall Rating: A
Also be sure to read:
Judas
Priest - Angel Of Retribution by Horatio
Judas Priest - Jugulator by Horatio
Judas Priest - Killing Machine by
Horatio
Judas Priest - Painkiller by Uncle
Meat
Judas Priest - Priest...Live! by
Uncle Meat
Judas Priest - Ram It Down by
Horatio
Glenn Tipton - Edge Of The
World by Horatio
Halford - Resurrection by Follow The
Hollow |
Uncle Meat's Review:
This album came out of nowhere. After the lackluster
Turbo (which I still think is an ok album) and Ram it Down, this was a complete surprise.
Think Judas Priest combined with the speed of Motörhead.
Ok, maybe not that fast, but fast. Judas Priest have been around for a while (their first album being 1974's
Rocka Rolla) and have never put out an album quite like this.
Maybe it had something to do with new drummer Scott Travis. I could come up with any number of crackpot theories on why this album was put out.
The point being you need this album!
The band gets some killer production from Chris Tsangarides (who also helped co-write
A Touch of Evil). Unfortunately this would be the last Judas Priest with this lineup for a while.
Judas Priest and Halford both had some success and disappointments in their years apart.
Song summaries include...
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Painkiller - Starts off with a drum “solo”.
The riff kicks in then the voice comes in. The verse riffs comes out of nowhere to punch the listener in the face.
The bridge is a bit of a letdown, but the rest of the song is total metal gold.
The solo is especially good. A
-
Hell Patrol - Starts off heavy, then gets softer when the verse kicks in.
The bridge is also a bit of a let down. Saved only by some creative solos.
B-
-
All Guns Blazing - This song goes for the throat and never lets go.
No mid-pace riffing, no break down, no harmony...just pure metal.
B+
-
Leather Rebel - This is one song I used to skip over when I first picked up the album.
Now I realize my error. Fast and furious, this song is another ripper.
The only letdown come from the fact that there are too few leads on the track.
B
-
Metal Meltdown - Beautiful into lead by Glenn and K.K.
The chorus seams unnecessarily slow. This is another track saved from extinction by the lead department.
B-
-
Night Crawler - The main focus of this song is the “breakdown” in the middle.
Starts out with creepy sound effects and then goes into a pretty straight forward metal riff.
The band is firing on all cylinders. The “breakdown” section features Rob Halford singing over a solo guitar and nothing else.
Save for the occasional guitar from the other side. A-
-
Between the Hammer & The Anvil - Another straight forward rocker.
With some nice breakdowns in the middle after the chorus. Some nice work from Travis.
The solo in the middle is also one of the highlights on this album.
B
-
A Touch of Evil - My favorite track.
The wind and bell effects are exceptional. Nice, straightforward, creepy opening riff.
Halford’s tortured vocal highlight this track even more. Glenn’s solo is an emotional masterpiece.
A+
-
Battle Hymn - Nice melodic interlude into...
B+
-
One Shot at Glory - I actually had my guitar instructor teach me this song.
Watching him try to figure out the different parts was quite interesting.
Anyway, back to the song. This is a perfect metal song. Fast, riffs flying all over the place, tons of leads (the main lead in the middle of the song still give me nightmares).
The band pulls out all the stops for this one. The guitar parts right before and underneath the solo some of the band’s best work.
A
Uncle Meat's Rating: A
Discography (last updated 6.15.06):
Gull demo - 1971
Rocka Rolla - 1974
Sad Wings Of Destiny - 1976
Sin After Sin - 1977
Killing Machine - 1978
Stained Class - 1978
The Best Of Judas Priest - 1978
Diamonds And Rust Live - 1979
Unleashed In The East Live - 1979
British Steel - 1980
Hero, Hero - 1981
Live In Rainbow Music Hall Denver - 1982
Point Of Entry - 1982
Screaming For Vengeance - 1982
SCOOP 33 EP - 1983
Defenders Of The Faith - 1984
Delivering The Goods EP - 1984
Turbo - 1986
Beyond Metal - 1987
Priest...Live! - 1987
Ram It Down - 1988
The Collection - 1989
Painkiller - 1990
The Sharpest Cuts - 1991
The Ultimate In Heavy Metal split with Black Sabbath - 1991
Judas Priest Star box - 1993
Metal Works '73 - '93 - 1993
Pure Classic Gold - 1993
Prisoners Of Pain - 1996
Jugulator - 1997
Living After Midnight - 1997
Live Meltdown EP - 1998
Live Meltdown - 1998
The Best Of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight - 1998
Priest Live & Rare - 1999
Simply The Best - 1999
Breaking The Law - 2001
Demolition - 2001
Limited Edition Collector's Box - 2001
Live In London - 2003
Metalogy Box - 2004
Angel Of Retribution -
2005
The Essential Judas Priest - 2006
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