Why is Judas Priest so important again? This album sounds extremely dated and it isn't very heavy, even by 1982 standards. Rob Halford's vocals bring this album down quite a bit as well. The production is really weak and not very punchy. It's produced like an old 70s hard rock record, except Rainbow Rising from 1976 sounds heavier and punchier. Motorhead had already released Overkill and Ace Of Spades by the time this came out, both of which are rougher and grittier. Iron Maiden had released their debut, Killers, and Number Of The Beast, all of which have fantastic production and sound much more modern than Screaming For Vengeance. Bruce Dickinson had a much louder and stronger voice than Halford. Venom had released fucking Welcome To Hell the year prior and Black Metal the same year. A young Metallica had just appeared on Metal Massacre in 1981 and released their demo in 1982.
Why is this album so remembered? It's boring compared to most metal happening at the time, and the production sounds dated as hell. It's not clean enough to still sound modern to this day like Iron Maiden, and it's not rough and tough enough to stand out among Motorhead and Venom.
Venom was seen as a joke band by many, they were basically GWAR of their day.
If you don't think Priest was as important or as good, if not better than Iron Maiden or Motorhead, you just don't get metal history.
Nathan Ramirez
>except Rainbow Rising from 1976 sounds heavier and punchier I've listened to RR and no it's not punchier than Vengeance, even Richie Blackmore admitted they didn't get the sound they wanted because Polydor made them remove most of the bass from the mix to make it radio friendly.
It's more fair to compare Rising with Sad Wings, its contemporary, and believe me, the latter is way heavier.
Nathaniel Barnes
I think before screaming for vengeance they were in a clear descending route (point of entry was mediocre). This album was successful in that put them back on track big time. In America another thing coming was a success, they tourers USA and Rob live had a voice and a form who was stellar (as equal to Dickinson in his prime). Agreed on production at the time for that sound there was only one man : Martin birch (an he was working pretty mutch always on maiden). Also the drummer in screaming was pretty vanilla imo.
Hudson Scott
OP here. I just want to add that I fucking love Electric Eye, and I was expecting the rest of the album to be as good as that song but it disappointed me. The opening track is the best song and it drops off pretty hard afterwards. I enjoy a few other Priest songs, but I think they're massively overrated.
Xavier Lopez
Are you fucking retarded or something? Judas Priest was pre NWOBHM, they were basically the next step in metal after Black Sabbath, and arguably the first one to solidify the heavy metal sound and image. The three most important bands to metal canon are Black Sabbath obviously for starting it, Judas Priest for solidifying it, and Motorhead for their obvious influence on the many genres who emphasized speedball shit over heavy slamming riffs....the fourth, and in fourth place no matter which way you slice it, is Iron Maiden. Who are great but I don't see how anyone could objectively say they were more important to metal than Judas Priest since I'm pretty sure they were influenced by Priest themselves, Maiden might be the single biggest influence on the genre of power metal, but that's about the only area they are more influential than the others.
Jace Gutierrez
youtu.be/wz-IsyOQfEs Say what you want, one can also dislike the voice, but he was in top form live at the period.
Most of iron maiden success is to be binded to Martin Birch who defined so mutch their sound that an old nwobhm fans like me, doesn't listen maiden after no prayer, cause it's clear the change of style and production (even more clear with actual Kevin shirley, a bland power metal guy, who ruins the sound).
Pain & Pleasure is killer though, probably my favorite track on there.
Gavin Watson
You just don't listen to enough metal. Give it 10 more years and you'll see how influential Priest was and why their records are so great. Because you remind me of the Slipknot kids in high school who didn't get why Sabbath was good.
Easton Morales
One For The Road, Victim of Changes, Tyrant, Sinner, Starbreaker, Raw Deal, Exciter, White Heat, Red Hot, Invader, Beyond the Realms of Death, Saints in Hell, Delivering the Goods, The Green Manalishi, Killing Machine, Rapid Fire, Heading Out To The Highway, You've Got Another Thing Coming, Pain and Pleasure, Freewheelin Burnin', and Turbo Lover are all fantastic tracks and most bands would kill to have that many good songs. You suck, OP.
Elijah Long
Keep listening to it until you get it.
Jace Walker
They were great at those mid-tempo driving songs. Nobody did driving songs as well as them.
>caring what rock "critics" think LOLno. back in the 70s and 80s these guys were all smug irritating hipsters from New York and San Francisco who only ever liked New Wave bands and shit and put down metal at every chance they got. If you weren't whining about Reagan or wearing a skinny tie or were some fucking junkie in Soho, you didn't get good reviews from them.
Easton Thompson
it's not their most important record ever (Sad Wings is probably more influential) but it helped them break to mainstream and it's a good point of entry to metal from hard rock. try listening to different master, it's obviously heavier than Rainbow. that's the thing about Priest, most albums from 1980 to 1990 have filler.
Bentley Rivera
The Green Manalishi is great to listen to before going for a walk on a warm summer night.
Michael Ross
if you can't see why pic related is fucking incredible, metal music might not be for you. maybe stick to death grips and ariana grande
Victim of Changes is an incredible track considering it was adapted from some generic pub rock left behind from Al Atkinson.
Josiah Gonzalez
I guarantee I could fucking school you on metal. I've been listening to it for 15 years. I've just never understood the appeal of Judas Priest.
Ayden Jackson
Yeah you've been listening to it since Bush was president and just can't digest anything but brvtal metal with shitty drop D riffs and growly vocals.
Carson Gomez
Whether you like them or not is your own business but it doesn't excuse from not understanding their influence and significance.
Lucas Baker
>No Livin' After Midnight
Good list otherwise
Henry White
>15 years
Oh wow lookit this Sophomore in high school who's the expert on metal.
Ryan Sullivan
>drop D riffs and growl vocals. I can't stand deathcore. I listen to plenty of old school heavy metal. I love Rainbow, Sabbath, Motorhead, Saxon, Maiden, Dio, etc. When I listen to extreme shit, it's sure as hell not deathcore. I'm really into OSDM and first wave black metal. I just don't like Priest.
Landon Young
I don't believe you? First of all, you're talking about Screaming For Vengeance as if you were just dipping your toes in it. But forget that, anyway....name your top twenty metal bands. Roughly, don't think too hard about it. Let's see what kind of hardcore metal scholar we're dealing with here.
Isaiah Rogers
I admit the first time I listened to Sabbath I was a bit vexed since having been a child of the nu metal era, I had always just assumed metal sounded like Let The Bodies Hit The Floor.
Noah Long
The bulk of your critisism seems to be that you don't like the production and that it's "bring and "not heavy enough". I'll give you that it's isn't very extreme (outside of the title track) but that's not really a valid critique as much as you just don't liking the style. If you want something heavier listen to Defenders of the Faith and their 70's stuff. Screaming for Vengence isn't their their best record, but it is very historically significant and influential.
Considering some of your comments I don't know how much you actually listen to metal or how new you are. Saying that the vocals of early 80's Rob Halford bring a metal album down "quite a bit" is straight up laughable.
You also have to put Judas Priest as a band in an historical context. They were the first band to use the metal image of spikes and leather that still exists to this day. The were the first to play in the style which would become the NWOBHM. As said, no matter how you slice it they are the second most important metal band after Black Sabbath
Oliver Gutierrez
You seem like the kind of guy who can't into Mercyful Fate because you can't handle King Diamond vocals.
Ryder Bell
I'm not going to count and make sure it's exactly 20 but here goes.
Obituary Darkthrone Morbid Saint Nuclear Assault Atheist Demolition Hammer Iron Maiden Bathory Hellhammer/Celtic Frost Exodus Rainbow Death Dark Angel Heathen Metallica (first four albums only) Motorhead Possessed Agressor
John Taylor
Those are really your favorite bands? Like the ones you listen to every day and have had a big impact on your life? Almost seems like a hodgepodge of bands one might use to display a certain level of credibility to make a point
In any case, even if those are your very top bands of all time, who am I to say they aren't....and some good stuff there so not dissing the bands, but I would say that the reason you don't appreciate Priest is because you don't go very far back into metal and are probably a noob to traditional heavy metal outside of the few bands you keep mentioning. Give it time, I guess. Metal existed before thrash.
Bentley Myers
I'm that guy and I love judas Priest. Pic related is their best album though.
Yes? It's one of the best party albums ever made and if you can be still while listening to this youtube.com/watch?v=SqhAFry-Nlk you have the worst taste in music or you're paralyzed.
It's all killers no fillers and probably the most melodic of all Judas Priest albums
Nolan Lewis
It's decent as a glam album, but that's quite a low bar. I'll give you that Turbo Lover and Reckless are great songs.
Isaac Williams
And Locked In and Private Property. And Out In The Cold is as good of an anthem there is.
Gavin Robinson
The chorus of Locked In is good, the verses are filler though. Private Property is good, Out in the Cold is just boring. Don't see what's so special about it.
Camden Gonzalez
FWBM is a meaningless term. We should qualify music by technicality, actual sound and characteristics, not lyrics and image. For me FWBM was a bunch of bands that played various genres but helped to shape actual Black Metal that we do know today
