Customer Reviews

Angel Of Retribution

5 star:		(174)
4 star:		(89)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

As for the music...this is classic Priest. Great to hear Halford back in the group. As for the U.S. cd releases, well, they both were less than satisfactory. Unlike some reviewers, my star rating is for hte music, not the CD issues. Most of you notice that there are two versions of this album available. There is a "dueldisc" edition and a limited "hardcover" book edition. The "dueldisc" version generates more problems. This is a new type of technology that is still in the working process and there is even a warning on the CD case. The disc features the music portion on one side and a the DVD features on the other. Because of this, the CD is thicker than the usual CD. Since it is thicker, the cd has a hard time playing in a lot of CD players. Forget about playing it in your CD deck in your car. Alot of players also scratch up the DVD side when trying to play the music side. I know a lot of people like myself like to make copies of our CD's so we can play 'em in our cars without worry of ruining the original discs. Forget about that as the new copy protection makes this impossible. Overall, the "dueldisc" edition blows and should be avoided. People wanting to avoid all the hassle of the ultra-garbage dueldisc version are better off buying the limited hardcover book edition. This has the CD and DVD on seperate discs. You are also able to make back-up copies of the CD for your car with this one. The downfalls of this release is that the CD and DVD come in little slipcases inside the 'book'. This means that if you keep removing the discs, you have a chance of damaging them. I even know a few individuals whose discs came pre-scratched because of these slipcases. The hardcover book is also only slightly better than those dreaded digipacks as it can get ruined very easily. Still, even with its downfalls, the limited is by far the way to go. If only they released it in a regular double jewel case instead...

ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION opens with a crescendoing, swirling guitar riff which explodes into the welcome return of the classic Halford scream. "Judas is Rising," the first track exclaims. Indeed. They has risen and continue to stand tall and rock throughout all ten tracks on this, their overdue and welcome reunion album.

Priest do not reinvent their sound on this LP. Instead, much like Maiden's BRAVE NEW WORLD, they simply give us a molten slab of the rock we banged our heads against back in the days of BRITISH STEEL, SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE and PAINKILLER. Each track begs for the volume to be turned just a little more to the right and the momentum builds through the album's epic closer duo of "Eulogy" and "Lochness," the latter of which may be derided as a bit over the top in terms of Dio-esque hokiness, but when did these guys ever take themselves too seriously? Of the entire album, only the non-screaming vocals of "Worth Fighting For" leave the listener wanting. Regardless, ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION picks up exactly where PAINKILLER left off and this listener in particular hopes it's the first of another run of at least another dozen or so records by Halford & Co.

Break out the black - both t-shirts and lightbulbs. If you thought Priest of the past was only a memory, you've got another thing comin'.

THE BAND: Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitar), K.K. Downing (guitar), Ian Hill (bass), Scott Travis (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (2005) 10 tracks clocking in at just under 53 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing artwork (no band photos), song credits/lyrics, and thank you's. Recorded at Old Smithy (Worcestershire, UK) and Sound City (San Francisco, CA). There are two versions of this disc available - a hard cover case with music disc only, and a 'dual-disc' featuring a single disc with music on one side and a DVD on the other (DVD features a brief documentary and footage from seven live songs on their 2004 "Reunited" tour). Label - Sony/BMG.

COMMENTS: Judas Priest is back on the heavy metal scene in 2005. "Angel Of Retribution" is a very heavy album with a few lighter songs thrown in the mix. It's been a long 15 years since Halford put his name on a Priest album ("Painkiller", 1990). Judas Priest had struggled since the day Halford left the band - putting out only 2 mediocre studio albums with Tim "Ripper" Owens at the helm. The original (4 member) line up is back - Rob Halford's vocals are finely tuned and there are plenty of his demon growls and signature high-pitched screams; dueling axes from KK Downing and Glen Tipton have never sounded better; Ian Hill is steady as ever on bass. Scott Travis (drums - from 1990's album "Painkiller") rounds out the quintet. "Retribution" rocks heavy with the exceptions being "Angel", "Worth Fighting For", and "Eulogy"... these 3 songs are still very good - just slower. Early picks as the faster/harder favorites would be the first two tracks - the intro "Judas Rising" leading into "Deal With The Devil", and track eight "Hellrider". The other tracks will grow on you - it's all chillingly good - no traces of filler. The tracks here are remniscent of old Priest as well as Halford's band in the 90's "Fight". Powerful double-bass drumming and screeching guitars dominate. Plenty of aggression, optimism and energy. Kerrang and Rolling Stone magazines give this disc two postive ball-busting reviews. Not to mention this old Priest line up stealing the show at the 2004 Ozzfest. Any fan of the band or Halford's solo material owes it to him/her self to get this disc. This is an album designed to both delight the faithful and to introduce metal's new listeners (the kids) to the timeless sound of an old classic metal band in top form. Old school metal is back! The flip side of the disc is the DVD - giving you a 40 minute documentary of the making of this album, as well as 7 live tracks (featuring old standards, "Living After Midnight", "Hellion/Electric Eye", "Metal Gods", "Hell Bent For Leather", etc). Is this 2005 release on line with some of their classic 80's material - ALMOST. Some reviewers have bashed the dual-disc and its thickness... I for one have not had any issues playing either side. Great dual-disc package (4.5 stars).

The first new album from Judas Priest since the Ripper Owens days and the first with Rob Halford since Painkiller (over ten years ago) tries to reclaim the ground it has "lent" to today's metal acts, with generally nice results. From the first (the opener "Judas Rising"), the trademark Priest grinding guitars and hypnotic riffs light up the album, and generally keep a high level of energy throughout. Rob Halford's voice is nothing less than fantastic; even his screams (at least on record) are still amazing, though his voice certainly stretches out with lower range and volume changes as well this time around, again with masterful results.
Two things that make "Angel Of Retribution" sound a bit different from what people see as the typical "Priest sound," however, are the greater presence of the bass in songs and the nature of a few of the songs themselves. First, Ian Hill's bass plays a much more central role in some songs (certainly on the album's first single, "Revolution", but on others like the finale "Lochness" as well), and helps to spread out the demands on screaming guitar solos (which I think are just a little toned down for this release) and Scott Travis' drums (but still a lot of the double bass drum beats throughout). Hopefully this helps the band more easily capture the sound of these songs live and maybe even surpass them in their concert versions. The second difference is that Priest (unlike many other bands of the genre) always have tweaked their sound a little to accomodate changes in their interests, and here is no different. There's a full fledged ballad "Angel" which is not fair to simply refer to as a "power ballad," as it deals with an interesting topic (asking for relief in the form of death at the end of the character's life) and is carried more by Halford's wonderful lower and mid range voice than the inevitable crashing guitar chorus. "Eulogy" is another change of pace, kind of a view from outside the body of a group of mourners with a heavy piano (maybe from Glenn Tipton?) base; mournful and an interesting segue into the album's last song, "Lochness," an extended "trudge" through one of the more interesting myths of Scotland (Halford referred to it as their "Lord Of The Rings" moment).
There are still plenty of high-octane songs on the album to rock to (my favorites are "Deal With The Devil" and "Demonizer" with it's "Out, Demon, Out" line in the chorus) and even though the second half sags a bit in my opinion, the Priest machine has definitely retooled itself successfully for the forseeable future. Recommended!

This is the album classic metal fans have been waiting for. Like many other fans, I was nervous about this make-or-break Priest disc but the boys (well, they're in their mid-50s) really pulled it off well!! What a great recording.

"Revolution" is exactly what it seemed to be - a decent, if not spectacular made for radio track amongst an album full of top flight metal. Make no mistake - the rest of Angel of Retribution IS CLASSIC PRIEST! I personally think it is the band's best effort since Defenders of the Faith. If you were to rank all Priest studio albums from best to worst this would definitely be in the top half among other classics like Vengeance, British Steel, Defenders, etc.

The lyrics are typical Priest lyrics - not Shakespeare but hardly cheesy ('cheesy' - a word used by people who grossly overestimate their own cool factor). No pointless profanity this time around. Keeping it clean and fun.

Perhaps most relevant is that it blows out of the water everything put out by current bands like Slipshod, Please-Kill-the-Switch-Engage, Lamb of God-Awful, and Forget-the-Shadows-just-let-the-curtain-Fall. Why? Guitars in proper tuning, solos that rip and convey a melody, and perhaps most importantly there is A SINGER WHO HAS ABILITY AND TALENT INSTEAD OF A HACK THROAT-SHOUTER.

Last fall there was Megadeth's 'The System Has Failed' now we get 'Angel of Retribution' - classic metal is on the rise.

I've never been a devoted Judas Priest fan. I bought "Angel of Retribution" just because I was curious as to what this bunch of 50-yr-olds would sound like in this day and age.

And I have to say that "Angel of Retribution" offers some amazing heavy metal material to satisfy any Heavy Metal fan out there. I've been playing the CD nonstop since I got it and it really gets better with every spin.

There is heavy stuff like `Judas Rising', `Demonizer' and the amazing `Hellrider'. There is some good' ole classic metal like `Deal w/ the Devil' and `Wheels on Fire'. Experimental metal like `Revolution', `Worth Fighting For' and a beautiful ballad called `Angel'. And then the CD ends with a classic metal 13-minute operatic (either you'll like it or you don't) song called `Loch ness'.

Some may not like this CD but consider this, for ANY band that has survived 30+ years and still sound this fresh, powerful and energetic, "Angel of Retribution" deserves a buy.

I have listened to every song on Angel Of Retribution and I have to rank it as one of the all time Judas Priest classics. The sounds and songs on this CD are as diverse in sound as the band has been spanning their entire 30 year career.

While "Wheels of Fire" and "Demonizer" are Painkiller-esque, they have other tunes such as "Deal With the Devil" which is more like from "Screaming for Vengeance". "Worth Fighting For" would fit well on Hell Bent for Leather. The ballad "Angel", if it were on "Sad Wings of Destiny", would already be an all time classic as well as "Eulogy". "Revolution" sounds like some of the grinding classics of "Sin After Sin" and would fit right in with the other songs on it. "Loch Ness" is not a simple "metal" song, but more of a "rock opera" artsy style piece along the lines of "Beyond the Realms of Death".

If you want all hard 100 mph grinding stuff go buy some "thrash", if you want some band crunching the same chords at different tempos and a singer "growling" in the mic go buy some "nu-metal" or "death metal", but if you want some real straight forward classic heavy metal in its truest form buy "Angel of retribution" by Judas Priest. You will not be disappointed.

I am eighteen years old and have been listening to Heavy Metal ever since I was eleven. After hearing about this album from my friends and the Internet, I decided to buy it out of curiosity. Was I ever suprised when I put this in my cd player, I couldn't believe I was missing out on such a great band. I like the whole album, but my favourite songs are: "Judas Is Rising", "Deal With The Devil", "Worth Fighting For", "Angel", and "Hellrider". I also like the dvd that comes with the album. It really gave me a good idea on what the band is all about. All in all, this is a great album for hardcore Priest fans, or a good starting point for new fans such as myself.

If you have be longing for this day?, you wont be disappointed as long as you're a genuine Priest fan. Every JP album has had a different vibe to it and this offering is no different other than the fact that it really does a great job of encompassing all that is Priest. It's fast, it's slow, it's melodic, it's got texture, it's got aggression, it's got balls. Halford is once again where he belongs, steering the good ship Judas Priest. He has a knack of bringing the best out of the rest of them and this cd proves that. In the Ripper years, Priest was missing something, an ingredient that was absent so to speak. Well I'm here to say, that missing ingredient is back and this helping of Priest is a good start to what should be a fantastic comeback by one of the worlds greatest metal bands. As far as tunage goes, I love them all and really get off on Lochness. I know it's a little long, even a little plodding at times and those lyrics are chessy as hell, but it just sticks in your head and to hear Rob belting out that chorus, Lochness!!!, man it just says WELCOME BACK!!

A solid return by the metal masters, not quite a 5 outta 5, but certainly a solid 4 or even maybe a 41/2. If I was to complain about something, it would be that I wish they would have perhaps had a little more info on the band (yes we all know who they are) in the cd jacket. Updated pics and some thoughts on the reunited Priest would have been cool. Other than the lyrics and the usual art work, credits etc, it's pretty sparse in that department. Cd sound quality is very good and that's Roy Z's department. He does not disappoint as all the instruments can be heard and that's a huge improvement over the last 2 cd's as the mixes were terrible.

The DVD part is a very cool extra as it lets you in on how they got back together and tells you a little of what these guys are about. With Rob back at the helm, these guys seem truly thrilled about the fact that they are all back together again. This reunion can only lead to bigger and better things in the future if this first release is the standard of what's to come.

I will be front row when they tour this year and I'll be loving every bloody minute of it!!

Welcome back Judas Priest!!

A pulverizing bolt of electricity and `nervous system energizing' that rivet to the core. It's hard to believe that so many years after they unleashed the wonderful Painkiller upon this planet, they are resurrected to haunt and stimulate again. The majesty of Priest - dead earnest camp and leather still intact - with all its glorious mythology that leaves you guessing whether salvation or destruction is more appealing, delivers the infinite metal mayhem you have been patiently awaiting. All your senses will be heightened with this masterful metal display. This extraordinary album blends a special concoction of mysterious, epic ballads and powerful, skull crushingly savory cacophonies and fugues of rock. What's new with this one? How about gorgeous displays of psychedelia and blues to go with heavy doses of mind melting metal? What is it that's so soothing about those familiar, though strangely always advancing, screeching vocals and the blasting guitar symphonies, not to mention the thunderous drums - that bring one into higher states of Zen? What is this special magic that arose from industrial England to explode with furious beauty and audible ambrosia all over the world for many decades? The artwork is stunning and the legacy continues into delightful new aural addictions.

God bless this angel of retribution. All sins are absolved.