Defenders of the Faith (Exp) [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Judas Priest | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 29, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005K9LM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > British Metal
  • #59 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After Screaming, They Defended The Faith, March 10, 2002

By 

Robert J. Schneider (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Defenders of the Faith (Exp) (Audio CD)

Not wanting to give up on their new-found momentum after the superb, fast and hard-hitting SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE, Judas Priest released DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH in March of 1984. Sporting a darker, more violent side than SCREAMING, it nevertheless continued the same tradition of fast, rat-a-tat-tat drumming from Dave Holland, K.K. Downing/Glenn Tipton twin-Stratocaster guitar solos that intertwined with each other at blistering speeds, and high-pitched screeching courtesy of Rob Halford, the greatest heavy metal singer alive both then and now. I became a die-hard fan when I first saw their video for the speed-metal opener "Freewheel Burning". The song is fast, furious, yet still very melodic. It's also my favorite on this CD. Even at their fastest, Priest always retained their melodic sensibilites; they were never just noise. "Jawbreaker" continues this dark speed-metal sound nicely; although not great like "Freewheel Burning", it keeps the momentum going. "Rock Hard, Ride Free" is a great racing-as-metaphor-for-life song like "Heading Out To The Highway" and "Freewheel Burning", but is mid-tempo in rhythm with a high-pitched tandem guitar tune that sounds like the perfect theme of a teenage life-story. "The Sentinel" burns up the air; it's a fast, burning, and violent song which could have been made into a movie. It's about a supernatural (and apparently immortal) sentinel who takes out an entire army with his scabbard of 200 daggers, which "fly out like bullets, upon their deadly course." Quite gory, but nonetheless an excellent Priest song with a memorable bridge.

The second half of DEFENDERS also rocks, although not quite as hard. "Love Bites" is Priest's metallic take on vampirism; it begins memorably with some slow, forboding bass guitar chords from Ian Hill before kicking in with Halford growling "When you feel safe/When you feel warm/That's when I rise/That's when I crawl". It was the perfect song to open all of Priest's live shows on the "Defenders" tour--I know, I saw them twice on that tour--although it's not quite as great of a song to hear whilst lounging in the comfort of your living room. "Eat Me Alive" is pretty self-explanatory <wink>; its true meaning not fully revealed until Rob courageously came out of the closet in 1998. It's an okay speed-metal track, a bit too repetitious; it's probably the weakest song on the CD. But then we get to my second-favorite track on here, "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", which became widely played on FM hard-rock stations. It's about "the power-mad freaks who are ruling the earth" and gives us a great lead guitar solo trade-off between Glenn & K.K. The next track is a haunting power-ballad called "Night Comes Down". It's dark, emotional, and fits the mood of this CD perfectly. Closing out the original DEFENDERS set is "Heavy Duty/Defenders Of The Faith", a slow-paced but pounding two-part heavy metal anthem that serves as a tribute to the legions of Priest fans everywhere, and for all those who want to be rocked till their "Metal Hunger's fed". That's a fake audience cheering on this studio version, but it reminds me of when I saw them do it live, and I was part of a REAL screaming crowd!

But wait; there's more! With this Remastered version, we now get a studio bonus track called "Turn On Your Light". It was written "during the early years of our career". Like most of the bonus tracks on Priest's Remastered CDs, it was recorded in 1985 during the sessions for TURBO. It's an unusually slow song, with both acoustic guitar and keyboards (very unusual for a Priest song), although it does contain a fuzzy lead guitar solo and does get pretty heavy towards the end. It's not a great, standout track such as "Prisoner Of Your Eyes" (from the Remastered SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE), but it's not bad either, and it is good to *occasionally* hear Rob Halford sing without screaming. Finally, the CD closes with an appropriately live version of "Heavy Duty/Defenders Of The Faith." It's rendered faithfully, and extended to five-and-a-half minutes with Rob leading the real screaming crowd on a minute-long "We are Defenders of the Faith" chant.

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH still remains one of Judas Priest's strongest albums ever. It's earned a special place in my heart, and it still rocks me till my Metal Hunger's fed! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is better than best, don`t miss that!, July 6, 2001

By 

Juha Albert Kainulainen (Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defenders of the Faith (Exp) (Audio CD)

I think this is best Priest album ever and even more, best metal album ever made. New track is bad, but originally tracks are fine. BRUTAL, RAW and MELODIC same time. Such good ideas, playing and Rob`s voice.

I have 2000 records and i have listened music 25 years and still I keep "defenders..." one of the greatest master pieces of human kind. Every song is worth of listening. BUY IT! We in Finland know what is best :)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pinnacle of 80s heavy metal, August 17, 2004

By 

Ilya Malafeyev (Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Defenders of the Faith (Audio CD)

I could never understand the fuss around "Screaming for Vengeance", this album's predecessor. Surely, it's Judas Priest biggest selling album, and all. But it was so poppy sounding, and had almost no punch at all! Imagine my relief when I heard "Defenders of the Faith" for the 1st time. My Judas Priest, the band that I loved for their hellish energetics, piercing vocals, and relentless riffing attack, was back!

Even now "Defenders" stands strong against any competition, and is doubtlessly one of the best JP albums ever, on par with the groundbreaking "Stained Class" and Rob Halford's goodbye "Painkiller". The band threw away any poppy influence it might had and put out 40+ minutes of heavy metal classics. Right from the start, "Freewheel Burning" and "Jawbreaker" epitomize everything that is great about this music, running at breakneck speed with energy enough to rival an atomic explosion. And the incredible, arguably best JP song ever, "The Sentinel" adds up to the impression. Judas Priest throw in much variety, and alongside the speedy tracks there are a mid-tempo heavy metal anthem "Rock Hard, Ride Free", unexpectedly slow "Love Bites" and "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", a return to JP's 70s trademark metal-ballad style "When the Night Comes Down", a stadion-stomper medley "Heavy Duty"/"Defenders of the Faith", and a faster "Eat Me Alive" with some dual-faced lyrics, considering Halford's declared homosexuality.
There's no need to mention that throughout the album K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton once again prove themselves as one of the best guitar duo in metal history, Rob Halford's vocals are in top-form, and the rhythm-section does its job remarkably well with some powerful drumming by Dave Holland.

I won't exaggerate much by saying that "Defenders of the Faith" is a mandatory album for any serious heavy metal fan. I'd advise to buy the new remastered edition, because its sound quality is better, and it features a couple of nice bonus-tracks/