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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After Screaming, They Defended The Faith, March 10, 2002
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
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Priest Album, But Not the Best Remaster, September 29, 2001
Here it is. Defenders Of The Faith. With tracks like 'Freewheel Burning', 'Rock Hard Ride Free', 'The Sentinel', and 'Love Bites', this is quite possibly one of the greatest metal albums of all time. I don't agree at all that it's a "sell-out" as a reviewer below put it. The instramentation is all perfect, with it's melodic crunching guitars, thumping heavy drum beats, and Halford's easily distinguishible screaming vocals.However, it's the remastering itself that I can't help but notice problems. It doesn't sound as crystal clear as it used to, and the hissing is still ever present. Although it's a bit muddy sounding, at least they had the decency to crank up the volume a bit so that it can be played louder. When it comes to the extra tracks, this album is the worst of the four. The live version of "Heavy Duty/Defenders of the Faith' is great, but there are other better songs that they could have done instead that haven't been played on a live album. I would've liked to hear a live 'Rock Hard Ride Free' instead. The Studio track 'Turn On Your Light' is also the worst of the four new songs. Here's how my evaluation of the four current remasters is: My Favorite Album-> Defenders Of The Faith
My Least Favorite Album-> Point Of Entry Best Remaster Extra Tracks-> Point Of Entry
Worst Remaster Extra Tracks-> Defenders Of The Faith Go Figure. Still, it's an excellent album that everyone should check out. No metal head should be without this fine piece of history.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Astounding, almost as good as Painkiller, August 29, 2004
Judas Priest's Defenders Of The Faith record is, simply put, astounding. It has all sorts of redeeming qualities. For instance: the riffing is superb, as are the bass lines. Halford's vocals are amazing, as usual. Drumming is great too. It's actually got several tracks with a great influence of thrash/speed metal. Let's break down the tracks one by one.
1. Freewheel Burning: A great opener, it kicks you right in the face, which is how a lot of the best metal records open up. Solo is insane!
2. Jawbreaker: Another fast one, bass line is amazing! I like how they make the sound effect of a time bomb with the hi-hat.
3. Rock Hard, Ride Free: A bit of a slower number, but still crunchy, with a great hook.
4. The Sentinel: A slow intro leads into another frantic speed metal tune. Solos are definetely at their best here.
5. Love Bites: Once more, a great mid-tempo rocker. Kind of an eerie little intro. Listen for Rob's little death growl near the end!
6. Eat Me Alive: Another frantic speed metal tune. Very heavy, but the solo is nothing special.
7. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll: Another slower one, but it's got such a great intro, who cares about the tempo?
8. Night Comes Down: Almost like a ballad. Probably my personal least favorite. A bit too slow.
9. Heavy Duty: This is one half of a whole song, and it's got the great fist pumping atmosphere of such songs as the Saxon classic "Denim And Leather" or the Manowar classic "Blow Your Speakers."
10. Defenders Of The Faith: The second half, continuing with the fist pumping atmosphere, but the lyrics are just repetitive crys of "We are defenders of the faith!" Oh well, at least they defend the metal faith, which is good!
I hope you have been convinced to buy this unbelievable album. Also, if you went to this years Ozzfest like me, you got a chance to see them on their first big tour since Halford re-joined! They still can rock after 30 years!
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