Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PURE AGGRESSION!!!!, January 17, 2005
Let me just start off by saying that as truly great as this record is what was even greater was the statement that the band had made at the time it was released. Let us not forget that a very short time before this the band was beginning to shift in a very different direction, resulting in the albums "turbo" and "ram it down". Even though I'd have to give the band some credit to have had the guts to attract a wider audience even to the point of selling out, I for one don't buy into that whole trying to experiment with "different sounds". I think they knew exactly what they were trying to do and to their credit were successful. And honestly, especially with Rob back at the helm, it's a lot easier to say that now in 2005 then it was back in 1987. But regardless it was still a big letdown for the older fans who always knew what the Priest were really all about and still are....simply THE GREATEST HEAVY METAL BAND OF ALL TIME!!!! It was also around this critical time that thrash was beginning to reach a much wider audience. Bands such as Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer had become huge and were viewed as up and coming and the "true" metal of the time, leaving Priest somewhat in the dust. And on top of all that they had become entagled in a very contraversial court case where their music was being accused but ultimately found not guilty of causing the deaths of two teenagers. As tragic as this was the Metal Gods still didn't let anything get in the way of as K.K. Downing had put it, "progressing naturally". The result was this absolute masterpiece and landmark album which is beyond a return to form to probably the most aggressive album they've ever made!! I don't want to call it thrash but it certainly contains some of the fastest songs they've ever done, the title track being one of them. The one part of the band that I always thought could have been better was the drumming. Not that any of them were "bad" but when you hear the work Scott Travis does on this it kinda makes you think twice about the direction the band would have taken had he joined Priest maybe 4 or 5 years earlier. The guitar work is simply amazing in terms of not only speed and aggression but above all chemistry between K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton thet they hadn't exhibited since Defenders of the Faith. Vocally, Rob Halford just takes it to another level and really compliments the heavier and harder style of priest that he seems to have been comfortable with ever since. Ian Hill is as solid as ever. If you are a true metal fan you probably already have this, if not you don't know what you're missing!!!! Can't wait till their new album Angel Of Retribution!! THE PRIEST IS BACK!!!!!!!!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Punishing Priest of Galactic Sized Proportions.., July 27, 2001
I have read the reviews on this board, and I agree with every single one, except several that only rated it with four stars instead of five. I could go into detail here and explain why it so deserves 5 stars, but many here have already done an excellent job reviewing it. My additons would only be redundant.I bought this album back in 1990 when it was first released. 11 years later and I still consider it is one of metal's all time champions. I have always liked Priest, and Rob Halford is one of them truly original singers that stands head and toes above all others, and as all metal fans know, there is lots of great metal vocalists out there. I like most, if not all of JPs releases, but Painkiller has got to be arguably their crowning achievement, or magnum opus. All previous releases have at least two really creative songs on them, but this album is simply KILLER from beginning to end. I just played it in my car on the way to work this morning. I hadn't heard it in about 16 months. It sounded just as fresh today as it did 11 years ago. I had my stereo cranked as LOUD AS IT WOULD GO, and found myself speeding way beyond the speed limit, head banging, and singing at the top of my lungs the best I could to Halford's scorching vocal passages. Listening to this album VERY loud when in need for a metal fix, is just as satisfying as consuming a large, thick, New York strip, or T-bone steak with a tall, cold brew when you are two-days hungry. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! Heavy Metal worshippers unite: THE PRIEST IS KING!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fitting End To An Era, July 19, 2001
By A Customer
I was very disappointed in this album when it first came out, but I think that was only because I was still in college in my party mode, listening to all the chick-metal bands like Poison, Warrant, etc. Priest had remained one of my favorites, but I suppose I was looking for them to bust out and become a really big name with huge radio hits, which they had attempted and failed with "Turbo" (considered by many to be their worst album, but one of my favs by far). I suppose I wanted a Judas Priest album to play at parties and share with my friends of tamer musical tastes, and this one obviously wasn't going to be it. It has since become one of my favorites. If you can completely tune out the cartoonish lyrics and song titles, it is a great slab of metal, an excellent recapturing of the band's past glories, and an appropriate swan song to the Rob Halford era (he'll be back, trust me). It is not without its duds, in fact I think the lead-off single "Painkiller" has a pretty weak chorus after building up with great drums and guitars. "Metal Meltdown" is only marginally better, don't know why that one was selected for "Metal Works `73-`93". Everything else sounds great, Halford's voice is pristine as always, and the production by newcomer Chris Tsangarides adds a new dimension after so many years with Tom Allom at the board. Recommended cuts -"A Touch of Evil" (basically a reworking of "Night Comes Down" from "Defenders"), "One Shot At Glory", "Between The Hammer & The Anvil", "All Guns Blazing", and "Hell Patrol".
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