Review: When I first got into Priest, they were in the career doldrums. In fact, for those who only consider Halford-fronted albums as canonical (such as I), they weren't even a proper concern.
Fast forward to my first year of university - and the Priest are back, baby! And to top it off, I had a ticket for Arrow Rock Festival in the Netherlands, at which a reunited Painkiller-era lineup were due to headline.
To prepare, I shaved my head and grew a goatee, just like Rob. I endured a yomp through the Dutch countryside, Hell's Angels who insisted on listening to AC/DC's 'Cover You In Oil' on repeat, Golden Earring and a Tannoy that played 24/7 hard rock (and Van Morrison's 'Moondance') in the festival campgrounds so I could see the Metal Gods. And hey, I made some Dutch friends, drank some Gouden Zegel beer and discovered the joys of mayonnaise on fries (the cheapest food at Arrow Rock).
And, of course, I saw Judas Priest - a live music experience that remains one of my favourites to this day. First song in the set? 'Hellion/Electric Eye', from today's album, Screaming For Vengeance. I've since seen Priest a number of times, but for me, this bad boy - almost precision-designed to be an opener - is their hottest out of the traps. (I should add that in the summer of 2004 Judas Priest had nothing to promote, so their seventeen-song set at Arrow was a virtual greatest hits parade - sixteen belters and 'United'.)
Is Screaming For Vengeance the best Judas Priest album? I think it has the best title. and arguably the best artwork (vying with Painkiller in sheer over-the-top ridiculousness). The best music? Possibly. I have a sweet spot for both Painkiller, being my first; and delving further backwards, I really rate Killing Machine (another great album title, come to think of it) as a cohesive, consistent and badass collection of songs. I think Screaming... just about wins, though, by a nose. Priest have been reasonably chameleonic throughout their career, but as a statement and summation of classic British heavy metal, this feels like a biggie. Other bands had speed, theatrics, guitar pyrotechnics, aggression, songcraft - but rarely did it come together as consistently as it ever did on today's platter.
I'll register a minor gripe - the production sounds expansive compared to earlier Priest albums, but can also sound a tiny bit messy. This could just be me and my warped perceptions of what sounds pleasant, aware as I am that I tend to like the relatively tight, dry sound of a lot of 1970s rock. Still, this is small beer, and in any case when you've got the volume pumped and 'Electric Eye' is ripping out of the speakers, you simply don't give a shit.
Speaking of 'Electric Eye', it's right up there in terms of my tip top Priest ditties. For a band whose songwriting can be wobbly, to pick the sinister, antiseptic menace of remote surveillance as the lead-off to the album is an incredibly badass choice. Halford sounds imperious, the embodiment of some digital panopticon as cymbals clash and guitars howl around him. It's about as metal as metal gets, frankly.
Nonetheless, having tasted some commercial success in the recent past, there's a rich seam of melody throughout, and the chorus of 'You've Got Another Thing Coming' even veers towards stadium rock. Not a bad thing, really, to mix sugar in with the spice. In fact, Screaming... is a remarkably balanced album in terms of sequencing, gallopers like 'Electric Eye', 'Riding On the Wind', and the title track being broken up with prowlers like 'Bloodstone', 'Fever' and sneaky fave 'Pain and Pleasure'. The latter song really should be considered throwaway compared to the rest of the menu but I find Halford's yelping irresistible, especially when he's hamming it up with stuff like "You've got me tied up / Dog upon a leash." I respect anyone who commits to the bit as much as Halford does. Incidentally, he sounds great throughout, sounding as if he's constantly teetering on the edge of lunacy. Few do 'wound up aggro' like the big man.
I don't really know what else to say; it's brilliant, it's raucous, it's catchy. Once upon a time I attended a Paul Gilbert guitar masterclass. Gilbert lamented that he had a 'Dave Jones from the Monkees' voice, and that he always wanted to sound much more metal, and to illustrate his point he busted out the first verse of 'Devil's Child'. I don't remember anything from that evening other than Gilbert chugging out some Priest. Pretty potent stuff, I say. Anyway, stop reading this bilge and go listen to Judas Priest.
