Judas Priest — Angel of retribution
Where were you 15 years ago? What’s changed in your life since then? How hard would it be to get together with your old friends that you had not seen or spoken with in 15 years and just pick up the pieces?
15 years ago, I was in the military, living in the middle of the desert far away from home, loading bombs on fighter aircraft. One of my fondest moments from that time was blasting thru the desert going 100 miles an hour listening to my 2 favorite albums which were Mr. Bungle's self titled and of course the legendary Painkiller from Judas Priest. Things have definitely changed since then. I have changed jobs 7 times; changed residence 5 times, changed girlfriends 4 times, and changed vehicles 15 times. How about you?
So 15 years later I walked into a local music store and plunked down my 20 bucks for Angel of Retribution with the bonus DVD from probably one of my all time favorite bands Judas Priest. They were the band that introduced me to metal at the ripe old age of 7, and will always had a special place in my heart. Apprehensively I put the cd in and started my long drive home. The questions were swirling in my head, was this going to be a collection of recycled songs that never made the albums they were intended for, so as to milk a last few bucks from suckers like me? Was there going to be 15 years of rusted chemistry to unsuccessfully overcome? Was this going to be a natural progression from Painkiller? Had Downing and Tipton lost there touch? Would the fire that Scott Travis brought to the Painkiller be extinguished this time around? And finally had Robs pipes deteriorated over the years?
The answer to all of these for better or worse is NO. This album is quite curious actually, it comes across to my ears as a career retrospective without sounding old, dated or stale in the least. Judas Rising starts off with an intro that sounds very much like Victim of Changes, before Scott Travis kicks things in the ass and gets these old blokes into top gear. What I hear in Rob’s voice is the best it’s been in some time. Downing and Tipton still have their A game going here. Deal with the Devil reminds me of a song from hell Bent for Leather, which is another great up-tempo rocker that’s full of what is classic Judas Priest: silly lyrics, Rob wailing away like a banshee, incendiary fills, nice interlocking rhythms, and the twin lead breaks that I have adored for so many years. The metal nerd in me had already dissected all the breaks and fills to determine which were Downings and which were Tipton’s. Sadly the booklet leaves these thngs to my ears and imagination. Retribution starts with one of the lamest bass intro's in the recorded history of metal, before breaking into a riff I remember hearing at least 10 years ago, I was waiting for Halford to do his Perry Farrell imitation and give me a "Comin Down the Mountaaaaaiiiin" but after about the first 30 seconds it becomes a mere afterthought, the song as well. Worth Fighting For with its greatly improved bass intro reminds me of something off Point of Entry, much more subdued, not relying on guitar pyrotechnics and Rob's penchant for shattering your beer mug. Just straight up rock and roll. Demonizer starts out nice, with its heavy intro and promising riff,tricking you into thinking this is gonna be Painkiller part deux, with its thunderous double bass, but really it maintains a half time feel and plods along nicely in the mid tempo range. Wheels of Fire reminds me of something off Sin After Sin, but somehow I can’t help but think of Seek and Destroy by Metallica when I am hearing this one, quite strange actually.
Angel marks the second half and is definitely something that could have been from Sad Wings of Destiny, as it is one of the best ballads Priest has done in DECADES. Halford delivers one of his strongest performances to date, reminding me of Dreamer Deceiver at times. An interesting intro starts Hellrider which seems like it would have fit like a glove on the Painkiller disc. Nice double bassing and the patented Halford screams, yet sadly the best riff of the song is the breakdown before getting into one of their most spirited guitar duels in 15 years. Eulogy had the potential to be a GREAT ballad, with a nice dark atmosphere, but fails to be fully explored in its short 3 minutes of time, actually they could have trimmed off 9 minutes from the leviathan that is Loch Ness, other than the last 3 minutes this one is a real snoozer.
This album feels very rushed to me. All the pieces were in place here to make a god damn monster, it’s got lots of great riffs, and some outstanding musical moments, the band is tight and of course Halford sounds better than ever, cementing his place as the reigning metal god. The rhythm section of Scott Travis and Ian "that guy with the beard that never talks" Hill are rock solid; holding the bottom and propelling these songs along perfectly. Production went to longtime Halford producer Roy Z whom does a great job blending the old with the new to create something sonically fresh, yet retaining pieces of the bands classic past.
As I pulled into my driveway, I breathed a great sigh of relief; I had feared I was going to pitch this thru the window half way home without even watching the bonus DVD (which is great btw). I hear so much potential, 5 guys who are finding their way back, rebuilding the chemistry of 15 years lost, which gives me hope for the future! I am going to make a prediction here, if these guys can stay together long enough to make one more album, AND spend the time that Angel of Retribution deserved, I promise you it will be a monster. All in all, this is a nice return, not their best and most certainly not their worst. Lets just say I was pleasantly surprised!