Much of this can be assessed n the era the album was made. At the time punk was making its short and sharp incision into the populace of music in the UK, and while Judas Priest’s first albums had been clothed in progressive and complex songs, they were beginning to look to write and perform songs in that 3-4 minute range, that could be picked up by the radio and would make their mark not only with the fans of the shorter formed punk rock songs, but also in looking to make a play for the US market. “Sin After Sin” had brought that to the fore while the band’s previous album “Stained Class”, released just eight months previous to this album and one that was reviewed in Season 4 of this podcast, had settled into that nicely. While Judas Priest was an obvious influence of the soon-to-be-prominent NWoBHM, they were not actually part of that movement, so it would be unfortunate to try and label the band’s albums in several music genres. And while both of those earlier albums had been heard to building the band’s sound in that direction, “Killing Machine” itself does have one of those swayings of direction that I spoke of at the beginning of this oration. What becomes interesting is that it was yet another cover song performed by the band, one that didn’t appear on the original pressing of the UK version of the album, that helped to gain the band the exposure in the US that they were after, and indeed is the song that many still regard as the one that started the Judas Priest surge to immortality.
When you put this record on what you get is a polished, great sounding album. The playing from all members is superb. The drums are again perfectly played by Les Binks, with his expertise on hi-hats and cymbals especially pleasing. Ian Hill does as he always does with great bass riffs and bottom end throughout. The guitars of Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing are truly superb, and their riffs and solos are caught clean here by producer James Guthrie, while Rob Halford’s vocals are as always fantastic.
However, the songs themselves have taken an interesting turn and that is where the difference lies between this album and the previous two releases. Overall the songs are much less technical, and there is a much more basic beat and layout to them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is quite noticeable from the beginning. There is nothing wrong with any of the songs on the first half of the album, it’s just that there is nothing overtly exciting about them either. The opening track “Delivering the Goods” has always been a classic, a barnstormer, and it gets the album motoring from the outset. Such a great riff throughout followed by superb solo slots from Glenn and KK and Les Binks terrific drumming and solo to close out the song. It opens the album on a brilliant note with attitude and style. This is followed by “Rock Forever” and “Evening Star”, which both have very basic song patterns, and trot along in a mid-tempo range. “Rock Forever” is a staple of Judas Priest albums from this point on in their career, solid heavy tracks that back up the better known tracks of the album, and hold that joy through the album. It might sound like a basic track with verse, chorus, verse, solos, verse, chorus, but everything is pure Priest in its output, and it’s a great song. “Evening Star” changes things up a bit, moving from a progressive part replete with synth and chorused background vocals to a basic chorus line. “Take on the World” is Priest’s effort here to be an anthemic song, one to be sung in stadiums all over the world, but without the drive or balls to really make it one. In the end it feels weaker than it is because it feels like it is trying too hard to be something it is not.
Side Two of the album opens up with “Burnin’ Up”, which also falls into the average ranking. A Judas Priest love song? Well, they occasionally do a good one (see “Turbo Lover” somewhat down the track) but this is really only average. The title track “Killing Machine” doesn’t seem to get out of second gear at any stage, and while it is much like “Rock Forever” in that it is one of those solid Priest tracks it doesn’t stand out beyond that. The power ballad “Before the Dawn” sounds great, with Halford’s vocals soaring throughout, but it just isn’t my style of song and doesn’t grab me in the slightest. And the closing track “Evil Fantasies”, even though it was written and recorded well before the song “Heavy Duty”, still sounds like a poor cousin to it, and Halford’s vocals for the first half just sound completely out of context with the song. In the majority of these songs, it just feels as though one of the major drawcards of Judas Priest, their twin guitar assault, has gone completely missing.
There are some major highlights here though. “Delivering the Goods” I have already mentioned as one of my favourites, along with the more markedly upbeat “Hell Bent for Leather” (which also substituted for the title of the American released album) and “Running Wild” which I’ve also always loved. “Hell Bent for Leather” is a beauty, rollicking along with an awesome riff and Rob’s hard piercing vocals chanting along the lyrics perfectly. It’s short, its sharp, and it is a great song to turn up and play loud at parties or on the road. All of this also describes “Running Wild”, a youth anthem of sorts of partying and drinking with the boys, and it has always been a favourite. It brings the album back to life when it exlodes after the title track. Perhaps surprisingly though it is the heavier cover version of Fleetwood Mac’s "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)" which is the star of the show. This was not on the original release of “Killing Machine” and only originally made it on the U.S release. I didn’t hear Fleetwood Mac’s version for many years after I first had this version, and this version puts it in the shade. That it is the redeeming feature here is interesting given that the other cover songs Priest had done on previous albums were also fan favourites. One thing that you can take from this album is that when performed live the songs on this album sound infinitely better. That isn’t meant to be a criticism, it is just meant to show that the band knew what they were doing in the writing process, it just took until they played them live to get the energy into them that they probably needed in the studio. Take a listen to “Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan” and you will know what I mean.
This album was one of the first Judas Priest albums I ever listened to. Not coming into this genre of music until the mid-1980’s, my introduction to the band was actually the “Unleashed in the East” live album, of which a number of songs from this album were on. And in many ways it initially cruelled my enjoyment of this album, simply because I knew those unbelievable live versions of these songs first before I heard the original studio versions. And for awhile that made it difficult for me to enjoy this album to its fullest, because I always wanted those live versions of the songs. Over time however, the album clicked into gear for me, and everything came up roses.
While it probably sounds as though I have torn this album apart a bit in regard to some of the songs, it really is not a bad album. Indeed, it is a quite fantastic album. When I put it on and just listen to it without trying to break it down for a review, I just love it. The couple of dead spots that I might consider a hinderance are unnoticeable as you play it from start to finish and have those true great and brilliant tracks suck you along for the ride. My favourite songs are spread evenly throughout which probably helps that. It is an album where the band did take some chances, and were still having a range of styles in the track list. The love song, the power ballad, the progressive range. All of this adds to the majesty of the album, even if on occasions I might look for the skip button for a couple of the songs if I can’t be bothered to stick with that change of styles. Judas Priest, both before this album and beyond it, would make such decisions in their song writing and recording, and much more extreme than you will find here. Rest assured, everything on this album is worth pursuing, and those stand out tracks are still at the top of the list of greatest Priest songs ever.
The band’s first live album followed this album, and showcased for those in any doubt that Judas Priest was a band worth reckoning. “Killing Machine” is often overlooked in Judas Priest’s early catalogue over “Sin After Sin” and “British Steel”, but it is well worth your while giving it a spin or two if you have never done so.
No comments:
Post a Comment