1086. Judas Priest / Point of Entry. 1981. 3/5

Following the success of the British Steel album and the singles that were released from it, I guess it was a no brainer that Judas Priest would stick to the same formula for their next album and try to replicate that commercial success. Whether or not that was a good idea – and whether or not they achieved that – is a question that is still asked amongst the Priest fandom. Perhaps ignoring the debut album, the one Judas Priest album that rarely gets mentioned in any shape of form is Point of Entry. Is it purely because it just doesn’t have many songs on it that are considered classics, or is it because it is believed to have been out of step with the other albums that were released around it? The opinions are wide and varied.

The more I have listened to this album over the last couple of weeks, the more I have come to appreciate it for what it is. I had never owned a copy of this album, most probably because when I went out in my big-spending-on-albums in my youth this album just wasn’t on ANYONE’S radar for something I needed to have. As a result I only ever got snatches of songs on various best-of releases and the occasional acquaintance who had a copy and played it while I was over. The age of digital music brought easier access to such things and I was able to listen to it completely, before finally buying my own copy more as a way of completing my collection. But on heavy rotation in recent times along with the other Judas Priest albums, it fits neatly into the niche it was created for. It isn’t as regimented as British Steel and it doesn’t have the speed or upward energy of Screaming for Vengeance, and in places it has an easy listening feel to some of the songs, certainly in relation to previous albums. In fact Point of Entry is quite unique in the Priest discography in that it sounds as though the songs have been written in a way that may attract more commercial airplay than the band would usually have, but I’m not sure that it succeeded. Once again Rob Halford has kept his vocal range in check, for the most part eschewing any major extension of his famous vocal chords and in the main sticking to a range more within normal human hearing. A lot of the songs have periods within them that are deliberately quiet and soft, mirroring a reflective air which in turn shows a different side from the band than what we have seen on previous albums.
Most of this therefore has created the metaphorical vacuum that Point of Entry has seemed to fall into. When it comes to memorable tracks from the album, there is really only one, the opening track “Heading Out to the Highway”. It is the only song on the album that stayed in the live set list beyond the tour to promote it, and it is one of the fan favourites. But most of the rest of the track list just doesn’t stick in the memory of most. The other two singles released from the album were the next two tracks on the album, “Don’t Go” and “Hot Rockin’”, neither of which to me comes across as a single. Indeed, if commercial airplay was what the band was aiming for then it doesn’t seem like it came out of the oven the right way. And thus we have an album without highlights, without big musical hits that can help raise the profile of an album and also lift the mood of the listener when you have it on the turntable.
That said, put it on, play it loud and decide for yourself. Because when I do this, and when I have done this over the last couple of weeks, I’ve enjoyed the album immensely. I still love “Heading Out to the Highway”, I think it is a great song. The tempo change of “Don’t Go” and “Hot Rockin’” isn’t such a problem when you are just listening to the album and not trying to break it down in a review. “Turning Circles” is an unusual Priest song that works here because it fits the pattern of the writing. “Desert Plains” is a vastly underrated song, more so because it doesn’t have that massive fire and energy of a typical Priest song but is more of a slow burn. “Solar Angels” is like a sister track to “Desert Plains” and starts the second side nicely. “You Say Yes” is a bit clunky but enjoyable enough. “All the Way”, “Troublemaker” and “On the Run” all smoothly ride out the end of the album, and there’s just a hint of Van Halen in each of them.

Point of Entry probably ended up proving to the band that they needed to redefine the direction they were heading in if they wanted to make a bigger impression in the next decade. While the album did well enough at the time there’s no doubt in hindsight that it wasn’t exactly what their fan base was looking for. And while it will never rank as one of their best albums, it by no means is the worst offering. Different, yes. Out of character, yes. But for all of that it is still a good listen.

Rating: “Full moon is rising, the sky is black, I need your call I'm coming back”  3/5