Meanwhile, guitarist/composer/producer Roy Z had been involved in the resurrection (no pun intended) of Bruce Dickinson’s solo career, having performed all three of those roles for Dickinson’s “Accident of Birth” and “The Chemical Wedding” albums, each of which had been critically acclaimed and had seen his popularity rise to Iron Maiden-like levels amongst the fan base. No doubt sensing an opportunity of his own, Halford and Z came together to meet, and on the back of this agreed to work together on Rob’s next project. Halford had brought together a whole new band for this, his third attempt to create for himself a project that would satisfy all of his requirements. Patrick Lachman and Mike Chlasciak came on board as the two guitarists, and both contributed heavily to the writing process for the album as well, which gave this project the band feeling that was obviously important to Rob, that it was not just seen as a solo project. And thus became the basis of the debut album for the new band that took Rob’s name, Halford, and with a title that was more a statement than a prophecy, one that stood strong and bold for the beginning of the new era, the name of “Resurrection”.
While there were deliberate differences in the music produced by Rob Halford in his other projects prior to this one, a necessity borne from Rob wanting to do a solo album away from Judas Priest in the first place, “Resurrection” immediately feels like it is a return to the traditional heavy metal that Halford was renowned for in Judas Priest. In the main it feels as though this can be attributed to the presence of Roy Z, who not only produced the album but co-wrote the majority of the material that was recorded. Z had previously performed a similar ‘second coming’ for Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, had written the initial songs and riffs that had gotten Dickinson out of his funk and interested in pushing forward with his career after the disappointment he had felt with the reception for the “Skunkworks” album. It had propelled him not only to being back at the top of the metal music scene that he deserved to be with his talents, but eventually also back into the Iron Maiden fold. Here on “Resurrection”, Z does a similar thing, taking a man of unquestioned talent and a vocal range that was considered one of the best in all of the metal genre, and putting together a package that returned him to the top of his profession by writing songs that appealed to his main market. Along with Halford and Z, the contribution of both Lachman and Chlasciak to the writing of the songs and their performance on the album should not be overlooked.
Having everyone on the same page, in order to produce an album that best summed up the times in heavy metal and giving their leader the platform to sell it was massively important. This is an album that helps to slam the door on the previous decade, figuratively for Halford himself and on the slumber and increasing variety of music under the ‘metal’ banner. What “Resurrection” does is show that traditional heavy metal music was not dead, it had just been on hiatus, waiting for men such as these to bring it back to the surface once again. Z and Bruce Dickinson had proved that, and now Z and Halford were going to do the same thing.
This album has all of that, and more. The opening tracks are full of autobiographical lyrics brought forth with the energy that they deserve. Halford’s scream to introduce the opening title track is what punters had been waiting for, along with the squealing guitars, flying drums and fast paced track. Song lyrics such as “Son of Judas bring the saints to my revenge” that reference his roots in Judas Priest, and “I walked alone into a fight” referencing his first band post-Priest are strong moments, and the whole song speaks of his return, that ten years on from his final album with his previous band, this album is where he is taking his stand and making it on his on. “Made in Hell” follows this up with the same amazing energy pumping out of the speakers, and Rob’s music story attached lyrically for everyone to sing along to. And, it’s just such a powerful and catchy chorus, the energy dragging you in to charge along with Rob as he sings “HELL! We're gonna raise some hell!”. Also nice to have Sydney name checked in the song, nice touch Rob. Now dan well tour here more often! Anyway... moving on... It’s a great way to start the album, the opening two tracks have already brought metal and joy through the speakers.
What comes across as one of the major pillars of this album is the lovely contrast there is between many of the songs. Those opening two tracks are fast, belligerent in their way, and do a terrific job of setting the album up by having you know that ‘Rob Halford is back’... and now, here’s some stuff that is a bit different from that for you to enjoy. We crash straight into “Locked and Locked”, bang into the guitar groove and Rob staring you down from the outset and telling you straight how this is going to go. Very simple lyrics for this track, straight and to the point, but the guitar groove is wonderful and smoothly adapts to the way the track is going to play out. And then into the ripping guitar riff of “Night Fall”, as Rob’s brooding vocals crawl along the lower spectrum through the verse until we reach the chorus and he climbs back into the higher spectrum. The guitaring alone here shines, it sets the mood wonderfully from the outset, and holds it through to its conclusion.
“Silent Screams” is an incredible track, a song that showcases the majesty of Rob Halford’s amazing vocals without compromising anything in the music. The opening minute where we have the clear guitar and keys and Rob almost reciting a hymn, no power just beautifully sweet vocalising, that brings forth the duelled harmony into the first electric charge of the track. This then drops back again for a second burst of the opening sequence vocally, and the ever increasing power coming into the song but here the rise of Rob’s vocals is succinct but noticeable. And then, drop the hammer people as we crash into the back half of the song, as the guitars rev up, the drums hit down, and we are off, and Rob drives this song with the full force of his metal voice. The hard emphatic voice, the speed, and the absolute delight of the screams. It is spine tingling stuff here. An amazing song. And then, as it fades out gently, we have the bursting opening guitar of “The One You Love to Hate”, the duet of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, the two men most affected by the influence of Roy Z in their lives at that time. It’s a great heavy riff, one that befits both men and their careers, and the traded and dual vocals of two of metal greatest front men combine and offset each other beautifully. It’s a great track to follow up the epic qualities of the previous song.
Things are ramped up even further with the arrival of “Cyberworld” which switches into a higher gear immediately, and the guitars really carry this song and highlight the best that this band can offer. Trading riffs and solo pieces all the way through the song, even given Rob’s great higher snatches throughout, is the best part of this song. And then... the drop into the amazingly brilliant groove of the guitar riff on “Slow Down” is a surprisingly perfect segue between tracks. My word, the groove of the guitar, but also Rob’s vocals on this song, are just incredible. This is another tingle down the spine track, everything about the composition and structure of this song is perfect. Rob’s vocals that move from those high pitches to the low moody expressions, and the whole tone of the song, is amazing. “Silent Screams” and “Slow Down” are the two songs on this album co-written by Ron and Bob Marlette, and the fact that they are the two tracks that starkly stand out on this album as the two whose sound is slowed in tempo but heightened with mood and glory, is plainly obvious. Both are amazing tracks within the framework of everything else that has been set up on the other songs that had Lachman and Z as the major contributors.
“Twist” is another song that has a different flavour about it, and this is no doubt because it is solely written by former occasional Judas Priest contributor Bob Halligan Jr. It sounds great and Rob does a good job. But on an album of some spectacular songs this one just holds its head above water. “Temptation” channels the emotional aspects of “Silent Screams” and “Slow Down” but with the three guitar composers of Lachman, Chlasciak and Z it has a terrific fuller sound of the guitars as a result, a riff drive that hits harder, before Rob’s beautifully melodic vocals take over on the chorus and through the bridge when they are reminiscent of those Judas Priest days. Yet another amazing track on this album.
“Drive” has a similar riff progression as “The One You Love to Hate”. This song is composed by the trio who made up Halford's second band 2wo – yes, I know that seems like an error, but it is not – of Rob, Bob Marlette again and John 5. And much like that aforementioned track, there is nothing spectacular about the structure or riff progression about this song. It is a solid track that excellent albums need to be rated as such, because they provide the backbone that the great songs are built around. The album then closes with the charging speed engineered metal fest of “Savior”, and the lyrics here to finish the album can be judged to be quite pointed: “I'm set to paralyse, I'm older so I'm wise, I have been crucified, with words personified - Here I am now, I'm your saviour, There can be only one, I'm the master, past and future, Now the end has begun - I've always stood alone, Your time got overgrown, Those words shot way too wide, No hate can take my pride”. There are several ways to interpret what is being sung here, but to me at least it feels as though Rob has his cannons loaded at a wide spread of critics and he’s happy to unload without prejudice.
It may be too simplistic to suggest that THIS is the album that Judas Priest should have followed up “Painkiller” with. It is a decade on. Heavy metal had been through some tough times during those years, including having been stretched and morphed and reshaped into many different sub genres. The band itself and Rob obviously parted ways after that 1990 epic album, and had both ventured on different highways in the years since. But this album is a statement. This is Rob Halford, with a lot of help from his bandmates and his co-collaborators, saying ‘I don’t think traditional heavy metal is dead, and I’m going to prove it to you’. Rob has visited and experimented with other types of metal over the past decade, but here has come back to what he has always known, what he has always been great at. The Z Effect, if you will, who had already performed the same exorcism with Bruce Dickinson. Judas Priest had made their return almost three years earlier with their “Jugulator” album with Ripper Owens on vocals. And while my intention here is not to denigrate that album in any way, it has to be said that comparing this album to “Jugulator” is like comparing chalk and cheese. There is such a major difference in tempo and energy and actual joy in the music. “Jugulator” is for all intents and purposes a groove metal album, it is Judas Priest deciding, like so many of their contemporaries did in the 1990’s decade, to try and record an album for the times. And the result is something totally different sounding from anything they had ever released before it. Rob had, in essence, already been down the path of conformity, and was now out the other side, and the result is that this album is joyous, and “Jugulator” does not really exude any of that. It’s a groove or industrial metal influenced album. “Resurrection” is a heavy fucking metal album. Every part of it has been lovingly crafted to gain the reaction and attention that it eventually received, and it is a triumph for all involved.
This album was released a little over two months after Iron Maiden’s “Brave New World” album, which had dominated my listening since then. But once this album arrived in my hands, it had some hefty competition. From the first time I put this in my CD player and turned up the volume in my downstairs hideaway bedroom at my parents' place, this had me won over. In almost the same way that “Painkiller” had a decade earlier, the opening tracks here dragged me in willingly, and the entire album for me was ecstatically received. Even today, I still relate these two albums together, such was the amount of time I spent listening to them together, with the link of the one track that had both bands leads singers acting together. I rarely think of one without the other, “Brave New World” and “Resurrection”. Even today, I feel like listening to one if I have just heard the other.
For this episode, I have had “Resurrection” out for a touch over a week, a bit longer than I might usually do so. But this one has been so good, that I just keep playing it over and over. It is an absolute gem, one I have never gotten tired of listening to. And it is song like this one that still brings me back for its ingrained awesomeness.
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