1089. Judas Priest / Ram It Down. 1988. 3.5/5

When the decision came about to split the “Twin Turbo” double album idea into a ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ concept over two albums, there were a number of songs left over from Turbo that came to be used here on Ram It Down. And there are noticeable differences in the songs of both albums. A lot of the synths used in Turbo have been moved out or placed in the background here, allowing this album to go back to being a guitar and drum based track list. The lyrics for the most part are a simplified version of recent albums, trying to return to a different time. It is an effort to make a heavier album than the last, whereas perhaps making a ‘better’ album may have produced something that was more significant.

It holds up with the opening track, the title track “Ram it Down” which screams out of the speakers at you with fire and speed, the best elements of the Judas Priest juggernaut. Perhaps it is somewhat simplistic in lyrics and base set, but there are any number of great Priest songs that you could name that are like that, and this is another great version of that. Why it is maligned so much I don’t know, because “Ram it Down” is a great metal song. This is followed by the perhaps metaphorically titled “Heavy Metal”, but again it has what you want. Halford’s vocals are in his upper range almost all the way through, while the magnificent guitars of Downing and Tipton shred away in style. As it is obviously written as an anthem, it is strange that it has been used so infrequently live since the end of this tour.
We head into a section of the album where the words ‘double entendre’ come into play most significantly. “Love Zone” is a strange concept song for this band, or at least so I would have thought. Perhaps in the end it just confirms the groupie situation for the touring band is the same for everyone, but it wasn’t a direction I thought Judas priest would cover. I was mistaken. This is followed by “Come and Get It” which for all intents and purposes is just about the music and if you want it… well, you know… but I’m sure if you put your mind to it you could come up with a way that the lyrics here could be interpreted another way. This then leads into “Hard as Iron” (yeah I know, pretty easy to laugh at…) which again lyrically doesn’t point in the way you might initially think but you could certainly make a case that it does. Beyond this lame attempt at breaking down the lyrics of these three songs, each continues in the heavy vein of the album, with a greater push to emphasise the guitars and vocals on this scale.
“Blood Red Skies” is a beauty. Without even trying to compare them for fear of being seen as ludicrous, “Blood Red Skies” is in a similar vein to past gems such as “Beyond the Realms of Death” and “Victim of Changes” in its composition. It’s moody subtleness throughout emphasises its difference to the other songs on the album, and as a result I think it is one of the standouts on Ram It Down. “I’m a Rocker” retains the slower tempo as the follow up which is probably slightly strange considering the title and lyrics, but it again looks the chanting anthem qualities between the twin solos of Downing and Tipton.
One of the songs that I am not sure about even today is the cover version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. Done for the soundtrack of the comedy film of the same name, it was then shoehorned onto this album and released as a single as well. Yep okay, it’s good that they did their own version of the song, and didn’t stick to a note by note revision of the original, and the band sounds great here, but I often just think is it necessary? Another song, “Thunder Road” was bumped from the album in order to fit this on, and I believe it is a superior and better song. It was eventually released as a bonus track on the remastered version of Point of Entry. To be honest, “Thunder Road” could have replaced either of the last two songs on the album too, as I think it is also better than them. “Love You to Death” and “Monsters of Rock” are both really only average songs that perhaps lengthen the album longer than it needed, and are both just a little too slow in tempo after the first half of the album for my liking.
For many Judas Priest fans, this album over-corrected what they felt wasn’t quite right with the previous album. There was a fire-and-brimstone quality that perhaps it didn’t have and they wanted more of that. In essence there is plenty of that here on Ram It Down, but it is missing the pure rocking anthem that songs like “Turbo Lover” and “Locked In” provided from that album. Many probably felt that a mixture of the two – the harder, heavier edge of Ram It Downalong with a fissuring of the keyboard and synth sound from Turbo to influence the feel of the songs – may produce the album that they were looking for. This indeed is what came to pass with the following album which opened the new decade in the most amazing style.

In many ways like Point of Entry this album gets lost in the discography of Judas Priest, more from the album that followed than from any real distaste of the album itself. It may never be considered one of the great releases, but it isn’t quite the disappointment that some make out they believe it is. Taken on its merits it still has plenty that should be better regarded than it is.

Rating: “Can you feel the power, blinded by the light.” 3.5/5

1088. Judas Priest / Priest... Live! 1987. 5/5

Back in 1979 Judas Priest released their initial live album entitled Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan, which was praised and loved in most circles but also somewhat derided in a small circle because of the re-recording of the vocals after they were trashed on the original tapes. As such some believed it could never be considered as a true live album, which didn’t stop it being extremely popular. Thus with the announcement and release of the band’s second live album, the double vinyl opus Priest... Live!, those thoughts could be put to rest, and the fans could enjoy a live album with no foibles and great songs. So you’d think.

I’m not going to lie to you. When I got this album, even though it was a couple of years after its release, I was excited. I love and loved Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan and I was looking forward to hearing another live album. As it turned out, at the time I hadn’t heard any of the Turbo album apart from the title track, so given it was recorded on the Fuel For Life tour to promote that album there were obviously songs that I hadn’t heard before. My enjoyment of them allowed me to go back in search of that album after the fact and probably helped me to enjoy it more than many did at that time.
The album has no songs on it from any album prior to the previous live album. The band played songs on that tour from their 1970’s era but chose not to put them on this live release, which in the long run I think was a great idea as we instead heard only songs which to that point had not been released as live versions. I also meant that a lot of songs that didn’t get played live too often after this tour were caught for future posterity here.
So what we get here is not necessarily the definitive selection of Priest tracks from the 1980’s, but it is an impressive and enjoyable selection. The triumvirate of “Electric Eye” into “Turbo Lover” and then into “Freewheel Burning” is a high energy speed-fest that highlights the best part of the album with three of the era’s best songs. I still enjoy the opening of “Out in the Cold” moodiness that leads into the anthemic “Heading Out to the Highway” and the ground shaking “Metal Gods”. And not forgetting the awesomeness that is “The Sentinel”, with Halford at his glass shattering best in his vocals. Some will see the missing space that comes with not having songs like “Screaming For Vengeance” and “Rock Hard, Ride Free” on the album, though this was rectified with the remastered version of the CD some years later.
In the live setting, the band sounds spectacular. Dave Holland on drums is as metronomic accurate as ever and does a great job, with his rhythm partner Ian Hill on bass keeping the bottom end perfectly sound. The dual electrifying guitars of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton are just fantastic, searing and scene stealing between them, while Rob Halford shows that he can carry his pipes live just as well as he does in the studio.

Priest... Live! is a terrific live experience and a great recording of Judas Priest the band in their element. It may not be as energetically satisfying as Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan was, but it perfectly captures the 80’s decade of this great band in their defining moment.

Rating: “It’s Friday night and the Priest is back!”  5/5

1087. Judas Priest / Screaming for Vengeance. 1982. 4.5/5

Whether or not Point of Entry was considered to be an experiment of sorts, an effort to write an album that would search for commercial success, is hard to pin down. Whatever the debate of it has become, one can only assume that during the writing for the follow up, which became Screaming for Vengeance, that there was a committed effort to return the band to a heavier sound, one utilising all of the talents of the band rather than just moving along in third gear. Anyone who listens to both albums back-to-back will no doubt come to the conclusion that something had changed, because chalk and cheese does not even begin to describe how different those two albums are.

Any doubts of Judas Priest’s validity in the world of music are eradicated within the first 60 seconds of putting this album on. The ripping instrumental attack of “The Hellion” screams out of the speakers. In fact, it is almost the ultimate opening stanza of a Priest album, probably only topped by the opening to their 1990 album down the track. This shoots straight into “Electric Eye” which in turn is of the highest quality opening tracks in Priest history. It has it all, speed, screams and sensational twin guitar solos to lock in the middle of the song. It is still one of my all-time favourite songs from this band. This is followed by “Riding on the Wind” which continues in the same vein, a hard and heavy opening from the rhythm that sets off Halford in his higher range vocal strains, something that certainly wasn’t stretched on the previous album, and it immediately makes this better because of it. “Bloodstone” finds that perfect mid-tempo heavy rhythm and settles in for the distance, leaving Halford to sing mightily along with the chorus of guitars playing underneath him. A terrific opening to the album.
“(Take These) Chains” has different bent than the other songs here, certainly because it was in fact written by Bob Halligan Jr and not the band itself. It circles a more commercial property and perhaps veers into a soft metal or hair metal sound than the rest of the album has. It has those ‘sing-along’ qualities but not of a fist-pumping variety that would normally be the case with great Judas Priest tracks. “Pain and Pleasure” is a song right out of context with the rest of the album. It’s a throwback to the 1970’s and doesn’t fit in here with the faster and more energetic 1980’s sound, but more than anything else, it is just quite boring and unattractive. It closed out the first half of the album, but perhaps not in a way that enhances the album. Don’t get me wrong, these two songs are fine, but they are in a different setting than the three that preceded them.
This is recovered in full with the title track “Screaming for Vengeance” which opens the second side of the album in scintillating style. Fast and strong once again with the best parts of the Downing/Tipton combination, Halford’s vocals again are the star attraction, reaching for heights that he makes sound so easy. This is followed by the anthemic drive of the classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”. Built around the same style that songs like “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” drew on, this became the song that finally saw them break into a commercial setting and receiving radio airplay around the world. It’s funny as this occurred once the band had returned to writing songs that had a real metal edge to them, unlike the more commercial bent that they had been looking for on Point of Entry which for the most part seemed to put fans off.
“Fever” is another track that just differs slightly from the central themes of the music on the album. The clear and quieter sections of the song, all held together by the constant and consistent rhythm of Dave Holland and Ian Hill, makes for a completely different atmosphere within the song to the rest of the album. I found that it took some getting used to, and to find how it related to the other songs surrounding it. “Devil’s Child” then wraps up the album in style, harking back to the first two songs on the second half of the album, taking on a hard edge beat and energy while Halford spits out the lyrics in the way you would expect.
Apart from the songs that have been written for this album, the band is in fine form throughout. Dave Holland’s excellent steady timekeeping perhaps doesn’t appear flashy in any sense of the word, but it is perfectly effective and holds the songs together. Ian Hill on bass is his laconic self, and again while he mightn’t be flashy in comparison to others around, his bass lines are important and perfectly suit the way the songs and other players in the band utilise them. The duelling and complementing guitars of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton are at their best here and highlight the great songs on the album, while the return of the full range of Rob Halford’s vocals is one of the highlights.

Many consider this to be the pinnacle of Judas Priest’s career, and while I believe it is one of the highlights it isn’t quite in that category for me. If I had been just a little older and had gotten this when it was released instead of some five or so years later then perhaps my feelings would be different. This still hits all the right areas though and set in place a template that could be followed to find the best Priest releases – speed, energy, brilliant guitar licks and Halford screaming from the rafters. A winning combination.

Rating: “You think you've private lives, think nothing of the kind, there is no true escape I'm watching all the time”. 4.5/5

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

1085. Judas Priest / Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan [Live]. 1979. 5/5

The oft-used formula of recording and releasing a live album once a band has released four or five studio albums comes to the fore once again, this time for Judas Priest. Having released five studio albums over a reasonably short period of time, Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan was the result of two nights recording on their Hell Bent for Leather World Tour in Japan, and brought to life a selection of their best material for the fans to feats upon.

Okay, so there has always been some controversy about this album, over whether or not it can be considered to be a ‘live’ album. All through the 1980’s and well into the 1990’s there was a chorus of opinion that the album wasn’t a true live album, and that if it was not in fact recorded in the studio and had live effects dubbed over it then there was a certain amount of ‘clean up’ done in post-production in orders to cover up spots where things didn’t sound as good as the band had hoped for. Eventually, vocalist Rob Halford admitted in an interview that some of the vocals had been ruined on the original recordings, and that to fix these he went into the studio and re-recorded some of those songs in a live setting. Even today there are those out there that are not convinced the whole album is a ‘sham’, but given that no further explanations have ever come from anyone surrounding the band at the time surely it should be accepted that this was the only part that didn’t come from those two nights in Japan.
Beyond this circle of discussion, just listen to the album and discover how terrific it is. Judas Priest’s albums to this point were for the most part excellent and there are plenty of terrific songs on them. Many of them appear on this album. And it is not until you hear them here that you understand just how good those songs are, because they are all improved immeasurably on stage. They are played at a faster tempo, they are louder, and the guitars of Tipton and Downing are superb, flailing their licks and solos in strident support. The rhythm of Ian Hill’s bass is deep and booming and Les Binks’ drums ring through perfectly. Mixed with the screaming vocals of Halford and you have an atmosphere that brings every angle of these songs to a more positive end.
The first side of this album to me is perfect. Opening with the brilliance of “Exciter”, Halford reigns in the crowd with “Fall to your knees and repent if you please!” while the duelling guitars of Tipton and Downing excel. This is followed by an amazing version of “Running Wild” which for me is almost the highlight of the album, as it really brings this song to life. The awesome “Sinner” follows and then another superb rendition of “The Ripper” leads into the still-perfect version of “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)”. Every single one of these songs is improved on this recording and they are still brilliant to listen to with the stereo on 11 today.
The second half of the album isn’t quite to the same standard, but only marginally. Again, a heavy fast-paced version of “Diamonds and Rust” is the perfect track to lead off side two, and is followed by “Victim of Changes” where Rob nails the vocal brilliantly. To complete the set we have great versions of “Genocide” and “Tyrant” to finish off the original album in style. For those that also gained the remastered edition of the CD later on down the line you also get four additional songs which are worth listening to.

Whether or not you consider this to be a true live album is, in the long run, irrelevant. What matters is just how much you enjoy listening to this album, and how good you think it is. Since I was first given a copy of this back in 1986, I have considered it to be an absolute gem. Every version of every song on Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan is a classic, and I never get tired of putting the album on and air guitaring along to every part of it.

Rating: “In for surprise, you’re in for a shooooOOOOOOOCK!!!”. 5/5

1084. Judas Priest / Killing Machine. 1978. 3.5/5

As they have done on a few occasions during their long and storied career, Judas Priest tended to mix up just how powerful or aggressive their albums were, changing their sound from album to album in a rebuilding fashion. Up until this album there had been a gradual build and refashioning from progressive rock to a heavy metal sound, increasing with each release. And while some of that remains here on Killing Machine, there seems to be a lull overall, something that doesn’t quite hold up with the direction the band had been heading in.

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 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. I do like the opening track “Delivering the Goods”, but this studio version is just a bit slower and less energetic than it feels it should be. It has all of the qualities to make a really good opening track but by the end it feels as though it has perhaps plodded along rather than energise the album’s starting point. This is followed by “Rock Forever” and “Evening Star”, which both have very basic song patterns, and trot along in a mid-tempo range without any great moments that bring you to life or have you raising a pumped fist along the way. Neither has a breakout solo or anything outstanding from the vocals to become memorable. Slightly better than average songs that fill the space but don’t own it. “Take on the World” looks to be an anthemic song 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. “Burnin’ Up” also falls into the average ranking. The title track “Killing Machine” doesn’t seem to get out of second gear at any stage. 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 highlights. “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. 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.

While it probably sounds as though I have torn this album apart, it is not all bad. When I put it on and just listen to it without trying to break it down for a review, I listen to it all the way through and enjoy it for what it is. My favourite songs are spread evenly throughout which probably helps that. It is not as good as previous albums, and not as good as some of the albums to come. But rest assured there is still enough here to make this pleasant enough when the mood hits you to take it out of its cover and put it on your stereo.

Rating:  “I move as fast as I can, I like to get around”.  3.5/5

1083. Judas Priest / Stained Class. 1978. 4/5

Judas Priest’s transition from a softer and less technical style of music into a leading brand for the genre of heavy metal is more or less completed by the release of Stained Class. The progression of the heavy nature of the material from album to album continued here, with Stained Class certainly the heaviest overall album Judas Priest had released up to this time. With this comes further excelling of the skills of the band, with each member breaking out here to provide terrific individual performances that in turn make for a precision effort from the band.

“Exciter” is still perhaps the star of the album, and opens it up in blistering style, with a scintillating drum beat from Les Binks and hard core bass from Ian Hill, which is matched by the blazing guitars of K. K. Downing and Glen Tipton. Topping it off is Rob Halford’s high level vocals piercing through to create the kind of high energy and high velocity track that kicks off an album in the best way possible. "White Heat, Red Hot" continues this excellence with another rousing performance by the two guitarists.
The cover of Spooky Tooth’s “Better by You, Better Than Me” is surprisingly effective and enjoyable. Though it was record company-mandated in order to try and soften the heavy metal mood that permeated this new release, it is so well done again that it still fits in perfectly on the album. This was the song (and album) that was at the centre of the controversy in 1990 where the band was taken to court over supposed subliminal messages (“Do it!”) masked but heard if played backwards, to which two men shot themselves after listening to the album. The case was dismissed (check out the documentary “Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance Vs. Judas Priest” for the story, it is well worth a look), but it gave this song and album both free press and notoriety.
The title track “Stained Class” is another ripping song, rattling along with the fire and force that the first half of the album set up. This is followed by "Invader" which is simple in concept but perfect in execution. Sometimes the simple songs are the best, and this is one of them. “Saints in Hell” channels Led Zeppelin throughout, again utilising a middle section that sounds like it is a freeform live exposition piece, with Halford’s vocals almost Plant-like and the guitars almost Page-like, while the following track “Savage” is the most straight forward song on the album.
“Beyond the Realms of Death” is a throwback to the progressive roots of the band, switching between from the quiet acoustic opening to the full blown electric hard rock, as well as having the technically perfect guitar solo to the faster thrash based solo, and Halford’s immaculate vocals hitting all the extremes with precision. Blowing out to almost seven minutes, this has become a timeless classic for the band and taps into every corner of the Priest armoury. It is still a gem. “Heroes End” has tinges of Skyhooks in it, which is a very strange thing to say I know, but the less heavy aspects of the song still remind me of their style. It closes out the album nicely with a heavy riff and a rocking vocal track.
For me the most interesting part of this album is how few of the songs have become mainstream go-to Judas Priest songs, both by fans and the band itself. Much of the album has rarely been played live since the tour to promote it was completed which in itself is not an unusual thing, but for an album that is so highly regarded it has so few of its individual components making a name for themselves away from the album itself. Most can name “Beyond the Realms of Death” and “Exciter” perhaps, but beyond that the songs seem to become transparent. Even after the controversy over the civil action over the suicide attempts, Stained Class may remain a great album but as a whole rather than the sum of its parts.

Stained Class remains one of the great Judas Priest albums. Though the band’s musical style would vary over the course of the 1980’s decade, this album was written and recorded when they were still on the rise in their attempt to create a heavier environment away from their early progressive beginnings, and that is still here and can be heard in the songs on this album. The drive and determination is all enshrined in the vinyl it was cut into, and none of it has dated over the past forty years, which still makes it a pleasure to put on and air guitar to.

Rating: “Fall to your knees and repent if you please”.  4/5

1082. Judas Priest / Sin After Sin. 1977. 4/5

For those coming in late to the Judas Priest story, Sin After Sin can perhaps be best described as a conduit. It is the bridge between how the band started out and how they were to transform. The beginnings of this could be found on the Sad Wings of Destiny album with some of the songs there. This definitely increases and improves here though there is enough of the past sound here to allow it to be labelled as the bridge between the two eras of the band. Like the previous album there are three or four stand out songs here that can still be compared to the best that Judas Priest has written and performed, however it is the overall change in the music that is produced that makes this an interesting album to listen to.

Leading off the album is the quite brilliant “Sinner” which screams off the vinyl and marks itself as one of the great opening tracks of a Judas Priest album. The tone is set from the outset, with Halford’s vocals screaming for the ceilings and the guitars taking lead throughout. Even when it slows it is a menacing slowness, atmospherically driven by the guitars and the terrific drum work combining hi-hats and cymbals in perfect synchronisation. It is still a sensational song. This is followed by the famously speeded up and heavy version of “Diamonds and Rust”, originally written and performed by Joan Baez. It is amazing that such a cover song, given a more rock oriented grunt, was the song that first gave Judas Priest time on radio airwaves. Apart from that it is a great version of the song and alongside another cover version that came along a couple of years later has become a staple for all fans of the band
If “Sinner” is the complex part of Priest, and “Diamonds and Rust” is the creative part of Priest, then “Starbreaker” is the heart of Priest. It is the kind of song that they eventually made the centre of their albums, the straight forward heavy song with that amazing rhythm base of the drums and Ian Hill’s brilliantly effective bass lines, holding the centre as the guitars of Glen Tipton and K. K. Downing firstly wind together and then explode separately into their solo sections before their duet in harmony, and allowing the unique vocal chords of Rob Halford to do their thing. “Starbreaker” is not the star attraction, but it is the song that holds its own with the superstar attractions and continues the great vibe of the album, and it is songs like this that gives Judas Priest its star billing.
“Last Rose of Summer” is the best example of a song reaching back to their past. While Halford’s vocals easily climb around the melody of the tracks and give it that honeyed simplicity that makes it likeable, there is no power at all in the music itself. The drums blithely keep time while the guitars are kept in check all the way through, almost acoustically driven rather than the full power twin lead/rhythm that made the band who they became. Certainly this is not a bad song, it is indeed a terrific track filled with great musicianship – but it is a ballad driven song that changes the mood of the album from the time it begins until the time it ends. Sin After Sin was pretty much the final album that contained songs such as this. The same can be said of the album’s other more reflective track, “Here Come the Tears”. It too heralds back to the band’s earlier material, though on a much more mature and composed writing and performing scale. It builds from the start into a crescendo of guitar solo and Halford’s vocals crying over the top, which will either please the fan or set them in their place.
The short intro of “Let Us Prey” cuts straight into “Call for the Priest” – showcases the best of the Tipton/Downing partnership in the middle section, trading solo pieces and then combining for the harmony guitars in the middle as well. It is this that was developed over the following albums that made Judas Priest what they became, and while “Call for the Priest” may only be classed as a ‘better than average’ interpretation of that here on this album, all the bones are visible and accounted for. “Raw Deal” does much the same thing, another good song that, for anyone who has heard future albums, contains similar sounds and musical turns from some more famous songs that were to come down the line.
Perhaps the track that best sums up where the band is heading is the album closer, “Dissident Aggressor”, which starts with a layered Halford scream and is followed by the hard and heavy guitars soaring through the heaviest section of the album while the great rhythm of the drums and the bass drive this along in its hardest elements. It’s heavy and short, so short that you can’t believe it is over when it finishes. It is still enough forty years later to give you shivers and make you want to listen to more, both hear and on other albums. It is still a great track and embodies just what Judas Priest had in front of them.

As a bridge between the past and the future, this album does its job. Each element of the band does their job well, and the songs have increased in power and aggression. Those songs that still remain with a tinge of the early days sound terrific musically but for me just drag it back from being an elite album. It doesn’t stop it from being a very good album, and is a necessary stop for those who want to know what Judas Priest were about before they became one of the flag bearers of the heavy metal movement.

Rating: “We both know what memories can bring”. 4/5

1081. Motörhead / Clean Your Clock [Live]. 2016. 3.5/5

And so here we are, at the end of the road. The final curtain has been drawn and we have the last release from a band that spanned 40 years and inspired several generations of musicians and artists. A live album, a final live album, to round out a discography that managed to continue to be relevant through the multitude of changes in the popularity of music during that time. It’s a chance to listen, to take stock, and to enjoy.

When it comes down to it, this album really only owes its existence to the fact that it was recorded live just six weeks before Lemmy’s untimely death. That may seem like a simplification, but in essence it is the truth. Yes the tour it was recorded on was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation and would no doubt have found its way into our hands at some stage because of that. And though there is a changing of the guard when it comes to the set list – not entirely, but probably enough to just make it interesting in comparison to the great live albums of the band’s past – would most people have been inspired enough to buy it if not for the position it now holds?
That position of course is the last ever professionally recorded material by Motörhead prior to Lemmy’s death and the obvious closure of the band as a result. It’s interest does lie in listening to Lemmy performing a mere six weeks before he was diagnosed with the ravenous cancer that took his life a couple of days after the diagnosis. He had been having health problems for a long time, and many shows in the past 18 months had been cancelled because of it. But on these two days he managed to get through both gigs, and the result of that first night is here.
Nostalgia will always win out in the end, and that is what I feel here. Lemmy is noticeably weaker vocally than in the past, and it isn’t just age that is wearying him. The DVD video of this gig shows a man who is wasting away in front of your eyes, and that does come across in the music here. Not so much that it destroys the songs, but in comparison to even the dual live releases of 4-5 years ago it isn’t the same. Still, to hear “When the Sky Comes Looking For You” from the Bad Magic album and “Lost Woman Blues” from the Aftershock album is worth it.

An era ends and it’s a sad way to go. But perhaps this album is a fitting way to do so. Motörhead was always known as a live band, THE live band. They played for their fans and gave their all on stage. Motörhead performed only nine times more after this gig, which gives this recording a special place in music history. It may not be the best live album you will ever hear, but it’s one you should listen to at least once and reflect on the legacy that Motörhead left on the world of music.

Rating: “Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud, so good you can't believe it's screaming with the crowd”. 3.5/5

1080. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else [Live]. 2012. 4/5

Much like I said in my review for the previous album, the positives and negatives of live album releases are many and varied. There is little doubt that if a band is going to make a habit of making live releases – something Motörhead has become proficient in over the years – then the material must good enough to encourage the fan to part with their hard earned cash to buy them. This relates not just to the quality of the performances themselves, but the material of which they are performing. A boring live performance makes no one happy.

Putting aside the good things for the moment, there are a couple of problems straight up with this release. The fact that it contains their entire performance from Wacken in 2011 is not one of them, but the set list probably is. Apart from a couple of minor changes it is the same set list that they did for the majority of this tour, and therefore almost identical to the set list found on the previous release. This creates a problem for the fan when it comes to buying, because what is here that is any different to what you may already have? What exacerbates this is the material that is brought in to fill out the second CD, because most of it also has been repeated and on this release itself. For goodness sakes, there are THREE separate versions of “Killed By Death” on this album alone, and I love this song, but surely no one needs three versions of it on! It’s nice to hear the band at Sonisphere and at Rock in Rio, but when it is just the same songs we have already heard it could be described as superfluous.

Despite this, the whole package is another very good live album. The band sounds great, though Lemmy’s vocals do at times sound like they have been given a heavy workout. The idea of recording the tour thoroughly, and giving the fans the chance to hear material from six different concerts over the course of that time is noteworthy. You just have to be up for hearing those songs on multiple occasions. And that’s not always an easy thing to do.

Rating: “We are Motörhead, and we play fucking rock and roll!”.  4/5

1079. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else [Live]. 2011. 4/5

There are positives and negatives of releasing a live album. But when it comes to a regular litany of live releases the major problem you have is ensuring each has a uniqueness that enables it to be different from the previous live album or the future live album, so that you can maximise the sales. Because let’s face it, if you are only playing the same songs live all the time, then just how do you expect to sell live albums? This is just one of the questions that needs to be acted on when you are on the verge of releasing two live albums, almost back to back.

The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else was recorded over the first half of the tour that followed the release of the album The Wörld Is Yours. With the studio album, this album and the follow up live album it gave Motörhead three years with consecutive album releases, enough for even the most diehard fan to digest.
There are three parts to the two CD collection. It has the entire 17 song setlist from Santiago, Chile in April 2011, with the four final song taking up the first part of the second CD. It contains two songs off the new album (“Get Back in Line” and “I Know How to Die”), two from the previous album Motörizer (“Rock Out” and “The Thousand Names of God”) and one from Inferno (“In the Name of Tragedy”). The remainder are all from the distant past and are mostly classed as the fan favourites.
The remainder of the second CD is filled with songs from two other shows, one in New York and one in Manchester. While there are a few different songs here than were played in Chile, there are also a few double-ups, which seems a little strange for a release such as this. I don’t have a problem with the band filling space with different songs from places they have played on tour, but the same song? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Is this a good live album? Well yes, it is. It fulfills the brief by having new material the band is touring on and the great songs. The question could be asked though as to whether it could be better? Possibly, but that precludes the fact that there are plenty of songs from the band’s back catalogue that I would have liked to have heard. That’s not what this is about. It is a faithful recording of this tour – the first half anyway – and for that it is well worth the effort.

Rating: “You know me, you can't resist, Devil's grip, the iron fist”. 4/5

1078. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Yours. 2010. 3.5/5

Having reached into their fifth decade as a band the ability to stay relevant probably hasn’t ever been at the forefront of the minds of these three gentlemen. From the outside it always appears that they go into the studio and lay down the songs they have inside them at the time. The fact is that by staying true to themselves they have done more to keep their sound alive than they could have by looking for a constant shift in style. And as such they presented as their first album of the 2010’s the disc entitled The Wörld Is Yours.

My immediate reflection was that this is a much more rock ‘n’ roll based album than the band has produced for some time. Since the acquisition of Cameron Webb as producer, a man who has looked to bring out the more heavy and perhaps aggressive side of the music, this is much the direction that the songs have come out. And that isn’t to suggest that this is lacking in either of those elements, it is just that the songs do have that old rock melody infused back into them, something that hasn’t necessarily been the case for some time. Here, at least, is an element that can be used to differentiate this album from the other recent releases. At least one of the titles of the tracks, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”, sort of makes this a dead giveaway, and this is the most rock ‘n’ roll track of the album.
So with the sound of this album generally pulled back into that rock rhythm, and without any songs that would be called out and out heavy and without any tracks that could be called ballads, we have a Motörhead album that doesn’t have that kind of experimentation. Instead we have ten tracks that settle for that comfortable middle ground that the band does so well, in the style that is the best attribute of the three piece.
“Born to Lose” is a title that has been decades in the making coming as it does from one of Lemmy’s favourite quotes, but it makes for a good opening track. “I Know How to Die” may well be seen to be prophetic in 2018, but more than that it is the upbeat tempo and fun song style that makes the best Motörhead albums. Ditto for “Get Back in Line” and “Devils in My Head” which goes at the same tempo and is fun to sing along to.
“Waiting for the Snake” and “Brotherhood of Man” are the two songs here that are a little off-template in comparison to the others. “Waiting for the Snake” is almost AC/DC-like throughout, holding on to its rhythm pattern all the way through. “Brotherhood of Man” on the other hand has a very “Orgasmatron” guitar sound to, and seems like either a sister track or an effort to revisit that sound from that album. The album then rushes to a conclusion, with “Outlaw” charging hard with drums and guitars blazing. “I Know What You Need” is a cracking track, being one of the harder songs on the album, while the closer “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye” leaves noting to the imagination and ends the disc on a highly positive note (musically at least).
While there has been a steady trend in Motorhead’s albums over the previous decade, the ones that stand out from the pack are the ones that have that consistent tempo that is not necessarily super-fast but higher than average through the songs, have Mikkey’s drums standing out in the mix, have Lemmy’s bass leading the rhythm rather than being just a part of it, have Phil’s solo’s and riffs forward and starkly in the mix, and Lemmy’s vocals being strong and bold. All of those boxes get ticked on The Wörld Is Yours.

Motörhead aren’t reinventing the wheel on this album, but perhaps you could say they have at least have a wheel alignment. The extremities have been shaved off, leaving just the good stuff in the middle. And no matter how you felt about those extremities this album is enjoyable just for the fact that they aren’t there this time around. It’s a comfortable release from a band that knows how to do what it does well.

Rating: “I know what you are, I know what you need”. 3.5/5

1077. Motörhead / Motörizer. 2008. 3/5

Keeping up with their regimented routine of releasing new albums on an almost clockwork regularity, Motörhead brought forth the next album in their growing discography in Motörizer toward the end of the first decade of the new millennium. It is perhaps fair to say that this is about the only thing that is ‘new’ about it. Sure, it contains eleven new songs, and for the most part they are good songs, but there isn’t a lot that could be said to be new about them. As always, and especially with this band, that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them. It all just comes down to a matter of taste, and whether too much of something can end up being too much.

If you’ve listened to a Motörhead album sometime in the past forty years then there is a fair chance that you will recognise the way that most of these songs are set out. There is a formula that can be heard, a framework that sometimes gets stretched or moulded by rarely gets strayed from too far. As long as that is done well, and you can feel the energy flowing from the songs then there really is no problem because the music is what is important. This has been a constant throughout the band’s career, and perhaps most especially since the 1990’s when the band reverted back to the three piece it is on this album, and the line-up that has now been stable since that time. Of all of those album released since Sacrifice, there have been some really good albums, and then just some average albums. The level of intensity in the songs on those albums have been the difference, not the writing itself, as the template has rarely differed.
This is when I sit with Motörizer. That danger of doing album after album that in essence has the same formula with a couple of changes, is that there will be times when it doesn’t have enough inspiration of enough twist or turns to really attract either the new or old fans alike. And for me on this album, it has hit the point where I think I have heard better on more recent albums than this one. I make no secret of the fact that I prefer the songs that are faster and harder, whereas most of this album sits back in a more comfortable tempo that that, and as a result I think the energy doesn’t come flowing through as it does with other releases.
I’ve listened to the album more than half a dozen times over the last couple of days, the first time I have done so since its release ten years ago. I remember first getting the album and give it the mandatory number of listens that a new album gets before I can decide what level it goes to, one that will continue to get multiple spins or one that returns to the cabinet. At the time, it returned to the cabinet. Over the last few days, I can still appreciate it for what it is – a middle-of-the-road Motörhead album. “Runaround Man” and “Teach You How to Sing the Blues” open the album well enough, full of a solid drum beat and hard running guitar riff and grating vocals that always provide for enjoyment. After some average tracks “Buried Alive” brings it back to life by upping the tempo again and reinvigorating the energy levels of the album. “Rock Out” and “Heroes” are enjoyable enough songs, while “The Thousand Names of God” ends the album on a positive note.

The problem here is that there is nothing that is absolutely memorable, a song that immediately lights up the album and allows you to find a point to get into the whole tracklist. There are some good songs and there are some average songs. They are not bad, just average. And that is where this album sits with me now.

Rating:  “The war is never over”.  3/5

1076. Motörhead / Live at Brixton Academy: The Complete Concert. 2003. 5/5

There are moments in a band’s career that are worthy of celebrating a milestone. Having toured and recorded for 25 years is one of those milestones worth remembering. This is what faced Motörhead as they approached the new millennium, and a celebratory concert which not only had a terrific set list but the addition of some special guests is not a bad way to do it. Recorded for posterity, this is what we have with Live at Brixton Academy: The Complete Concert.

For anyone who picked up a copy of the band’s previous live album, Everything Louder Than Everyone Else, there is not a lot new for you. The setlist is slightly changed to incorporate some songs from the We Are Motörhead album which is what they were touring behind at the time. It took three years for this to be released for various reasons, but it is worth it. The performances are just as strong as the other live release, and of course there are a few added surprises.
You can take your pick as to what is the best addition to the line-up, and everyone will have their own opinion. On “Born to Raise Hell” the band are joined by Doro Pesch and Whitfield Crane. While Doro’s appearance could be construed as ‘convenient’, Whitfield of course sang on the version of this song that was released on the soundtrack of the movie Airheads alongside Ice T. Nothing much to write home about here to be honest. Slightly more interesting is the appearance of two songs on “Killed by Death”, with Todd Campbell – son of Phil – and Paul Inder – son of Lemmy – appearing on stage and joining in on guitars and some vocals. This was a nice moment for all involved. For me the best moment is the re-appearance of “Fast” Eddie Clarke, who comes on stage and struts his stuff on “The Chase is Better Than the Catch” as well as the closing “Overkill”. Hearing Clarke play his classic solo in “Overkill” again is worth listening to this album by itself. However, along with those that have already appeared coming back for the final song, it also includes Ace from Skunk Anansie and the legendary Brian May from Queen also coming out and adding their guitars to the mix, making it a real celebration to complete the night.

While the album of this gig is terrific, I recommend trying to find a copy of 25 & Alive: Boneshaker if you can, which is the video of the gig. It is exactly the same as this CD but being able to see the band playing it does add to the experience.

Rating: “We are Motörhead… and we’re here to clean your clock”. 5/5