(Sony Legacy/Columbia) Total Time : 52:49 + DVD.
Without further, ado and thanks to an American bud, who wishes to remain anonymous, I had a chance to have a transatlantic, preview of the new priest album. It was a bit pricey, but what the heck, although I cannot fully justify it, it did not cost me much more than a fiver, since I used a bloody calling card… Ah, the methods we ‘ve to resort to deliver the goods. We’re breaking some kind of law too, I guess but screw that. Watermarked CDs have been passed around, but seemingly no-one dares to leak this… hm, I wonder if this will be kept this way, till the album is released.
I dunno what the future holds for PRIEST. They will push this album like hell, they have employed every trick in the book, they tease and try to build tension for it desperately.
I’m really puzzled. Will it start a revolution ?! Will it bring retribution for metal and take it to the top of the music charts? I much doubt the latter. But it’s solid enough.
Exit Rippy, Enter Robbie.
What we have here is an anachronism, a throwback if you will and an effort by the band to pick up where they left, before Rob exited the band and the closet. :P, heck if he pretends to be cool about his sexuality, he should be able to take a couple of punches below the belt… oeer missus. I found the never ending discussions over the man’s sexuality just a marketing gimmick. For all I know he might be getting more pussy than the raunchier pornstar and collectively throwing dust in our eyes, or more likely not. But who cares about Mr Halford’s bed antics anyhow.
Music comes first, ooooer and angel of retribution is the subject matter here.
As I mentioned before, the circumstances surrounding my exposure to the album were not ideal, but, I do gather, from the “proper” sound of the radio track retribution that Roy Z has done an admirable job, producing the band, maintaining the vintage feeling but also crafting a sound that’s bold, big and brassy.
Let’s see what the angel of retribution brings to the table then.
The artwork depicts a demonic robot, that closely resembles the Sam Lowery dream/angel costume from the magnificent film Brazil, walking through fire, but the face of the creature brings to mind the mask, of one of the clowns by Slipknot. There’s a halo over the head and I bet this must be Wilkinson’s making, as it borrows some elements from Tipton’s solo album cover. It’s very metal, very 80’s very kitch.
Let’s check out the songs now shan’t we ?
“Judas Rising” opens the proceedings. A familiar scream, a roll of drums, followed by some seriously heavy, thunderous riffs and a lot of bombast, it’s a very suitable opener that puts you right in the mood. Solid. I like it. “Deal With The Devil” follows it, with a sinister mood, but a rather disappointing, simplistic chorus, it’s ok, but nothing great.
“Revolution” is a vein attempt to re-do "United". Borderly nu-ish simple riffs, and a chorus that gets an EMMY for lameness. It’s also closely resembles a couple of songs by some other, famous bands, which is kinda bad. Do the mighty PRIEST have to resort to such tactics ?! Perhaps the worse song on the record, although it’s not entirely disposable, but I’d consider it borderline filler material. Amazingly so, it was chosen as the first single. My congrats to the genius, behind this smart move. Shit, Sherlock this ain’t the 70’s you know. Never mind, at least the studio version is a tad better than the trimmed down radio edit. “Worth Fighting For” ? Is this ? This is a weird one. A mid-tempo song with Halford sounding rather weird. Think of “Turbo lover” just before the chorus and cross it with a bit of "Touch Of Evil". And perhaps the track he did, if I’m not mistaken with some Pantera members “Light comes out of black”, again right before the chorus, Well a similar style dominates the song here. It’s not bad, and it’s should be a bit of a grower. And while the readings on the cheese, sorry metal detector are in the red we have “Demonizer” boo... a fast paced, aggressive, heavy song, that captures the classic Judas-priest sound in full flight, not entirely unlike night “Night Crawler”, but nowhere near that brilliant. I could barely decipher some of the lyrics, but what the heck, half of the lyrics on this album, must be about mystical cheese, some other, about macho metal cheese and the rest might have some allegories, or again they may not. “Wheels Of Fire” is up next and oh, something must be wrong, when you start copying MANOWAR titles, eh? The song boasts a driving rhythm, but I would expect it to be a tad faster :P Average. “Angel” is a ballad. It reminded me of “In the morning” from Halford’s “Crucible” in many ways, only it’s a bit richer in orchestration. One of my favorite cuts then, perhaps the second, because first comes The “Hellrider”. This is the GOODS, delivered, by the metal GODS, but heck, it’s like the 8th song or something, this should be early on and THIS should have been the first single. BIG riffs. Great vibe, DYNAMICS, fast, with lots of changes. Awesome chorus. Hands down the best song! Reminiscent of “Painkiller” in many ways, but not as extreme. “Eulogy” which follows is a short song, like a prayer or something, that introduces "Loch Ness". Oh, a song about some Fat bitch that haunts the Lake, near Inverness, in my homelands. Many people have mistaken her for a monster u know. Just teasing. I just hope that if the band decides not to give it up now, that they won’t include a “Highlander” song in the next album, seems one of the few things they have left unexplored, with perhaps, Rob, venturing under some Brawly Scotsman’s kilt or something…. Oops, got a bit carried away. Evil Fantasies, u know. Oooer, I do have to stay tongue, in velvety arse-cheek u know. Anyhow, “Loch Ness” is a bloody long thing, I didn’t time it but it must easily clock around 10 minutes if not more. it's is a weird and not a bad song to close the album. Lots of mood and time changes. It’s a good tune, but nothing exceptional, the chorus, is better than a lot of the simplistic stuff found on A.O.R and the song boasts a lot of doom elements and certain passages bring to mind the other big Brummies, BLACK SABBATH. I hate the pinched/distorted guitar part, it sounds eerie, but perhaps that was the bands intention, in the first place. It’s your “epic” for the record and it works. Again u have to comment on the nice refrain. Hm, it will remind you something from another great band, but let me not spoil the surprise for you. It should also grow. The band has written better, epics, but this sits well, along with some of them.
I ‘m kinda baffled and unsure about the sincerity of the whole reunion. There’s a Greek saying about football. A long time ago, before the advent of the extreme, influence of capitalism and the commercialization of everything but the kitchen sink, some people did not play that much for financial gain, but for the “Shirt”. And somehow, I feel that the Priest, do not play for the “Shirt”. They have re-established a working relationship and in time, if they soldier on, I believe their outputs, will surpass A.O.R. But, this sudden change of personnel all over again, the change in style and everything that surrounded the bands fortunes, since Painkiller, just makes me a bit skeptical and perhaps apprehensive.
As far as the album is concerned, think of “Painkiller”, mixed with “Resurrection” and throw in the occasional reference to the bands past, both lyrically and stylistically, but add a few elements, that you might have not anticipated and what you get is a nice pretty solid “reunion” album that should quench the thirst of Judas Priest fanatics around the world for new material, that sounds like the “good old shit”. It’s not the masterpiece that a lot of the music business people, will rave about, nor is the bands best album yet. It’s however very respectable. I only listened to it once, and as I mentioned above the circumstances were not ideal, but I ‘ll try to grade it with hand on heart, or inside my pants, ala Al Bundy :P
Some of the cuts generate a high reading on the cheddar-o-meter, but heck, who gives a fuck, The priest is back.
Oh, I might have given it slightly less point because at least 3 cuts, sounded rather weak, 1 is too short etc, but the situation is compensated a bit by a bonus DVD, that will ship along with the initial run of the album, with a bunch of songs as recorded in Barcelona, during the bands stand there, last year and a documentary, which can be seen as added value.
