Post by Erik Rupp on Sept 5, 2009 13:07:23 GMT -5
Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution (2005)
When Rob Halford returned to Judas Priest after a 12 year absence the big question was, "Will the new album be any good?" The other question was, "What will the new album sound like?"
Judas Priest, while always playing from a strong Heavy Metal base musically, actually have something of a diverse catalog. Their material has ranged from the almost Classic Rock stylings of Rocka Rolla and Sin After Sin to the straightforward Metal classics of Screaming For Vengeance and British Steel, to the near Pop Metal of the synth laden Turbo, to the Power Metal of Painkiller.
So where does Angel of Retribution fall? Try right in the middle, with a little bit of everything (with the possible exception of Turbo).
Opening with a track that sounds like a cross between Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller stylings, "Judas Is Rising," is quintessential Judas Priest. Heavy, pounding, but still loaded with melody this mid-tempo (for Priest) track is a solid opener.
"Deal With the Devil," is more uptempo, and again has echoes of the Defenders album, but also of Painkiller, with just a bit of Ram It Down thrown in for good measure. "Yeah, but is it any good?" Yes it is. Very good. It would have been a strong album cut on any of those albums. Actually, it would have been a highlight on Ram It Down, so Priest is off to a great start - two for two.
And then we get to the lead single, "Revolution." This song actually sounds a bit like something that would have fit well on Hell Bent For Leather (aka Killing Machine). The riff, (unintentionally) borrowed from Janes Addiction, is a nice circular riff, but is given more muscle and a stronger, pounding beat than the Janes' song. While it is reminiscent of their classic 1979 album, it also has a bit of a 1990's Alternative style just bubbling under the surface to give the song a more modern feel. This slow-ish pounder makes Priest three for three on the album thus far.
Then they move into their more, "Classic Rock," territory with, "Worth Fighting For," a song that, again, would not be out of place on Defenders of the Faith. This one, however, is also a song that wouldn't feel out of place on their seminal Screaming for Vengeance album (like a cross between, "Chains," "Fever," and, "Devil's Child"). It is a solid, solid album cut, and helps to bring the album home for a lot of Priest fans who were turned on to the band around 1982 or so. The vocal melodies are very strong, and the music has some strong, memorable guitar parts.
So, with the band four for four could they possibly continue the winning streak? If you liked Painkiller (and maybe even Jugulator) they could.
"Demonizer," could easily have been written and recorded for Painkiller, with Scott Travis' rapid fire double bass drumming and the chugging, freight train like riffing of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Halford's vocals are particularly angry and aggressive - just like on their popular 1990 Power Metal offering.
I suppose if this were baseball you could call the track a, "Walk," as it is a hit for some fans, and a foul ball just out of play for others. It doesn't count against their batting average, but it doesn't count for their average, either. It is an expected nod to the popularity of Painkiller with a large segment of their fans.
So who let Jimi Hendrix on this album?
Well, it sure sounds like Jimi's here - playing the intro to one of the album's strongest tracks, "Wheels of Fire," in true, "Foxey Lady," style. The 2nd bit of borrowing on the album is brief, and very effective leading into one chugging, grinding, melodic powerhouse of a song that again splits the middle between the Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith styles. Downing and Tipton trade off for some nice solo work, and the song has a very catchy chorus along with some very strong, very cool riffing that is in itself very hooky in it's simplicity. Good stuff, Maynard!
After that winning song everything else is just a bonus.
Including the tip of the hat to their 70's fans with the ballad, "Angel." "Angel," features a nice combination of acoustic and electric guitars and Ian Hill's bass. It is a fairly mellow song, but the type of melodies and the power with which Rob Halford sings the song makes sure that Metal fans can dig the song as much as Classic Rock fans could. It comes to a crescendo towards the end, exiting as the full band, including drummer Scott Travis (whose drums don't really show up until the song is 3/4 over). Not bad. "Angel," is a nice break from all the heavy stuff, and sets up the next song, "Hellrider," quite nicely.
"Hellrider," is another song aimed squarely at the Painkiller fans. Hell, Glenn may have also been thinking about Jugulator when writing this one! It again features Scott Travis's machine like, machine gun style double bass drumming. The vocal part in the verse is just aggressive without the musicality or melody that the rest of the album has (for the most part). The chorus for, "Hellrider," is something else that sounds like it was lifted straight off of Painkiller. Not a rip-off, but just the same style. For fans of Painkiller, and maybe Jugulator, this is another solid track.
And then things start to get weird. Only Nostradamus could have seen, "Eulogy," and "Loch Ness," coming.
"Eulogy," is a stand alone song, but it also serves as something of both a mellow (only featuring some clean guitars, keyboards, and a quiet vocal from Rob), melancholy coda for the previous songs and a lead in for the next song, "Loch Ness."
"Loch Ness," is an attempt at a long, epic track. It could almost be seen as the trial run for their next album, Nostradamus (which was either their most ambitious and musical album, or a Godawful mess, depending on who you ask). Slowly building for about a minute and a half it turns into a slow stomper with an eerie, doomy riff. The problem with this track is the extra cheese that comes with this burger. A song about the Loch Ness Monster? Really? Look, Judas Priest has always played with cheesy lyrics or topics, but here it's taken to a new level. And yet the song almost works well. It's not too far removed, musically, from, "Monsters of Rock," which ended up on Turbo (but was written for Defenders), but the extra supreme cheese on the chorus of, "Loch Ness," nearly kills the song. (Or maybe it does kill it by the end of the last chorus...)
For a lot of fans Angel of Retribution ends after, "Hellrider," and maybe that would have been the wiser course for Priest to follow - or at least end it after, "Eulogy," but "Loch Ness," was generally derided by both critics and a large group of their fans.
It's really the only misfire on an album that was very well produced, written, performed, recorded, and mixed. Roy Z, who had worked previously with Bruce Dickinson on some of his best solo work, did a fantastic job on Angel of Retribution - with the exception of allowing the final track on the album. Maybe he didn't have the power or clout to make that call himself, or maybe he just liked the song - who knows?
The bottom line is simply this: Judas Priest was back, and they put out a really, really good album that most of their fans enjoyed quite a bit.
Angel of Retribution is a (flawed) winner.
4/5
When Rob Halford returned to Judas Priest after a 12 year absence the big question was, "Will the new album be any good?" The other question was, "What will the new album sound like?"
Judas Priest, while always playing from a strong Heavy Metal base musically, actually have something of a diverse catalog. Their material has ranged from the almost Classic Rock stylings of Rocka Rolla and Sin After Sin to the straightforward Metal classics of Screaming For Vengeance and British Steel, to the near Pop Metal of the synth laden Turbo, to the Power Metal of Painkiller.
So where does Angel of Retribution fall? Try right in the middle, with a little bit of everything (with the possible exception of Turbo).
Opening with a track that sounds like a cross between Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller stylings, "Judas Is Rising," is quintessential Judas Priest. Heavy, pounding, but still loaded with melody this mid-tempo (for Priest) track is a solid opener.
"Deal With the Devil," is more uptempo, and again has echoes of the Defenders album, but also of Painkiller, with just a bit of Ram It Down thrown in for good measure. "Yeah, but is it any good?" Yes it is. Very good. It would have been a strong album cut on any of those albums. Actually, it would have been a highlight on Ram It Down, so Priest is off to a great start - two for two.
And then we get to the lead single, "Revolution." This song actually sounds a bit like something that would have fit well on Hell Bent For Leather (aka Killing Machine). The riff, (unintentionally) borrowed from Janes Addiction, is a nice circular riff, but is given more muscle and a stronger, pounding beat than the Janes' song. While it is reminiscent of their classic 1979 album, it also has a bit of a 1990's Alternative style just bubbling under the surface to give the song a more modern feel. This slow-ish pounder makes Priest three for three on the album thus far.
Then they move into their more, "Classic Rock," territory with, "Worth Fighting For," a song that, again, would not be out of place on Defenders of the Faith. This one, however, is also a song that wouldn't feel out of place on their seminal Screaming for Vengeance album (like a cross between, "Chains," "Fever," and, "Devil's Child"). It is a solid, solid album cut, and helps to bring the album home for a lot of Priest fans who were turned on to the band around 1982 or so. The vocal melodies are very strong, and the music has some strong, memorable guitar parts.
So, with the band four for four could they possibly continue the winning streak? If you liked Painkiller (and maybe even Jugulator) they could.
"Demonizer," could easily have been written and recorded for Painkiller, with Scott Travis' rapid fire double bass drumming and the chugging, freight train like riffing of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Halford's vocals are particularly angry and aggressive - just like on their popular 1990 Power Metal offering.
I suppose if this were baseball you could call the track a, "Walk," as it is a hit for some fans, and a foul ball just out of play for others. It doesn't count against their batting average, but it doesn't count for their average, either. It is an expected nod to the popularity of Painkiller with a large segment of their fans.
So who let Jimi Hendrix on this album?
Well, it sure sounds like Jimi's here - playing the intro to one of the album's strongest tracks, "Wheels of Fire," in true, "Foxey Lady," style. The 2nd bit of borrowing on the album is brief, and very effective leading into one chugging, grinding, melodic powerhouse of a song that again splits the middle between the Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith styles. Downing and Tipton trade off for some nice solo work, and the song has a very catchy chorus along with some very strong, very cool riffing that is in itself very hooky in it's simplicity. Good stuff, Maynard!
After that winning song everything else is just a bonus.
Including the tip of the hat to their 70's fans with the ballad, "Angel." "Angel," features a nice combination of acoustic and electric guitars and Ian Hill's bass. It is a fairly mellow song, but the type of melodies and the power with which Rob Halford sings the song makes sure that Metal fans can dig the song as much as Classic Rock fans could. It comes to a crescendo towards the end, exiting as the full band, including drummer Scott Travis (whose drums don't really show up until the song is 3/4 over). Not bad. "Angel," is a nice break from all the heavy stuff, and sets up the next song, "Hellrider," quite nicely.
"Hellrider," is another song aimed squarely at the Painkiller fans. Hell, Glenn may have also been thinking about Jugulator when writing this one! It again features Scott Travis's machine like, machine gun style double bass drumming. The vocal part in the verse is just aggressive without the musicality or melody that the rest of the album has (for the most part). The chorus for, "Hellrider," is something else that sounds like it was lifted straight off of Painkiller. Not a rip-off, but just the same style. For fans of Painkiller, and maybe Jugulator, this is another solid track.
And then things start to get weird. Only Nostradamus could have seen, "Eulogy," and "Loch Ness," coming.
"Eulogy," is a stand alone song, but it also serves as something of both a mellow (only featuring some clean guitars, keyboards, and a quiet vocal from Rob), melancholy coda for the previous songs and a lead in for the next song, "Loch Ness."
"Loch Ness," is an attempt at a long, epic track. It could almost be seen as the trial run for their next album, Nostradamus (which was either their most ambitious and musical album, or a Godawful mess, depending on who you ask). Slowly building for about a minute and a half it turns into a slow stomper with an eerie, doomy riff. The problem with this track is the extra cheese that comes with this burger. A song about the Loch Ness Monster? Really? Look, Judas Priest has always played with cheesy lyrics or topics, but here it's taken to a new level. And yet the song almost works well. It's not too far removed, musically, from, "Monsters of Rock," which ended up on Turbo (but was written for Defenders), but the extra supreme cheese on the chorus of, "Loch Ness," nearly kills the song. (Or maybe it does kill it by the end of the last chorus...)
For a lot of fans Angel of Retribution ends after, "Hellrider," and maybe that would have been the wiser course for Priest to follow - or at least end it after, "Eulogy," but "Loch Ness," was generally derided by both critics and a large group of their fans.
It's really the only misfire on an album that was very well produced, written, performed, recorded, and mixed. Roy Z, who had worked previously with Bruce Dickinson on some of his best solo work, did a fantastic job on Angel of Retribution - with the exception of allowing the final track on the album. Maybe he didn't have the power or clout to make that call himself, or maybe he just liked the song - who knows?
The bottom line is simply this: Judas Priest was back, and they put out a really, really good album that most of their fans enjoyed quite a bit.
Angel of Retribution is a (flawed) winner.
4/5