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Nostradamus didn't do it for me at all.

Black Axe wrote:There are some great songs on Nostradamus, but half the songs aren't that good. The best songs are better than AOR, but the worst are useless filler.

I thought the worst songs on Nostradamus were actually worse than filler - they were downright insulting and made me angry. There are some good moments on Nostradamus, but I don't think I'll ever listen to it again - to me it is really weak.

Priest's other weakest albums are

Point of Entry - which lacks power AND emotion. It seems to just stroll along and never manages to catch much attention.

Ram it Down - Some of it is good, but some of the songs are atrocious.

Jugulator and Demolition - Not Ripper's fault - they just couldn't write the songs anymore, and they were doing some style changes and riffs which didn't work at all.

I owe great thanks to the guy who made me put on Rocka Rolla again and really listen to it some years back. Up 'til then I had written it off as lacking in direction and structure. I had been wrong for almost 20 years! Rocka rolla is a great album even though it is spread a little thin with all the different styles on it. Some of the stuff on it competes with the very best material Priest have ever recorded, like Run of the Mill and Never Satisfied.

Defenders of the faith.

Black Axe wrote:AOR

Everytime I hear this album refered to like this, it makes me chuckle...

I voted Screaming For Vengeance, but I'm not sure.

Had to go with Painkiller. Speed metal masterpiece! I had heard many a Priest tune before that release, and always enjoyed them. That album, however, blew me the hell away! I remember hearing about the new album, and waiting to see the video on MTV. When that thing started I was thinking "Holy shit! This is Priest?!"

A very close second to Painkiller would be Defenders Of The Faith. Excellent album from top to bottom. After that would probably come British Steel, then Screaming For Vengeance. I'd have to think really hard to rank the rest.

Sin After Sin, although it could be any of the first three. They were at their most innovative and emotional on those albums and while Stained Class was no less mature, it was really dry. After that it's mostly just great but usual rocking metal.

great_knuthulhu wrote:I thought the worst songs on Nostradamus were actually worse than filler - they were downright insulting and made me angry. There are some good moments on Nostradamus, but I don't think I'll ever listen to it again - to me it is really weak.

Seems to me you simply have to do with Nostradamus what you did with Rocka Rolla. I can't possibly see which songs would be that bad.

My only complaint is that the album is simply too long.

Defenders Of The Faith...

The reason: I listened to it the most & it's all killer no filler!!

Followed closely by Stained Class! Once again all killer no filler!

"Defenders Of The Faith" was the first JUDAS PRIEST album I ever heard and it hit me like a fucking nuke when I was a kid. Not a weak song on the album and in a way it should be my all-time fave, but I still had to vote for "Stained Class". First time I heard it, it didn't quite click with me. Probably coz I still hadn't developed a taste for the "nwobhmish", 1st-generation Heavy Metal sound, but it slowly grew on me through the years and to this day it's by far the JP album I've played the most and which never left me, whatever music I was into at the time.

Even if there's a song or 2 I still consider less than perfect it remains a Perfect Metal Gem. The production plays a large role in it all. It's so beautifully "laid back" and clean, giving the music a sneaky, insidious "he-he-I'm-way-more-evil-than-ya-think" kinda feel. And then there's of course "Saints In Hell"!


About Painkiller:
When it came out I was getting deep into HC/Crossover, the aspiring Swedish DM scene and other things far away from classic HM, so at the time I didn't take much notice of it, even if never disliked it. Actually I've only discovered it for real this last year (!). To me it sounds like the most obvious follow-up to "Defenders..". A damn near perfect album, but I still find the titletrack the least exciting track.

Their closest thing to a 'sell-out': Point Out Of Entry.
I choose to belive it was someone in their management who pushed them into this obvious flirtation with the US "radio rock" market. Thank doG for "Solar Angels" saving grace!

AOR & Nostradamus:
Great albums. Not perfect but definitely on par w/ "Screaming..", "Turbo" and "Ram It Down". Still hoping they'll reach "Defenders.."/"Painkiller"-heights in the future.

DaN wrote:Their closest thing to a 'sell-out': Point Out Of Entry.
I choose to belive it was someone in their management who pushed them into this obvious flirtation with the US "radio rock" market. Thank doG for "Solar Angels" saving grace!

The album also turned out the way it did greatly due to the band being at the "height" of their career in terms of popularity and sold out venues. The album was recorded while on vacation in Ibiza with the band almost always highly intoxicated while writing the entire album and really not giving a shit.

DaN wrote: About Painkiller:
I still find the titletrack the least exciting track.

The worst of the album imo, i can't stand it anymore. Blame the metal clubs in Athens that play it 50 times each month for that.

Avenger wrote:

DaN wrote:Their closest thing to a 'sell-out': Point Out Of Entry.
I choose to belive it was someone in their management who pushed them into this obvious flirtation with the US "radio rock" market. Thank doG for "Solar Angels" saving grace!

The album also turned out the way it did greatly due to the band being at the "height" of their career in terms of popularity and sold out venues. The album was recorded while on vacation in Ibiza with the band almost always highly intoxicated while writing the entire album and really not giving a shit.

I used to share a similar view but have changed since, it has a few throw away tracks but I generally think it's a pretty fine album the way it perfectly portraits that portion of their career and lifestyle, Traveling America by bus through the desert and basically just a ton more "on the road" type songs and atmosphere. Speaking of the re-release CD with the bonus track "Thunder Road" that has to be my favourite by far out of all of the unreleased Priest tracks! Blows everything else away written in the Turbo sessions by far, "on the road/big city nights" metal at it's best!!

I kind of like Point of Entry too. Not only was it the first Heavy Metal recording I ever bought (cassette - not vinyl). In fact, had they released the first six songs (Side A and Solar Angels) as a Mini-album, to these ears, we'd have a true JP classic (albeit a rather laidback and soft one).

seems that no one cares for the good-old-commercial-oriented British Steel huh? well it was my first Priest record so it has special meaning to me, but i think it contains one of the best priest songs, "The Rage"