The early Judas Priest albums

yeah, like dumb but still fun and carrying the spirit is one thing (the aforementioned 'Painkiller', plus I listen to Rhapsody), but then there's dumb and awkward and impossibly dated and totally impossible to not be embarrassing. And that's what about half the songs on 'Turbo' accomplish...................yeah that is a beastlyyyyy title track however, and I do love me some synth guitar.

I loved Painkiller when it was a new release (even saw'em twice on that tour) but I rarely listen to it nowadays, it simply hasn't aged very well at all.

If Turbo was Priest's attempt at jumping on the Twisted Sister/pop metal anthem bandwagon, then Painkiller was them looking at all the thrash bands that had popped up and saying "Hey, everybody, waitaminnit! Lookit us! We can do that gnarly 'n' heavy and angry stuff too! 'GRRRRRR!' See?"

Seriously, it's not a bad record, but they were clearly trying to play "catch-up" again.

Also, it probably didn't help that their opening act on this tour was Rust In Peace era Megadeth, who utterly wiped the floor with Priest when I saw them together.

I know that there isn't much love on here for Nostradamus but I absolutely love this!




My opinion is that bad Priest is like bad sex. Still a hell of a lot better than most other things.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Painkiller was them looking at all the thrash bands that had popped up and saying "Hey, everybody, waitaminnit! Lookit us! We can do that gnarly 'n' heavy and angry stuff too! 'GRRRRRR!' See?"

Seriously, it's not a bad record, but they were clearly trying to play "catch-up" again.

I agree. I like the record a lot and still play it quite regularly but I never quite got all the praise heaped on it. It's good but not THAT good.

007 wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Painkiller was them looking at all the thrash bands that had popped up and saying "Hey, everybody, waitaminnit! Lookit us! We can do that gnarly 'n' heavy and angry stuff too! 'GRRRRRR!' See?"

Seriously, it's not a bad record, but they were clearly trying to play "catch-up" again.

I agree. I like the record a lot and still play it quite regularly but I never quite got all the praise heaped on it. It's good but not THAT good.

"Painkiller" was my first introduction to Priest. I absolutely loved it then, and still like it quite a bit now. However, I find that when I'm in the mood for some Priest I tend to go for "Sad Wings" through "Defenders" before I put on "Painkiller."

I was completely blown away by Painkiller when it was first released and it's still one of my favorite Priest albums. It was definitely an attempt to get heavier because of thrash, but what is often forgotten that it also represented the band's righteous fury following the absurd Vance/Belknap subliminal message trial. That whole affair was being adjudicated in the midst of Priest recording Painkiller and it shows in the ferocity of the album. It also helped that Priest made a huge step up in the drum slot with Scott Travis.

Witchfinder wrote:

I was completely blown away by Painkiller when it was first released and it's still one of my favorite Priest albums. It was definitely an attempt to get heavier because of thrash, but what is often forgotten that it also represented the band's righteous fury following the absurd Vance/Belknap subliminal message trial. That whole affair was being adjudicated in the midst of Priest recording Painkiller and it shows in the ferocity of the album. It also helped that Priest made a huge step up in the drum slot with Scott Travis.

Agreed. Painkiller kills!!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Agreed. Painkiller kills!!

Fat Freddy wrote:

I loved Painkiller when it was a new release (even saw'em twice on that tour) but I rarely listen to it nowadays, it simply hasn't aged very well at all.

If Turbo was Priest's attempt at jumping on the Twisted Sister/pop metal anthem bandwagon, then Painkiller was them looking at all the thrash bands that had popped up and saying "Hey, everybody, waitaminnit! Lookit us! We can do that gnarly 'n' heavy and angry stuff too! 'GRRRRRR!' See?"

Seriously, it's not a bad record, but they were clearly trying to play "catch-up" again.

That has always been my view of Painkiller as well. A better effort than Ram It Down (not a hard thing to accomplish) but still an overly contrived attempt by a band that went from being trendsetters to bandwagon jumpers in an alarmingly short period of time.

Had to be hard for them though. The 70's were their era then all of sudden there was an explosion of bands and the new sound was the it thing.

My first Priest was Screaming For Vengeance. Not long after I found Sin After Sin in a vinyl cut-out bin at the local GL Perry variety store. It admittedly took me a couple of years to fully appreciate the early albums. I really dig all Judas Priest. Hell I even like Jugulator and Demolition (wished they hadn't had gone under the Priest name for those however). Turbo (and to a lesser extent Ram It Down) all rank high with me for the nostalgia factor. My favorite though will always be Point Of Entry. A top ten all-timer in my book.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Had to be hard for them though. The 70's were their era then all of sudden there was an explosion of bands and the new sound was the it thing.

As far as record sales the early 80s were more "their era" at least in the States, British Steel in 1980 was the breakthrough album over here and went platinum.

Oh yeah, sales were great for them. I meant as far as being leaders in sound, they weren't THE band anymore though maybe it was part of getting older too.

Everybody always dogs 'Ram It Down" but gosh darn it, I like the album.

manny wrote:

Everybody always dogs 'Ram It Down" but gosh darn it, I like the album.

Me too, but it's a shite album.

I like a lot of it but it's kind of paint by numbers. Blood Red Skies is one of my favorite songs by them though.

SpectreFate wrote:

manny wrote:

Everybody always dogs 'Ram It Down" but gosh darn it, I like the album.

Me too, but it's a shite album.

Granted its no 'Slippery When Wet" but not every band can rise to such lofty standards of quality sir!

manny wrote:

Granted its no 'Slippery When Wet" but not every band can rise to such lofty standards of quality sir!

If only all albums were measured by Slippery When Wet.

They aren't?

S.D. wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I loved Painkiller when it was a new release (even saw'em twice on that tour) but I rarely listen to it nowadays, it simply hasn't aged very well at all.

If Turbo was Priest's attempt at jumping on the Twisted Sister/pop metal anthem bandwagon, then Painkiller was them looking at all the thrash bands that had popped up and saying "Hey, everybody, waitaminnit! Lookit us! We can do that gnarly 'n' heavy and angry stuff too! 'GRRRRRR!' See?"

Seriously, it's not a bad record, but they were clearly trying to play "catch-up" again.

That has always been my view of Painkiller as well. A better effort than Ram It Down (not a hard thing to accomplish) but still an overly contrived attempt by a band that went from being trendsetters to bandwagon jumpers in an alarmingly short period of time.

yeah, it is that, but I'm still all like THEEEE HEEELLL PAATRRROOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL at random intervals.

Quote :

yeah, it is that, but I'm still all like THEEEE HEEELLL PAATRRROOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL at random intervals.

You have the most annoying form of Tourette's ever.

THIS!!! IS!!! THE PAINKILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like everything from Rock a Rolla through turbo with turbo, screaming for vengeance and Point of Entry being my favorites. I consider Unleashed in The East to be one of the best live metal albums ever recorded.

1. Screaming
2. Defenders
3. Sin
4. Stained
5. Wings
6. Painkiller (should be a tie)
7. Steel
8. Ram
9. Turbo
10. Entry
11. Hell Bent
12. RR

I personally really enjoy Turbo and have absolutely no problems with the lyrics whatsoever, yeah they're cheesy but so what? I don't really see that as a bad thing at all, "Hot For Love" and "Reckless" are two of my all time favorite Priest songs. I couldn't care less if it sounds "dated" I didn't grow up in the 80s, so it dosen't sound "outdated" to me at all, it would've been MUCH worse if Priest jumped on the Grunge/Alternative bandwagon like so many other bands did in the 90s.

Priest claimed they did Turbo because they wanted to try something different, not because they were trying to get hits or anything, they were already hugely succesful, they didn't need hit singles.