Judas Priest
Defenders Of The Faith
[Columbia/CBS]
Okay, let's face it, 'PRIEST wasn't going to top
"Screaming For Vengeance", so I'm just going to say up
front that I was let down with this album (as were
most JP fans). However, it's not a bad album by any
means...
Opening is the frantic-paced "Freewheel Burning", which is unquestionably a thrash song. The bridge has Halford's "fastest" vocal delivery, almost sounding like black metal vocals! The song remains at the fast-pace until the end, when they do that "ending" thing that they do at all their shows. Next we have "Jawbreaker", another faster number with a very dark/eerie feel. After this is "Rock Hard, Ride Free", my favorite track on the album. An eerie guitar intro which makes way for another great Tipton lead before we even get to the first verse! The track is another "anthem" type song, with a catchy chorus and some more great "alternating" solos and a killer harmony section to finish the lead break. Finishing the first side is "The Sentinel", another fast song, which starts with another lead-intro making way for a fast beat and fast picked main riff. Following another "alternated" solo comes one of the darkest portions of a 'PRIEST song ever. A keyboard with a strange effect underneath Halford's sinister sounding vocals. It gets progressively louder when the toms come in, eventually returning to the chorus and fast-pace.
Side 2 starts with 2 fairly standard songs, "Love Bites" (blatantly about vampires), and "Eat Me Alive", the latter being much better than the first one. Then, the best track on the second side, "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll". A slower, more "stompy" type of tune, but a killer main riff. Next is the love ballad "Night Comes Down", which could very well be the worst JP song ever recorded. A straight-forward glam tune. As we already know, this style would be enhanced even further on their next album. Closing the album are 2 more "anthem" type songs, "Heavy Duty" and the title track (which is just an outro). Not awful songs, but not memorable either...
To conclude, the first side alone makes this album a must. But if you're a JP "newbie", I'd skip this one and pick it up down the road. Then again, it's unfair that this album had to come after the best metal album ever recorded...
© 2002 bathym
Opening is the frantic-paced "Freewheel Burning", which is unquestionably a thrash song. The bridge has Halford's "fastest" vocal delivery, almost sounding like black metal vocals! The song remains at the fast-pace until the end, when they do that "ending" thing that they do at all their shows. Next we have "Jawbreaker", another faster number with a very dark/eerie feel. After this is "Rock Hard, Ride Free", my favorite track on the album. An eerie guitar intro which makes way for another great Tipton lead before we even get to the first verse! The track is another "anthem" type song, with a catchy chorus and some more great "alternating" solos and a killer harmony section to finish the lead break. Finishing the first side is "The Sentinel", another fast song, which starts with another lead-intro making way for a fast beat and fast picked main riff. Following another "alternated" solo comes one of the darkest portions of a 'PRIEST song ever. A keyboard with a strange effect underneath Halford's sinister sounding vocals. It gets progressively louder when the toms come in, eventually returning to the chorus and fast-pace.
Side 2 starts with 2 fairly standard songs, "Love Bites" (blatantly about vampires), and "Eat Me Alive", the latter being much better than the first one. Then, the best track on the second side, "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll". A slower, more "stompy" type of tune, but a killer main riff. Next is the love ballad "Night Comes Down", which could very well be the worst JP song ever recorded. A straight-forward glam tune. As we already know, this style would be enhanced even further on their next album. Closing the album are 2 more "anthem" type songs, "Heavy Duty" and the title track (which is just an outro). Not awful songs, but not memorable either...
To conclude, the first side alone makes this album a must. But if you're a JP "newbie", I'd skip this one and pick it up down the road. Then again, it's unfair that this album had to come after the best metal album ever recorded...
© 2002 bathym