Judas Priest
Angel Of Retribution
By: MBFlash
Most of the metal heads I used to know came from the old school. I don’t see many of these losers much anymore, but I do remember a few things about the way life was back then. See, back in those days, REAL metal heads fell into one of two ideologies: You either thought Judas Priest was the greatest metal band of all-time, or you thought Iron Maiden was the greatest metal band of all-time. While it became obvious which camp you fell into by the number of concert shirts you had from one or the other, one thing was still undeniable: You had to respect both bands, and more than likely you still loved the band that you considered #2. Fast-forward to 2005. Five years after Iron Maiden made their much anticipated reunion, Judas Priest has come back with a new effort from the classic line-up. “Angel of Retribution” is a diverse album, in both positive and negative ways. A break down:
Sound/Production:
This album was produced by Roy Z, the same guy who helped Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford make relevant metal albums while both were solo artists. I like what Roy has done with this album. It is a vast improvement from the last album he did with Halford (2002’s muddy “Crucible” album). The guitar sound is gorgeous, highlighted in the slower numbers “Angel” and “Eulogy” by soft textures layered in chorus effects. The distortion presented on the heavier numbers is adequate, and the ultra-saturated tone of the guitar solos stays consistent with the classic Priest sound. The bass and drums sound stronger than they have at any point in Priest’s career, and the vocals do justice to the timeless sound of the Metal God, all in all making for a very nice listen. (9.0)
Vocal Performance:
What can you say about Rob Halford that hasn’t already been said? The man is quite simply the greatest vocalist in the history of Heavy Metal, and still powerful after all these years. While there have been a ton of imitators over the years who could scream like Halford, none ever came close to making the screams count by presenting them in quality rather than quantity. This is a trait that is easily recognizable throughout this album. Rob brings great melody to songs like “Angel” and excellent harmonization to songs like “Worth Fighting For”. While these songs are examples of stellar vocal work, there are some instances where bad songs are only drug down even further by bad choruses. Try to listen to “Demonizer” or “Wheels of Fire” without reaching for the skip button. (9.0)
Rippage:
Here we have the highlight of the disc. Glenn and Ken haven’t played with this much ferocity since “Painkiller”. The intro to the opening track, “Judas is Rising” sounds like a new age ass-kicking of “Victim of Changes”, while the sensational dual guitar solos in “Hellrider” could have come off the “Defenders of the Faith” album. While the riffs are mostly understated and closer to standard metal fare, the diversity in which they are presented makes them easily recognizable after only a few listens. “Worth Fighting For” has an AC/DC quality to the guitar playing that not even AC/DC themselves can achieve anymore. The best dual guitar threat in metal history has only cemented their legacy with this performance. (9.0)
Bass/Drum Performance:
In all honesty, there has never been much room for standout bass and drums in Judas Priest. The overwhelming might of the vocals and guitars have always left the rhythm section to be mostly an afterthought. While there have been a few instances where the drums (“Exciter”, “Painkiller”) and bass (“The Rage”) have been allowed to make their mark, most of us never think of Ian Hill and Scott Travis when thinking of the best rhythm sections in metal. This reality won’t change after “Angel of Retribution”, as outside of a few double bass blasts and one bass intro to “Revolution”, the bass and drums are merely their to keep the metal solid. (7.5)
Intangibles:
After spinning this plenty of times over the last few days, I have formed a few opinions. First off, I keep thinking to myself that JP ran out of ideas after five songs. Ten songs on the album, and I can’t help but feel that five of them are simply filler, with a few being just downright TERRIBLE. I haven’t decided whether the distinction goes to “Lochness” or “Wheels of Fire” just yet, but one of these two songs will go down as the second worst song in Priest history behind “You Say Yes”. “Angel of Retribution” is an album much like “Point of Entry”, something every Priest fan should have but not anything near “Screaming for Vengeance” or “Sad Wings of Destiny”. (7.0)
Cheese Factor:
Look out below…we have ourselves some good ol’ fashioned cheese ball choruses going on here. No less than three songs have major cheese action going on, the worst of the bunch going to “Lochness”. “Lochness confess your terror of the deep…Lochness distress, Malingers what you keep”. I know Priest has pulled out some nasty shit in the past, I lived with it then, and I will live with it now, but I still have to give them a nice slice for the cheese deduction. (-3.0)
Bottom Line: 38.5 out of a possible 50
I had some decent expectations for this album, but most of that had to do with the fact that Iron Maiden was able to put together such a brilliant effort with their comeback album. While “Angel of Retribution” has some great moments, there are plenty of mediocre to bad moments to make it decidedly the lesser album of the two reunion albums from the titans of metal. As for which side of the fence I was always on? Lets just say that nothing has changed for me in the argument, I love Priest…but Maiden just always seems to be a step ahead.
3/7/05
