BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell LP review

BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell LP
label: Warner Brothers Records
released: 1980
track listing:
1. Neon Knights
2. Children of the Sea
3. Lady Evil
4. Heaven and Hell
5. Wishing Well
6. Die Young
7. Walk Away
8. Lonely Is the Word

COMMENTS:

"Sing me a song, you're a singer. Do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil"


No shit there I was in April 1980 just getting home from school (high school that is). I turn on the radio and the DJ announces that at 7 PM they will debut a song off the new BLACK SABBATH LP, Heaven and Hell. By then I had already known that Ronnie James Dio had taken over vocals after Ozzy was given the boot. Hell everybody who was a SABBATH fan knew it and was waiting to hear what would come next. I have to admit that as a SABBATH fan I couldn't see anyone else taking over for Ozzy. And I was also a huge RAINBOW fan as well so I knew Dio was a great vocalist. But it's fuckin SABBATH, the band I grew up with and who I saw on their Never Say Die tour. So 7 PM rolls around and the DJ lets us all hear the new SABBATH by playing "Neon Nights". The world changed that night and war was declared though out the SABBATH fan-dom. For me the old SABBATH of the 1970s was gone not to be forgotten but never to be repeated. This was the rebirth of SABBATH with a slightly different edge which was perfect for ushering in the new decade.


"Well if it seems to be real, it's illusion"

Heaven and Hell was definitely a departure for SABBATH. Their last few albums were layered with too much Jazz influence and Progressive touches. This one was the return to the Doom sound but with out the Satanic elements. You could also add in some Pop elements courtesy of Dio's song writing talents. Songs like “Lady Evil” and “Wishing Well” were very radio friendly cuts. Were as songs like “Neon Knights" and “Die Young” are the power house cuts that just rip. The title song and "Children of the Sea" were anthems to us back in 1980. The two final cuts "Walk Away" and "Lonely Is the Word" are similar to RAINBOW in Hard Rock style especially Tony Iommi's guitar solo on the latter. Speaking of which the musicianship by Iommi, Butler and Ward is exceptional plus there's the added keyboards by seminal SABBATH member Geoff Nichols.


"You've got to bleed for the dancer"

Looking at this song by song you just have to agree it's a masterpiece in Metal history. "Neon Knights" is an explosive opening cut that immediately lets you know this was not old doom and gloom SABBATH. This was NWOBHM at it's best. That opening riff and Dio's vocals cutting in plus the solo from Hell from Iommi. It's one of the greatest songs to open a record with. "Neon Nights" was the "Paranoid" for the Dio era of SABBATH. "Children of the Sea" is where the band as a whole really shine as far as collaboration. It's the song that resulted from the first jam session the three remaining SABBATH members made with Dio. Iommi and Butler are both brilliant on here along with Ward's drumming. Not as frantic as earlier SABBATH material but definitely mature sounding. Of course it's Dio's lyrics and vocals which make the song. He throws in the fantasy lyrics and the song's structure is something SABBATH had never did before to such greatness. "Lady Evil" is Butler's song on which he shows his bass playing prowess. Next of course is the title track and one of many great all time Metal anthems. It's got that powerful opening riff that's unforgettable, a great solo, Dio's melodic vocals and a climatic ending. "Wishing Well" is radio friendly hit material for SABBATH. It's about as close to a Pop love song that the band could ever produce. "Die Young" is where Iommi does his best solo work on the release. In fact the whole cut is Iommi soloing. Plus Geoff Nichols' keyboard work adds so much to the song in it's opening and midway break. Unfortunately "Die Young" never crossed over well live because Iommi couldn't solo through it without screwing up the rhythm. I speak from personal experience from seeing SABBATH on the Black & Blue tour with BLUE OYSTER CULT back then. "Walk Away" is another cut where Butler's bass playing shines. Also it always reminded me of something KISS did during their 70's heyday. It's definitely a rocker with that background chorus singing "Oh Wo"! Finally there's "Lonely Is the Word" the fantasy ballad of the release. Another Iommi solo ala Richie Blackmore maybe added with Geoff Nichols synth work it's an epic track. Unfortunately alot of people seem to skip this song. They shouldn't in my not so fuckin humble opinion because as it slowly fades away you realize that this release is a timeless classic.

"They say that life's a carousel. Spinning fast, you've got to ride it well. The world is full of Kings and Queens. Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams. It's Heaven and Hell, oh well."

Earlier on I said the war had started. Yeah because not only were some old SABBATH fans against this release but Ozzy's first solo record came out a few weeks later. To be fare to Ozzy his first two solo releases were excellent as was the follow-up to this one, Mob Rules. I did see a huge difference between the end result of both artists. Ozzy went onto becoming a MTV Metal icon while the Dio era SABBATH became legendary especially since it was short lived. Plus more modern day Extreme Metal musicians from genres like Doom, Power Metal and Progressive cite this release and not Ozzy's as being a huge influence on them. Plus to add to the legend we now have Heaven and Hell, the band with Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice coming out with a new release and touring. Ozzy and his wife Sharon are
busy with a new TV show.


RECOMMENDATIONS:

Well as always I'm gonna tell ya to get this one but if not then I say pick up 2007's BLACK SABBATH The Dio Years compilation CD. It contains songs from this release plus songs from Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, Live Evil and three newer cuts which I thought were pretty decent. Then if your budgit can afford it there's the Rules of Hell box set which is a five-CD set from Rhino Records which features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era BLACK SABBATH albums, Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil and Dehumanizer in a deluxe package with new liner notes.

WEBSITES:

http://www.heavenandhelllive.com/

DEEP PURPLE - In Rock LP review

DEEP PURPLE - In Rock LP
label: Warner Brothers Records
released: 1970
track listing:
1. Speed King
2. Bloodsucker
3. Child in Time
4. Flight of the Rat
5. Into the Fire
6. Living Wreck
7. Hard Lovin' Man

There 1972 release "Machine Head" put them into the history of Hard Fuckin Rock but it was with this release that defined the 1970's as the decade of "heavy". One thing that has always pissed me off whenever I see some revisionist history of Metal on TV, is how DEEP PURPLE gets thrown aside as just a footnote. Their album "Machine Head" taking center stage as if it was their whole career. "Machine Head" is of course a fantastic release but without "In Rock" it would never have been. Also the same can be said about the four releases which preceded "In Rock". And this is why "In Rock" is an Essential release to me and almost all of my friends who love Extreme Music. Black Sabbath definitely created what we all know as Metal. Deep Purple simply added some flair to the mix, that being the keyboards.

My appreciation for this record steps from also appreciating the Mark 1 lineup's releases (Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn, and Deep Purple) Please note that I'm not mentioning Deep Purple's fourth LP "In Concerto" for a reason, because it was an experimental failure for them. What makes "In Rock" so great is that the core of the band (guitarist RICHIE BLACKMORE, keyboardist JON LORD and drummer IAN PAICE) took the better hard rocking elements from their early stuff and pushed it to the next level. With the addition of ROGER GLOVER on bass, the "rockin" factor was set but it would have to be IAN GILLAN on vocals that would push Deep Purple pass the stage of just a "pop" rock band. When I listen to cuts like "Hard Lovin Man" or "Flight of the Rat", the band's late sixties sound shines through. And although their previous singer ROD EVANS was a capable blues oriented vocalist and would go onto form the band CAPTAIN BEYOND. The simple fact is that IAN GILLAN had a much better vocal range to push the songs to a higher intensity level. Also I'd say that IAN GILLAN was the greatest Metal vocalist of the early to mid-seventies. For all of you doubters check out "Speed King" or "Child in Time" for examples of vocal prowess.

But probably the most important aspect of "In Rock" is how RICHIE BLACMORE and JON LORD literally created the guitar/keyboard duel. These two incredible musicians battled one another for musical prominence with each song and yet melded together to be a cohesive unit. Listening to "Bloodsucker" is their best representation of guitar and keyboard mastery. It's simply a complement to one another's prowess with their instruments. Of course this is further evident on the song "Child in Time". Much is given to IAN GILLEN's vocal ability and range on that cut but it's the Gothic-like keyboards from LORD and BLACKMORE's fret shredding guitar licks which make that song a classic which gets onto their "Best of" releases.

My good friend James At 15, singer for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS, says that this is Deep Purple's best LP ever. And he should know since he has the reissue CD with the extra tracks on it. I must agree with him simply because this release introduced the 1970s to Hard Fuckin Rock along with Black Sabbath's first LP. While all the losers were listening to Led Zep play post hippie bullshit. The insane ones were blasting "In Rock" and we are still doing it today.

The Official DEEP PURPLE website:


www.deeppurple.com/

GODFLESH - Streetcleaner Review

GODFLESH - Streetcleaner
label: Earache Records
released: 1989
track listing:
1. Like Rats
2. Christbait Rising
3. Pulp
4. Dreams Long Dead
5. Head Dirt
6. Devastator/Mighty Trust Krusher
7. Life Is Easy
8. Streetcleaner
9. Locust Furnace

"Corruption in the goat herd. Flesh crumbles in the real world."

It was at a small club in Raleigh, North Carolina either late 89 or early 90 that I witnessed the apocalypse put to music. The club was called the Brewery which is still around today but unfortunately has a reputation for putting on alot of "emo/screamo" band shows. But with an exception to that rule of late which I won't go into at this time. But anyways years ago it was a great place for seeing new and exciting bands whatever the genre. And that's the place where I saw GODFLESH destroy my world of preconceived notions of what Metal was and what it could be.
At the time no one locally knew who GODFLESH were nor did anyone in my group of friends care. They were on the bill with NAPALM DEATH and that's who we were all there to see. Be that as it may when someone screamed, "They're starting", we all finished our parking lot drinking and headed inside for what we all would never forget.

"Now feel this truth. Misuser, Death Dealer, Abuser, Motherfucker."

I was in awe of the whole performance. Guitarist and Bass with no drummer( albeit a drum machine which was referred to as "The Machine") but the sound was as if the world was about to die. The music GODFLESH was playing was so apocalyptic that I wondered if there was still a civilization outside of the club once they were through. Obviously there was or I wouldn't be writing this thing and telling you how much of a release this is for it to be included in the Essentials. But not all around me were convinced that GODFLESH were the end of it all or just the beginning of the torture. One mohawked fuck complained that they were too slow to "pit" too. Then again that joker liked Rap Metal. Another one in her vampire costume complained about GODFLESH being not "hardcore" enough and that they didn't have a drummer. She also hated the fog machine used by NAPALM DEATH during their performance. Personally I think the girl should have stayed home reading her Anne Rice vampire chronicles then come out to a show like this one. Then again the most critical are always the most anal but never take it that way. I personally was in awe and still am today.

"I didn't hear voices."

Years later my peers would latch onto bands like SKINNY PUPPY and MINISTRY for their dose of "Industro-Metal" only because they were pussies to start with. I still have my copy of Streetcleaner on cassette which I bought a week after the show. Yeah I spent too much on beer to buy a record or T-shirt that night. And I still have that cassette copy today which I'm listening to right fuckin now, "Christbait Rising" is still a great song to start your day off with. Although I've lived with people who could not get through their days unless I blasted "Locust Furnace" or the opening cut, "Like Rats". Fortunately those were people who missed the show but were turned onto GODFLESH from my repeated playings of that cassette tape at the time.

"You breed like rats".

To love Streetcleaner is to embrace insanity in a way that offends humanity. The music on here is a total offense to the human race and that's why I, and many others, like it so much. Has anyone reading this not shot up dope to "Head Dirt"? Ok not me because I've never done heroin (seriously I have not and never will, well not up in my veins). But seriously if you were walking into a room where everyone was shooting up, would you expect to hear "Head Dirt" or "Sweet Home Alabama"? Then again maybe I should've changed that to PANTERA but be that as it may. Not that I have anything against trailer parks or the individuals who blast PANTERA in them and think that they are so fuckin metal. But I don't believe you're playing GODFLESH right now. "Streetcleaner" is like the landlord who wakes you up from a four day gin binge demanding the rent. Ah yes memories as I drink my roommate's last beer with GODFLESH blasting in the background at 2 AM. Will my neighbors be pissed off ?

"You Taught Me And Now You Slay Me"

Justin Broadrick, guitar and vocals, was a genius of sorts when he put this music together. Streetcleaner is horrific in ever facet even the cover artwork with the mass cruxcifictions under a sky in flames. Unfortunately I could never get into any other GODFLESH releases and the same goes for newest band JESU. As much as Broadrick channeled his own anger into Streetcleaner is the same for my own obsession with it. To me it's a milemarker in the category of Extreme Metal and definitely an essential.

"Don't hold me back. This is my own hell".

The Official GODFLESH website:


www.godflesh.com/

BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH LP review

BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH LP
label: Warner Bros. Records
released: 1970
track listing:
1. Black Sabbath
2. The Wizard
3. Behind the Wall of Sleep
4. N.I.B.
5. Evil Woman
6. Sleeping Village
7. Warning
8. Wicked World


It was in March of 1974 a few days after my eleventh birthday and there I stood in the Music Dept. of the local Two Guys store. Two Guys was an old Department Store back in the 1970s. K-Mart would be it's modern equivalent. In one hand I held this LP and in the other I held their Paranoid LP. I only had five dollars in my pocket which meant I could only buy one LP so the decision was daunting to say the least. I was familiar with some of the songs off of the Paranoid LP, "Iron Man", "War Pigs and the title cut. But it was the LP cover of BLACK SABBATH's debut which had me captivated. "What is this that stands before me". Years later when I had a strobe light I'd turned it on and dropped the needle down on this LP. The effect was mind boggling. Then there was the time years later I was at home alone tripping. A thunderstorm was rolling through so I put this LP on. The thunder and lightning going on outside my bedroom window coincided with the record as the opening song commenced. What a fuckin trip! That wall of noise blasting out from the speakers provided by Iomni, Butler and Ward. Then slowing things down so Ozzy's vocals could paint a picture of horror. "My name is Lucifer please take my hand" indeed.

BLACK SABBATH created Metal as we all know it today. I know there are those who believe that BLUE CHEER's first LP Vincebus Eruptum was the first true Heavy Metal release. But I disagree since BLUE CHEER were 3 hippies who just turned up the volume on one release then went back to being hippies. While BLACK SABBATH released a slew of great LPs continuously throughout their whole career. Besides what's more Metal sounding, "The Wizard" or "Summertime Blues"? One reason for this blatant Rock history revisionism is that certain American Rock Scribes let their prejudices slip into their writings. Their elitist attitudes would not allow them to believe that four working class stiffs from Birmingham, England had the gifts to create a musical phenomenon which has lasted all these years. Secondly these American Rock Scribes/Snobs were hippies themselves or atleast former "Summer of Love" types who hated BLACK SABBATH in the first place. Don't get me wrong, BLUE CHEER's first LP and parts of their second one is some great music. They deserve their recognized place in Rock's history but BLUE CHEER were basically a second tier blues rock band. What BLACK SABBATH did was to create something completely new and unheard of at that time in history. The band turned simple Blues Rock into a force that the hippydom critics could not nor could never understand. It was the sound of DOOM.

Nowadays whenever a band creates something decent or new sounding. A dozen other bands will jump on their bandwagon and try to follow along in their footsteps by copying their sound and style. But in the Seventies, no one tried to copy BLACK SABBATH. That wouldn't happen until the mid-80s. Another important note, the next three follow-up releases would garner the band more historical respect. The Paranoid LP had the three AOR radio hits. Master of Reality would become the template for future Doom, Sludge and Stoner Rock bands. And the Volume 4 LP would simply be considered the band's masterpiece from the Ozzy era. Still it was this release that reached out of the darkness and dragged the listener into it

I know many of you reading this are probably thinking "Dude I've got it on CD ( or a best of compilation ) but have you really placed yourself into that position of witnessing those flames getting higher and higher? Yeah I've got two Best of SABBATH discs too but there's just a certain wicked pleasure by listening to this one from beginning to end. Even though I know this release in my sleep. I still feel that sense of foreboding or maybe even a sense of fear. Because the music comes across as evil and I'm alone as it blasts from my speakers. It's almost as if I've sent out a beacon and I'm waiting for someone or something to appear.

The Official BLACK SABBATH website:


www.black-sabbath.com/

VENOM - Black Metal review

VENOM - Black Metal
label: Neat Records
released: 1982
track listing:
1. Black Metal
2. To Hell And Back
3. Buried Alive
4. Raise The Dead
5. Teacher's Pet
6. Leave Me In Hell
7. Sacrifice
8. Heaven's On Fire
9. Countess Bathory
10. Don't Burn The Witch
11. At War With Satan (Preview)

My two closest friends, Slayer Doug and James At 15 (both members of the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS) are the two biggest VENOM fans I know. Their band also does a killer version of "Bloodlust" to boot. But compared to them I am not worthy to write about VENOM let alone this important release. But I will try my best at the task at hand.

Rock History has been filled with stories on how a band releases a record which is trashed by mainstream music critics but is devoured by music fans who actually know what they want and like. BLACK SABBATH's first Lp suffered the critical attack but fans never gave a shit. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD also went through the critical backlash for the first half of their music career. While at the same time they were selling millions of albums and packing concert stadiums. So when VENOM released this their sophomore LP in 1982 the critics of the mainstream rock media called it horrible. But Metal fans thought otherwise because they didn't just eat it up. These fans went at it like a pack of starving wild animals. "Black Metal" was the perfect metal album at the perfect time to come out. The music on here was fast, ugly and evil in all matter of things. But the most important aspect of this LP is that it laid down the foundation for the three most important music genres in Extreme Metal. They are Thrash, Death and Black Metal.

"LAY DOWN YOUR SOUL TO THE GODS OF ROCK & ROLL"

What manner of mayhem does this release bring to the Scumfeast Metal Essentials' list? It brings a whole hell of alot. A tribute to a lady who bathed in the blood of virgins, "Countess Bathory". The title song that opens this release is like a call to arms to the legions of darkness, "Black Metal". The horrific tale of a man being buried alive, "Buried Alive". The warrior's saga of bravery, triumph and victory, "To Hell And Back". An adolescent wet dream come true, "Teacher's Pet". And the reaping reward for Metal's final victory, "Heaven's On Fire". But those are just a few choice cuts I've used to showcase a release that was overshadowed by other Metal LPs of the same year. In 1982 JUDAS PRIEST were the biggest Metal band on the planet with IRON MAIDEN slowly catching up. But ask any Extreme Metal maniac what their favorite release from 1982 was and they'll give you a thunderous roar with the words, "Black Metal by VENOM"!

You have to remember that Mantas (guitars), Abaddon (drums) and Cronos (bass & vocals) were not out to reinvent Metal. They were simply taking the Metal influences of the past and punching them up to the next level. Prior to VENOM, the only band around that was making ugly music to the underground masses were MOTORHEAD. So VENOM just added a dose of Satanic blasphemy and melodrama to a worn template of Metal. Although years later Cronos would admit that all the Satanic imagery was just for entertainment value. It definitely would go onto influence the next bunch of alienated young people just waiting in the wings. But that's for another review.

My version of this classic is the 2002 Sanctuary CD reissue with nine extra bonus tracks. I know I'm speaking to the faithful here. But if I were to turn anyone onto VENOM then this is where I'd start them off with. As one of the VENOM faithful chimed in to me once. The "In League With Satan" best of double CD is ok. But to truly experience VENOM you need to get all of their early releases. How could I argue with a VENOM fanatic?

The Official VENOM website:


www.venomslegions.com/

IRON MAIDEN - The Number of the Beast LP review

IRON MAIDEN - The Number of the Beast LP
label: Columbia
released: 1982
track listing:
1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Total Eclipse
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

"LET HIM WHO HATH UNDERSTANDING RECKON THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST FOR IT IS A HUMAN NUMBER, IT'S NUMBER IS SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX"

There's been so much said about this release that I won't bore you with rehashed information. I'll just keep it personal as best as I can. My introduction to IRON MAIDEN began when a friend of mine played their 1980 debut LP for me. IRON MAIDEN's first LP actually blew me away since it was a fresh sound that carried bits of past Metal greatness. The duel guitar attack was a byproduct of PRIEST but this bunch was taking it to a new direction. I actually liked Paul Di'Anno's vocals, when he was singing since the musicianship overpowered each song. Then came their Killers LP which I also went apeshit for. Yeah more of that same intricate yet surging power. But not everyone I knew was happy with IRON MAIDEN. You had plenty of older folks who looked at them more like a Punk/Metal outfit, atleast where I lived. It was 1981 and these people already had enough changes they could handle. OZZY had gone solo, SABBATH was being fronted by Ronnie James Dio and AC/DC's Back in Black LP, with Brian Johnson on vocals, was still being played continuously on the radio a year after it's release. These people were still trying to catch up with the older bands changing. They were not yet ready for this New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Then I read some short article in a music magazine (either Circus or Creem) that reported IRON MAIDEN had parted ways with singer Paul Di'Anno and was working/recording with Bruce Dickinson from the band SAMSON. I immediately ran through my albums because I knew I had a compilation LP with SAMSON on it and I did. After checking that out it was whatever up until I finally got my copy of this LP. Things changed after that.

For me, The Number of the Beast LP was like listening to SABBATH's first LP all over again. It felt like I was doing something illegal or evil. The subject matter on this release was intriguing and of course the cover artwork was beyond anything of it's time. Plus the musicianship by bassist Steve Harris, and guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray was phenomenal. This was more than kick fuckin ass rock. IRON MAIDEN were "intelligent metal" for people who could hear the difference. This was the record that pushed us all from the back alleys and into the fore-front. Of course this release would be the pinnacle for IRON MAIDEN. I never thought the releases which followed could hold a candle to it. Sure they were good but they could never match the brilliance of this one.

The title track is definitely one of 80's Metal's best anthems. You can just envision legions of fans raising their horned fists in salute and screaming, "Six, Six, Six, The Number of the Beast"! Then there's "Run To The Hills" which actually was released as a single prior to the LP in order to give fans a taste. There's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", a tale of a condemned man waiting to be hung. It's a cut that most likely led to the use of the term "epic" in Metal. But I could go on and on. How important is this LP is clear when you see that IRON MAIDEN's live set, on this 2008 tour, contains three of these cuts. Nuff Said.

The Official IRON MAIDEN website :


www.ironmaiden.com/

JUDAS PRIEST - Sad Wings of Destiny LP review

JUDAS PRIEST - Sad Wings of Destiny LP
label: Gull Records (reissued on CBS Records soon afterward)
released: 1976
track listing:
1. Prelude
2. Tyrant
3. Genocide
4. Epitaph
5. Island of Damnation
6. Victim of Changes
7. The Ripper
8. Dreamer Deceiver
9. Deceiver


To me, and maybe a few other insightful music fans, there are four eras of JUDAS PRIEST. You have the first era or the Heavy era which this release is from. My first time seeing PRIEST was during this era on their Hell Bent For Leather tour. Then there's the second or Pop era which starts with their British Steel LP and ends with the Turbo LP. 1990's Painkiller LP is an anomaly that I and probably alot of PRIEST fans have no idea where that one came from. The third era was their years when Tim Ripper Owens took over vocals. We won't discuss those years. And the fourth and final era of PRIEST started in 2003 when Rob Halford returned and continues to this day. Now fans vary on their favorite eras depending on the time when they first truly got into the band. For me it starts here with PRIEST's second LP.

Sad Wings of Destiny was the record that changed the course of Metal in the 70s. The early genre giants were burning out by the time of this release. DEEP PURPLE were ended since Richie Blackmore left to pursue something better. More on that one another time. SABBATH's drug problems had finally taken there toll and the band's creative juices. There were some other Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bands making a damm racket at the time. But it was PRIEST who laid the concrete and paved the road. With this release came the entrance of the twin lead guitar line-up. Every band that followed who had a duel guitar line-up owed their souls to Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing. Just blast "Tyrant", "The Ripper" and of course "Genocide". Rob Halford introduced the world to the Heavy Metal scream. How many future Metal vocalists honed their pipes singing along to "Victim of Changes"? Face the facts, BLACK SABBATH created the Metal genre other bands followed and then came JUDAS PRIEST. They were the ones who honed it to a sharpness that spawned the next generation of Metallers.

Another important thing about this release's early popularity is that it was embraced by a new younger generation of music lovers. You could almost call it an underground cult classic. In the late seventies the major market AOR (Album Oriented Rock) FM radio stations were fairly conservative. To be played in their music rotation meant you had to have a hit single of sorts. This was especially true where I lived. The first time I heard JUDAS PRIEST on the local radio station was when their British Steel LP came out. If you wanted to hear PRIEST before that then you either heard it at a cool friend's house and then bought your own copy. So to gain popularity the band toured and not only in the major US market cities but also in smaller cities and towns. I saw PRIEST three times from 1978 to 1980. And each time the place they played in held five hundred people or less. Nowadays PRIEST won't play a venue unless the capacity in five to ten thousand. Also back in the late 70s the people packing these auditoriums and halls were the kids. We were also the ones who bought the records by all these obscure, at that time, Metal bands who actually came to our town to play. Yeah it's called support. In school all of my cool friends owned records by PRIEST. By the way I didn't get my first copy of Sad Wings of Destiny until 1977. But after that I picked up every JUDAS PRIEST release religiously up until Defenders of the Faith. After that release my love for PRIEST faltered a little as with a lot of popular Metal at that time. Be that as it may, Sad Wings of Destiny will always stand the test of time.

The Official JUDAS PRIEST website:


www.judaspriest.com/