Controversial Metal Opinions

[Pedrito]

Anything pre Defenders is going to sound quite dated, well produced NWOBHM essentially. The guitars won't have the distortion or effects on them.that came later. As Shep says Painkiller is a million miles away from Breaking the Law. Defenders, Screaming for Vengeance, most definitely Painkiller and their amazing recent record  are where you'll find that Power Metal type sound. Anselmo was basically doing his best Halford impression right up through Cowboys from Hell.

[Anton Arcane]

My first Judas Priest album was the Metal Works compilation which gave a good overview of the different eras so I was never subsequently shocked or disappointed as I worked through their back catalogue.

That being said, Judas Priest are definitely an album to album band with lots of ups and downs along the way but when they're on form they're unquestionably (metal) god level.

[Blackout]

Can't stand Iron Maiden.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Can't stand Iron Maiden.

You had your chance to speak yesterday, Blackout! 

[Ducky]

Priest are super patchy for sure.

I remember British Steel was my first (and only) experience of them for a while, so me being not liking NWOBHM like I do, found it to be utterly risible.

Put on Painkiller at a friend's house one day (which was kinda on my radar because of Death's cover) and yeah, I packed all his JP albums into my backpack that evening.

Fun thing I only twigged recently - I checked out The Gun off the back of Priest's cover of "Race with the Devil" only to discover they were fronted by (and RwtD written by) a very young Adrian Gurvitz, he of cheesy 80s ballad "Classic" and contributor to The Bodyguard soundtrack fame.

Edit - just stuck on JP's version of RwtD - that fucking guitar tone 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Speaking of Priest... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yK_yxI7AlU

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Maiden don't have a song better than Priest's best X number of songs, but they don't have a song worse than their worst either. Maiden exist in a Priest sandwich, where the top slice is toast, then there's a thick layer cheese going from perfectly melted down to cold, white moldy, brittle Wensleydale, and the bottom slice is a piece of stale bread lying flat in the spilled dregs of a can of Carlsberg Special Brew that's been used as an ash tray.

[mugz]

...

[mugz]

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[Ducky]

Yeah I think the fact that Painkiller is the sound of JP being 12 albums deep into their career is astonishing.

They've had more than one shot a glory, for sure

[astfgyl]

I love Jugulator, and yet somehow that never extended to me listening to any other JP stuff

[mugz]

...

[astfgyl]

Yeah it's busting and the Ripper is a decent vocalist on it, although I didn't get much of a kick off him with Iced Earth

[Juggz]

Ripper was and remains class. Cathedral Spires is one of the best songs Priest ever released.

[astfgyl]

I still think he sounded good but I just didn't like the cut of Iced Earth's jib would be a more accurate description