Learning to Love: Judas Priest

By Jack Rafferty

I have a terrible confession to make. I’ve never been into Judas Priest. That’s not to say I disliked them; I just never gave them the time of day. I’d listen to bits of albums here and there, but it just never grabbed me. I am writing this on the last day in 2024. I have a list of albums the length of my arm to get to and write about for my year-end list. So, why instead am I spending this crucial time listening to Judas Priest’s discography? Simple, I finally get it. Judas Priest kicks ass.

This is going to be the first in a series of pieces I write about music that I had to learn to love. I’ve found over the years that sometimes just being at a specific point in my life turned me off from certain music, and I hope this series motivates me to attempt to seek those out, and see if it is still the case, or if something resonates more with me, now that my circumstances and perspectives are different. 

For Judas Priest, it started with “Dreamer Deceiver,” the third track from Sad Wings of Destiny. Before hearing this song, I was only casually aware of a few tracks off of Screaming for Vengeance, British Steel, and Painkiller. I should be clear that I’ve always respected Judas Priest for the undeniable influence they have had on the genre, and their stature as legends within the metal community. I’ve also always admired Halford’s iconic vocals, and how they have inspired so many to riff on his style. I just…never took the time to really listen to them. Then I heard “Dreamer Deceiver” almost accidentally, and my mind immediately changed. From the beginning notes of this song, Halford’s voice sent chills through my body. This was a slower, more melancholy, version of the band I had not experienced before. I finally concluded to go back and listen to as much of their older music as I could to reassess my opinion on them. 

One thing I noticed immediately as I dove into Painkiller and Stained Class is that I haven’t been having a ton of fun with music lately. I’ve been listening to a lot of great music, but none of it has been much “fun.” These albums invigorated me with just how enjoyable they are. It was like waking up from a long depression and going outside to feel the sun. I literally could not sit down while listening to “Exciter.” I had to get up and move to it. I will say that some of the production on this album seems a bit thin. I feel like there are times where Halford’s voice can sound like it is coming from a hallway or something. Everything else sounds crisp, though. I love the gallop picking on the title track, and the palm-muted reverb on the chorus is a nice touch and thankfully not overdone. I also think “Saints in Hell” is a vocal standout here. Overall, Stained Class isn’t my favorite, but it still has plenty to enjoy. 

And Painkiller, oh man Painkiller. So many great tracks here. The drum solo for the opening track is iconic, and there are so many triumphant moments, like the chorus on “Hell Patrol” or when that main riff kicks in on “Between the Hammer & the Anvil.” Halford is at his most electric vocally on this album. There is something to love about every track, and there isn’t a miss among them. I do think that Painkiller is probably my favorite album from them. It’s odd that I don’t have a ton to say about it. I could gush about each track, but mostly I think that the sound and style they go for on this album is my favorite version of Judas Priest. 

Sin After Sin was next. I love the guitar tone on this album. It is light, but still has a slight amount of distortion, and it complements Halford’s voice really well. I feel like the tone on Stained Class is similar but cleaner, and I preferred this a bit more. I was also completely floored when I realized there was a cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” here. Such a pleasant surprise, and I enjoy their version quite a bit. “Diamonds and Rust” is a daunting song to cover. It seems to me like it is in the same realm as something like “All Along the Watchtower.” There were also creative decisions that I think I would hate on paper, but ended up enjoying, such as the clapping on “Starbreaker.” Another track where I just had to get up and dance a bit. Then there were tracks like “Here Come the Tears” that showed me that the slower, melancholy sound that I loved on “Dreamer Deceiver” has been around from the beginning. This song was another highlight that I loved, especially when the guitars kick in, and Halford sounds as though he is weeping, and it just builds to such a powerful ending, which has an incredible transition into “Dissident Aggressor.” This album, along with Sad Wings of Destiny, was showing me just how much diversity exists across their discography, and what I had been missing by only listening to a couple tracks for so long.

From here I started into British Steel. I think this is the album that initially made me have a certain perception of Judas Priest. While I do like aspects of it, such as the main riff on “Breaking the Law” and the vocal melodies on “Living After Midnight,” the overall sound of this album doesn’t appeal to me like the others have. It has a slower-paced, simplistic 1980s rock sound that just does not resonate with me. Not a bad album, but it’s not an album for me. 

So, I quickly moved on to Screaming for Vengeance, and was brought back with the first iconic notes of “The Hellion” seamlessly that lead into the pitch harmonics for “Electric Eye.” I must admit that I wish the chorus of “Electric Eye” was a little more energetic, as the pre-chorus seems to be building to something more than what is delivered. That main riff is great, though. “Riding the Wind” and “Bloodstone” are both very strong tracks, followed by what I consider to be a bit of a lull in “(Take These) Chains” and “Pain and Pleasure.” Things pick back up momentarily with the high velocity title track, before going a bit slower again with the following tracks. I don’t love the latter half of this album, though I do think “Prisoner of Your Eyes” has some great vocal sections. Overall, I don’t seem to enjoy this early 1980s period of the band like most seem to, and I think it was what kept me at arm’s distance from them for so long. 

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I like Defenders of the Faith more than Screaming or British Steel. This album gets back to the sound that I was wanting from the band. More vitality, heavier, and higher energy throughout, with more of a consistency of sound. “Rock Hard Ride Free” doesn’t really do it for me, but tracks like “Sentinel,” “Jawbreaker,” “Freewheel Burning,” and “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” are some of my favorites so far. I will say that the latter half of the album gets a little too “stadium anthem” for my tastes. Maybe all three need revisiting at some point, because I enjoy aspects of them all, Screaming and Defenders, mostly. 

I had been hearing a lot of buzz about 2018’s Firepower and now the new (and 20th!) album Invincible Shield. So, I felt the need to jump forward a bit to check these out. They certainly did not disappoint. It is amazing to see Judas Priest with this much energy this late into their career. They are making some of their heaviest, most blistering music to date in their seventies. Halford’s vocals, especially, are incredibly unfazed by age. The range and power are not diminished in the slightest. Really impressive stuff. I think I will need a few more listens to decide which of these I like more, but I’m leaning toward Invincible Shield.

There is still a lot I need to get to with Judas Priest, but this can’t go on forever, so I’ll end it here for now. I’m glad I finally gave them another chance, because I’ve really enjoyed listening to all of these albums, and I am excited to find my next thing to learn to love. These won’t all be large portions of discographies from artists. It could simply be an album or even just a song or something. Who knows, we will see where I decide to take it. For now, it’s back to the year-end list.