Favorite Judas Priest Album

[mdmatt4ever]

painkiller

 

[DoctorX3]

Stained Class. It set the blueprint for '80s metal, and is still the best album ever to come out the the whole NWOBHM scene.

You will never meet a bigger Iron Maiden fan than me. They're my favorite metal band of all time, but Stained Class is the one Judas Priest album they never matched. It's phenomenal.

Really, I've always known Judas Priest were great, but it never sank into my skull how brilliantly influential they were until I went on a binge over the past week. Starting at Sad Wings of Destiny and ending at Screaming for Vengeance (with only the moderately disappointing Point of Entry breaking up their run), Judas Priest helped get the ball rolling on the second generation of metal bands, and helped Motorhead and Diamond Head pull metal out of the lake. The influence of their innovations is pervasive, and metal really would sound quite different today if they had never been around.

 

[DarkOne]

Painkiller, easily...
But Screaming For Vengeance, Killing Machine, Sad Wings of Destiny and Defenders of the Faith come really close.

I chose Painkller as well. Halford is a vocal god on that one, and it doesn't have a filler song on the album. However, as everyone has noted, it is not easy to pick the best from one of the genre's most enduring quality bands.

“Well, the leather didn’t come along until Priest released the Hell Bent For Leather album. I just started to coordinate what I wore with that theme since there was no definitive look for metal at the time. The motorcycle kicked off from that whole approach and style. I think that really was in the forefront and I feel very proud that I helped to create that metal illusion - that’s when metal looked as good as it sounded.”
- Rob Halford, EDGE magazine, May 2003

My favorite bit of information about this came from VH1's Metal Years 4 part series. Halford was talking about being a closet homosexual, but then described how he came up with the leather look. He would travel the London underground gay areas and go into the leather S&M shops and pick out all the domination outfits. He was amused that the metal image stemmed from flamboyant gay outfits.

Disclaimer: In the words of Seinfeld: "Not that there's anything wrong with that". I'm not making any accusations about lifestyle choices good or bad, but I think that story is pretty funny.

Steve in Philly

 

[Mark753]

1. Painkiller
2. Sad Wings Of Destiny
3. Stained Class

 

[DoctorX3]

My favorite bit of information about this came from VH1's Metal Years 4 part series. Halford was talking about being a closet homosexual, but then described how he came up with the leather look. He would travel the London underground gay areas and go into the leather S&M shops and pick out all the domination outfits. He was amused that the metal image stemmed from flamboyant gay outfits.

Disclaimer: In the words of Seinfeld: "Not that there's anything wrong with that". I'm not making any accusations about lifestyle choices good or bad, but I think that story is pretty funny.

True, but there are a lot of homophobes in the metal scene, and I think that's a big part of what makes it funny. Total irony.

It's like that one guy said in Sam Dunn's documentary. "I think it testifies to the ignorance of some fans that they thought Dee Snyder was gay, and Rob Halford was straighter than straight."

 

[Assault_Attack]

Stained Class

 

[buzzardbutt]

PAINKILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...!!!!!!!

 

[Earache]

Unleashed In The East

I love the older material with the more "modern" sound.

 

[Captain]

1. Sad Wings
2. Defenders of the Faith
3. Stained Class
4. Hell Bent for Leather
5. Screaming for Vengeance
6. Sin after Sin
7. Pain Killer
8. British Steel

 

[Flavio CotM]

Screaming for Vengeance for me i still remeber purchasing it when it came out at Fed mart

 

[IWP]

1.Painkiller
2.Stained Class
3.Sin After Sin
4.Sad Wings of Destiny
5.Turbo
6.Defenders of The Faith
7.British Steel
8.Screaming For Vengeance
9.Ram it Down
10.Jugulator

revised

 

[Orfanos]

I had voted for Painkiller when the poll was posted, because it was my first Priest album and made me love them. But now, I think that I would put their works in this order:

1. Defenders of the Faith
2. Stained Class
3. Painkiller
4. Sad Wings of Destiny
5. Screaming for Vengeance
6. Killing Machine
7. British Steel
8. Sin After Sin
9. Turbo
10. Jugulator
11. Point of Entry
12. Angel of Retribution
13. Rocka Rolla
14. Ram It Down
15. Demolition

 

[Wyvern]

I had voted for Painkiller when the poll was posted, because it was my first Priest album and made me love them. But now, I think that I would put their works in this order:

1. Defenders of the Faith

there you go!

 

[kuier]

Defenders of the Faith. By a goddamn sea mile. The first albums I got into were Point of Entry and British Steel ... then I heard Defenders and it just blew me away. TO this day it stands as a great metal record.

 

[DoctorX3]

Unleashed In The East

I love the older material with the more "modern" sound.

Hehe. You must be thinking of Rising in the East. Unleashed was released in 1979.

oh, and for my ordered list?

1.) Stained Class
2.) British Steel
3.) Sad Wings of Destiny
4.) Painkiller
5.) Screaming for Vengeance
6.) Hell Bent for Leather
7.) Sin After Sin
8.) Angel of Retribution
9.) Defenders of the Faith
10.) Point of Entry
11.) Rocka Rolla
12.) Jugulator
13.) Turbo
14.) Ram it Down
15.) Demolition

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Hmm... unfortunately, I've only heard Painkiller so far, and that one definitely did not make me a Priest fan. Other than the obvious classic "Leather Rebel", I found that album thoroughly uncatchy, awkward, and cheesy. So yeah, I'm hoping that the majority here just has a really skewed perception of what makes a good metal album.

 

[DoctorX3]

Hmmm... wow. No, I think Painkiller is an excellent album. It's not my favorite, but I really like it. Great vocals, guitar tone, riffs, melodies, harmonies and solos. My only real complaints are the ones I've had ever since British Steel. The lyrics are almost intentionally stupid, and Scott Travis spends more of his time playing 4 to the floor (just like Dave "Pedo" Holland before him).

I know Priest decided long ago that this is what their fans want, but it irks me so.

 

[Majesty]

Sin after Sin with Sad Wings close second

 

[Wyvern]

Oh so it's put in order time?

1. "Defenders Of The Faith"
2. "Stained Class"
3. "Sin After Sin"
4. "Sadwings Of Destiny"
5. "Painkiller"
6. "Screaming For Vengeance"
7. "British Steel"
8. "Hell Bent For Leather"
9. "Turbo"
10. "Ram It Down"
11. "Angel Of Retribution"
12. "Point Of Entry"
13. "Rockarolla"
14. "Jugulator"
15. "Demolition"

I intentionally left the live albums out but undoubtedly "Unleashed In The East" is a masterpiece and one of the best live albums out there.

NP: Angel Dust - 'When I Die'

 

[Hawk]

01 Sad Wings Of Destiny
02 Defenders Of The Faith
03 Stained Class
04 Killing Machine/Hellbent For Leather
05 Painkiller
06 British Steel
07 Unleashed In The East
08 Screaming For Vengeance
09 Sin After Sin
10 Angel Of Retribution
11 Ram It Down
12 Priest... Live!
13 Rocka Rolla
14 Turbo
15 Point Of Entry