Ultimately, did "Angel of Retribution" fulfill your expectations?

[SoundMaster]

Did you find Priest's reunion album to be better than expected, on par with expectations, or below your expectations?

I, for one, am hugely disappointed with it. Nor has time has not seen it's status improve with repeated listens. Ultimimately, I think the sonwriting is simply weak & uninspiring.

What are your thoughts?

 

[ElectricWiz]

I listened to the first song online, and thought "Ok, this could be a good album."

Unfortunately, it was the best song on the album. I listened to the whole thing about three times after I bought it. Only my enthusiasm took me that far.

I didn't like any of the stuff past Defenders though (with the mild exception of Turbo, which was actually okay).

Of course, Priest has always been a funny band for me. Short of Defenders of the Faith, they don't really have any records I like 100% through. I'll gladly admit their metal legend status, and songs like Victim of Changes are ESSENTIAL. But their records were generally spotty from my point of view.

 

[Hawk]

To be honest I have been very disappointed by their latest album. I thought they could have done much better. They seem to want to be everything to all kinds of metalheads. A fast headbanger and then a more commercial song. O wait, we must have a ballad as well.

Still I'd love to see them live again.

 

[Jesse Pohjalainen]

nah, i think my expectations were too high, all the songs were pretty...well crap.the only good thing was Rob, his voice is just amazing.

 

[Wyvern]

Not at all. I was expecting for something bigger than hell, I mean it's the Judas Priest reunion with Halford, it should be "Painkiller" mixed with "Stained Class" storming all around.
It's not a bad album it just didn't lived out to the expectation, some weak songs, a lack of coherence, but at least they didn't sold out.

NP: Candlemass - 'Seven Silver Keys'

 

[Electronicoil]

Not at all. I was expecting for something bigger than hell, I mean it's the Judas Priest reunion with Halford, it should be "Painkiller" mixed with "Stained Class" storming all around.

Well to me, it pretty much was that ..... just not as good.

I definitely hear a return to the "Painkiller" style, but it's just not as good.

Of course, I guess any new stuff on which Halford's singing and Travis is drumming, it's going to be a bit Painkiller-ish by very nature.

 

[#1_Droogie]

I thought it was a good album. Not great, not bad, but good. I really like the opening track though, starts it off with a bang.

 

[Priest of Evil]

I heard it and went, meh, I'll stick with my $ and Painkiller thanks.
It was a big let down, great to see them reunited but i expected bigger things. If you want a run of the mill JP release go for it, it would make good party music.

 

[KMADD]

It was decent I liked the DVD on the cd even though the band's interview
interupted all the songs. I hope they put out something more heavier
on the next cd.

 

[Bryant]

I am right with Electric Wiz on this one. I am not a huge JP fan. I too think they deserve legend status, but I never thought they were in the same class as Maiden, Accept, early Yngwie, and early Dio in around '83-84 when I discovered them.

Bryant

 

[nyhc7163]

nah but if fans dig it that's cool.I always have and will love the classics!
long live classic metal!!!!!

 

[The Winnipeg Warrior]

On a scale from 1-10.....I give it a 7. Shit.....if I said that on Judas Priest.com, I'd get lynched! Wait, I did say it.....and I got fuckin' crucified. Can't air your opinions over there without a backlash.....or some groupie trying to fuck you up. (LMMFAO)

Anyway.....I didn't expect much, so I wasn't let down. Funny band.....most of their albums have some real stinky cheese on them. Namely Point of Entry, Turbo, and Ram It Down. But some of their stuff is just killer. Don't know what they smoke when they go into the studio.....to have Judas Rising and Angel on the same disc? Who else does that?

Hope the next one is a bit heavier.....say in the Defenders tradition. Which was, IMO, their last classic. That 15 year gap killed the band. No matter what anyone says, they lost a lot of momentum when Halford left. They still own live.....no one touches them live IMO.....but AOR is no Stained Class or Screaming For Vengeance.

I just think they've had a lot of bad business advice running their careers since Jayne Andrews took over back in the mid-'80's. Which created a wall between the fans. Sometimes you just wonder who's in charge over at that camp. They just love Auntie Jayne!

Jayne Andrews

 

[SoundMaster]

Good points, actually.

I, too, agree that "Defenders" was their last true classic. "Painkiller" is right there, but, IMO, just a hair short of their best work.
But it's true: many Priest records - particularly their later works - have suffered from too much filler.

As I see it, every record up to and including the monster "British Steel" (one of metal's best ever records, IMO) was tremendous, with NO filler. Then "Point of ENtry".....some AWESOME classics, but also so much cheese. The latter half of that record is embarrasing.

They redeemed themselves with "Vengeance" & "Defenders". Both amazing metal records, with little, to no, fault.

But after that....

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I didn't have any expectations going in, so I wasn't disappointed. I think it's a solid album, but certainly not up to par with their earlier material. I got quite a few spins when I first bought it, but I haven't pulled it off the shelf in over three months. So that tells you something right there. Good album, not great, IMO.

 

[SickBoy]

Didn't expect anything really, after two disastrous albums with Owens.
But it turned to be good, not great.
I really liked Judas Rising, Deal With The Devil and Wheels of Fire, they were instant classics to me. Hellrider, Worth Fighting For and Demonizer are okay, while the rest is utter crap.

I agree with some of the folks here, I too consider JP albums to often contain filler, but I like JP in general. Painkiller is IMO their only fillerless album...

 

[kittybeast]

No. Easy enough answer. They had the opportunity to release a ball breaker after all this time and then they put out AOR. Now I bought it because I have all JP material so why stop now....

I was disappointed with a few tracks, Revolution,Angel,Deal With The Devil, the most annoying thing about the cd is that it's a dual disc and for some unknown reason that cd skips more in my truck that a regular cd.

I feel the same way about the Scorpions "Unbreakable" release. The whole time they are saying they are going to put out another album like 'Blackout" and then you get what I deemed a very poppy rock release. A few good tracks but nothing spectacular.

I am truly thankful though that bands like Priest, Scorps, Aerosmith continue to make music it's what I was "raised" on and I will surely miss them when they retire...I'm hoping for about 10 more years with these bands, that should take most of these guys into their late 60's.

 

[ElectricWiz]

No. Easy enough answer. They had the opportunity to release a ball breaker after all this time and then they put out AOR. Now I bought it because I have all JP material so why stop now....

I was disappointed with a few tracks, Revolution,Angel,Deal With The Devil, the most annoying thing about the cd is that it's a dual disc and for some unknown reason that cd skips more in my truck that a regular cd.

I feel the same way about the Scorpions "Unbreakable" release. The whole time they are saying they are going to put out another album like 'Blackout" and then you get what I deemed a very poppy rock release. A few good tracks but nothing spectacular.

I am truly thankful though that bands like Priest, Scorps, Aerosmith continue to make music it's what I was "raised" on and I will surely miss them when they retire...I'm hoping for about 10 more years with these bands, that should take most of these guys into their late 60's.

I like Kitty's thinking here, and I agree too. I am thankful that some of my favorite bands are still putting out music! Really, I never lose sight of that.

Also, some of the posters I respect on here seem to agree that Priest always included some cheese on pretty much every album. I'm in agreement, and it's what has kept me from being a huge Priest fan. The exceptions I can think of are Screaming, Defenders, and though it is maligned for its overdubbs, Unleashed in the East - which takes the heavier songs from the early period and puts them into one fairly modern sounding package. That is a good record, and maybe Priest's best (from my view).

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Ok you guys convinced me not to get their most recent one lol ... my fave will always be Screaming for Vengeance...

 

[sixxswine]

Did you find Priest's reunion album to be better than expected, on par with expectations, or below your expectations?
What are your thoughts?

No, I wasn't disappointed, but "it's just another metal record."
I was hoping it would have been a record that I would have reached for
year round...It's just not...
I think the word is "indifferent."

 

[Fangface]

I kinda agree with Dodens.

I'm very likely in minority here but yes AoR fulfilled my expectations since they weren't that high I expected it to be better than Demolition, I expected a good record but I didn't expect them to release a new Sad Wings / Stained Class / Defenders / Painkiller.
That's precisely what it turned out to be (for me), definitely not a masterpiece but a good record and a varied one to boot! I've always loved in Priest the fact that they can play very different kinds of material compared to most heavy metal bands, and "Lochness" is another great addition to their catalogue.

Rob isn't the singer he used to be, one can hear he's aging but he's got so much feeling and passion in his voice that I don't mind if he can't do operatic vocals anymore. He's still the Metal God.

So all in all I'm probably a fanboy but I'm quite satisfied by AoR I might expect a bit more from the next album though...