Defenders of the Faith

5 stars for an album that I do not believe to be the best lp, that Judas Priest released.Reason....it's a monster of a heavy metal lp, it doesn't give you a chance to enjoy it on your own terms, it rips through you from beginning to end, it's an experience more than a journey. It came at the right time for Judas Priest, they had already broken into the American market, and this was the album to ensure they became permanent residents of the USA.The reason I don't feel it's the best Judas Priest album is due to the fact of it being very formulated, it had one agenda, to tear you apart with razor sharp no surrender metal, and it achieved this 100%, it is what it is....a sadistic brute, but it isn't the Judas Priest that gave us that power metal with intelligence and dignity, "Killing Machine" is a much better album, "Point of Entry" has a far better writing skills,"British Steel " may be rated as the best known Judas album but that has a few metal fillers amongst the Priest classics. To sum up "Defenders of the Faith " it's a honest album, that knows what it is, it is genuine 110% British Heavy Metal, you are buying pure decibel destruction on a mighty scale...it does not disappoint, but don't expect the best Judas Priest album you've ever heard, if you want class and metal sophistication in the song writing department buy the 1979 to 1981 albums.....if your in need to be torn limb from limb this is the album for you....it is a murderous metal monster......if it ain't movin it ain't groovin,Buy and Enjoy......

I remember back in 1984 watching at a music TV show and all of a sudden, being amazed by the video clip of "Freewheel Burning". Lasers all over the place, headbanging, leather-clad lads and the band appearing in the middle of a video game (Pole Position, anyone remember going to play that in the game arcade?). At the time it was the most futuristic and edgy video clip I've seen on any band and that really caught my attention. But the music... fast, raw and sophisticated at the same time, full of energy, strong, powerful, adrenaline-fuelled, everything was played perfectly, at the right speed, skillfully... It was the first time I was exposed to Judas Priest and that was a defining moment in my life. From then on I became a metal-head. The next thing was to get the album and finding out there is no disappointing song on it, from the above-mentioned Freewheel Burning to Heavy Duty/Defenders of the Faith, this album set the standard of what heavy-metal should be at a new height. In fact, in my opinion, this is the opus prima of heavy metal. If I have to keep just one album of the genre in a desert island, this is, without a doubt, the album that would go with me. Judas Priest are just a brilliant band, and each of their albums have a different charm, appeal and sound. Some albums are heavier or faster than others, some will appeal more certain people than others, but they are all good. This is the best for my own personal taste, but to anyone slightly knowledgeable of music, this is a piece of musical fine jewellery. If you like it fat and heavy, this is for you.

Defenders Of The Faith,released in Jan 84,a time of rock turmoil,,Rush had released Signals a keyboard album, Van Halen the single Jump and Def Leppard the soft rock album Pyromania,all sold well.Where would Metal go ,was it out of fashion? Metal Gods, Judas Priest,the most influential metal band stood firm,recording one of the best metal albums of the 80's.Taking,its lead from the tour they had just completed ,Live Vengeance,on which the Priest were playing at a very energetic tempo.Defenders Of The Faith is almost a thrash metal album compared to Screaming For Vengeance,all the songs race along ,flowing from one to the other.Each song is carefully crafted with harmonic twin guitars, great choruses and the lead breaks are some of the best Priest ever recorded. The band are on top form and the whole album has an uplifting feel.I saw Priest in Dec 83 at the start of the Defenders tour in Birmingham ,their home city,they also appeared live on the TV show The Tube at this time. They were on fire live, blasting this album out at an unrelenting pace.I still play this CD ,it's a blast, addictive stuff and great fun. History will record the fact that Judas Priest stood up ,at the height the 80's keyboard assault,to defend the guitar and did so in great style. Metal Gods? Yes they earned this title over the years and this CD is one of the reasons, it has a place in time.Imagine Xmas 1983 playing on the radio [BBC Radio 1 rock night] is Van Halen's Jump getting it's first UK radio play ,,immediatly followed by Judas Priest's new song, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll,you needed to be there, pure Heavy Metal history