RuneWalsh2112
This is probably my favorite compilation album of all time, which is saying a lot considering that I'm completely against compilation albums of any sorts!
Not only did this 2 CD best of-release serve as my introduction to Judas Priest but it also effected the way I would build up my album collection from there on. Albums like "British Steel" and "Painkiller" were the obvious next choices for me, followed by "Screaming For Vengeance", since these albums happen to completely dominate the track listing here; almost 50% of this compilation is compiled of these three records! I also love that this collection centers around the band's heavier and upbeat tracks while leaving out covers and even some of the anthems.
Of course it's far from a perfect collection since it almost completely neglects the band's humble beginnings by only featuring a live version of "Victim Of Change" from the two earliest albums. This can be explained by the fact that Judas Priest no longer have the publishing rights to those two albums due to label disputes, although the still own the compositions. Then there's also the question of linearity since the tracks are not compiled in any chronological order. I prefer to see it as the ultimate Judas Priest setlist that one could only dream of hearing in a live setting!
"Metal Works '73-'93" is jammed with hits that everyone should have heard at least once in their lifetime and that's why it get my seal of approval!
***** star songs: The Hellion (0:41) Electric Eye (3:39) Painkiller (6:06) Dissident Aggressor (3:07) Exciter (5:34) Breaking The Law (2:35) Hell Bent For Leather (2:41) Blood Red Skies (7:50) Before The Dawn (3:23) Ram It Down (4:48) Screaming For Vengeance (4:43) Beyond The Realms Of Death (6:53) Sinner (6:43) Freewheel Burning (4:22) Night Crawler (5:45)
**** star songs: Victim Of Changes (7:12) Eat Me Alive (3:34) Devil's Child (4:48) Delivering The Goods (4:16) Metal Gods (4:00) Metal Meltdown (4:48) You've Got Another Thing Comin' (5:09) Solar Angels (4:04) Bloodstone (3:51) Desert Plains (4:36) Heading Out To The Highway (4:53) Living After Midnight (3:31) A Touch Of Evil (5:45) The Rage (4:44) Night Comes Down (3:58)
*** star songs: Turbo Lover (5:33) Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days (4:39)