JUDAS PRIEST — Killing Machine (review)

JUDAS PRIEST — Killing Machine album cover Album · 1978 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
666sharon666
The second of Judas Priest's two full-length's from 1978 is Killing Machine, their fifth album overall and the first to feature exactly the same line-up as the previous album (Stained Class). In the USA Killing Machine was delayed until 1979 and when it was released it was re-titled as Hell Bent for Leather and given an extra track, a cover of The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) by Fleetwood Mac. Later Killing Machine reissues also include the song though including the 2001 re-master which is the version I have.

While I don't find that Killing Machine is quite up to the level of Stained Class there are still quite a few songs here that I'd put on a hypothetical custom best of Judas Priest album. Those being Delivering the Goods, Rock Forever, Hell Bent for Leather and Running Wild. That last is definitely one of my favourite Judas Priest songs overall. The one song I don't like so much from this one is Take on the World. Sounds to me as if they wanted something for the crowd to sing along to in the live environment rather than getting down to business and doing as the opener says. That's the main reason why Killing Machine is ever so slightly lesser than Stained Class for me. It's still a high quality Judas Priest album though to close off their 70's work, though this is the start of a period of decline in the quality of their records in my opinion.

Attribution: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/judas-priest-killing-machine-t3803.html
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