JUDAS PRIEST — Rocka Rolla (review)

JUDAS PRIEST — Rocka Rolla album cover Album · 1974 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Time Signature
One for the road...

Genre: (progressive) hard rock / proto-metal

"Rocka Rolla" is Judas Priest's debut album, and it is an interesting listen, to be sure. It has been described as being almost progressive rock rather than heavy metal. I agree that it's progressively inclined, but so was a lot of rock music at the time, but I think it is essentially a heavy metal / hard rock album, considering what metal music was like back then.

At times (actually quite often), the album reminds me of Led Zeppelin, as it contains many songs built on groovy one-stringed blues-driven riffs. This is not a bad thing, and I actually quite like songs like "Cheater" and "Never Satisfied", although I am more into the dark and more Sabbath-esque Winter-trilogy "Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat" and the progressively oriented "Run of the Mill" and "Dying to Meet You" as well as the odd rockers "One For The Road" and "Rocka Rolla".

This album is a fine rock album and an important album in that it is the debut of one of the most influential bands in heavy metal history.
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