JUDAS PRIEST — Screaming For Vengeance (review)

JUDAS PRIEST — Screaming For Vengeance album cover

Album · 1982 · Heavy Metal

4.5/5 · 2010-05-30
Phonebook Eater

9/10

"Screaming for Vengeance"'s importance is still noticeable in today's heavy metal music.

When I was thirteen, this was one of my favorite albums, and Judas Priest was one one of my favorite bands. And what better music for a thirteen year old teen ager than Screaming For Vengeance? Very melodic, and at the same time heavy. A bit like Iron Maiden. Now I still love it, even though some times it sounds a bit naive and banal. That's probably why I see that this album isn't really loved here in MMA.

More than Traditional Heavy Metal, sometimes it sounds kind of Glammy, even though Rob Halford, my favorite singer in metal, gives a very heavy and strong touch. I never noticed how great the guitars sound too, because of the unbelievable solos in all the songs. KK Downing is now one of my favorite guitarists.

"The Hellion" is the powerful and brief intro, instrumental, and despite it's length it's a great intro, epic and perfect to start a heavy album. "Electric Eye" is for sure one of my favorite songs off this album. Very catchy and melodious, but at the same time pretty violent, and also pretty fast. Great chorus, great moments, great solo, amazing in it's total. "Riding On The Wind" is a hymn to heavy metal, an excellent song that I always loved. A hymn to freedom, I can imagine riding a motorbike with this song in the background and feel like the king of the world! My favorite thing in this song is probably the solo by Downing, one of his best in my opinion. "Bloodstone" use to be one of my fav, and it still is. People consider it repetitive, I love it, especially the melody. It was one of my first JP songs that I listened to. "(Take These) Chains" is an excellent song, even though not many think of it positively. Maybe not their heaviest song, actually in some moments, in a particular way the chorus, it sounds like glam metal. Oh well. "Pain And PLeasure" is maybe the song I like the least, it's very different from the rest of JP's songs, not so heavy, sounds, like the previous song, a little glammy. the title track is a powerful song, with high pitched vocals and very fast rhythms and guitars. Not bad at all, with a nice melody and chorus. "You've Got another Thing Comin" is the band's most famous songs, or at least one of their most famous ones. This is due for sure for the very catchy melody, and it sounds indeed like an 80's song. I recommend this song to whoever wants to try this band, it's a perfect way to start to listen to JP. "Fever" is a very underrated song. A beautiful 80's like ballad, in the beginning, it explodes then into a mind blowing song, very melodic and tuneful. Possibly my favorite JP ballad. "Devil's Child" is a song that never really appealed to me. It actually is annoying at times, but I guess you need to be in the right mood to appreciate it.

In conclusion, I must warn all metal heads not to underrate this album, for it's importance is still noticeable in today's heavy metal music.