JUDAS PRIEST — Sin After Sin (review)

JUDAS PRIEST — Sin After Sin album cover

Album · 1977 · Heavy Metal

4/5 · 2013-01-21
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By circumstance of economics, “Sin After Sin” became my second Judas Priest album purchase, following “Screaming for Vengeance”. Quite simply, “Sin After Sin” was the cheapest JP cassette in the store and one my meagre earnings as a weekly real estate paper carrier could afford. Immediately I noticed the difference in sound and style from the infamous 1982 release that had blown my pre-adolescent socks off; however, I was not in the least bit disappointed and over the intervening decades this has become the Judas Priest album whose songs get the most plays on my listening devices.

In “The Story of Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith” by Neil Daniels, Chronos of Venom says that he used to call this album “Riff After Riff”. For many fans of heavy music in 1977, this was an album that picked up the heavy metal banner and waved it madly. From my perspective these days, this album was a crucial turning point for the band in a couple of ways. They had recently signed with Columbia Records after leaving Gull and began their long-running relationship with that label. But musically the band were beginning to depart from their more progressive heavy rock sound and this is what I would say is the last progressive metal album by Priest until “Nostradamus” 30 years later.

Yes, I do believe Judas Priest’s earliest recordings could be classified as progressive metal just as many of Sabbath’s songs also fit the bill. Consider that the two Gull albums “Rocka Rolla” and “Sad Wings of Destiny” included synthesizer and piano (thanks to Glenn Tipton’s musical training) and multipart songs, some of which ran over 7 minutes (one 10-minute long instrumental was shortened to 2 minutes thanks to the label and management). Furthermore, in the early seventies founding frontman, Al Atkins described his band’s music as heavy blues-based progressive rock, and many of his compositions were used in whole or in part on the first two albums. “Sin After Sin” continues this more progressive approach with three tracks reaching 6 minutes or more and having at least two parts to them. After this, Priest would write mostly shorter tracks for the next few albums.

The album’s opening track, “Sinner” starts with a crazy springy and dirty guitar sound and quickly the songs quick rock-out pace begins. Rob Halford is in fine form, using his rough-edged trademark voice and occasionally sliding smoothly over to his deeper voice. There are some complex guitar parts leading into the bridge and the speed slows down for a psychedelic spacy and evil guitar solo. The song returns to the complex bridge before a ripping guitar solo ensues and then we reach the dramatic finale. I think this is one of my favourite JP songs for its complexity and fabulous playing.

The following track is a cover of a Joan Baez song, “Diamonds and Rust”. In those days, Judas Priest often included a cover song on their albums and this version of a folk artist’s song is interesting if nothing else. It’s almost disco rock with a clean galloping guitar riff. Actually, Priest recorded a version of this song with Gull which was included on the unauthorized (by the band) Gull release “Hero Hero” and later on releases of “Rocka Rolla”.

Next up, Judas Priest introduce us to another one of their fictitious characters that appear on many albums, and this one is the “Star Breaker”, a gritty, driving metal tune. This is followed by what is perhaps the first true Priest ballad or love song, “Last Rose of the Summer.” I think it was this song to which many years later some thrash metal artist referred when he said that his band’s latest album wouldn’t contain any sappy songs “about giving your girlfriend a f**king rose.” Can’t remember who that was but that quote is stuck in my brain. It is, if you like pleasant and gentle electric guitar playing, a pretty number though in no way a power ballad.

Side B of the album takes us back to the solid metal sound that Priest was becoming known for. “Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest” breaks into a speedy metal pace after the intro and “Raw Deal” has some really mean bad-ass guitar riff. Over the last year and a bit, this has been my most-listened-to Priest song. It’s curious to think that the story concerns a visit to a famous gay bar in New York. And still so many of us were surprised when Halford came out of the closet two decades later!

“Here Come the Tears” is only 4:36 but it’s in three parts. Starting with a gentle electric guitar in the song's intro and Halford singing softly, the song changes to acoustic strumming and those wonderful clean vocals that Halford can produce (he still remains one of my favourite singers), then shifts to a heavy doomy mood that I believe includes some heavy piano chords and also some soloing that complements that mental/emotional-collapse atmosphere of the music. One a side note, my Columbia copy of the CD from the 90’s split this track so that the intro was part of “Raw Deal”. The remastered CD has the songs properly separated.

The final track is the incredible metal madness number “Dissident Aggressor,” which was later covered by Slayer. It segues from “Here Come the Tears” by means of trickling guitar effects that mimic the sounds of a brook and some trippy cosmic effects. Then abruptly the song explodes with a monster heavy riff and Halford delivering a scream that sounds inhuman. The song is only just over three minutes long but drives through like a tank going through a school. The guitar solo erupts like some malignant spirit bursting into the material world. There’s only one part where things calm down a little but only to set the mood for the last part of the song, which continues its bombast right to the yet again abrupt conclusion.

Though different from the more commercially successful albums that would follow, I personally love this album, and it seems this was a very influential album on metalheads who would later usher in the thrash movement in the 80’s. Definitely worth checking out.