If Black Sabbath are the grandfathers of heavy metal, then Judas Priest is the father that outdid them in almost every way. If you ask me to show someone what heavy metal is, I won’t hand them a copy of Paranoid or Master of Reality. I’ll instead hand them a copy of Screaming For Vengeance, British Steel, or Painkiller. That’s what Judas Priest means to the heavy metal community. Without them we wouldn’t have a classic look for heavy metal with studs and leather.
Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash might have been the first to use the twin-guitar attack, but Judas Priest was the one that solidified it in the heavy metal sphere. K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton were and still are probably the best twin guitarists for any band. It was set to be the 50th anniversary celebration for Judas Priest this year. To make up for those shows being postponed, it’s high time for Judas Priest-A-Thon. The brother to the album by album reviews, Iron Maiden-A-Thon and the cousin to our series of Rush album reviews. You’re going to be getting a Judas Priest album review, every business day, until we’re all through.
Judas Priest saw what was happening in the sphere of heavy metal. The Ripper Owens era of the band was necessary, but it’s time had ran out. Fans wanted Rob Halford back. Iron Maiden similarly reunited with their long-time singer, Bruce Dickinson a couple years before. That reunion was met with massive crowds, album sales, and fans coming back to the band. The last Judas Priest album Demolition was not met well. Let’s find out how their first reunion album did, with Angel of Retribution.
Background on Angel of Retribution
Rob Halford was back in the band in July 2003. They wasted no time getting back into the swing of things with a European tour and a Co-headlining slot on Ozzfest 2004. These tours were all-nostalgia based, but they had some substance also. The band was given rave reviews for these shows. The Priest was back, and now people wanted a new album. The band returned to their roots in the UK to record the newest Judas Priest album. Recorded in Old Smithy, Worcestershire, England and mixed in Sound City, California, from October to December of 2004, the band laid down tracks for Angel Of Retribution.
Initially set to be released in late 2004, the band delayed the release until 2005. It paid off in sales, and the album was released worldwide on March 1st, 2005. Immediately the album reinvigorated the Judas Priest fanbase. The album was a smash success, selling millions of copies, going to Number 13 in the US charts, and charting well in other parts of the world. Famed guitarist and producer Roy Z was the head of production on this one. He even co-wrote the track “Deal With The Devil”.
Rob Halford and the rest of the band were energized by this release. He had this to say about it.
That decade that we were out of each other’s company just seems to have vanished in smoke. When we got together to begin writing the new material for ‘Angel of Retribution’, it was really a continuation of where we would have been had we made the next record after ‘Painkiller’. All the pieces were already in place.
Rob Halford
More Background On Angel of Retribution
Angel Of Retribution has been well represented on concert setlists for the band. They’ve played six of the ten songs in live concerts. With songs like “Judas Rising” and “Angel” making it to setlists as late as 2019. Many of the tracks reference previous moments in the Judas Priest calendar. If you’re looking for a nostalgia trip with a new coat of paint, Angel Of Retribution is for you. Let’s find out what the music is like.
1. Judas Rising
Angel of Retribution could have been a hastily thrown together nostalgia reunion album. It very much is based in nostalgia, but the music is amazing. The songs callback to various times in the history of Judas Priest, all the while updating those classic references and sounds for a new generation of Judas Priest fans. It’s an album that should satisfy the old and new fan of Judas Priest. If you’re one of the blowhards that hated Turbo and felt like they betrayed your trust, this album is for you. If you’re someone who (stupidly) only thinks 70’s Priest is the best Priest, this album is for you. Anyone else that loves Judas Priest, this album is for you.
I can’t say a bad word about this album, and it’s impact. I highly doubt that Judas Priest would have had as much success in the 21st century without this album. Bands like KISS, and others reunited, and didn’t make much of it. Judas Priest took a page out of the Iron Maiden book and made a comeback album that was much more about the music of now, and the themes of old. If there’s one thing you can find wrong with the album it’s that it draws too much from the themes of old, and listening to it now, almost every song has a classic Priest reference.
So yes, I can see how that would grate on certain people, for me, it didn’t get on my nerves at all. Judas Priest went out and made the best album they could, and they made an album that Judas Priest fans needed at the time. Coming off two disappointments critically and commercially, Angel of Retribution was a blinding light in the dark.
Score And Aftermath Of Angel of Retribution
The album gets a perfect 10/10 from me. If you don’t like it, kiss my ass. The album was a return to form. It proved that Judas Priest had way more in the tank than anyone could have hoped. Angel Of Retribution was given a myriad of awards and accolades from the press during it’s time in the sun. Judas Priest was in the first class of the VH1 Rock Honors. A sort of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for actual rock artists, Judas Priest was included in a class with KISS, Queen, and Def Leppard. Their performance that night was a classic look for the mainstream audience to see the band in action.
That performance catapulted the band into the national spotlight and showed that the Priest was back, and was here to stay. Judas Priest wasn’t done experimenting with themes and songs like “Lochness” show this. The band wasn’t just a one trick three to four minute pony. Their next album would stretch their musical chops to the limit. Judas Priest had never done a concept album before, so the topic of their 2008 album would be none other than the philosopher and clairvoyant, Nostradamus. You’ll have to check back tomorrow for more on Nostradamus, but it’s one of the most interesting albums in the Judas Priest catalog.
For more on Judas Priest, heavy metal, or any other general pop culture, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.
All images and audio are courtesy of Judas Priest.
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