Half a century since its debut recording, the Priest brand maintains full metal luster while proffering some delectable confusion.
It's a sign of the times that vocalist Rob Halford can both bark "Hell is where we reign" ("Gates of Hell") and act as moralist-in-chief, railing against internet mass hypnotism ("Panic Attack"), wartime desolation ("The Serpent and the King") and hypocritical grifters ("Devil in Disguise"). Apparently the erstwhile devils have populated the upper world, leaving Gehenna to serve as metal's mosh pit, where Halford rules wearing the "Crown of Horns." Gosh, it's paradise, especially if the songcraft's this strong. Adding to the anarchy in "As God Is My Witness," the peaceful archangel Zadkiel, traditionally shown holding a knife because he snatched it from Abraham to spare Isaac's life, is somehow found starting an "unholy war." The role reversals continue with the final grand ballad "The Lodger" (written by "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" composer Bob Halligan Jr.), a pocket murder mystery that dares you to figure out who the hell dunnit.
No -- anyone tempted to figure something out will contract metal fever instead. Of the 14 tracks in the Deluxe Edition, only a few fall slightly below the level of Priest's all-time pinnacles, and that's only because they're too fast to attempt dynamics (no diss to Scott Travis' hair-raising doublekick assault). The guitars of slick Richie Faulkner and still-functional Glenn Tipton pile on all the riffs, introductions and solos you could want, not a keyboard in earshot. And damn, Halford screams and sings his black heart out in song structures that load tons o' melodic hookery and rhythmic sock.
"Trial by Fire" has a lurchy beat and a wound-up chorus you won't forget; "Fight of Your Life" cranks a dirty blues-rock riff for the pub codgers. And who are the "Giants in the Sky"? Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Steve Marriott come to mind (and you know Steve didn't need shoe lifts to qualify), but ask Rob next time you see him.
Seeing him might not be hard, since Judas Priest are still scraping up the steel to tour the (mostly eastern) USA as well as Europe all spring and summer. After which they presumably return to hell -- although, as Priest has demonstrated, the distinction fades daily.
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Read MetalJazz's review of Judas Priest's 2018 "Firepower" here and 2008 "Nostradamus" here.