A classic, immature debut album, still somewhat "undecided," but not a bad record for that. Simply put, it's mostly a hard rock album that feels a bit generic, enjoyable but somewhat flat, with very few moments or tracks that really elevate it from the crowd; it stays, rather, in the average realm of any standard hard rock album from those years (with a few nice songs, like "One for the Road"). Then there are the tracks where Judas seek different atmospheres and genres (as they would do on Sad Wings, but with very different results), but even the triptych "Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat," originally conceived as a single piece divided into three sections, or the final instrumental, the delicate "Caviar and Meths," don’t particularly stand out and leave me completely indifferent. However, there are two tracks on the album that manage to shine well beyond the average quality of the remaining pieces: "Dying to Meet You," distinctly divided into two parts and particularly beautiful in the first half, and the rock ballad "Run of the Mill," with its almost 9 minutes, which is in my opinion the first true great piece by Priest, a classic rock ballad, with a classic long guitar solo, but beautiful, inspired, very well-executed, a fantastic track. Two years later, what will come will come, and it will obviously be a whole different story.
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