Judas Priest
Defenders Of The Faith

THE REVIEW

It is a sacrilege that here on DeBaser no one has yet reviewed one of the great classics of Metal, an absolute masterpiece without ifs and buts. One of those albums that is unthinkable not to have for any enthusiast of this genre.

We are in 1984, and two years earlier Judas Priest released the fabulous Screaming For Vengeance, in which they embraced Heavy Metal after having made a fundamental contribution to Hard Rock with previous albums (although the first signs already appeared with British Steel in 1980).
With Defenders Of The Faith the British group delivers the masterpiece, a concentrate of pure power that at the time left even the most frantic headbanger speechless. Judas Priest had never before reached such levels of sonic explosion, but the experiment turns out to be spot-on, such that many tracks contained in this work will become classics both for the band in question and for Heavy Metal in general.

The ride begins with 5 stunning tracks, one of the best side A's (I’m talking about vinyl) I have ever listened to in my life:
Freewheel Burning hits you in the face like a sledgehammer, Downing and Tipton’s guitars churn out riffs and solos as if possessed by the devil, Bob Halford’s voice is an integral part of the Whole, without which the songs would lose meaning.
Jawbreaker is the punishment for having resisted the first track; if you haven’t succumbed before, this is the moment you'll hit the mat... a lethal riff that will floor anyone.
Rock Hard Ride Free is a stadium track, one that is impossible not to sing at Live shows, but it is with The Sentinel that Judas Priest pull out of the hat what is, according to this writer, their best song ever... introduced by a solo that plunges you into the depths, the track continues with a compelling rhythm in which, thanks also to Halford's superb performance, the group offers nothing short of a sublime demonstration; listen to it and you will understand Metal.
Love Bites worthily closes an exhilarating side A.
Side B opens with Eat Me Alive, another classic of the band, and continues with Some Heads Are Gonna Roll and the slow Night Comes Down in an incredible sequence of flawless tracks.
The last two tracks go hand in hand (other stadium anthems) Heavy Duty and Defenders Of The Faith, absolutely connected to each other.

Even if the work loses some steam in the second half (physiologically, given the exaggerated side A), it is absolutely appropriate to judge Defenders Of The Faith as a masterpiece: everything a Metal genre enthusiast seeks can be found in this album, from perfect solos to devastating riffs, from speed to power, all amalgamated by Halford’s voice hitting unattainable peaks. An album that set the standard.