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Rating: After 2 albums (Turbo and Ram it Down) that were poorly received by the public and critics, when many were already singing their funeral praises, the "Judas Priest" returns with an extraordinary album, nothing short of exceptional, that stands on the level of the band's best albums and can be considered, without any fear of exaggeration, among the most beautiful records in the entire heavy metal genre.
The album opens with the devastating title track, in which the exploits of the "Painkiller" (= "Sedative") are sung about, yet another epic (or ridiculous, depending on the point of view) character in a gallery that began back in the '70s with characters like "Ripper", "Sinner", "Exciter" and the like. The thunderous drum intro that starts the track introduces us to Scott Travis, another drummer recruited by the band, an acclaimed virtuoso, and former member of Paul Gilbert's technically advanced Racer-X. His mastery of the double bass drum and the more modern cut of his style are one of the ingredients that allow the band to achieve, with this album, a near musical miracle: offering music that is perfectly in step with the times (in which the average level of sonic heaviness of metal bands has now increased) while maintaining the typical Priest sound absolutely intact, recognizable at least from "Sad Wings of Destiny" of 1976... it is not easy for a band (and for an artist in general) to modernize while absorbing the innovations introduced by younger artists, without losing essence and continuing to be themselves: with "Painkiller", Judas surely succeeded.
Returning to the song "Painkiller," the drum intro we spoke about is followed by a sharp and pressing riff and a simply insane vocal line, a kind of chant performed with Halford's classic screaming, here even more ferocious than usual: both the riff and the vocal melody consist of simple ideas, few notes, but they are overwhelmingly effective, demonstrating that the great ones are so precisely because they can do so much with so little. The rest of the song is absolutely in line with the beginning, thus contributing to create, forgive me for the insistence, one of the greatest songs in the entire heavy metal genre (a judgment confirmed by the choice of important bands like Angra and especially Death to cover it): anthemic chorus, other blazing riffs, hyper-high vocals, perfect structure... special commendation especially for the solos, which manage to perfectly combine melody and technique, sound clarity, and screeching effects like squeals, whammy bar passages, and aggressive picking.
The rest of the album continues at the same quality levels; with this, I don't want to say that all the other tracks are like the title track, quite the contrary: as experienced veterans and "fathers" of the genre, Priest knows that the secret of a good album is the wise balance between the various songs. Thus, if Painkiller is the right, devastating introduction, it is equally fitting to find many types of different metal songs, all perfectly developed; therefore, the album shifts from the mid-tempo thirds of Hell Patrol to the furious onslaught of Metal Meltdown, from the classic metal single (Night Crawler) to the pseudo-ballad A Touch of Evil, to the concluding, complex, and epic One Shot at Glory. But the band's almost twenty-year experience alone would not have been enough to produce such a masterpiece: here we must thank an inspiration certainly above the norm (even for the band's history) and probably the strong determination to return to the forefront and pinnacle of that genre, heavy metal, which Priest more than anyone else (perhaps second in this only to Black Sabbath) helped to birth and grow. Perfectly centered objective, so much so that Painkiller is perhaps the band's most famous album and there are not a few metal kids who adore it and ignore the previous masterpieces made by Judas in the '70s and '80s... and this too is a near miracle: how many other artists have made one of their most successful works a full 16 years after their debut?
Two technical notes to conclude. The lyrics remain on the usual Priest standard, perfect for those who love this kind of lyrics and appreciate their ability to marry music, almost ridiculous for those who seek a certain depth, let's say of a singer-songwriter type. Even here, the themes are always the same: epic war scenes (One Shot at Glory), violent and unscrupulous characters (Hell Patrol), apocalyptic scenarios (Metal Meltdown), monstrous creatures (Night Crawler), and the classic unhealthy love-hate stories typical of Halford (A Touch of Evil). As for the musicians' performances, it must be said that the magic provided to us here by Rob Halford and the twins Tipton and Downing would alone be worth the purchase of the album. The former showcases a series of vocal parts among his best ever: his classic screaming is even more powerful and searing than usual, confirming him as one of the greatest hard'n'heavy singers of all time... incredible in particular is his ability to execute very high lines while maintaining a coarse and virile timbre and not thin and "feminine", or excessively shrill as others do. Equal merit goes to the two guitarists, often unfairly overlooked by heavy metal guitar enthusiasts: the notes made above for the Painkiller song solos apply indeed to the whole album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Painkiller (06:08)
Faster than a bullet
Terrifying scream
Enraged and full of anger
He's half man and half machine
Rides the Metal Monster
Breathing smoke and fire
Closing in with vengeance soaring high
He is the Painkiller
This is the Painkiller
Planets devastated
Mankind's on its knees
A saviour comes from out the skies
In answer to their pleas
Through boiling clouds of thunder
Blasting bolts of steel
Evils going under deadly wheels
He is the Painkiller
This is the Painkiller
Faster than a laser bullet
Louder than an atom bomb
Chromium plated boiling metal
Brighter than a thousand suns
Flying high on rapture
Stronger free and brave
Nevermore encaptured
They've been brought back from the grave
With mankind ressurrected
Forever to survive
Returns from Armageddon to the skies
He is the Painkiller
This is the Painkiller
Wings of steel Painkiller
Deadly wheels Painkiller
03 All Guns Blazing (03:59)
Twisting the strangle grip
Won't give no mercy
Feeling those tendons rip
Torn up and mean
Blastmaster racks the ground
Bent on survival
Full throttle hammers down
A deadly scream
All Guns, All Guns Blazing
Forced into overdrive
Drawn out of anger
All talons poison dipped
Impaling spike
Heart pounding fever pitch
Blood pumping fury
Two fisted dynamo
Eager to strike
All Guns, All Guns Blazing
Cross cutting thundercharge
Blade of destruction
Flame throwing hurricane
Destroys the cage
Bone crushing alien
God of salvation
Sad wings that heaven sent
Wipes out in rage
All Guns, All Guns Blazing
06 Night Crawler (05:47)
Howling winds keep screaming round
And the rain comes pouring down
Doors are locked and bolted now
As the thing crawls into town
Straight out of hell
One of a kind
Stalking his victim
Don't look behind you
Nightcrawler
Beware the beast in black
Nightcrawler
You know he's coming back
Night Crawler
Sanctuary is being sought
Whispered prayers a last resort
Homing in its' cry distorts
Terror struck they know they're caught
Straight out of hell
One of a kind
Stalking his victim
Don't look behind you
Nightcrawler
Beware the beast in black
Nightcrawler
You know he's coming back
Night Crawler
As night is falling
The end is drawing near
They'll hear
Their last rites echo on the wind
Huddled in the cellar
Fear caught in their eyes
Daring not to move or breathe
As the creature cries
Fingernails start scratching
On the outside wall
Clawing at the windows
"Come to me" it calls
Atmosphere's electric
As it now descend the stairs
Hiding in the darkness
Is so futile from its glare
Death comes in an instant
As they hoped it would
Souls ascend to heaven
While it feasts on flesh and blood
Straight out of hell
One of a kind
Stalking his victim
Don't look behind you
Nightcrawler
Beware the beast in black
Nightcrawler
You know he's coming back
Night Crawler........
Beware the beast
Beware the beast
Night Crawler
Beware the beast
Beware the beast
He's gonna get to you
07 Between the Hammer & the Anvil (04:51)
Storm warning
But there's no fear
Lies forming
The sacrament lays bare
The sinner
Will testify
They'll suffer
When sacrificed on high
The burning sermons purge their evil words
Between the Hammer and the Anvil
Force rises
False rituals
Baptises
The body and the soul
Our union
Their fall from grace
Confession (confess your sins)
Will seal them to their fate
The burning sermons will survive their curse
Between the Hammer and the Anvil
Transgression
They prey on grief
Our mission
To purify belief
This altar
Gives power and light
They'll falter
While we are shining bright
The burning sermons consecrate their sin
Between the Hammer and the Anvil
Storm warning
But there's no fear
08 A Touch of Evil (05:46)
You mesmerise slowly
Till I can't believe my eyes
Ecstasy controls me
What you give just serves me right
Without warning you're here
Like magic you appear
I taste the fear
I'm so afraid
But I still feed the flame
In the night
Come to me
You know I want your Touch of Evil
In the night
Please set me free
I can't resist a Touch of Evil
Aroused with desire
You put me in a trance
A vision of fire
I never had a chance
A dark angel of sin
Preying deep from within
Come take me in
I'm so afraid
But I still feed the flame
In the night
Come to me
You know I want your Touch of Evil
In the night
Please set me free
I can't resist a Touch of Evil
Arousing me now with a sense of desire
Possessing my soul till my body's on fire
A dark angel of sin
Preying deep from within
Come take me in
I'm so afraid
But I still feed the flame
You're possessing me
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Other reviews
By jigoro
We are faced with one of the best songs ever written, fittingly covered by the great Chuck (R.I.P.) of Death in his last work.
Daily bread for anyone who calls themselves a metalhead!
By AR (Anonima Recensori)
"Rob Halford’s extraordinary voice immediately stands out."
"'Hell’s Patrol' is my favorite and, in my opinion, is a masterpiece."
By sofficino
Painkiller represents the pinnacle reached by heavy metal as a pure genre.
The absolute masterpiece is the splendid title track, 'Painkiller': insane speed, riffs as sharp as chainsaws and extremely fast and super technical solo sections.
By sofficino
PAINKILLER REPRESENTS THE PEAK REACHED BY HEAVY METAL AS A PURE GENRE.
THE BEST "PURE" HEAVY ALBUM EVER CONCEIVED.
By Greyskull
It’s my first time :) I’m about to review a masterpiece, a milestone of heavy metal, in my opinion, the best work by Judas Priest.
Just this piece would be worth the purchase of the album, but Judas did not hold back and gave us one masterpiece after another.
