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Rating: The '80s didn't end in the best way for the Birmingham band.
After two rather questionable works, such as "Turbo" and "Ram It Down" (as I see it, a bland appetizer to the subsequent masterpiece), it was time for Judas Priest to produce another great album comparable to those which, between the late '70s and the early '80s, had earned them a place among the big names in the world of heavy metal.
After replacing drummer Dave Holland with Scott Travis, whose style is more powerful and suited to the path the band was about to embark on, the group secluded themselves in the studio with producer Chris Tsangarides, emerging with an album that would not only become one of the finest works of the English band but also one of the cornerstones in the entire history of metal.
In addition to the beauty of the individual songs, the album featured a noticeable strengthening of the sound and solutions which, while remaining within the typical domains of classic heavy metal, were decidedly more extreme. Just listen to the opening title track to realize the changes the band had made to its style. The song, which opens with an explosive drum-only intro, strikes and leaves the listener in awe of the power it emits, the precision with which the numerous tempo changes are managed, and Halford's skill in modulating his voice, able to effortlessly swing from piercing highs to lower tones.
From this point forward, it's a continuous succession of stunning songs of such power, incisiveness, and ferocity and, moving through the likes of "Hell Patrol," "Leather Rebel," "Nightcrawler," "A Touch Of Evil" (to name just a few), one gets the impression of listening to the metaphorical advance of a tank destroying everything in its path. Credit goes to the rhythm section, capable of building a solid and earth-shattering base on which the two guitarists exchange parts in solos of rare metallic efficacy. All this, on which Halford makes his crystalline voice vibrate (in my opinion his best performance ever), is made even more impactful by the powerful and clear work of Tsangarides, a seasoned producer who, over his career, has worked with names as varied as Depeche Mode, Tom Jones, and Bruce Dickinson.
In the 2001 remastered version, there are also two bonus tracks, the ballad "Living Bad Dreams" and the live version of "Leather Rebel." While the latter never blew me away, I always wondered how the English band hadn't decided to include the former in the original version of the album. It is, in fact, an excellent piece, full of pathos and marked by a really well-crafted refrain, easily able to hold its own against the other songs on the record.
Ultimately, for anyone who loves heavy metal in its purest form, this is a must-have album, one of those four or five masterpieces that cannot be missing from any good metalhead's collection.
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.
