Judas Priest
Painkiller

THE REVIEW

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(As you can certainly understand, the events following this short notice are naturally fictitious, but they well express the mood I was in).
After this bewildering news, the only thing my mother heard was a desperate “NOOOOO!” followed by a dull thud on the floor, which abruptly and suddenly roused her from bed.
She found me lying on the ground, in the grip of a terrible crisis of conscience accompanied by epileptic phenomena.
Indeed, because the fact that on De-Baser there isn't even a single review of the legendary Judas Priest is really a big curse, especially if it's the metalheads who haven't written it.
So, I promptly set out to remedy the damage and patch the hole by reviewing this 1990's “Painkiller”, probably the most expressive and important masterpiece among the various masterpieces of the Birmingham group, who fortunately also hid as many blunders.

To fully understand the importance of the album in question, it is necessary to analyze the situation in which the Priest found themselves, universally considered the Founders of Heavy Metal (since the debut album “Rocka Rolla” in 1974, the sound was already decidedly heavier than that of other Hard Rock groups like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, the heavy music trio of the time).

1990: after the disappointing “Ram It Down”, probably the worst album of their long and phenomenal career, the Priest were no longer considered by the Classic Metal fans of the time, who looked back with regret at the band's old masterpieces, such as “Sad Wings Of Destiny”, “Sin After Sin”, “Hell Bent For Leather” and the more recent “Screaming For Vengeance” or “Defenders Of The Faith”. Precisely due to the lack of technical inspiration and the friction that had developed among the five friends, drummer Dave Holland officially declared his departure from the band, justifying it with a generic “other commitments” and the like.
Robert Halford and company did not give up, however, and immediately began searching for another drummer.
After long auditions and reconsiderations, the great Scott Travis was chosen, undoubtedly the best drummer the Priest (and Classic in general) have ever had. Compact, technical, precise, and fast, the former member of Racer X (a group I've heard has a great bassist whose name I can't recall) provided a new impetus to the band, bringing a pleasant breeze of wild double pedal.
Having regained their technical ability and inspiration, the Priest locked themselves in a French recording studio to play together what would become their last, truly great masterpiece (given Halford's recent reunion with the Priest, I ardently hope that “Painkiller” is not exactly the last, but we'll see), an album of enormous importance not so much for Heavy itself but for the band itself and, obviously, for the fans, stunned by so much good music arriving just when they least expected it.

But let's move on to the album…
The CD opens in a big way, with a wild and driving “Painkiller”, the title-track that immediately showcases Travis's great technical skills and the superb guitar work of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing (who “dialogue” as they did in the old days, and it's a pleasure). Folks, 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 “The Sound Of Perseverance”, a magnificent cover in tribute to this gigantic band.
The following songs (“Hell Patron”, “All Guns Blazing”, “Leather Rebel” and the epic “A Touch Of Evil”, to list the best) are of the same, extremely high quality, and show that the Priest still have much to say.
I repeat, excellent guitar and drum work (in my opinion, Tipton and Downing are the best guitarists in Classic Metal, and Travis is truly an exemplary drummer), with Halford absolutely in shape and at the peak of his immense abilities (and just this would suffice for you to buy the CD…), as well as an Ian Hill who, though slightly neglected, offers an excellent performance, confirming himself at the top of my ranking of “plectrum” bassists (listen to the clarity of his sounds and tell me if I'm wrong…).

In short, a CD containing only gems of pure Classic Metal, sublimely played by what are probably the best musicians/composers Classic has ever had.
Maybe the lyrics aren't the greatest (always with those monsters in the middle…) but they are a nonentity compared to the material contained here, which I have elected “Daily bread for anyone who calls themselves a metalhead!”

I think you understand, then, that staying here to read this stupid review is just a waste of time, as you could already be at the record store paying for it...
So? What are you waiting for?