Judas Priest
Point Of Entry

THE REVIEW

Here we go again... Same old story... Damn it...
Some accuse rockers (in general) and metalheads (in particular) of being not very open to changes, of not being broad-minded, and of suffering from the syndrome of: "if you change the way you play, I'll spit on your CD"... And so commence the epic battles between the defenders (of the faith???) of sonic immobility (or at most of "predictable evolution") and the fans of good music, whatever it may be.
It's easy to see how these battles not only occur today but have marked the entire history of music (from prog to rock, from blues to metal, etc.).
In short... Everyone, if they stray from their musical standard, receives much more criticism than praise... Everyone... No exceptions.

The legendary Judas Priest found themselves in this situation back in the now forgotten 1981 with a move as unpredictable as it was courageous: releasing, after several albums that gave birth to Heavy Metal, a rock album (and more precisely Rock'n'Roll oriented, with slight Metal reminiscences) with the "rock-solid" title of Point Of Entry.
Let's not be misunderstood: Judas Priest, ever since their debut in the distant 1974 (and up until the previous and excellent British Steel), have never hidden their passion for Rock-Blues and certain Doom-Rock sounds borrowed from Black Sabbath (and Blue Oyster Cult) to be reworked with surgical precision... However, it is impossible not to notice, over the years, a tendency (never interrupted) towards a hardening (slow but constant) of the sound that characterized the Priest's production from Sad Wings Of Destiny to British Steel.
With Point of Entry, instead, the Judas Priest, in my view, interrupts this trend (which had its peak expression with the magnificent, and aforementioned, British Steel) and inexplicably veer towards the full development of the softer and reflective sounds already present in their music (without losing the classic aggressive and "rebellious" spirit). It's as if they found themselves having to choose between the path that would lead to the development of the harder and stronger part of their sound and the one that would lead to a highly enjoyable Blues-Rocking relaxation, choosing the latter.
However, let's not misunderstand... Precisely due to what the group had previously done, the album sounds 100% Priest-like and all the characteristics of the group are highlighted (uniquely powerful vocals, "dueling" guitars, pulsing bass, although a bit subdued, and a squared and foregrounded drum), it's just the "stylistic irregularity" of this work compared to the previous ones is surprising.

Let's get to the point...
How do you think it was judged by the irreducible Metal-Kids?
Yes... Just as you think... It was a flop like a "refrigerator in Alaska"... Critics competed to slam the album in the most brutal way, and many Priest fans benevolently decided to ignore its release.
The only ones who took precise positions were:
-The Detractors, champions of the irreducible and immutable (as well as static) rock-metal faith, who accused the group of high treason.
-The Laid-Back Ones (also known as "people who don't break your b****"), who accepted the album for what it was... An excellent Rock work with the faintest hints of Metal (because they're still talking about Judas Priest).
-The Shortsighted, who didn't want to realize the different sound choice and justified it all with a reassuring: "creative slump".

Personally, although of another generation, I belong to the second group and I consider this Point of Entry an excellent and highly enjoyable work in every part. It's a pity that, even today, no one considers it as such.
This is an album that can give great satisfaction if one understands how it needs to be listened to.
Its beauty hides behind almost lazy guitar sounds, which actually paint chapters as persuasive and convincing as ever ("Heading Out To The Highway"), it lurks in the middle of distorted agitations in moments that have much more in common with Blues and Rock'n'Roll than with Metal ("You Say Yes" and "Troubleshooter").
But the beauty of this work also speaks through the hardness of square and sharp notes that owe much to the Hard Rock of the seventies ("Hot Rockin'", "All The Way" and "On The Run"), or welcoming you in tense and sensual atmospheres which at times border on naive playfulness ("Don't Go" and "Turning Circles").
There is also room for true masterpieces of Rock dangerously balancing between seventies Hard and the Metal that will come (the enormous "Desert Plains" and the same "Heading Out To The Highway").
But what surprises is the incredible and constant "festive sunniness", which I would dare call "beach-like", that permeates many moments of the album (perhaps because it was recorded in Ibiza between one drink and another), except perhaps in the malignant and Sabbath-like calmness of "Solar Angels" (a song as beautiful as it is out of place).

All members behave, as usual, impeccably, creating a carpet of notes and sensations that have never been this soft, relaxed, and airy as in this album (and never will be again).
A particular praise goes to Rob Halford's amazing vocal setting in this Point of Entry, delivering a truly engaging performance that highlights his excellent interpretative ability: a synthesis of desperate abandonment, cutting power, and blissful carefreeness.
In short... A strange album... A work that made many turn up their noses and that, precisely because of the failure it recorded, "forced" the Priest to return (seen with hindsight, "fortunately") towards more distinctly metallic sounds, producing, the following year, that masterpiece that goes by the name of Screaming For Vengeance, and definitively abandoning the (very good) Rock-Blues experimentations that enriched Point of Entry.
An unappreciated album, that many "purists" prefer not to remember, but that presents excellent ideas and equally excellent songs. An album that had its greatest misfortune in being released between two dazzling Priest masterpieces (the aforementioned British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance) and simultaneously alongside the Maiden monster Killers, and has almost always been considered an uninspired or transitional work for this reason. An album that, however, if listened to for what it is, can offer an hour of excellent and highly enjoyable Rock music.
Listen to it without bias... You will be surprised.