Judas Priest
Redeemer Of Souls

There's no need to talk about Judas Priest, to list when, where, and why they formed. Their moniker is more than enough. Fans of the genre already know everything about their history and their members. However, something can be said about the last few years of the English band: after the complex "Nostradamus" (2008), rumors circulated about the band's imminent retirement from the scene. This news was later denied, but it had some truth as the co-founder K.K. Downing, always present in the band, decided to leave the musical horizon that had received so much from the guitarist. Subsequently, there were rumors of a return to the studio, and 6 years after the aforementioned "Nostradamus," Judas Priest released "Redeemer Of Souls," the seventeenth studio work of the Birmingham band. Richie Faulkner was chosen to replace Downing: if we look at the past, the new entry has collaborations with Lauren Harris (the beautiful daughter of Steve) and Christopher Lee (who said Saruman?). Needless to say, it's impossible and even disrespectful to compare the two, although it must be said that at least from a technical point of view, Faulkner is certainly not inexperienced.

When a band of this caliber decides to return to the scene, there is the risk of mannerism, of a "return" for its own sake, a commercial ploy that can guarantee further money to musicians already known worldwide. There is always a small component of all this, but the Judas of "Redeemer Of Souls" had the decency to reappear with the same attitude as always, producing an album that does not pretend to be a masterpiece, that does not want to reinvent the genre, and that does not experiment just for the sake of it. All problems that instead can be attributed to the previous "Nostradamus," although the undersigned considers it an unjustly mistreated work.

The Judas set aside the experimentalism of the previous CD and churn out a work with very precise coordinates: sharp riffs with clear references to the "Painkiller style" and Halford's vocals drawing the vocal lines. "Dragonaut," the title track, "Sword Of Damocles," and others are examples of classic heavy metal, where a more canonical song form emerges and the search for choruses suitable for live performances. Halford seems to no longer have the voice he once did, but the Painkiller-esque "Halls Of Valhalla" is a showcase of the greatness of the Birmingham vocalist, while the single "March Of The Damned" is the clear demonstration of how the Judas of "Redeemer Of Souls" wanted to reclaim the simplicity of composition from the past.

The album is easy to listen to, even if there are no real highlights. It should also be noted, however, that often such returns are real musical atrocities: on the contrary, RoS doesn’t invent or reinvent anything, but it is still a work of class, craftsmanship, and good choices. In this sense, "Secrets Of The Dead" and "Battle Cry" stand out, where the pathos of the old times emerges: compositions that not all new bands approaching metal have the ability to create. Also interesting is the concluding "Beginning Of The End," the only "soft" moment of the album.

It's easy to pronounce judgments on such albums, even more so if the name of those who release it is one of the most important in the genre. The English band doesn't release a masterpiece, and no one expected that. Many will probably be dissatisfied with a return without the faithful Downing (and it feels at the songwriting level), but the album in question is enjoyable, "dry," old-style. Nothing new under the sun. Yet it's not so obvious to expect works of this type after several years away from the scene.

1. "Dragonaut" (4:26)
2. "Redeemer Of Souls" (3:58)
3. "Halls Of Valhalla" (6:03)
4. "Sword Of Damocles" (4:54)
5. "March Of The Damned" (3:55)
6. "Down In Flames" (3:56)
7. "Hell & Back" (4:48)
8. "Cold Blooded" (5:35)
9. "Metalizer" (4:37)
10. "Crossfire" (3:53)
11. "Secrets Of The Dead" (5:42)
12. "Battle Cry" (5:18)
13. "Beginning Of The End" (5:09)