Judas Priest
Turbo

THE REVIEW

Although this album has already been previously reviewed on this site, I thought of writing a more detailed review about it.

The Priest of 1986 are not immune to the 'disease' that affected many classic metal bands of that period. It seems, in fact, that the biennium 1985/1986, dominated by melodic and commercial bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, etc., pushed the classic metal bands of the time to engage in more commercial and lighter works, compared to their previous albums. Works like 'Sacred Heart' (Dio), 'Russian Roulette' (Accept), 'Ultimate Sin' (Ozzy), 'Seventh Star' (Black Sabbath), 'Trilogy' (Malmsteen) are all albums devoted to hair metal, so popular during that period, and Judas Priest's 'Turbo' fits perfectly into this category.

The band also decided to integrate their sound with heavy use of synthesizers and 'artificial' sounds; a bit like what Iron Maiden did (although more convincingly) on 'Somewhere in Time'. 'Turbo' was originally conceived as a double album, but Columbia rejected the project, and the most commercial songs were chosen, while some of the remaining songs found a place on the next record, 'Ram it Down'. The commercial aspect is not new for the Priest, as in some previous albums, the band had composed rather commercial tracks, and even 'Point of Entry' from 1981 is an album totally devoted to lighter and radio-friendly metal. 'Turbo' is not a bad album if one has the objectivity to consider it as a chapter in the long Priest history that saw them experimenting in an attempt to evolve and keep up with the times. Just like 'British Steel' was steeped in NWOBHM, 'Painkiller' in epic metal, and 'Jugulator' in nu-metal, 'Turbo' reflects the period in which it was conceived.

The best track on the record is, in my opinion, 'Reckless', whose riff is 100% Priest and features melodic and refined solos. Incidentally, this song was chosen as the soundtrack for the film 'Top Gun', but the band decided not to allow it since at the time, Tom Cruise was still a semi-unknown actor and the band didn't want to 'show off' too much. 'Out in the Cold' boasts a fine keyboard intro and remarkable harmonizations, another excellent track. 'Turbo Lover' and 'Locked In', despite sounding like songs from bands like Bon Jovi or Ratt, still have a good groove, and for those who love hair metal, they are definitely more than valid tracks. 'Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days' is the most commercial song on the album, a track that seems to come out of "5150" by Van Halen; personally, I find it a great hair metal piece, nothing reminiscent of the old Priest, but the quality is still there. The rest of the tracks settle on somewhat weak and monotonous standards, nothing worth remembering except for some valuable moments in 'Hot for Love'. The band plays excellently, with extremely fine solos, Halford’s usual great performance, and a typical 80s production.

The remastered version of the album boasts a well-crafted bonus track ('All Fired Up') and a live version of 'Locked In'. The album is still the best-selling in the long Priest discography, and the tour that followed the album was a huge success (immortalized in the VHS and live album 'Priest... Live').