The Bottom Line: Fans and reviews will be mixed. Whatever good is here is counterbalanced by the bad. I expected better from the band that taught me the true meaning of metal.
sleestakk's Full Review: Demolition [PA] by Judas Priest
Lifeless smoke lazily lifts around the piss holes of the Metallian machine; the flames are extinguished. The fire that once bellowed within the beast no longer burns on their latest release. This isn't your daddy's Priest. And it ain't mine either.
With the 30-year history of Judas Priest, fans have come to expect highs and lows over the years. Even when alt.rock was casting the death blow to the mighty Priest and others of their ilk during the early 90's, the lowest point didn't arrive until the Metal God himself Rob Halford officially made his exit from the nest to pursue his own solo interests. But like a storybook fantasy turned reality, Tim "Ripper" Owens was recruited from an Ohio JP cover band to take over the microphone. Soon you'll be able to witness this story unfold on the big screen in the yet-to-be released Rock Star (starring Mark Wahlberg as the Ripper-like character that can't possibly be worse than the wooden spoon Wahlberg plays in the recent Apes flick).
When Tim stepped into Halford's legendary leather boots back in '96, questions and controversy over this move erupted in the metal circles around the world. More importantly, would the massive Judas Priest, one the most influential metal bands ever, retain any credibility after the replacement of Halford? The group answered with Jugulator in 1997 and, with the live follow-up of Meltdown in '98, the critics were silenced; the hardcore studded leather legion reveled in the second coming of the Priest powerhouse. Four years later, the new Judas Priest has readied their next sonic weapon to drop on the masses and prove that the addition of the capable Ripper Owens was no fluke. Demolition is finally upon us.
Unfortunately, I can't say it was worth the wait.
Ever since advance copies began circulating two months ago, I've heard everything from "the new Priest album sucks" to "[Demolition is] the best Priest album in the last ten years." Funny. Even the latter doesn't paint the prettiest picture given the offerings the band has produced in the last decade. I'm not saying it was all bad, but compared to the iron foundation of heavy metal hits the group crafted during the late 70s to the mid 80s, everything afterwards pales in comparison. Ask any longtime Priest fan and they'll tell you the same thing. Because it's true. You might say that ever since their commercial foray into synthesizers on the '86 Turbo record, the band has never been the same. And some would say they've suffered an identity crisis ever since, even when Halford was still at the helm. Or at least, that's what I would say.
When Ripper joined the band, Priest continued on with the same chops they mastered two decades prior giving the resilient fans a taste of old school. I said, "a taste." But the live shows proved that Mr. Owens could hold his own on the classics the Metal God made famous, and the audience was more than relieved. Logic would dictate that for the next studio effort, the group would stay on course and give the dedicated exactly what they wanted: a Screaming For Vengeance for the double O's. Yet the umpteen delays and certain lack of direction could only mean one thing; the band lost its focus. On Demolition, Priest strays outside the lines to territory better suited for the under 20 crowd. And this, of course, leaves us old-timers in the cold. Chilly, isn't it?
From the beginning to the end of Demolition, Judas Priest trademarks are noticeably missing. Gone are the speed and dueling guitar solos. The melodic riffs are MIA. And for a singer noted for his octave-scaling voice, the screams are strangely absent. And, dammit, where the hell is the fire? Instead, listeners get an earful of plodding rhythms speckled with studio FX leaning closer to nu-metal than true metal. It's a sad state of affairs, my friends.
The clopping gait of "Machine Man" and "One On One" actually make the first half of the record tolerable. But somewhere midway through, the album peters off into a tepid urine bath of stench. Stinkers like "Devil Digger" and "Subterfuge" sound like the kind of slop bands slap out when they run out of ideas. Run these by the Priest stronghold and I guarantee that not even they will recognize this mediocre drivel. And I wish I could properly describe the utter mess that is "Metal Messiah." It's like a mallcore interpretation of Judas Priest presented in a gangly, disorderly fashion. Blasphemy, I say.
Part of the problem with Demolition is the overuse of samples and industrial-like noises. Seems almost every song opens with weird sound effects, which, to the band, probably make the tunes more interesting but come across more like a crutch. No one song is a good example since they all fall into this category, even the best of the bunch. Ya know, it's ok when I hear artists like Static X or Rob Zombie drop elements like this into their music because that's their style. But Priest? Why fix the wheel that isn't broken? Better yet, why cop to the flavor of the month trends? You're Judas Goddamned Priest, fer cryin' out loud.
As the record graduates from one track to the next, the most striking aspect is that Judas Priest attempts to sound like a different band on each... every band except Priest. I swear, "Jekyll and Hyde" is throwaway tune from latest Savatage output, Poets and Madmen. Remove the machine-laced interludes and "Bloodsuckers" may be the closest the quintet comes to resembling the band that bears the same name on the album cover. Ripper even lets a scream or two loose. Yes, this is the vocalist we've come to accept in the absence of Rob Halford.
Good or bad, Demolition isn't without its ample share of power ballads. Or powerless, maybe. Throw "Close To You" and "Lost and Found" on the pile. Hell, let's include "In Between" and "Hell Is Home" for shits and grins. Although the latter two are more like slow grudge foot-stompers, the others are bona fide, acoustic-tinged heart warmers dripping with dirge-like drool. These are decent exhibitions but the lack of energy in all sucks whatever life is left in the record. A fine nap might be a better substitute.
It's disheartening that a band with so much history and famous for its metal integrity would be so quick to jump on bandwagon and veer so far from what they do best. For a record clearly marketed towards youth, I think kids may find the concept of Judas Priest tiresome while the diehards will turn away looking to the recent release of back catalog remasters for comfort. Demolition may be heavy and downright metal across the board, but it's totally disappointing to this Judas Priest fan. Gah.
Jeers!
Track Listing:
1. Machine Man
2. One On One
3. Hell Is Home
4. Jekyll and Hyde
5. Close To You
6. Devil Digger
7. Bloodsuckers
8. In Between
9. Feed On Me
10. Subterfuge
11. Lost And Found
12. Cyberface
13. Metal Messiah
Great Music to Play While: Pretending this isn't Judas Priest.
Music. The second studio release with {$"Ripper" Owens}, {^Demolition} is an intriguing album. Listening to this one sometimes makes you wish that the...More at DeepDiscount.com
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