headlessparrot's Full Review: British Steel [Remaster] by Judas Priest
Luckily, I got out of my teenage metalhead phase relatively unscathed - which isn’t something I can say about some of my friends. And in retrospect, I can look back on those days with my usual self-deprecating sense of humour. I mean, what in the hell was I thinking? Unfortunately, some of my friends haven’t been so fortunate, and it’s become a little embarrassing to put up with my friends continually ransacking the metal section at HMV and buying all sorts of crap when they really should know better. And I mean, I probably shouldn’t even be calling them metalheads. It amazes me that bands like Poison and Def Leppard continue to sell records in spite of the fact that they’re absolutely awful. I can count on one hand the number of heavy metal records I purchased during that period that were actually worth the cost, and those albums are really the only good thing I can think that came out of that whole chapter in my youth. And Judas Priest’s 1980 heavy metal masterpiece British Steel is one of those few metal records that are good enough to appeal to a broader audience than the standard heavy metal music would. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an absolute masterpiece of an album, because quite frankly it isn’t, but it’s still a good choice for any serious music fan. And if nothing else, British Steel proves that entertainment value can sometimes make up for a lack of any artistic merit.
The name Judas Priest conjures up all sorts of mental images, many of which are too obscene to note here on Epinions, and the most common of which is that of lead singer Rob Halford in a pair of vomit-inducing leather chaps. But whether you think of Judas Priest as one of the greatest heavy metal acts in music history or just a silly group with nothing valuable to say (and I suppose the truth is somewhere between), you can’t deny the impact that they had on metal music and metal culture. Even if you don’t care for their music, you have to recognize - at the very least - Rob Halford has had in his genre. The first well-known, openly gay musician in metal, Halford has contributed to the more mainstream acceptance of homosexuality in our culture. Musically speaking, however, the band may have been even more influential. Judas Priest were second only to Black Sabbath as the world’s premier metal band, and were the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal that influenced later acts like Metallica. Formed in Birmingham, England in 1970, Judas Priest took the example set by Black Sabbath, twisted it and adding their own influences in the process, and crafting something that both recalled the first inklings of heavy metal while keeping up with current trends and ideas in music. Whereas Black Sabbath was a doom and gloom, apocalyptic band, Priest was far more dramatic and theatrical - something that would rub off on many of the bands that followed in their footsteps. And Judas Priest, despite starting out as a band in what was then an underground metal culture, they helped bring the genre to a much broader audience as they restructured their sound on each progressing album. Most people familiar with the group’s history are well aware that their sound and even just their existence were the result of guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton and bassist Ian Hill. However (and with a good reason, I suppose), the only instantly recognizable and most important member was Rob Halford. It’s true that Halford’s sense of theatre and drama, as well as his operatic vocals were a seminal part of Priest and he had the most digestible image of the quintet, but he was only part of the picture.
While the first inklings of the group first came together in 1970, it would be four years before Judas Priest would ever release an official LP under a major recording label. Taking their name from a band that original member Allan Atkins had previously played in, Judas Priest played live shows throughout their first years while their line-up rotated to accommodate new members and the departed. It wasn’t until 1973 that Rob Halford joined the band, and he would remain their vocalist for the next twenty years before leaving to pursue solo projects (though I’ve heard that he is rejoining his old band for a tour sometime in the near future). And with that, the core membership of Judas Priest - at least the face of the group that the public was most aware of - was born. Along with K.K. Downing (guitars), Glenn Tipton (guitars), Ian Hill (bass) and John Hinch (drums), Priest set about recording their debut Rocka Rolla - a somewhat unfocused blending of heavy metal with an obvious blues influence similar to that of Black Sabbath’s first record (the only difference being that while Black Sabbath stands as a classic, Rocka Rolla is a very forgettable record). Five albums and one live record later, the end of the seventies and beginning of the nineteen eighties brought with it a new Judas Priest. Along with a number of personnel changes (Dave Holland replacing John Hinch behind the drum riser) in the years between the band’s debut and 1980 came a whole new approach to music. While the quintet had established themselves as a powerhouse of metal with 1978’s Stained Class, there were some visible changes made up on 1979’s Hell Bent For Leather as the group changed their image, adopting a tough, leather-clad look to associate with many of the people who listened to their music. They also began to streamline their sound, going from thundering, epic heavy metal to a sleeker, faster and heavier approach that allowed Priest to stay true to their roots while embracing the finer points of pop, punk, blues and standard rock and roll. It’s for that reason that 1980’s British Steel is often thought of as the band’s sell-out record, but it’s also for that reason that British Steel finds the band at a much higher level than at any other point in their already illustrious past.
And so we pick things up in 1980, what would prove to be one of the best years in music (a bit of a contradiction of the rest of the decade, I have to say). The Clash’s London Calling had closed the last decade with a bang, and there had not yet been a record released in 1980 that managed to succeed in as many ways as the Clash’s opus. British Steel finds Judas Priest taking a shot at crafting at their own London Calling. They don’t really succeed, but it sure is entertaining to listen to the energy and passion that the band put into their song writing and performances. The songs, generally speaking, are good and unlike previous efforts, they’re relatively simple and straightforward. Halford and his band know exactly what they want to go for, and they hit the mark more often than they miss. The songs are catchy. The songs have grooves, the lyrics are sing-able, the band is as tight as they ever were, and they’ve eliminated the many unnecessary aspects that plagued Judas Priest’s previous records. In short, British Steel is about as pop as heavy metal could ever get and still work. The album was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, the home of Beatle Ringo Starr, and it seems like they captured the spirit of the Beatles on this record. That may be a bad thing for the hardcore Priest fans, but for the regular music fan, it serves to create a genuinely enjoyable record. Priest remains heavy, rebellious, aggressive and technically proficient, but they found a point where each member of the group was allowed to spread their metaphorical wings and create something unique.
The Black Sabbath influence is all but gone on British Steel. It’s still present on some level or another but in much smaller doses, helping to show that Judas Priest had finally begun to rise up out of the shadow of the bands that influenced them. Similarly, the blues-y nature of Rocka Rolla has also largely disappeared, replaced by a heavy dose of pop sensibility and the punk rock aesthetic. In truth, if it weren’t for the vocals and the complexity of some of the guitar riffs, British Steel would sound very much like a punk rock record. The rebellious disenchantment with the world is the one thematic idea that seems to come up repeatedly, and the songs themselves have been shortened to well below the heavy metal standard. Only one track here clocks in at over five minutes, showing a level of conciseness that many bands only wish they could have - and the short tracks don’t act at all as a hindrance. Nothing is lost in the translation, save for pointless and meandering solo endeavours that doing nothing other than to prove how technically proficient the band members could be, reminding us all that a song doesn’t necessarily have to be long to be good. Some bands can say more in three minutes than others can in hours, and Priest show here that they’re equally adept at taking either approach.
As a whole, the sound of Judas Priest was always built largely on the duel lead guitar approach of K.K. Downing and whoever the band’s second guitarist was at the time. Taking an approach similar to that of Thin Lizzy (only without the third rhythm guitarist), Priest’s songs are built on heavy lead guitar licks, played by both guitarists and panned to both speakers, grinding over one another for extra crunch and extra volume. Sometimes both of the guitars are played in the same time signature and in perfect rhythm, while at others, one guitar is slightly out-of-phase with the other, dragging behind by only a matter of milliseconds, creating an echo and emphasizing a particular lick. The band takes the same approach here, with the lone exception being that many of the frenetic, infuriatingly complex riffs have been toned down slightly to something with a little more flow and melody. With no rhythm guitarist to speak of, the group also has to make do by either overdubbing a third guitar rhythm or by relying almost entirely on the bass and drums to hold down the fort. Most of the time, they go for the latter, forcing Hill and Holland to hold down the fort, of which they do an absolutely remarkable job. As far as technical skill goes, Holland isn’t the greatest drummer, a fact exaggerated somewhat by the fact that heavy metal relies even more heavily on a competent man playing the instrument. But he does the best job he can with what he has, playing relatively simple tempos and patterns in good time and with raw power. Holland is also helped by the fact that he obviously shares a musical rapport with Hill, as the guitar and bass just seem to lock in perfectly, creating a heavy groove and giving it room to grow and breathe as Downing and Tipton shape it and distort it with their furious leads. Hill’s basslines are your standard driving and thumping licks. There’s nothing spectacular, but the bass by nature isn’t an instrument really intended for anything more than what Hill does with it. He locks the rest of the band in, creating (along with Holland) a set of songs that are delivered with precision accuracy, played as if the band had known these songs for years before ever cutting them to record.
And when all is said and done on the music front, it’s literally impossible to ignore the contribution of Halford himself, whose fierce, fist-pumping, foot-pounding vocals, each one an anthem unto itself, weave overtop of the fury of duelling and twin lead guitar work. Halford’s range is unlike that of any other performer in metal, a multi-octave monstrosity fit more for an opera singer than for a metal god, and that’s exactly the idea he has in mind with each of British Steel’s nine cuts - each an opera with in itself, complete with the soaring vocals, the heavy-handed rhythms and the sense of drama and flair that only Halford could bring to the band. Along with his range and his drama queen approach comes a certain cheesy and campy almost B-movie element, but that’s all part of the Judas Priest experience. It’s inane and it’s all silly, but it works because not only is the group composed of excellent musicians, but because it’s as much tongue-in-cheek as it is serious. Lyrically, as I said before, Halford borrows a page from the punk rock how-to guide, taking on the universal themes of rebellion, anger and disenchantment with society. We’re also showered with a few patriotic anthems and the standard boastful subject matter found in Metal Gods and Living After Midnight. Judas Priest was never as talented lyrically as many of the other great metal bands, but they make do with what they do have - helped out considerably by the voice that’s singing it. The only qualms I really have here (aside from a one or two less than stellar tracks) is that British Steel does indeed sound maybe a little bit too commercial, and the overall campy nature of the songs sometimes make it hard to take the album seriously.
British Steel opens with Rapid Fire, featuring guitars blasting much like the song’s namesake. Lightning fast drumming by Holland speed up the rhythm, and the sheer speed of the duel guitars are impressive. Halford’s growling vocals trade lines with the furious guitars, creating a call and response between the two. While not a particularly impressive song, Rapid Fire works well in that it opens the album with something particularly heavy to get the blood going. Metal Gods features crisp, distorted guitar work with the two guitars slightly out of phase. A slower rhythm than the album’s opener, Metal Gods plods along with grinding guitar riffs, using billiard cues to approximate the sound of a scythe. The chorus is a simple refrain of the song title, shaded to create a sort of robotic, techno vibe. Breaking The Law, meanwhile, is as close to pure punk rock as Judas Priest would ever get, one of the band’s most infamous numbers. Clocking in at under three minutes, Breaking The Law features many of the trademarks of punk - simplified riffing, no solo, and a challenge to authority. A catchy guitar melody with palm muting during the verses, it’s lyrically simple - a bored and poor youth turns to a life of crime to make a living, featuring the chugging chorus of “Breaking the law, breaking the law (duh duh),” (the duh, duh part is, of course, the infamous guitar squeal following the lyric). The song itself is rather silly, filled with sirens and breaking glass (approximated in studio by smashing milk bottles), but the track’s video may be the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen. The band attempts to rob a bank, knocking down tellers and blowing up walls through the sheer volume of a guitar riff played by Downing inside the bank. And when the vault has been opened, what else is inside but a Judas Priest eight-track.
Grinder drags a little, as do parts of United, featuring the rah, rah patriotic chorus of “United, united, united we stand/United we stand one and all.”You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise picks things up again with the crunchy, biting doubled guitar riff that gradually grows from silence, eventually joined by the rest of the band. Halford’s voice is used magnificently on this rebellious teenage anthem. A breakneck solo at about the three-minute mark is simply amazing, not at all detracting from the overall rhythm and melody of the rest of the track. Living After Midnight features a similar rhythm and tempo as the preceding track, but it’s a good song all on its own, filled with similar crisp, fluid guitar work that is seamless and near flawless in its delivery. The Rage gives bassist Ian Hill some space to shine, beginning with an eerie bass riff that is gradually drowned out by the rest of the band. Musically speaking, The Rage is an excellent song, but Halford’s vocals don’t quite fit at certain points, a problem shared by the album closer Steeler.
The British Steel album ends there, but the 2000 Judas Priest remasters series features two extra cuts. The first, Red, White & Blue is a patriotic British anthem, with slow, driving verses that give it the vibe of an actual national anthem. Not unlike United - albeit much slower and filled with droning lead guitars that wind all around without ever playing a totally coherent rhythm - Red, White & Blue is actually better than some of the other songs on British Steel, but really doesn’t keep with the overall theme of the record, which is a shame, because it’s a song that is sure to raise some lighters. That track is followed by a live rendition of Grinder, beginning with Halford’s banter with the audience, vaguely amusing as he tries to sound as rough and tough as possible - yet during the song itself, it sounds as if he’s trying to push out a hard turd. Largely similar to its studio counterpart, there really isn’t anything remarkable about this version at all, aside from some blistering guitar fills throughout.
It’s true that some people refer to British Steel as Judas Priest’s sell-out album. I, on the other hand, like to refer to it as Judas Priest’s good album. They had their moments elsewhere, but on British Steel everything came together for the quintet beautifully to create nine impressive compositions. No other Priest album can really boast the consistent quality of the tracks on British Steel, and no other Priest album is as accessible and as catchy as British Steel is. British Steel isn’t a mind-blowing record. It’s close, but there are still a few moments here and there where the band stumbles and fails to craft anything out of what they have. But if Judas Priest had perhaps put a little more into the song writing process, maybe that could have been different. As it stands, British Steel is a highly recommended four-star album, no doubt their best - but it could have been a five-star must-have with a little tweaking.
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