Judas Priest '80s
Description
Quickstats
Playlist Length
0 days, 1 hours, 3 minutes
Playlist Followers
3
Source
Playlist Last Updated
Unknown
Mood
Amped
Track Popularity Rating
Somewhat Popular
Style
Varied
Average Release Decade
1980s
Main Genre:
Mixed
Reddit Info
Reddit Post
Good writeup! Judas Priest has a special place in my heart, they were my absolute favourite band for a long time. One thing I would stress more is their massive influence on metal as a whole. Those three classic albums from the '70s – *Sad Wings of Destiny*, *Sin after Sin*, *Stained Class* – are where you can hear metal maturing, growing to the next level. Faster, cleaner, meaner, less blues-based. In metal circles, Judas Priest is often named together with Black Sabbath and Motörhead as *the* three seminal bands for metal as a genre. Sabbath created it, Priest developed it, Motörhead gave it the much-needed infusion of filth and raw aggression (as opposed to the clean sound of early Priest and Rainbow). I love early heavy metal – Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, early Queen – but I honestly believe that, if it had not been for Judas Priest, metal would have gone the way of psychedelic rock or '70s prog. A trend within rock music, which a lot of bands were really into for a few years, but which then petered out as most of the interesting ground had been covered. Metal did not go that way. Metal grew into a fully distinct genre of its own, formed a lasting subculture, spawned a dozen subgenres, and remains a relevant cultural touchstone after half a century. We have Judas Priest to thank for that, perhaps more than any other band. *** That being said, Priest are a band of extremes. Those three '70s albums are a holy trinity to me, a golden run, something on another level. From the hard-driving "Sinner" with that vulture's-cry soloing over that glorious long breakdown, to the epic "Victim of Changes", to "Dissident Agressor" which is still one of the heaviest metal songs ever (from 1976!) – I could go on. *However*, after that, they tried to commercialise their sound, with... let's say... mixed results. A lot of their '80s material just sounds awkward and tacky. Hate to say it, but a band like Iron Maiden was a lot better at writing catchy, accessible metal that was also actually good. From *Killing Machine* through *Painkiller*, the Priest songs that I would wholeheartedly recommend could fit on a single CD. In fact, I [made such a playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2kqwFXjEsvRasDLWpPhx2f) years ago (with the tracks ordered for a nice flow/dynamic). I did a [similar exercise](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/36IidzGxGS3nfutfA8XFHy) showcasing the highlights of their classic period.
Upvotes
22
Subreddit
LetsTalkMusic
Reddit Username
midnightrambulador
Reddit Timestamp
6/14/22 6:08
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