Judas Priest is among the pioneering bands that boldly identified themselves as a Heavy Metal band. Without a doubt, they knew from the outset what they wanted to achieve, especially in years when the genre was being shaped by bands like Black Sabbath or Deep Purple. With their inception, the genre solidified, and Judas Priest emerged in a second wave of British bands filled with courage and power. This English band has been instrumental in the overall development of Metal, irrespective of the generation, to the extent that bands from the 2000s, such as As I Lay Dying, have covered their tracks.
Today, we’ll discuss “Screaming For Vengeance” (1982), an album that would be a massive success, marking the beginning of the band’s more electric and heavier era. From our perspective, the band can be divided into three significant eras based on the years: The classic era (1974-1981), the “modern” era (1982-1990), and the current era (2005 to the present).
“Screaming For Vengeance” represents continuity and the pinnacle of the band’s popularity, a process that commenced with their album “British Steel” (1980) featuring their huge hit “Breaking The Law.” “Screaming For Vengeance” became the band’s best-selling album, selling over 5 million copies worldwide!
What can we hear?
Immediate impact from the beginning, right from the first second of the intro ‘The Hellion,’ it’s evident that the band modernized. The guitars are powerful and heavy, utilizing harmonics derived from the new distortion they used, signifying that technology had advanced, allowing Judas Priest to experiment with this new sound that would herald the band’s new era.
The work is glorious from its opening. It was the first time that Judas Priest opened with an instrumental track, “The Hellion,” 41 epic seconds of electric guitar that demonstrated Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing were at their best, one of the greatest guitar duos in Rock history. This instrumental track segues into ‘Electric Eye,’ a commercial and powerful song that also loudly proclaims that Heavy Metal was at its peak during that time, a period where rebels found release through music.
Next, we hear “Riding On The Wind,” a song that reminds us most of their classic era, heavily influenced by the “Heavy Blues” of their beginnings, modernized by guitar solos adorned with that unmistakable ’80s ‘Whammy.’ Dave Holland marks a pivotal moment in this song with his intro/solo using a double bass drum, a groundbreaking event in Heavy Metal drumming, setting a new trend by making the most of both feet on the bass drum.
Guitar Killers…
“Screaming For Vengeance” introduced a new tone in electric guitar distortion that would subsequently be used by many bands. As an example, the intro of ‘Bloodstone’ displays a certain beauty and clarity within its distortion. In this song, we also hear how Ian Hill on bass contributes, always discreet but playing a crucial role in balancing the band.
Speaking of Rob Halford on vocals, his role is immensely significant. Apart from his widely known vocal range, he is responsible for creating memorable melodies on the album. This contributed to making it the band’s best-selling album, crafting catchy lyrics and structures while maintaining the essence of Heavy Metal. For instance, songs like “Take This Chains,” “Screaming For Vengeance,” “Pain And Pleasure,” or “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.” The latter became one of the band’s most popular singles and served as the album’s most important promotional track.
Ballads always give Rock albums a distinctive touch, and if it’s from the ’80s (the cradle of power ballads), even better. In this case, Judas Priest does it very well with ‘Fever,’ a kind of ballad that begins with melancholy but then returns to the full power of Heavy Metal. In this song, we appreciate Dave Holland’s bass line, working in tandem with Dave Holland on drums. Speaking of ballads, years later, the bonus track “Prisoner Of Your Eyes” was added, a song that feels dramatic and operatic, conveying desire and love in its purest form. It’s quite a surprise that a Heavy Metal band spoke so explicitly about this theme.
Screaming For Vengeance, is the quintessential Heavy Metal album.
“Screaming For Vengeance” officially closes with “Devil’s Child,” a song where Rob Halford exhibits his vocal range to the fullest. It makes us feel the power and dominance of Judas Priest in the Heavy Metal scene, a track that left listeners expectant of all the glorious albums that would open the modern era of the band, an era where they became more electric and heavier than ever, solidifying their status as a global phenomenon.
What are your thoughts on this powerful album? Leave us your comments!
