Much is said about the origins of Heavy Metal, citing bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and the discussed Judas Priest, who in 1977 would release their second studio album “Sin After Sin,” a work that clearly contained great elements of what we now know as “Metal,” largely due to the speed and double bass drum technique executed by drummer Simon Phillips, a studio musician who joined Judas Priest at just 19 years old and who would later collaborate with bands like Toto, The Who, Mick Jagger, among others.
And although the genre had already been quite developed, primarily by the darkness of Black Sabbath, this work officially represents the beginning of Judas Priest’s Heavy Metal journey in their discography, as their two previous albums, “Rocka Rolla” (1974) and “Sad Wings Of Destiny” (1976), had predominantly Hard Rock elements.
What can we listen to?
We can hear Judas Priest’s heavier sound for that time, but with a production very much in the style of Hard Rock, led by Deep Purple’s bassist Roger Glover. The first three songs of the album, “Sinner,” “Diamonds and Rust,” and “Starbreaker,” loudly proclaim the presence of Heavy Metal, with a unique stiffness in their sound decorated by the irreverent arrangements of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on guitars; even when the band performs these songs live in recent years, they sound much heavier because the musical production of the 70s was not enough for them, which is why we say they were “Ahead of their time.”
However, the roots of Hard Rock are also present to such an extent that the album contains two ballads typical of the genre: “Last Rose of Summer” and “Here Comes The Tears,” with a magnificent performance by Rob Halford on vocals, who, truth be told, still retains his timbre despite his advanced age. Likewise, Ian Hill commands and gives weight to these songs with a conservative but present bass tone. These two ballads present a poignant message with emotions running high, addressing important topics such as the environment, depression, among many others.
Sin After Sin, 8 absolutely glorious songs
The duration and balance of the album are extremely perfect, as they keep the listener entertained and curious about what comes next for 40 minutes. Roger Glover’s production is evident in “Let Us Pray/Call for the Priest”, where in the song’s intro we appreciate guitars harmonizing in a style reminiscent of Queen, as well as in the song’s main solo, something we wouldn’t hear from Judas Priest in such an explicit way again.
“Raw Deal”, on the other hand, offers a mysterious song with a very interesting use of whammy on the guitars, a technique that would later be widely used in Thrash Metal. Speaking specifically of this song, we can notice that the lyrics speak of a homosexual encounter of Rob Halford in a bar, who at that time had not spoken about his preferences at all. Good for him! Leaving a special mark in the world of Metal, whose main values are freedom, respect, and fighting for an ideal.
The powerful closing of Sin After Sin
“Sin After Sin” closes with a fabulous track, declared 100% Heavy Metal and which would influence countless fast-paced bands, known as “Speed Metal”, including Slayer themselves, who covered the song for their album “South Of Heaven” (1988). Yes, we’re talking about “Dissident Agressor”. In this track, we hear an iconic performance on the drums by Simon Phillips with one of the first fills based on the double bass drum, opening up the musical landscape in the genre for one of the rhythms that would forever be marked as a Metal emblem.
This is a tremendous album full of history, a musical milestone that would serve as an anchor for absolutely all the bands that would come in the years after.
What do you think? Leave us your comments!
