Judas Priest
Redeemer of Souls
Sony Music
2014
Judas Priest return, in the heart of the summer, with the ridiculously over the top, cedar titled “Redeemer” of Cheesiness of all things Metal with more cheesy song titles and lyrics than you could shake a stick at! But I suppose, that’s how we like the metal, cheesy and with some wine, please to wash the cheesiness down! (lol)
“Redeemer” is the seventeenth studio album and finds Priest pretty intact in most respects, bar good old KK, who decided to retire with the band welcoming the young and rather untested at least in the studio Richie Faulkner into the fold, on the “other guitar”, whose best accomplishments so far have been instrumenting some song for Sir Christopher Lee and playing/writing songs for Lauren Harris (yeah the Boss’ daughter) as well as being her boyfriend – at least back in the day. Now he somehow, got noticed enough to step into “these” shoes and he did hold his own rather well on the “Epitaph” tour.
On this album he seems to be doing ok, next to Tipton and the band seems to give him ample space and to treat him like an equal, which is kind of cool, I suppose. It’s more or less business as usual, within the Priest ranks – in terms of how they operate, but in terms of the end result, it just seems that this is just not the Priest classic, that the band, wished to herald it as, or that the epic titles seemed to suggest.
It’s not entirely bad, as it certainly has its moments and all the trademarks of the band’s sound but most of the times it either fails to leave its mark in a spectacular way, or at best seems to not manage to get past mediocrity, because the performances are not incredibly spirited. Halford, seems to be ailing at times, while at others he seems to be better, but he’s certainly not able to deliver as he were on “Angel of Retribution” for instance, which did, indeed contain some superb singing.
It’s still amazing that he does what he does, considering his age, but sometimes, you want things to last forever and be imperishable – while they clearly are not... which is plainly sad. He still manages to comfortably masquerade most of his inabilities by his great technique and very emotionally charged delivery… but things might be getting towards the end, slowly but surely, maybe one softer, acoustic album? Or one more metal album, but making sure that it’s really “great” and then call it a day?! Otherwise, it might just be too painful to witness...
“Dragonaut” which opens the album surprises with the rawness of the production, which “smells” of Tipton’s home studio maybe? (“Radar”) but at least this time the drums are not bad, like on “Demolition”... replaced by shitty samples. It’s a basic song that sounds like a mix of the more recent efforts of Priest with “crucible” era Halford, only “lower” in pitch and scope and going for a more epic theme. Likeable I suppose, but nothing to get terribly excited over, yet still a decent way to open the album.
“Redeemer of Souls” is the album’s namesake and the horrid creature’s that decorates the cover “name” and happens to be the first single lifted from the album and a rather decent “anthem” type of song, but possibly one of the weakest ones in the long history of Priest. It’s painfully obvious that Rob’s struggling with higher notes so he has to settle for a mid-range shriek, which is still respectable, but nowhere near his old glories.
The “Halls of Valhalla” is a bit of a weird number with meandering instrumental passages choke full of fire spitting guitars giving way to Halford, crying out, “Valhalla”! Seemingly “warfare” lyrics and imagery are a big source of inspiration on this album for Priest... the main riff is strong and the band rides on it as if it’s a drakkar, even if Halford isn’t going for the high notes he sounds menacing for the most part, apart from the part he sounds really not so good when he tries to force out a higher “I belong”... I suppose, had he just sung that in a normal voice it would have sounded just fine, now it sounds just cartoonish, inside this whole “heroic” atmosphere… there are some ascending cries that then give way to some “chants” about the souls of warriors finding their way to the halls of Valhalla prior to a short but short solo and the whole song finishes in the same fashion... with the small squabble about that “unfortunate” forced shriek, the rest of the song is solid and then some.
“Sword of Damocles” is a rigid mid-tempo number, with a few quite nice, sounding riffs a couple of which sound quite “vintage”… while half of the song doesn’t manage to impress too much, I guess the verses, the riffs carry it, well and as soon as the bridge and chorus hit, it begins to hit home. In the middle it slows down for an acoustic interlude that allows Halford to catch his breath, and relaunch into the chorus after a different intro this time and that persistent “70s” sounding themed riff, of the song really works it’s magic, here well... funny to see however the Priest, drawing inspiration from the Greek Mythology.
“March of the Damned” is allegedly all about the fans of the band going to the concerts and living the life etc… and following the band… it has a simple rock n roll riff and is rather monotonous and repetitive with Halford sounding more like Ozzy back in his good days… there’s a good solo in there and some interesting sfx in the vein of “metal gods” ie a marching beat... it’s not really a big anthem however, I can see that the band maybe wanted to try and go for that, but I find it a tad too derivative. Actually – tracked after the “Sword of Damocles” it makes much more sense as it explores a similar mode...
“Down in Flames” is a rather mediocre number, with a somewhat more regal performance than it should befit to it and a rather uninspired chorus, that’s not totally dull, but feels like it's winking a bit to Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory”, for lyrical inspiration hehe! Musically there’s a nice riff in there, somewhere, but this is not exactly a highlight… good singing and a nice riff... but not much else...
“Hell & Back” starts off with an acoustic intro and a typical crushing riff/rhythm that's more rocking and a bit of a throw back to the bands mid-days.. again, solid enough to save face, but nothing amazing ….
“Cold Blooded” is a slower but atmospheric number, with Halford conveying a bit of cold desperation but also a lack of remorse almost sounding like a deranged killer raving or something of the like… the song only just ups the tempo, from what could be described as a balladesque slow number to reach a pacier, agonized, mid-section but soon after comes full cycle with the cold first “section” taking over again. A song that one might overlook at first, but is one of the better ones on the album.
“Metalizer” appears to be another one of those inane concepts about “super-human” sort of robotic/mecha metal deities that deal pain and retribution, but unlike, “Painkiller” or “Jugulator” this number feels more like a bit of a better worked up leftover piece from the “Ripper” days, given a new lease of life, rather than a metallic behemoth! At least the riff/rhythms… the rest of the song has a distinct “British” feel and that “Halfordian” touch… that twisted melody that sounds like someone has taken “elements” of Queen and Infused them onto an Iron Maiden song and then played it on 45 RPM! It’s not painkiller and the production/mix on this one, is the most sucky probably on the album, but... it’s definitely, enjoyable!
“Crossfire” is rather interesting with its bluesy tone, which soon gives way to a more 70s Priest mood that rocks the house and seems to be one of the more enjoyable numbers at least, when it comes to the band sounding like they’re having a bit of fun themselves… it does sound genuinely like vintage 70s Priest with a whiff of early Sabs, thrown in, I mean, you could have told someone that this came from the “Sin After Sin” writing sessions or thereabouts and no-one would challenge you…
“Secrets of the Dead” begins with a very ominous toll of Bells and an equally ominous sounding riff that takes over… Halford starts giving out some mystical mumbo jumbo, about the “Secrets of The Dead” but hell, this is pretty good. Especially a cascading riff that comes around the middle of the song... and what the hell is that, keyboards, mean poetry being quoted etc… the whole track, basically is no more than a riff and a few notes played over the very inspired chorus, but WTH, it works… so why should I bother!
“Battle Cry” is a bit like a hymn, it begins with a very Priestly riff that drives it, with a very commanding Halford that charges forth, leading the “metal troops” into battle, but following a bit of a change of pace and direction around the third minute that the band spends noodling away, veering off left and right, before, going for it again… and having Halford reach a bit of a climax with some mad screaming… that sounds like he’s truly “screaming” for vengeance (he should have attempted the weak notes and those forced falseti in the same way… me thinks... ain’t that right “General Lionwhyte”?
Last but not least “Beginning of the End” is a somewhat ponderous, even slightly sad but not entirely sorrowful ballad, with Halford, really showing why he’s a world class singer... while it ain’t “Before the Dawn” or “Dreamer Deceiver” it both explores a similar territory and mode... Very nicely done.
The tracks on the second CD of “Redeemer” on the so called “Deluxe” edition, got separated, from the “normal” album just because they exhibited a slightly different sound and songwriting style when compared to those of the “main” album, but the band still considered them, release-worthy.
It’s still Judas Priest, but it’s either softer, more hard rock, rather than heavy metal influenced stuff or rather more experimental or not completely “developed” compositions to be granted inclusion in the main album...
The opening salvo comes in the form of “Snakebite” a mid-tempo, brassy rocker, in the vein or “Rock Hard, Ride Free” or “Devil’s Child”, only maybe a little softer…
“Tears of Blood” that follows is another mid-tempo number, which actually is pretty epic, but sort of feels a little “underdeveloped”...
“Creatures” is based around a rather heavy and “nocturnal” riff, but otherwise, isn’t crazy heavy metal, instead, opting to go for a more “experimental” approach... it has the qualities of a “Grinder” and an interesting solo in there, but it’s quite dissimilar both in intensity as well as in manifestation. “Creatures” is much more based on atmosphere, rather than brute force…
“Bring It On” however has a title that would suggest some sort of “super macho”, toughness etc. and while the riff, is good, and the chorus has a certain flair about it, it just seems to be a less than stellar idea, overall... a bit of a potential letdown… if it were included in the main album, or maybe not.
Lastly, “Never Forget” is a bit of an oddity, as it hardly sounds like a Priest number and it has soft guitars and Halford singing with a distant slight echo/verb in something that sounds very much like 80s pop/new wave with splashes of rock. Obviously it has a solo, which sets it quite apart and it’s all about, finishing the career, but not giving up, in a way that’s a little perplexing and sort of creates more questions than it answers?! Will “Redeemer”, be the ultimate, Judas Priest album, or not?! Who knows, only time will tell!
Out of these 5 tracks the first 3 are more interesting, while the rest are OK, but more curios than anything else... actually if the band had worked a bit more on 2 of the 3 first tunes, I would have in fact preferred them in the place of “Down in Flames” (maybe) but definitely of “Hell and Back”!
Still being able to pick up the “Deluxe Edition” at almost the same price as the normal edition, (seen it at 1,5 euro extra) who’s gonna say no to an extra 5 tracks?!
Overall Priest remains a very respectable heavy metal band, and even with the line-up change they were able to deliver a quite enjoyable and solid enough album. It is just that because of the band members advancing years, their performances which were always of the highest order have now slightly begun to be on the decline. The rather spartan and not too edgy production, doesn’t help bring out the bands virtues, but at least covers the basic criteria of what would be deemed necessary, although some might find it quite rough and I am certain that it could never antagonize the bands pinnacle career points in the 80s and early 90s when the band sounded and in fact was probably the ultimate, heavy metal machine…
Still old loves die the hardest and “This I Love’d more than I thought I would… Funny how love is”!
Admin’s review: I’ll be more laconic than Dimitris. The weak production was surely a shock for me. Priest were known for their super heavy & punchy productions back in the day. Rob does sound a bit “down” compared to the past. I guess time takes its toll on everything. The riffing is fine but too cliché for a heavy metal album… then again Judas Priest created those “metal clichés” so they have the right to take ‘em all the way! KK Downing preferred to leave before the actual fall… and probably his move was very well thought of. Unfortunately only the “Beginning of the End” is worthy of their back-catalogue but I’ll take “Angel”, over this any time & day, so do not attempt to compare it to the older stuff. Also those too cheesy lyrical themes and song-titles are somewhat “weird” at best. I love this band… it’s one of my beloved bands of all time and that will never change no matter what. But we must be honest and say things as they are. If this album had been released by a band with a different name, the majority would not have cared that much neither praised it… but now things are different. I do not fancy common sense which says that since it’s JP – the album is damn good and you gotta like it come what may! They are one of the top heavy metal bands of all time so close your ears, your eyes, shut your mouth and praise it jackass! After all, the legendary metal bands should always be praised & applauded by the metal community… hail! (7/10)
“Redeemer” is the seventeenth studio album and finds Priest pretty intact in most respects, bar good old KK, who decided to retire with the band welcoming the young and rather untested at least in the studio Richie Faulkner into the fold, on the “other guitar”, whose best accomplishments so far have been instrumenting some song for Sir Christopher Lee and playing/writing songs for Lauren Harris (yeah the Boss’ daughter) as well as being her boyfriend – at least back in the day. Now he somehow, got noticed enough to step into “these” shoes and he did hold his own rather well on the “Epitaph” tour.
On this album he seems to be doing ok, next to Tipton and the band seems to give him ample space and to treat him like an equal, which is kind of cool, I suppose. It’s more or less business as usual, within the Priest ranks – in terms of how they operate, but in terms of the end result, it just seems that this is just not the Priest classic, that the band, wished to herald it as, or that the epic titles seemed to suggest.
It’s not entirely bad, as it certainly has its moments and all the trademarks of the band’s sound but most of the times it either fails to leave its mark in a spectacular way, or at best seems to not manage to get past mediocrity, because the performances are not incredibly spirited. Halford, seems to be ailing at times, while at others he seems to be better, but he’s certainly not able to deliver as he were on “Angel of Retribution” for instance, which did, indeed contain some superb singing.
It’s still amazing that he does what he does, considering his age, but sometimes, you want things to last forever and be imperishable – while they clearly are not... which is plainly sad. He still manages to comfortably masquerade most of his inabilities by his great technique and very emotionally charged delivery… but things might be getting towards the end, slowly but surely, maybe one softer, acoustic album? Or one more metal album, but making sure that it’s really “great” and then call it a day?! Otherwise, it might just be too painful to witness...
“Dragonaut” which opens the album surprises with the rawness of the production, which “smells” of Tipton’s home studio maybe? (“Radar”) but at least this time the drums are not bad, like on “Demolition”... replaced by shitty samples. It’s a basic song that sounds like a mix of the more recent efforts of Priest with “crucible” era Halford, only “lower” in pitch and scope and going for a more epic theme. Likeable I suppose, but nothing to get terribly excited over, yet still a decent way to open the album.
“Redeemer of Souls” is the album’s namesake and the horrid creature’s that decorates the cover “name” and happens to be the first single lifted from the album and a rather decent “anthem” type of song, but possibly one of the weakest ones in the long history of Priest. It’s painfully obvious that Rob’s struggling with higher notes so he has to settle for a mid-range shriek, which is still respectable, but nowhere near his old glories.
The “Halls of Valhalla” is a bit of a weird number with meandering instrumental passages choke full of fire spitting guitars giving way to Halford, crying out, “Valhalla”! Seemingly “warfare” lyrics and imagery are a big source of inspiration on this album for Priest... the main riff is strong and the band rides on it as if it’s a drakkar, even if Halford isn’t going for the high notes he sounds menacing for the most part, apart from the part he sounds really not so good when he tries to force out a higher “I belong”... I suppose, had he just sung that in a normal voice it would have sounded just fine, now it sounds just cartoonish, inside this whole “heroic” atmosphere… there are some ascending cries that then give way to some “chants” about the souls of warriors finding their way to the halls of Valhalla prior to a short but short solo and the whole song finishes in the same fashion... with the small squabble about that “unfortunate” forced shriek, the rest of the song is solid and then some.
“Sword of Damocles” is a rigid mid-tempo number, with a few quite nice, sounding riffs a couple of which sound quite “vintage”… while half of the song doesn’t manage to impress too much, I guess the verses, the riffs carry it, well and as soon as the bridge and chorus hit, it begins to hit home. In the middle it slows down for an acoustic interlude that allows Halford to catch his breath, and relaunch into the chorus after a different intro this time and that persistent “70s” sounding themed riff, of the song really works it’s magic, here well... funny to see however the Priest, drawing inspiration from the Greek Mythology.
“March of the Damned” is allegedly all about the fans of the band going to the concerts and living the life etc… and following the band… it has a simple rock n roll riff and is rather monotonous and repetitive with Halford sounding more like Ozzy back in his good days… there’s a good solo in there and some interesting sfx in the vein of “metal gods” ie a marching beat... it’s not really a big anthem however, I can see that the band maybe wanted to try and go for that, but I find it a tad too derivative. Actually – tracked after the “Sword of Damocles” it makes much more sense as it explores a similar mode...
“Down in Flames” is a rather mediocre number, with a somewhat more regal performance than it should befit to it and a rather uninspired chorus, that’s not totally dull, but feels like it's winking a bit to Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory”, for lyrical inspiration hehe! Musically there’s a nice riff in there, somewhere, but this is not exactly a highlight… good singing and a nice riff... but not much else...
“Hell & Back” starts off with an acoustic intro and a typical crushing riff/rhythm that's more rocking and a bit of a throw back to the bands mid-days.. again, solid enough to save face, but nothing amazing ….
“Cold Blooded” is a slower but atmospheric number, with Halford conveying a bit of cold desperation but also a lack of remorse almost sounding like a deranged killer raving or something of the like… the song only just ups the tempo, from what could be described as a balladesque slow number to reach a pacier, agonized, mid-section but soon after comes full cycle with the cold first “section” taking over again. A song that one might overlook at first, but is one of the better ones on the album.
“Metalizer” appears to be another one of those inane concepts about “super-human” sort of robotic/mecha metal deities that deal pain and retribution, but unlike, “Painkiller” or “Jugulator” this number feels more like a bit of a better worked up leftover piece from the “Ripper” days, given a new lease of life, rather than a metallic behemoth! At least the riff/rhythms… the rest of the song has a distinct “British” feel and that “Halfordian” touch… that twisted melody that sounds like someone has taken “elements” of Queen and Infused them onto an Iron Maiden song and then played it on 45 RPM! It’s not painkiller and the production/mix on this one, is the most sucky probably on the album, but... it’s definitely, enjoyable!
“Crossfire” is rather interesting with its bluesy tone, which soon gives way to a more 70s Priest mood that rocks the house and seems to be one of the more enjoyable numbers at least, when it comes to the band sounding like they’re having a bit of fun themselves… it does sound genuinely like vintage 70s Priest with a whiff of early Sabs, thrown in, I mean, you could have told someone that this came from the “Sin After Sin” writing sessions or thereabouts and no-one would challenge you…
“Secrets of the Dead” begins with a very ominous toll of Bells and an equally ominous sounding riff that takes over… Halford starts giving out some mystical mumbo jumbo, about the “Secrets of The Dead” but hell, this is pretty good. Especially a cascading riff that comes around the middle of the song... and what the hell is that, keyboards, mean poetry being quoted etc… the whole track, basically is no more than a riff and a few notes played over the very inspired chorus, but WTH, it works… so why should I bother!
“Battle Cry” is a bit like a hymn, it begins with a very Priestly riff that drives it, with a very commanding Halford that charges forth, leading the “metal troops” into battle, but following a bit of a change of pace and direction around the third minute that the band spends noodling away, veering off left and right, before, going for it again… and having Halford reach a bit of a climax with some mad screaming… that sounds like he’s truly “screaming” for vengeance (he should have attempted the weak notes and those forced falseti in the same way… me thinks... ain’t that right “General Lionwhyte”?
Last but not least “Beginning of the End” is a somewhat ponderous, even slightly sad but not entirely sorrowful ballad, with Halford, really showing why he’s a world class singer... while it ain’t “Before the Dawn” or “Dreamer Deceiver” it both explores a similar territory and mode... Very nicely done.
The tracks on the second CD of “Redeemer” on the so called “Deluxe” edition, got separated, from the “normal” album just because they exhibited a slightly different sound and songwriting style when compared to those of the “main” album, but the band still considered them, release-worthy.
It’s still Judas Priest, but it’s either softer, more hard rock, rather than heavy metal influenced stuff or rather more experimental or not completely “developed” compositions to be granted inclusion in the main album...
The opening salvo comes in the form of “Snakebite” a mid-tempo, brassy rocker, in the vein or “Rock Hard, Ride Free” or “Devil’s Child”, only maybe a little softer…
“Tears of Blood” that follows is another mid-tempo number, which actually is pretty epic, but sort of feels a little “underdeveloped”...
“Creatures” is based around a rather heavy and “nocturnal” riff, but otherwise, isn’t crazy heavy metal, instead, opting to go for a more “experimental” approach... it has the qualities of a “Grinder” and an interesting solo in there, but it’s quite dissimilar both in intensity as well as in manifestation. “Creatures” is much more based on atmosphere, rather than brute force…
“Bring It On” however has a title that would suggest some sort of “super macho”, toughness etc. and while the riff, is good, and the chorus has a certain flair about it, it just seems to be a less than stellar idea, overall... a bit of a potential letdown… if it were included in the main album, or maybe not.
Lastly, “Never Forget” is a bit of an oddity, as it hardly sounds like a Priest number and it has soft guitars and Halford singing with a distant slight echo/verb in something that sounds very much like 80s pop/new wave with splashes of rock. Obviously it has a solo, which sets it quite apart and it’s all about, finishing the career, but not giving up, in a way that’s a little perplexing and sort of creates more questions than it answers?! Will “Redeemer”, be the ultimate, Judas Priest album, or not?! Who knows, only time will tell!
Out of these 5 tracks the first 3 are more interesting, while the rest are OK, but more curios than anything else... actually if the band had worked a bit more on 2 of the 3 first tunes, I would have in fact preferred them in the place of “Down in Flames” (maybe) but definitely of “Hell and Back”!
Still being able to pick up the “Deluxe Edition” at almost the same price as the normal edition, (seen it at 1,5 euro extra) who’s gonna say no to an extra 5 tracks?!
Overall Priest remains a very respectable heavy metal band, and even with the line-up change they were able to deliver a quite enjoyable and solid enough album. It is just that because of the band members advancing years, their performances which were always of the highest order have now slightly begun to be on the decline. The rather spartan and not too edgy production, doesn’t help bring out the bands virtues, but at least covers the basic criteria of what would be deemed necessary, although some might find it quite rough and I am certain that it could never antagonize the bands pinnacle career points in the 80s and early 90s when the band sounded and in fact was probably the ultimate, heavy metal machine…
Still old loves die the hardest and “This I Love’d more than I thought I would… Funny how love is”!
Admin’s review: I’ll be more laconic than Dimitris. The weak production was surely a shock for me. Priest were known for their super heavy & punchy productions back in the day. Rob does sound a bit “down” compared to the past. I guess time takes its toll on everything. The riffing is fine but too cliché for a heavy metal album… then again Judas Priest created those “metal clichés” so they have the right to take ‘em all the way! KK Downing preferred to leave before the actual fall… and probably his move was very well thought of. Unfortunately only the “Beginning of the End” is worthy of their back-catalogue but I’ll take “Angel”, over this any time & day, so do not attempt to compare it to the older stuff. Also those too cheesy lyrical themes and song-titles are somewhat “weird” at best. I love this band… it’s one of my beloved bands of all time and that will never change no matter what. But we must be honest and say things as they are. If this album had been released by a band with a different name, the majority would not have cared that much neither praised it… but now things are different. I do not fancy common sense which says that since it’s JP – the album is damn good and you gotta like it come what may! They are one of the top heavy metal bands of all time so close your ears, your eyes, shut your mouth and praise it jackass! After all, the legendary metal bands should always be praised & applauded by the metal community… hail! (7/10)