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JUDAS PRIEST
Firepower

Columbia (2018)
Rating: 8.5/10

And so it has arrived; Judas Priest’s 18th studio album that comes, as expected, sizzling, scorching and firing on all cylinders. What else did you expect? As one of the most important band’s within the heavy metal genre it’s hard to write something about Priest which hasn’t already been said countless times over.

Firepower could be considered predictable by some. After all, it’s got that speedy gallop from the off bolstered by that red hot twin axe attack, it’s got the belligerent percussion, the festering bass lines and, of course, it’s led by the fiery screams, screeches and sneers of the inimitable Rob Halford.

Halford is one of the only frontmen who can still get away with wailing “I’ll bring you the head of the demon, I’m peeling the skin from his face” without sounding cheesy. And that’s because Judas Priest are icons, masters of their trade and probably the most consistent beast within this bulging genre of sound-alikes and imitations.

So let me throw the clichés at you when I say that Firepower is a full-throttle, heavily armoured, all guns blazing, molten metal extravaganza that some are claiming is their best outing since 1990’s Painkiller. But is it really? Well, in some aspects yes; just listen to the title track as it opens up this hour-long composition.

Firepower is bursting with all the ingredients required to make a fantastic Judas Priest album. Sure, you often know what’s coming next, but that’s what straight down the line, authentic metal is all about. And who, after all these years, wants to see Priest experimenting with weird styles? No-one. So just batten down the hatches and let the opening cut consume you in its red flames as the guitars drive hard in typical Priest fashion, and boy does that chorus suddenly crush the skull, chill the blood and pierce the ears as Halford beams and yelps like no-one else can.

It’s classic metal right up, at the top of the holy mountain which so many pretenders stand within the shadow of. The axe melodies gloriously swirl and soar to the rattle of Scott Travis’ monstrous drum boom as we’re sent spiralling into the whirlwind of madness for what becomes a hammering power metal surge.

That sonic force never lets up as ‘Lightning Strike’ comes charging like a demonic bull, snorting, padding and revelling in its own metallic madness. The chorus is pretty basic, but it’s only bands like Priest who fuse together so many archetypes within the genre, because lyrically it’s not world changing. Then again, maybe it is, as I envision millions of fans bangin’ in unison and sweating their heart out for such pulverising rhythms.

So yes, this is classic Judas Priest constructing a colossal album bursting at the seams with anthemic metal, all built upon that Glenn Tipton / Richie Faulkner axe foundation. And as Ian Hill’s bass rumbles and thunders, you can only stand back in awe as the band comes crunching with the gargantuan ‘Evil Never Dies’; a mid-paced chugger of dark design where Halford’s tones reek of the ominous but again that screeching chorus harkens back to those Painkiller days.

While the detractors among you may refuse to believe it, Firepower really is one of the band’s finest records, a real powerhouse that only seems to get in touch with the modern via the more subtle trudges of, say, ‘Never The Heroes’ which showcases the subtle side to Priest’s arsenal.

In my opinion, ‘Never The Heroes’ is probably one of the weaker tracks on offer, and I’m not a huge fan of ‘Rising From Ruins’ either, which is again presented as the more soulful side of Judas Priest’s nature. However, the variety is still admirable as slower tempos and softer, fragile melodies break up the pounding electricity pumped forth by other gems such as ‘Necromancer’ and the fizzing ‘Traitors’ Gate’, with its infectious gallop.

That’s not to say that every one of the heavier tracks is a winner. The almost groove-based traipse of ‘Flame Thrower’, with its juddering bass, is steady but no frills, and ‘Spectre’ is pretty much a nod to 80s Priest. But there’s no real bad egg amongst the bunch. Sure, it could be argued that the platter is a tad overlong, but one gets the feeling that the boys really enjoyed making this album, and so numbers such as ‘No Surrender’ and the effortless doom metal chug of ‘Lone Wolf’ are joys to behold; the latter being one of the records finest and certainly heaviest moments.

By the time closer ‘Sea Of Red’ introduces itself with wistful fashion, just sit back and realise what a wondrous entity this band was and still is. And as they continue into the aeons of the great halls they helped carve out, one can only look at Firepower as another excellent record. The kids today still have a lot to learn, and bands such as Judas Priest are the force by which all must be judged.

Neil Arnold

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