Classic Rock Bottom

Judas Priest

Redeemer of Souls

Epic Records - 2014

http://www.judaspriest.com

 

"Death, doom and destruction rain down upon the Forsaken

One being stands alone to save humanity

A soldier born from the past on sad wings of destiny

Powerful, unflinching and hearing the eternal Force

that will proclaim and assert metal's deliverance -

The Redeemer of Souls!"

And with that build up from the back of the CD packaging, Judas Priest once again presses their claim to the throne of the Metal Gods.

The band's previous studio album Nostradamus was, for me at least, what would politely be termed a noble failure. They tried something a bit different and while that was to be applauded, the finished product just did not hold up to the same standards of quality one would expect from the band.

With the departure of guitarist K.K. Downing from the lineup, the band's writing trio (being credited with writing every song on the disc) now consists of guitarist Glenn Tipton, vocalist Rob Halford and new guitarist Richie Faulkner. While Faulkner has been with the band for a while now, this is his first appearance on a studio album with Priest. He acquits himself quite nicely, as Priest seems to have a zestier and dare I say more vibrant feel to them on a number of the Redeemer of Souls tracks.

The disc opens with two tracks that were previewed with Youtube video clips before the album's release. The songs "Dragonaut" and the title cut are both uptempo rockers that remind you of some of the best of Priest's past song offerings.

 

The album truly starts firing on all cylinders though starting with track 3 "Halls of Valhalla." The pacing and guitar work are superb while Rob Halford unleashes a scream that harkens back to the glory days of Priest. I liked the song a lot but the brief appearance of some Cookie Monster-esque vocal delivery towards the end of the song kind of turned me off at that particular point.

On "March of the Damned", the production choice that buried Halford's vocals rather low in the sound mix initially left me wanting something more from the song. But upon further review (read that: as I listened a few more times) the song actually started growing on me.

Speaking of Halford's vocals, there's been a number of complaints posted online in various forums I visit about his vocal performance on the album. Posters have said stuff ranging from "His voice is gone" to "He's too old to hit the high notes anymore" and every other kind of ridiculous assertion.

Let's pretend for a moment that any of these complaints have a basis in reality. I ask you then, "so what?" Halford might not unleash an unlimited supply of ungodly screams raised from the bowels of some endless hell anymore but he retains the ability to be an effective singer/performer even if age has slightly diminished the overall power.

He's been so good for so long that even if it were true that he's not the same vocalist as he was years ago, he is still far and away better than nearly anyone else out there nowadays.

For me, the truth about Halford is that instead of having lost his voice, I think he's learned to better pick his spots and feature a more controlled approach to his vocals. If that is a concession to age or what have you, then so be it. But what I do know to be true is that you always know a Priest song because Rob's voice is and always shall be the instant identifying mark of the band. The material on Redeemer of Souls is no exception.

The deluxe version of the album comes with a second disc that features 5 bonus tracks. You technically get two closing tracks this way. Unfortunately the last song on Disc 1 is "Beginning of the End" which continues a recent Priest trend of turning out a slow boring plodding piece of drivel being passed off as something demonstrably deep and epic.

However, before you get to that song, you should check out the dark and foreboding "Secrets of the Dead". The pace ranges from mid to uptempo and the inclusion of a brief spoken word passage ups the ante in setting ominous tone to the track.

The song "Battle Cry" has a fantastic guitar riff intro that morphs into this really cool pulse pounding rocker. Another shot of pure music adrenaline is "Metalizer", which quickly establishes its presence right up in your face and doesn't back down until the final notes. Tipton and Faulkner haven't been together as long as Tipton and Downing were, but you can feel how tight the guitar tandem are as they race through one lead run after another.

On the main disc, the two best songs for my money were the ones that had a particularly strong lyrical line or verse that caught my attention. The opening verse of "Down In Flames" really sold the song to me:

"My last days

We shall see

They are coming now

They're after me

They want blood

Yes it's true

Going quietly I just don't do"

The last line of that verse is a candidate for someone to pick up as a personal motto, I'd venture to guess.

With "Sword of Damocles", Priest has another fast paced track, but tempers the all out attack with shifting tempo changes throughout the song. I found myself really taken by the phrasing of the lines "Truth will find it's reward / If you live and die by the sword".

An online friend of mine made mention that the bonus disc contained some of the best tracks from the album overall. While I didn't find myself completely swept away by the strictly second tier track "Creatures", the remaining four bonus track were actually quite good.

The song "Snakebite" is phenomenal as it finds the band as a whole in perfect harmony to craft a song that could find a home on any of their classic albums. The song also seems to promise malice aforethought with the verse:

"I'll kill your will

You can run till

There's no escape when you taste my venom

I'll track you down till there's no place left to hide"

They follow that up with "Tears of Blood", a song that finds the band shredding their way through a vicious attacking number and Halford really shines on the lyrical couplet "Hate lies till the very  end / Faith dies by the hands of friends".

By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Priest rhythm section of bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis. Hill has been with the band since the dawn of time and lays down the foundation to which Tipton and Faulker build upon with their six-string fretwork. As for Travis, while he may not be the band's original drummer, he's been the backbone for them for so long now that it just wouldn't seem right to see anyone else behind the kit for them now.

The final two bonus tracks were polar opposites in style. "Bring It On" features some smoking solo work and had a very cool rhythmic vibe to it.

As much as I hated the slow, boring nature of  "Beginning of the End" on disc one, a similarly constructed "Never Forget" was a pure masterwork. The slow pace of the song felt more natural rather than forced. The unflinchingly reflective nature of the lyrics and restrained vocal performance by Halford make this a beautiful (yes I said it!) way to give a fitting finale to the latest from Judas Priest. The song could've been played for dewy-eyed melancholy but the authenticity of the performances helped overcome any resistance to the semi-softer side of Priest.

If anyone felt the need for Priest to provide a sort of musical redemption for themselves (however incorrect that assumption might be) given the unsatisfying course their previous studio release took, consider this album a mission accomplished. Redeemer of Souls amply demonstrates why Priest still sits atop the summit of the metal landscape and why bands aspire to what they have achieved.

When you come at the king, best not miss. Judas Priest and Redeemer of Souls show that the pretenders to the throne are going to be missing their shot for a while yet to come.

judaspriestredeemberfinalcd

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Nice review. I was really on the fence about this one when I heard the two pre-release tracks, but got it anyway and am glad that I did. 

Enjoyed the read.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I too get tired of all the "he can't do what he used to do" stuff. It's like....DUH....passing of time will always leave it's mark on the living. In other words, what else do people expect? How many home runs has Hank Aaron  hit this year???

It's better to talk about what people still do well, over what they have lost during the passage of time. For those of you who have purchased it, can anyone tell me where to find the edition with the bonus tracks? Is that edition a Best Buy or Wal-mart exclusive, etc.?

The deluxe you can get everywhere.

Well, let's put it this way: it's not a store exclusive.

Like Jon said, you can get it anywhere so long as the store is carrying. I did get mine at Best Buy though.

Thanks guys. My local Best Buy has actually improved over the last few years, in terms of having new rock releases.

Best Buy Improved...  3 words I thought I'd never see/hear in the same sentence ever again....

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