JUDAS PRIEST - BRITISH STEEL (1980)

Judas Priest released British Steel in April of 1980. It continued the band's pattern of releasing albums that just seemed to be a bit better than the previous effort (my opinion, of course). British Steel charted higher than any other JP album to this point (#34) and became the first studio album to be certified Platinum. Three singles were released, Living After Midnight, Breaking The Law and United, with none of those even sniffing Billboard's main music chart. That's a surprise to me because I definitely remember hearing Living After Midnight back in the day.

I'll admit, I wasn't taken with this one immediately. But after repeated listens, I have been converted. This album rocks. Rapid Fire may have become my favorite Priest song. The drumming on it, by new drummer Dave Holland, is just amazing. I've also become a big fan of the song Grinder. Of course, Breaking The Law has one of the band's absolute best riffs. So, I think I've made my opinion known, what about your opinion?

Album Ranking List:

1. British Steel

2. Killing Machine/Hell Bent For Leather

3. Stained Class

4. Sin After Sin

5. Unleashed In The East (Live)

6. Rocka Rolla

7. Sad Wings of Destiny

RJ's Ultimate Judas Priest Playlist (at least one but no more than two from each album):

1. Run Of The Mill

2. The Tyrant

3. Diamonds & Rust