Judas Priest:Heavy Metal from England.
Vocals
Glenn Tipton
Guitars
K. K. Downing
Guitars
Ian Hill
Bass
Dave Holland (R.I.P. 2018)
Drums
Discography:
| Side A | |||
| 1. | Ram It Down | 04:48 | Show lyrics |
| 2. | Heavy Metal | 05:59 | Show lyrics |
| 3. | Love Zone | 03:58 | Show lyrics |
| 4. | Come and Get It | 04:08 | Show lyrics |
| 5. | Hard as Iron | 04:09 | Show lyrics |
| Side B | |||
| 6. | Blood Red Skies | 07:51 | Show lyrics |
| 7. | I’m a Rocker | 03:59 | Show lyrics |
| 8. | Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover) | 04:39 | Show lyrics |
| 9. | Love You to Death | 04:37 | Show lyrics |
| 10. | Monsters of Rock | 05:31 | Show lyrics |
| 49:39 |
batsival.com 
KolCastorGrim, April 3rd, 2018
Many fans seem to overlook “Ram it Down” as it lacks a consistent stylistic theme. It seems contain musical elements from both Turbo and Painkiller. I happen to like the Turbo-esque elements myself, and I think the songs that resemble the Turbo style are stronger on this album than they were on Turbo. And, interestingly, the speed metal elements of the album, in my opinion, are just as strong as the songs from Painkiller.
There are a few weak songs here though, most notably “Johnny B Goode”, which, along with the crappy promotional video they released, turned a lot of people off, myself included. But actually, I don’t mind their version; it’s just an obviously bad cover version of a classic song. The other forgettable track here is “Love You to Death”. These two songs stink, but the other 8 songs are top notch.
The title track alone is so damn good that even if every other song on the album sucked, I still might be inclined to give it a passing score. “Ram it Down” is pure fucking speed metal and it contains some of the greatest dueling guitar solos I’ve ever heard from Judas Priest. You can really hear how Glenn and KK have continued to improve their abilities as they showcase many playing techniques here that you’ve never heard until this album. The title track, “Heavy Metal”, and “Hard as Iron” are full of all kinds of skillful and interesting guitar tricks, such as sweep picking, classically influenced arpeggios, dive bombs, whammys, tapping, and pedal work. There’s some very nice stuff going on with the lead guitars here indeed.
At this point Dave Holland was about ready to leave the band, and although he is credited as the official drummer, much of the drumming was done by a machine. I personally think that the drum machine here was a great success, and I have no complaints at all about it. Though I often prefer organic, human playing styles, I think in this case their lack of a drummer worked out for the best. The samples they used really sound great and they really pack a punch. They have a pretty strong reverb effect going on, which is a sound I have always loved. It resembles the times, as a lot of metal bands in the 80’s were utilizing this type of effect to create a big, arena rock kind of sound.
“Love Zone” and “Come and Get it” both resemble the style of Turbo, but the riffs on these songs are much better than the riffs from the songs on Turbo, and the rhythms have a real nice headbanging, fist pounding drive. The choruses are real catchy too. “Blood Red Skies” stands apart from the rest of the album as an epic masterpiece that sends chills down your spine. Keyboards are used on this track to create a really emotional and symphonic mood. Rob Halford sings with passion, and the lyrics are just magnificent.
For me this is one of Priest’s best albums, despite the unfavorable reviews it has received from some. Definitely a highly underrated album and arguably the most underrated metal album ever produced.
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