I'm listening to Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance'. In 2003, it sounds like Meatloaf or the soundtrack from Hair - but with a nihilist mentalist psychedelic texture.

I don't a copy of the record now and at this point it seems likely that situation will remain the same until my dying day, but never say never. "The Hellion/Electric Eye" and the title track are easily two of the best things they've ever done. Actually, hell, now you've made me want to download "Electric Eye"...

Good comments, re: the coldness, the self-awareness. It's like they were oftentimes casting an eye on metal, the metal "scene" (cf. "Hell Bent for Leather", "Metal Gods", "Defenders of the Faith"). They were a pretty incredible band once they hit their stride (i.e. around Sin After Sin - hello Roger Glover!). Pretty significant; they kind of perfected that galloping gait, and the "twin guitar attack" (haha - USE OTHER WORDS PLZ), that the NWOBHMers (probably especially Maiden) picked up on (see something like "Sinner" from Sin After Sin, the way it smoothed out the rhythmic agitation of a lot of metal, kind of strided along).

Anyway, Screaming For Vengeance is great; I'd rank it ahead of British Steel. That's a good record too, but it doesn't sound as tough and full as Screaming For Vengeance. And I really never need to hear "Livin' After Midnight" again. And "United" just plain sucks, one of their silly "anthem" songs. They'd make the same mistake two albums later with the title track to Defenders of the Faith. "Breakin' the Law" is still a great song, but it has been kind of besmirched by the strange phenomenon of loathsome ironic indie-type people making jokes about it. What's up with that anyway? Anyway, "Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" is the killer cut from British Steel.

The awesome cover art for Screaming got reworked into the godawfulness that is the Defenders cover. When I saw the cover art for, whatever it was, Turbo -- for me, that was the beginning of the very swift end.

But, yeah, that title track rules.

Does there happen to be a decent Priest collection, like a two-CD best of or something, that someone could recommend?

are they standing on a set of a desert road complete w/ cacti, steer skull etc? this came on M2 late at night I don't know how long ago and I thought the song was really taught and mean, don't remember how it sounds now at all. I really meant to go buy it at the time.

Now I have seen the video for Breakin' the Law. That's hilarious, anyone seen it?

And what's the deal with Priest impersonator Tim Owens replacing Halford? That's a strange story. Anyone seen the movie about this?

However, Rob Halford is now back in the fold with a new LP planned and 30th anniversary tour starting next spring... Official site.

Ahem, "Rockstar." It was insulting to Judas Priest,
Owens and Halford, all at the same time -- a good trick.

At one point the director smirked it was about a famous rock
and roll band, Yes. Owens wouldn't talk about it when it was
first released and the LA Times badgered him on it.

The Halford character was only a bit part -- played as a
flouncing, wig-wearing poof who was dismissed/kicked out of the
band for wanting to do something more serious -- like be in
"Riverdance."

The music for the band was concocted by Zakk Wylde and assorted
ringers; the best of the lot was "Living the Life I Want to
Live," a not bad assembly of cliches.

At one point, the Owens character parties hard and gets seduced
by the Priest-band's manager -- a hot chick who, in another
stupid joke bit, turns out to be a shemale.

Hardly a redeeming moment, although some Nugent gets played in
a bar scene.

It's like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, but k-suck.

every song on this album is great fuiud

real talk. i've seen people shit on, like, "devil's child" and "fever" but even both of those are stone-cold jams