THE Judas Priest thread - v. new album and tour in 2024

[MirrorMask]

KK didn't specifically say that Andy will be playing solos and try and pass them off as Glen, but I guess he was insinuating something like that.

Well, "To that end I have no doubt that his contribution to the new Judas Priest album was much more than just as a producer." certainly qualifies as insinuation of a ghost guitarist.

I hope too it's not gonna be a back and forth; at least Rob acknowledged that, "We all say and post stuff in the heat of the moment, but I wanted to make it clear that Glenn is indeed playing on the album".

[Samsara]

On the wiki page for the record, it says that Andy both produced and played guitar.

[Podaar]

Painkiller was Priest's latest attempt to roll with the times. Like the others I think it's pretty unremarkable. When you change your tune to meet the style of the time you never really excel at anything. Once they started putting out a completely different album every year they lost their consistency. For my money, One Shot at Glory is a great song and the rest I can do without.

Sad Wings
Stained Class

Screaming
Defenders
Rocka Rolla
Sin After Sin

Point of Entry
Painkiller
Killing Machine
British Steel

Turbo
Ram it Down
Nostradamus
Angel of Retribution

Knowing  how much you revere Stained Class (rightfully so; it's a killer album) I'm surprised how low Killing Machine and British Steel are.   I sort of get British Steel - it's patchy, and even though it was a hit, "Living..." isn't, in my view, a strong song - but Killing machine is pretty solid.  Maybe.  Sort of.   

I had the same reaction, Stads. Until I really thought about it. What on Killing Machine is essential for a JP collection? Delivering the Goods, Hell Bent for Leather, Killing Machine and maybe Green Manalishi? I like the rest of the album, but that was the first album that came out after I became a fan, so my perspective is skewed--a lot.

Oh, and like Barto, I revere Stained Class too. It makes me rage quit this thread every time I see someone dump on it.

[SleeperAwake]

Apparently you've forgotten this all time classic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK3NhVr0PV8

Some great facial hair in that clip as well.

[ozzy554]

On the wiki page for the record, it says that Andy both produced and played guitar.

To be fair "additional guitars" could mean a lot of things.

[wolfking]

KK didn't specifically say that Andy will be playing solos and try and pass them off as Glen, but I guess he was insinuating something like that.

Well, "To that end I have no doubt that his contribution to the new Judas Priest album was much more than just as a producer." certainly qualifies as insinuation of a ghost guitarist.

I hope too it's not gonna be a back and forth; at least Rob acknowledged that, "We all say and post stuff in the heat of the moment, but I wanted to make it clear that Glenn is indeed playing on the album".

I did follow it up with this though;

KK didn't specifically say that Andy will be playing solos and try and pass them off as Glen, but I guess he was insinuating something like that.

Rob was just kind of saying that KK said that Andy did everything and Glen just put his name to it, Milli Vanilli like.  That's the impression I got anyway.

[wolfking]

On a more positive note, listening to the released tracks from the new album and a couple of snippets, I think this is going to be a really great metal record, which pleases me since I didn't like ROS.

Saying that, the main reason I didn't like ROS was the production but the second reason that fucked me off was the amount of solos Richie had and the lack that Glen had, this really turned me off, but now I know why.  Every Priest record Glen outweighed KK in the solo department heavily so it confused me why this new young gun was suddenly the star.  I hated Richie but now I think my mind will change, he's obviously been good for the band and Glen and really carried a lot of the sound moving forward.  I always thought he was a show pony just trying to get in the spotlight not knowing his place but now I understand.  I'm going to spin ROS again and will obviously have a different perspective.  I think I'll be able to appreciate it a lot more.

Thinking about KK's comments and the performance part of what he said, Glen's disease and his strong minded resistance to keep the Priest machine going is obviously another reason behind that thinking IMO.

[TAC]

On a more positive note, listening to the released tracks from the new album and a couple of snippets, I think this is going to be a really great metal record, which pleases me since I didn't like ROS.

Saying that, the main reason I didn't like ROS was the production but the second reason that fucked me off was the amount of solos Richie had and the lack that Glen had, this really turned me off, but now I know why.  Every Priest record Glen outweighed KK in the solo department heavily so it confused me why this new young gun was suddenly the star.  I hated Richie but now I think my mind will change, he's obviously been good for the band and Glen and really carried a lot of the sound moving forward.  I always thought he was a show pony just trying to get in the spotlight not knowing his place but now I understand.  I'm going to spin ROS again and will obviously have a different perspective.  I think I'll be able to appreciate it a lot more.

Thinking about KK's comments and the performance part of what he said, Glen's disease and his strong minded resistance to keep the Priest machine going is obviously another reason behind that thinking IMO.

Nice, Kade. Enjoyed this post.

[wolfking]

On a more positive note, listening to the released tracks from the new album and a couple of snippets, I think this is going to be a really great metal record, which pleases me since I didn't like ROS.

Saying that, the main reason I didn't like ROS was the production but the second reason that fucked me off was the amount of solos Richie had and the lack that Glen had, this really turned me off, but now I know why.  Every Priest record Glen outweighed KK in the solo department heavily so it confused me why this new young gun was suddenly the star.  I hated Richie but now I think my mind will change, he's obviously been good for the band and Glen and really carried a lot of the sound moving forward.  I always thought he was a show pony just trying to get in the spotlight not knowing his place but now I understand.  I'm going to spin ROS again and will obviously have a different perspective.  I think I'll be able to appreciate it a lot more.

Thinking about KK's comments and the performance part of what he said, Glen's disease and his strong minded resistance to keep the Priest machine going is obviously another reason behind that thinking IMO.

Nice, Kade. Enjoyed this post.

Thanks Tim.  With all this news and such I think it's just made me realise that Glen is undoubtedly in my top 5 probably top 3 guitar players.  His influence on me has been immense.   If I were to make a top 50 list of solos, even top 20, Glen's would bulk out the rest by some margin.  Some of the solos he's crafted over the years is unmatched.

[TAC]

Yeah, and you actually got me thinking.
I'm really a casual fan of Judas Priest. I couldn't tell a Tipton solo from a Downing solo to save my life, but if you really look at their longevity, influence, and overall body of work, Tipton (and Downing for that matter) are largely underrated. There was just a poll here on classic rock guitarists, and not to take anything away from the guys on the list, as they are the icons, but perhaps Tipton/Downing get overlooked, similarly to Murray/Smith.

[wolfking]

Yeah, and you actually got me thinking.
I'm really a casual fan of Judas Priest. I couldn't tell a Tipton solo from a Downing solo to save my life, but if you really look at their longevity, influence, and overall body of work, Tipton (and Downing for that matter) are largely underrated. There was just a poll here on classic rock guitarists, and not to take anything away from the guys on the list, as they are the icons, but perhaps Tipton/Downing get overlooked, similarly to Murray/Smith.

Tipton is as good as any of those guys that were on that list IMO.

I wouldn't say Murray and Smith are that underrated, maybe Smith sometimes.

[TAC]

Give me a couple of great Tipton solos,

[Madman Shepherd]

Give me a couple of great Tipton solos,

1. Touch of Evil
2. Beyond the Realms of Death
3. Turbo Lover (this album gets shit on a lot but I love it.  I feel like this solo should get respect even from people that don't like the album).
4. Honorable mention goes to Rapid Fire which has a great series of trade offs but I think Glenn's parts really stand out. 

[Cool Chris]

Priest should be right up my alley and I have yet to really connect with them. I have the 3CD "Essential" greatest hits album, and enjoy it whenever I listen to it. But I always feel like I should enjoy them more than I do.

[wolfking]

Give me a couple of great Tipton solos,

Beyond the Realms of Death
A Touch of Evil
All Guns Blazing
Heavy Metal
Painkiller
Here Come the Tears
Dreamer Deceiver
Exciter
Ram it Down (first few are duels with KK)
Demonizer
I'm A Rocker
Electric Eye
Prisoner of Your Eyes
Freewheel Burning
Reckless
Grinder

I can keep going.

[wolfking]

KK's response to Rob;

"Just to clarify that my complimenting Andy Sneap as I did was no more than I would have said about any other guitar-playing producers that have also contributed much more than expected to our past albums. Great talent such as Chris Tsangarides (R.I.P) and Roy Z both not only produced, but also contributed song ideas, riffs and licks, lyric ideas etc. Consequently, albums like 'Painkiller' and 'Angel Of Retribution' would not have been the same without them. Even George Martin, I believe, provided much more for THE BEATLES than just the role of a normal producer. An extra musician in the studio, like the aforementioned talented producers, really does bring a great benefit."

I did think Rob was a bit defensive but KK's comment was suspect and it seems like he's trying to downplay his original statement and maybe try and put it to bed.

[jjrock88]

Social media causes lots of unnecessary drama.  But a little bit of drama isn't going to bring down the mighty Judas Priest 

[Stadler]

KK's response to Rob;

"Just to clarify that my complimenting Andy Sneap as I did was no more than I would have said about any other guitar-playing producers that have also contributed much more than expected to our past albums. Great talent such as Chris Tsangarides (R.I.P) and Roy Z both not only produced, but also contributed song ideas, riffs and licks, lyric ideas etc. Consequently, albums like 'Painkiller' and 'Angel Of Retribution' would not have been the same without them. Even George Martin, I believe, provided much more for THE BEATLES than just the role of a normal producer. An extra musician in the studio, like the aforementioned talented producers, really does bring a great benefit."

I did think Rob was a bit defensive but KK's comment was suspect and it seems like he's trying to downplay his original statement and maybe try and put it to bed.

I'm not trying to foment discord here, but that's not the best "downplay" I've ever read.  It sounds very passive-aggressive to me.  "I didn't mean anything bad at all when I said that Andy Sneap played a shit ton of guitar on this record and looks to have carried a lot of the water." "Honey, I meant you were very sexual and very good in bed when I called you a dirty, f-ing whore."

[Samsara]

On the wiki page for the record, it says that Andy both produced and played guitar.

To be fair "additional guitars" could mean a lot of things.

True. I wish we had more clarity. My guess is that Tipton did as much as he can, and probably had Sneap play stuff that Tipton himself wrote, but couldn't nail because of his condition.

[El Barto]

First off, why wouldn't the new kid cover what Glenn couldn't? Second, if they still list solos in their liner notes people like Wolfking will notice pretty quickly if it's somebody other than Glenn playing.

[Samsara]

First off, why wouldn't the new kid cover what Glenn couldn't? Second, if they still list solos in their liner notes people like Wolfking will notice pretty quickly if it's somebody other than Glenn playing.

That's true.

[wolfking]

First off, why wouldn't the new kid cover what Glenn couldn't? Second, if they still list solos in their liner notes people like Wolfking will notice pretty quickly if it's somebody other than Glenn playing.

I don't think they'll list the solo credits as they haven't done that since Painkiller iirc, but I'd have to check.  But yeah, I'm really intrigued and excited for this record and will be analyzing the solos and such closely and obviously will post what I think.

One of the two full tracks released, the title track I think which has a really nice Tipton solo which is definitely him.

[wolfking]

Another new track;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL0KfOi4BmU

This is definitely gonna trump ROS.  Nice 80's feel in this one.

[jjrock88]

That one is awesome!!

[Art]

I like all the songs they've shared from the new album thus far.  Painkiller 2.0

[ozzy554]

I kinda hope they do what Nevermore did and just have Sneap completely re-mix ROS. I do like a lot of songs from that album but man comparing the production to what we've heard from Firepower made me realize how flat ROS actually sounds.

[MirrorMask]

I like it! maybe the chorus has to grow on me or simply isn't the absolute highlight of the song, but it's groovy and enticing and it sounds very good. I'm starting to have a good feeling about this album 

[Zydar]

Official lyric video here for the same song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0J3u3_800c

[wolfking]

Official lyric video here for the same song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0J3u3_800c

Thanks, I couldn't find the official link for some reason.

[Stadler]

It's not bad, but it didn't rock my shorts.

I listened to "Run Of The Mill" and "Dying To Meet You" in the shower and man, that ending to Run of the Mill...  I'd love to ask KK or Glenn: "When this guy walked in and sang, did you think "We've made it."?"   Or ask Rob, "Listening to that, how did you feel?"

[Samsara]

Official lyric video here for the same song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0J3u3_800c

Thanks. Good tune. First one I have listened to from the new record. Looking forward to buying the album next week!

[NoseofNicko]

Song is just ok. Too generic for me. Still looking forward to the album though.

[Mladen]

It's not bad, but it didn't rock my shorts.

I listened to "Run Of The Mill" and "Dying To Meet You" in the shower and man, that ending to Run of the Mill...  I'd love to ask KK or Glenn: "When this guy walked in and sang, did you think "We've made it."?"   Or ask Rob, "Listening to that, how did you feel?"

Man, that section gives me chills every time. It's stunning how amazing Halford was right from the start. The entire song is actually one of their best, as far as I'm concerned.

[wolfking]

Ian Hill's view;

"Well, I don't know where Ken is coming from, to be honest," Ian replied (hear audio below). "He retired seven years ago and he made it clear at the time that he didn't wanna come back. So I'm surprised that he's saying that he was surprised that he wasn't asked. I think we all thought he probably would have been surprised if we had asked him. So I don't know. It's a bit like your quarterback retiring, you replace the guy, and then two or three years down the line, [when the new guy] gets injured, you're not gonna come back to the guy that just retired. You'll find somebody else. And it's pretty much the same thing."

This is kind of what I thought too.  I never really expected them to ask KK back.

[Zydar]

Review from AllMusic (4/5).

https://www.allmusic.com/album/firepower-mw0003139314

The album is out tomorrow