I'm way behind . . .
ROCKA ROLLA - fun little debut. Heavy blues. Run of the Mill by far the standout track, kind of a precursor to Dreamer Deceiver. Halford giving a few hints of what was to come, but holding back. As with some of these other 70s albums, probably would have benefitted from heavier production.
SAD WINGS - wow what a step forward. Tyrant in 1976? That sucker is heavy, a completely modern metal song before its time. Victim and D/D big highlights but I enjoy all of the songs. Genocide benefits from the live versions for sure. Halford is now unrestrained, with legendary screams and high notes (and first death growl on record towards end of VoC) - he sets the bar here. None of my other favorite singers can match this. Songwriting magic on this album.
SIN AFTER SIN - the least of the S trilogy for me, but some great stuff. Let Us Prey another Priest song that is pushing the speed metal game forward. After I made a playlist awhile back, my wife really love 70s Priest and Last Rose of Summer and Here Come the Tears are some of her faves along with Victim, DD, etc. Sinner and DA awesome metal songs.
STAINED CLASS - my favorite. Doesn't have many catchy, poppy choruses which may be a drawback for some. BTROD in the running for greatest metal song. Exciter picks up where Let Us Prey left off, even faster. The only 2 lesser songs for me are Invader and Savage but I still like them quite a bit. Hero's End is not a letdown for me. This album is very heavy, lyrically and musically, which many people miss due to the production. Oh yeah and Les Binks is awesome.
KILLING MACHINE - here they have one foot on each side of the fence as they attempt to gain popularity. It's a mixed bag and I don't need 40% of the songs but the ones I do like are quite good. This may be the 2nd Priest album I owned after getting Defenders in 1984.