Judas Priest: Painkiller

"Howling winds keep screaming round

And the rain comes pouring down

Doors are locked and bolted now

As the thing crawls into town

Straight out of hell

One of a kind

Striking his victim

Don't look behind you

Nightcrawler

Beware the beast in black

Nightcrawler

You know he's coming back

Nightcrawler"

Genre: Heavy/Speed Metal
Label: Columbia
Year: 1990

Here we go, Judas Priest! One of the pioneering bands of the "NWOBHM", the New Wave of British Heavy Metal! And one of my personal favorite albums of all time, Painkiller.

This is one album that I can listen to for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS...And I have. So much so that I've had to take a break from this album for about two months, just so that I don't listen to it SO many times that I grow to hate it. This album, from start to finish, is one of my favorites, so first lets talk about what I don't like (and what little of it that is actually relevant).

The only song that seems out of place to me would track 11: Living Bad Dreams. And only a little out of place, might I had. Yes, it still has the same overall style of the entire album and intensity, but the way that Halford sings it slowly makes it seem out of place to me.

Now let me talk about whats good.

The title track, which is the beginning track, starts off hard and fast. The entire time Halford is singing in a high tone voice, which just makes this song awesome. My favorite songs would be the first half of the album. Tracks 1-6 are my favorites of the album. But like I said before, I like the whole thing. The solos on this record are awesome in the only way Judas Priest knows how to be: "Killtacular!" 


The last half of the album is also good, but not as good as the first half in my opinion, and I've had a few people agree with me on that. For me, it's almost like the album is awesome at first, and slowly dies off so your not left in a sate of awesomeness and a need for it. It gives you a break almost in the last half. I really don't know what else to say, other than this album is absolutely an amazing work of art. The guys of Judas Priest are talented and they show it in this album, as well as in another Priest album that's also a favorite of mine, Screaming for Vengeance, which I'll review at a later date.

As for the rating of this album, I give it a 9.5/10. If it weren't for the fact that Living Bad Dreams seemed so out of place for me, this album would have gotten a perfect score. Nothing about this album to me is boring. Living Bad Dreams is the only song I have a problem with, but other then that I love this CD. I would highly recommend this album for anyone who's looking for a high octane CD with awesome solos and amazing riffs and hooks. If you haven't checked out this CD yet, you should. It's an amazing CD in my opinion, that I think anyone who listens to metal would enjoy.