judas priest british steel - 30th anniversary box set

Released: 10 May 2010 Label: Columbia

Way back in the mists of time when I was still in short trousers, I purchased the old Judas Priest album Sad Wings of Destiny. Needless to say, tracks like Ripper and Victim of Changes blew me away. I was also discovering AC/DC, Sabbath, Lizzy, Purple, KISS and Motorhead around that time too, which all combined to set me on the path of being a life-long metaller, despite still only being in the infants at school.

I can still remember the excitement induced by seeing a hand-written notice in the village record shop saying “New Judas Priest record out now!” and the album underneath, with the iconic image of the hand clutching the razor blade on the cover.

Why give you a potted history of my early listening habits of thirty years ago?

Well quite simply, hearing this album on CD thirty years later was like a first-listen all over again that took me back in time, such is the clarity and excitement of the British Steel album on this fantastic re-issue.

The twin guitars of Tipton and Downing have that awesome late 70s valve amp sound, providing a jagged sonic attack and Rob Halford’s extraordinary voice slices through every song with the piercing precision of a scalpel.

Any metaller over thirty should be beaten with sticks if they don’t know at least five of the tracks on the album. Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight, Metal Gods, are all classics, not just in terms of Judas Priest tracks, but classics of metal itself.

That’s not to say that every song is brilliant or the album hasn’t dated, it’s just that British Steel is a perfect encapsulation of what metal was in 1980, and became a blueprint for the way ahead. On the Sad Wings of Destiny album, the band are pictured wearing wicker hats, scarves, silk tops and look more like prog-rock hippies than anything else, but by British Steel, they are full on studded-leather wearing (ahem) metal gods!

Each subsequent Priest release since Sad Wings, such as Stained Class, and Killing Machine, had discarded much of the uneven musical experimentation of their early days, honing their style into a leaner, harder, heavier musical engine. British Steel is the album that nailed it for them commercially on a global scale. It was simply so consistent, and iconic, that it stands up today, and it gave them huge radio airplay in the USA with tunes like Living After Midnight and Breaking the Law.

Many of the chord progressions on this album have reappeared endlessly on albums by bands across all genres of metal, and there are hints at the heavier genres of metal to follow, such as thrash, on songs like Steeler and Rapid Fire. Slayer in particular has made no secret of the huge influence Priest had on them.

The re-mastered classic album is but the tip of the iceberg in this fantastic collection though. The real deal here is the full hour and a half live concert DVD and CD version of the stage show. They play the entire British Steel album, and then throw in a generous encore of other early Priest classics, including a stunning rendition of Victim of Changes.

Also on the DVD is an interview with the band about recording the album. It’s a fascinating watch, but isn’t quite as good as the Classic Album TV show from a few years back that went into more detail. Did you know for instance that the metal clanking sound effect during Metal Gods, is actually a cutlery drawer being shaken!

Priest may be thirty years older, but they are no less metal, and this lavish box set is a reminder of one of the pioneering metal releases. It’s not often I can recommend a CD without reservation, but this is a superb release that deserves a place in any vintage metaller’s collection!

by Steven Hargraves