Judas Priest – Firepower

Returning after a four year period after their last album ‘Redeemer of Souls’ failed to capture the metal world’s fascination, Judas Priest unloaded ‘Firepower’ onto an unsuspecting fandom and for the most part, customers were satisfied. Many were comparing it to such legendary platters as ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ and ‘Painkiller’, especially the latter as there is a certain level of ferocity here on ‘Firepower’ that has been missing from the band for a while. Richie Faulkner has by now established himself as a worthy successor to ousted Priest co-founder KK Downing as this was his second record with Priest. Glenn Tipton had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease but you would never know as the riffs and the solos are pretty spectacular. Almost 50 years on, and with all the changes and health issues that the band has sustained, ‘Firepower’ sounds like the work of a much younger band. Rob Halford is still the metal god! His vocals are stunning for a man in his mid to late 60’s as he was at the time of this recording. Ian Hill and Scott Travis are also present as well to lend stability to the rhythm section. ‘Firepower’ also saw the return of longtime Priest producer Tom Allom who had been responsible for all of their ‘80s classics as Allom teamed up with producer/guitarist Andy Sneap (who would later replace Glenn for touring) to get these molten tracks down for posterity.
As far as the music goes, the title track comes at you like a rampaging rhinoceros. It has shades of “Painkiller” in its aggression. “Never the Heroes”, “Rising from Ruins” and ‘Sea of Red” are slower, more moody and melodic whereas “Evil Never Dies” and “Lightning Strike” (first single I believe) continue the onslaught. I love “No Surrender” and “Necromancer” which, alongside “Firepower” , definitely stick in your brain. It’s not a perfect record as there are some songs that don’t catch on as much but I would say for most of the running time, the majority of the 14 tracks make ‘Firepower’ a welcome addition to the legacy of the mighty Judas Priest. Beware there’s voodoo in the night….

Quite amazing that these metal veterans still sound fresh nearly 5 decades into their careers. Firepower delivers more good ol', no bull tunes one would expect from 'em. Probably as good as Redeemer of Souls but is made better with the production by the retuning Tom Allom (aided by Andy Sneap).