JUDAS PRIEST: British Steel

Produced by Tom Allom

Released: 1980

There are some who would suggest that this album is over-rated, but for mine, this remains the pinnacle of Judas Priest's commercial recording period. While the albums either side of this were so-so and below average, and later ones were fairly good, this is where the band's commercial aspirations all come together. This is the album that made Judas Priest into superstars, with volley after volley of fast and catchy songs that were heavy enough to keep the headbangers happy, but slick enough for American radio airplay. While it remains best known as the home of the big hits "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight", British Steel is much more than that, and almost every other song it contains is far superior to that pair of tunes.

British Steel begins with one of the fastest and most crushing tracks the band would ever write. "Rapid Fire" is about the best start to an album in recording history: an unmercifully heavy and speedy song for its time and a track so good that if it weren't for quality of the rest of the album it would have completely overwhelmed it. This sledgehammer-like opening was numbed when the Americans decided to release the album with "Breaking the Law" as the first song, but the remastered version has set all to rights again. "Metal Gods" is next, built on a stiff, staccato marching riff that sounds for all the world like an army of killer robots destroying humanity and then after the relatively lame "...Law" comes more savagery in the form of the appropriately named "Grinder". "United" is a pointless football chant that Priest was using to fill space on their albums back then and despite its legendary status "Living After Midnight" is the sort of light, throwaway metal that US hair bands would spew forth for the best part of the rest of the decade. "The Rage" is an angry track that has some nice bass work from Ian Hill, something that goes unnoticed most of the time and then "Steeler" winds up the album on the same speed metal note that "Rapid Fire" opens it. Perhaps it's because they're at the end of this album that these two tracks are so over-looked, but they both easily top almost everything that would come on the follow-up.

With British Steel, Judas Priest made an almost perfect commercial-flavoured metal album on only their second attempt, with most of the songs still standing the test of time. Had they failed here, they may well have never attained the god-like status that was to be theirs in the coming decade.

1. Rapid Fire


2. Metal Gods


3. Breaking the Law


4. Grinder


5. United


6. You Don't Have to be Old to be Wise


7. Living After Midnight


8. The Rage


9. Steeler

Rating: 96%