JUDAS PRIEST: Killing Machine

Produced by Judas Priest and James Guthrie

Released: 1978

Killing Machine marked a change for Judas Priest as they turned toward a more commercial style. With American success looming, they toned down the demonic imagery of previous albums and the songwriting became far simpler and while they maintained their love for speed and continued to be heavier than anyone, Killing Machine is one of this great band's weaker moments. Originally released only eight months after the monumental Stained Class, there is definitely a feeling that this one was rushed through to capitalise on Judas Priest's US appearances with Led Zeppelin earlier in the year.

That isn't to say that this is a bad album, because Judas Priest simply don't make bad albums, and Killing Machine opens with the fury of "Delivering the Goods", a full-blooded scorcher that is only topped here by the godly "Hell Bent for Leather", the track that became this album's title song in the US. It should be perfectly clear after hearing tracks like this why Priest is metal's defining act: this is speed metal before there was a term for it. Elsewhere, "Killing Machine" and "Running Wild" are rather strong too while "Rock Forever" hints at the more anthemic tunes that would be sprinkled throughout this band's albums in the 80s. Most of the rest are take-it-or-leave-it: "Evil Fantasies" is reminiscent of their darker past but not as impressively done, "Evening Star" has a huge chorus but little else to make it memorable and the football chant "Take on the World" is like "United" from British Steel, but worse.

What lets this album down in the end is inconsistency, but what saves it, ironically, is that Killing Machine is the first album to display what would later be recognised as the band's classic sound, a sound that would keep them at the top of the metal pile for well over a decade.

1. Delivering the Goods
2. Rock Forever
3. Evening Star
4. Hell Bent for Leather
5. Take on the World
6. Burnin' Up
7. Killing Machine
8. Running Wild
9. Before the Dawn
10. Evil Fantasies

Rating: 65%