Judas Priest - British Steel review
| Band: | Judas Priest |
| Album: | British Steel |
| Style: | Hard rock, Heavy metal |
| Release date: | April 1980 |
Disc I
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. Red, White & Blue [2001 re-release bonus]
11. Grinder [Live at Long Beach Arena, 5 May 1984] [2001 re-release bonus]
Disc II [CD] [Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena][30th Anniversary Edition bonus]
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. The Ripper
11. Hell Patrol
12. Victim Of Changes
13. Freewheel Burning
14. Diamonds & Rust [Joan Baez cover]
15. You've Got Another Thing Coming
Disc III [DVD] [Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena][30th Anniversary Edition bonus]
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. The Ripper
11. The Prophecy
12. Hell Patrol
13. Victim Of Changes
14. Freewheel Burning
15. Diamonds & Rust [Joan Baez cover]
16. You've Got Another Thing Coming
+ Interview: The Making Of British Steel [bonus]
Obviously not the best start into the 80's is this Judas Priest album, although it contains some of the bands classics such as 'Metal Gods', 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight', but even these songs have seen better times especially as on stage performances.
Nearly all songs on 'British Steel' fail to bring up the metal feeling that the 70's stuff did. The faster the songs the poorer they are, maybe Priest were still tired of their world tour when they recorded this album saying: hey let's make something slower.You can consider it better looking at it as a rock album (with slight american influences regarding the style, which is really irony of fate when you look at the title) than as a metal album. As a rock album it is fun listening, but not at all times, you should at least be in the mood!
Certainly the band has produced better albums, but if you want to collect all the Judas Priest albums you get at least some classics. The 70's sound has not changed yet, but it will in the following years. At this point let me just mention 'Screaming For Vengeance' from 1982 which is kind of a milestone in metal history. The two bonus tracks do not count for rating this album up, because one of them is a live version of the original material and the other is a very cheesy hymn really bad, no it's awful.
I don't know because back in 1980 I was just one year old, but if this album sold well, then only because it's so damn mainstream... or at least because of the band's success in the late seventies. There is no point liking it more than it deserves and it does not deserve too much.
Comments
Comments: 63
Visited by: 274 users
| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084  |
this probably is the most well-known album by them..but it has so many live classics: rapid fire,breaking the law,grinder,living after midnight... and rapid fire kicks so much ass!! pounding the world...like a battering ram... i'll rate this album 8 because aside from the songs mentioned above, there are almost no good songs here
Loading...
|
| Arian Totalis The Philosopher Posts: 3351  |
I disagree completely with the reviewer, I don't know what the hell kind of shrooms he ate, but Brittish Steel kicks Mucho Ass.
---- "For the Coward there is no Life For the hero there is No Death" -Kakita Toshimoko "The Philosopher, you know so much about nothing at all." _Chuck Schuldiner.
Loading...
|
| danzig111 Account deleted |
danzig111
Account deleted
^^^ Yeah, it's so classic  ...... really, I think Iron Markus is being a bit harsh, i think it deserves much more than a 5.
Loading...
|
| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13237  |
its good to see a negative review once in a while. it isnt good to see it for Judas Priest though i do agree with you - the 70's albums (apart from 'Rocka Rolla') are all better then this one i feel this album was their commercial breakthrough, so the songs are a bit less metal and more commercial - that doesnt automatically make then bad though, but it is still a step down from previous albums i wouldnt have given it five, i think thats maybe a bit too low. but i wouldnt have given it a super high rating either
Loading...
|
| danzig111 Account deleted |
Loading...
|
| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13237 |
haha - well listen to tracks like 'Exciter' 'Victim Of Changes' and 'Dissident Aggressor' there is nothing as heavy as them on 'British Steel'
Loading...
|
| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
I agree with the review, totally. except I wouldn't rate it 5 either, but I think I would give it a 6 at most. And, yes Markus, the only reason this album was so damn popular in the 80s is because it was just so fucking mainstream. Priest fans were complaining about the album as well at the time. Redeeming fact for this album are of course, Rapid Fire, Grinder, Steeler, and Breaking the Law, and btw, they should all still be shot for recording something as trite as United. My God, the average football has a better anthem than this hoorible piece of crap. Oh and bTW, YES this is LESS metal than their 70s material. this is pop-metal almost on par with Def Leppard.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
Loading...
|
| Opium Magnet Account deleted |
|
| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084 |
hey, it sold copies but at least it was good at some points btw have you never wondered why a band is liked 80-90% by people of a certain gender?(ex. judas priest, iron maiden, slayer for guys and nightwish, within temptation and <insert goth band here> for girls)
Loading...
|
| Valar IndianSteel Posts: 828  |
This is a great album i was totally trippin on the same when i made my Metalstorm account and thats y my Username is inspired by this great album.... A very sad review for this album has come JP classics like Breaking The Law, Metal Gods, Living After Midnight... I would give it a 8....
---- "It's a dangerous business, going out of your door, You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." - J.R.R. Tolkien, "Three Is Company," The Lord of the Rings
Loading...
|
| Basso Account deleted |
|
| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084 |
whatever but the gathering, tristania, theatre of tragedy... sorry for the offtopic fest 
Loading...
|
| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13237 |
Opium Magnet: i prefer 'Turbo' to this album! haha - i love the 'Turbo' album!
Loading...
|
| Bear88 Account deleted |
|
| Opium Magnet Account deleted |
Opium Magnet
Account deleted Written by Baz Anderson on 12.11.2006 at 19:19 Turbo was almost like pop music in a way 
Loading...
|
| Hyvaarin Posts: 1487  |
Sure it can't beat the 70s albums, but what can? And if you're suggesting that 'Rapid Fire' is a bad song...you've got another thing comin'.
---- "Summoned By Words Never Spoken Before..."
Loading...
|
| Lowelas OF FIRE Account deleted |
|
| Samuel550 Account deleted |
|
| IronBlackZepp Posts: 180  |
Ya this is not priests best, but I still love this album. This album did through me off because it was the second priest album I heard, the first was screaming for vengence. To me the two albums almost sounded like they were recorded by two different bands. But British Steel grew on me, now its just another great Priest album to me.
Loading...
|
| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
I like this album. I think its fun, and it has what I always liked in Judas Priest, heavy songs that are a good listen.
Loading...
|
| Nicko's Nose Posts: 486  |
Great review. This album is so fucking overrated... Can you believe that Priest went from awesome albums like Stained Class to this? I fail to understand why some people consider it to be Priest's best album. The songs are so ridiculously simple... Most of the songs have only 4 riffs in total and those riffs are nothing special compared to most of Priest's riffs from the 70's. Breaking The Law is so overrated, I used to like it, but I got bored of it fast... Some people think that it has an awesome chorus, but what's so awesome about it exactly? Its one of the least melodic choruses ever! Just say 'breaking the law' 8 times and you have the chorus. Living After Midnight is pretty catchy, but its just a generic and cheesy rock song... Ok, I guess that it wasn't generic in the 80's, but still... The best song on the album is definitely The Rage. It has a great riff and the verses are pretty catchy. Rapid Fire, Metal Gods and Grinder aren't bad either, but damn, they're really nothing special, there's nothing incredibly original about them, they aren't anywhere near as good as most of Priest's songs from the 70's. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise and Steeler are extremely forgettable. How can anyone prefer songs like Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight over songs like Exciter, Beyond The Realms Of Death, Victim Of Changes, Sinner, Starbreaker... ? Ok, I understand if you're a fan of mainstream music, but otherwise I don't. This album was nothing more than an attempt at becoming more famous. Thank god that they redeemed themselves with Screaming For Vengeance. Even Turbo is better than this album.
Loading...
|
| Jason W. Razorbliss Staff Posts: 3523  |
This album is definitely a lower point in the band's career; I think the review is accurate and justified! I only really care for "The Rage" and "Breaking The Law." And I still think the song "Grinder" is a song full of moronic lyrics that sang atop a repetitive riff that only is worse when it's added as a bonus track - so I had to sit through it again! Listening to this album on CD for the first time recently instead of on a cassette reminded me why I never bought the thing on CD in the first place. Thankfully I have yet to spend any money on this terrible listen and can use it towards buying albums where the band actually seems worth listening to for more than a few tracks...
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
Loading...
|
| Dangerboner Lactation Cnslt Posts: 7262  |
There's a few good songs on this, but for me it's their second worst album with Halford... maybe second worst overall.
Loading...
|
| Metalbound7 Posts: 229  |
Very overated album but it deserves much more than a 5 anyway. it have good songs. i would give it an 8/10 because its nothing special but i really enojoy every time that i listen ti this album
Loading...
|
| IronBlackZepp Posts: 180 |
Loading...
|
| DayFly Posts: 383  |
Written by Nicko's Nose on 18.06.2008 at 06:02 What's your gripe with You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise? In my opinion it's the catchiest, most anthemic thing the band ever released. Even people outside of metal like it and that's really an indication of timeless appeal.
Loading...
|
| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662  |
Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight, United, Red, White & Blue...those songs are so great... i finally stopped ignoring Judas Priest and this album is really great one imo
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
Loading...
|
| roger73 Posts: 20 |
|
| GamlaSonn Posts: 169 |
|
| SatyriconChick Posts: 248  |
I'm confused as to the rating for this album.  5 out of 10?? No way! Okay, so it has Priest's cheesiest song on it (at least to me, "Grinder" is pretty cheesy), but it's still a classic, awesome album!  I mean, how can you NOT love anthems like "Metal Gods" and "United?" I won't say British Steel is my favorite Priest album, but it's definitely not my least favorite, either.
Loading...
|
WoW, that was not easy to take in!
Hits total: 10681 | This month: 26