Send "Judas Priest " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Although Judas Priest had already enjoyed an extraordinary career by 1979, with five landmark albums and a superb live album already behind them, what remained out of their grasp was the much sought-after American market. Sure, the Birmingham quintet had played a pivotal role in reshaping mid-‘70s heavy metal with Rainbow and Scorpions. The trifecta of Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, and Stained Class remains one of the most towering three-album runs in the genre’s history. However, for a band as preoccupied with global success as Priest was, innovation didn’t amount to a hill of beans if the US sales weren’t there. 1979’s superb Killing Machine (renamed Hell Bent For Leather in North America) streamlined the band’s sound considerably. Tracks like “Delivering the Goods” and “Evening Star” incorporated a strong pop element into the music, but it remained a rather dark album. Despite a pair of wickedly good covers in “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)” and “Diamonds and Rust”, the album was a commercial disappointment, barely making a dent Stateside. With a new generation of British heavy metalers set to steal the spotlight in 1980 (Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Diamond Head would release explosive debuts), it was imperative that if Judas Priest was going to make a statement, it had to happen immediately. The end result was the sleek, über-catchy British Steel, and it was the crossover success they’d been striving for all that time, peaking at a very respectable position at number 34 on the Billboard album chart. While it’s not the band’s best album, they’re still very proud of it because it was such a major turning point for them, and it remains a very popular title among their worldwide fanbase. So it’s no surprise that they’d celebrate its 30th anniversary like they have, presenting the album along with a DVD of a complete 2009 live set in which they play the album in its entirety....full text |
| Popdose |
| Two words come to mind when talking about Judas Priest’s landmark record British Steel; Hell yeah! Those two little words pretty much sum up the feeling I get every time I listen to the 1980 classic, without a doubt one of the best metal albums ever made. So the May 11th release of the 30th anniversary edition (holy crap, it’s been 30 years!) of the album is certainly an exciting moment. The retail version of this edition contains two discs. If you bought the 2001 remaster of British Steel with the two extra bonus tracks, “Red, White & Blue” and a live version of “Grinder” you might be a little disappointed to learn it’s the same album as part of this package with no new tracks added on. However, if you’re still one of those people that pull out the original LP, it’s certainly worth the cash to hear how powerful the remaster sounds. Always my favorite track from the record, “Grinder” is simply kick-ass on this edition and “Rapid Fire” is almost the perfect metal song. The second disc is a DVD of their August 17, 2009 concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena in Hollywood, Florida. On this tour they opened their show by playing British Steel in its entirety followed by a handful of other tracks to close out the show....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| In music, "genre defining" is a phrase limited to the very best albums. It’s a goal every artist strives for, but only a select few actually achieve. Judas Priest is one of those fortunate artists, and they first reached that plateau with 1980’s British Steel. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the album has been rereleased in both two- and three-disc versions. This review covers the two-disc version. Recorded at Tittenhurst Park, the former home of John Lennon, British Steel mixes hard-charging radio anthems such as “Living After Midnight” and “Breaking the Law” with blistering metal such as the album’s opener “Rapid Fire” and its closer “Steeler.” When Rob Halford sings, “pounding the world like a battering ram,” he isn’t kidding. The album grabs the listener by the throat from the opening buzz saw guitar licks and never lets go. This is the album that turned Priest into headliners after years of opening act status....full text |
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