Angel Of Retribution

Artist: Judas Priest
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: DualDisc
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 827969396629
EAN: 0827969396629
ASIN: B0007MVXQG

Release Date: 2005-03-01

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Tracks:

Judas Rising
Deal With The Devil
Revolution
Worth Fighting For
Demonizer
Wheels Of Fire
Angel
Hellrider
Eulogy
Lochness

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Customer Reviews:

Priest Still Rocks!.......2007-03-05

Having grown up in the 80's when metal was pretty popular I became a big fan of JP. I don't buy too much music anymore, partially because I have issues with the RIAA criminals, as well as there just isn't much new stuff I like.
Any way this is some great stuff by JP, I kinda had doubts Rob could still sing so well, but he proved me wrong. I pretty much like all the songs, which is rare. Any priest fan should be pleased.

One bad thing about this "dual disc" is I was unable to even read the CD side of the disc on either of my computers (3 cd drives total). Which bummed me out as I wanted to copy to my Sansa player. So what I did was extract the music on my PS3, then copied it to a USB drive and back to a computer where I could copy it over to my Sansa.

Judas Priest is Rising.......2007-01-10

It's an amazing collection. Dark, somber, grinding, yet some of the pieces like Wheels of Fire have that catchy, pop quality like Screaming for Vengeance. And in concert. Unforgettable. Halford looked like some wild, sci-fi cross between Elton John, Uncle Fester, and Frankenstein, lurching around in these full-lengthed leather robes covered in mirrors, or studs, or chains. But I digress. The CD is a must have for the metalhead. My only slight complaint is that it's a tad skimpy with only 10 tracks.

It Grew On Me. Their Best Album since "British Steel".......2006-04-17

After leaving Judas Priest, Rob Halford formed 3 bands over the years (Fight, Two, & Halford) and produced several good albums. The remaining members of Judas Priest hired Tim "Ripper" Owens as their new lead singer and that's all I know about that. Now, they've reunited. All the members are
here: Vocalist Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, guitarist K.K. Downing,
and bassist Ian Hill. They've also recruited former-Fight drummer Scott Travis who is the best drummer the band has ever had. The first time I listened to this album, I didn't like it. The second time, I have a lot more appreciation for it. All the songs are good, their lyrics are a lot better. Rob Halford's voice is still amazing and he can do so many things with it. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing keep the ripping guitar duelings going. Ian Hill creates that perfect rhythm wall and Scott Travis plays drums faster than any drummer I've seen in a while. The track list is:

1. Judas Rising
2. Deal With the Devil
3. Revolution
4. Worth Fighting For
5. Demonizer
6. Wheels of Fire
7. Angel
8. Hellrider
9. Eulogy
10. Loch Ness

"Judas Rising" is awesome. It starts off quietly and grows, until Rob Halford comes out with a glorious and triumpant scream. "Deal With the Devil" is catchy and Tipton & Downing are at the top of their game in the guitar section. In "Revolution" Rob Halford's voice sounds killer! "Worth Fighting For" is a bit slower than the previous songs, but still killer. "Demonizer" has some cool lyrics and the note Rob Halford hits at the end of the song is unreal. "Wheels of Fire" is one of the best songs on the album. "Angel" has some beautiful lyrics. "Hellrider" is the best song on the album and Scott Travis is a madman on drums. "Eulogy" is the weakest track, but has good lyrics. Then the 10+ minute "Loch Ness" is a Priest masterpiece. The lyrics are really dark and cool, everything about this song is great. Also, the CD is a dualdisc so you can flip it over and watch a 30 minute "Reunited" special where the band talks about how they got back together. There's also clips of concert performances of some of their best songs. But, this album is truly a masterpiece and a great heavy metal release. This album is almost as good as
"British Steel" & "Hellbent for Leather".

GRADE: A-

Not up to their own standards........2006-02-02

I am a huge Priest fan. Compared to modern metal, this album is not bad at all. Also, this band is over 30 years old and for them to continue to support (and write) good metal until today is quite an achievement. Too bad this album does not quite delivers.
It starts in a promising way with "Judas Rising" - which is a good track per se, with all that loud powerful riffage and strong vocals by 'metal god' Rob. It uses a lot of distortion (not my cup of tea), even in the solo - setting the tone for the rest of the album. This track is something different from what you would expect at first, but it is cool and all - just not that instant all-time classic that many fans want it to be. Then I waited for those songs with that unique Priest kick-ass sound, but they never come, unfortunately.
But there are some other highlights. "Worth Fighting For" shows some excellent restrained vocals by Halford. "Wheels of Fire" is another bike anthem and i think it rocks in its simplicity. I can't think of any other, maybe "Hellrider". Priest said they wanted to sound retro with this album, but it is not quite the case - some tracks ("Demonizer" is a good example of this) just sound too much like Ripper era and Halford's Crucible - with industrial or similar modern stuff influences. I blame it on the producer Roy Z and the band own obsessions with those heavy but boring genres of metal which they flirted with during the 90's. Some tracks are just lame, like the dull anthem "Revolution" and the head-scratching experiment named "Lochness". The latter is just long for the sake of being long, because it does not have any interesting progression or tempo change or anything to justify its 13 minutes of boredom. Let's just not talk about the lyrics. Spinal Tap, indeed.
The album is just 10 tracks long and they want to throw obvious filler like "Eulogy"? It is just a semi decent piano passage being repeated over and over for 3 minutes with silly references to past works in the lyrics - lack of inspiration, maybe? They should've left this track in the studio. I bet they had better songs that didn't make the cut - or had they? The ballad "Angel" takes a long time to get somewhere and when it does it is just not worthy. Fast ones like "Deal with the Devil" are decent tracks and are delivered in a competent way, but are not very inspired and wear thin after some repeated listenings. Actually, that is a good summary for the whole CD. The riffs and solos are well done, but few, if not none, are all that memorable. But really, all criticism aside, the hype is what brings this album down. It is just a good album, not great, fellas. Priest can definitely do better. I really expect the next album to be a much better effort.

Exceptional, astonishing, incredibele, awesome!.......2005-10-18

When I heard that Judas Priest had put out a new album, I was a little apprehensive. A lot of modern music is very bland, as nearly everything sounds alike. But, I had faith in Priest, and bought the Dual Disc version of "Angel of Retribution," and I couldn't be happier that I did so.

"Angel of Retribution" is one of only two albums that vie, in my mind at least, for the title of "Best Album of my High School Graduation Year." It's THAT good. I was first turned on to the album about a week ago, when I heard of its release on the Internet. I am a recent Priest convert. (My Ma, actually, is the one who got me hooked on them, (she graduated in '83, so it's no wonder) when we watched the "You've got Another thing Comin'" video on VH1 Classic. I thought, "Those cats are pretty cool," and subsequently purchased the "Metal Works" anthology.) I was pleased with what I heard on that release, and wondered what Preist would sound like now. The answer to my pondering turned out to be "better than ever!"

This album stands out from the vast majority of music released in 2005, as it shows a unique originality that is modern, yet definitely old-school. In short, it is a nostalgist's paradise and a modern head-banger's heaven. The overall tone of the album is very dark, in a twisted-Church sort of way. There is a rugged, demonic (but not mind-numbing) quality to most of the tracks, and flaming guitar riffs (welcome in an era of tasteless power chords) conjure images of Hell and destruction. The frequent links to older Priest albums and songs, while slightly annoying, serve to remind old fans of great Priest works of the past and clues in new fans (like me) to old gems.

I will attempt to review a few of my favorite tracks, for to give prospective buyers an insight into this incredible album.

The first track, appropriately titled, is "Judas Rising." It is a hellish and LOUD announcement that "Priest is back!" The song slowly builds, with an intriguing, mournful, and somewhat Church-like guitar solo. Just as the guitars reach maximum volume, the drums descend upon you like the walls of Hell crashing down, as Halford emits a classic nut-popping shriek. The driving beat and roaring vocals take the listener up with the Betrayer as he rises from the Inferno. Blazing solos against demonic power chords envelop the listener before Halford delves into an even more hellish vocalization of the final refrain, screaming Judas' arrival as all Hell breaks loose before the sharp ending. Incredible.

"Revolution," although not my favorite track, is destined to be a classic Metal-rally song. "If you think it's over/better think again/there'll be no compromise..." There is an inherent toughness throughout that makes this song kick some serious butt. It has a classic Metal-structure, but with the harshness and vitality of more modern Metal. This should be a prize for fans of old metal and younger audiences alike.

My favorite song on this CD is that which many people complain about, "Loch Ness." The song is 13 minutes and 29 seconds long. In the hands of any other modern artist, such a long piece would be an incredible, tasteless drag. Not so with Priest. The song begins darkly, quietly, and somewhat mournfully, as a fuzzed-out guitar wails a powerfully-hollow solo to the slower, sadder strumming of another guitar. Then, a louder, even more fuzzed-out guitar takes hold, in an excellent (slightly-stoner) solo, joined by a second guitar, and shortly both guitars plunge into a doom-y, foreboding sequence of fuzzy power chords. Halford makes his entrance with especially menacing vocals, as he describes the dark, mist-covered Scottish Loch and the mysterious creature "with eyes set coals of fire" that makes it its lair. He pleads, power raging in his voice, to the lake to "protect monstrosity" and to "confess your terror of the deep." The music then breaks into hellish high-pitched guitar-solo pyrotechnics set atop dark power chords and heavy drums, and then breaks into quiet, unnervingly dark tranquility as Halford, in an entrancing style, croons soothingly, in near-lullaby fashion, "your secret lies safe with me." Then, quite suddenly, the music returns to its loud, infernal roar as Halford sings the final refrain and chorus, leaving the guitars to finish it off (they do so brilliantly). It is, all in all, a truly intriguing piece, and a real gem of creative songwriting.

In conclusion, this is an excellent comeback album by the greatest Metal band ever. Every song on the album is high-quality, and are refreshingly unique in an era of musical conformity. Buy it.

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