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British Steel

Judas Priest

1980

British Steel

Album Summary

British Steel is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980 by Columbia Records. It was the band's first album to feature Dave Holland on drums.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.3

Votes

6568

Genres

  • Metal
  • Hard Rock
Reviews
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Fri Oct 16 2020
5

Man, 80s metal is so hit and miss. But THIS was a hit. Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC defined a whole genre and spawned a dozen half-assed offshoots (coughHairMetalcough). This album is an absolute face-ripping example of the style and I love it. Normally, I comment on guitar tones but the real stand out on this album is the drummer. Dave Holland keeps things tight and crispy without the drums feeling overproduced. The whole tone and feel of the album is built on his nearly mechanical but powerful approach to his drums. Not much else to say. Just a great frikkin' album.

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Tue Sep 07 2021
5

I was torn between giving a 4-star vs. a 5-star review. I bounced of Judas Priest throughout my life; I always thought they were a little cheesy. But, giving this album a critical listen, I can see where I was wrong.

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Tue Sep 28 2021
4

This was the tits but did get a little samey. Deffo gonna listen to more JP

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Tue Dec 08 2020
5

Classic British heavy metal album

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

Now here we go! I'm not going to lie, I haven't listened to a lot of heavy metal albums in their entirety ("heavy metal" in this case referring to the specific metal genre of heavy metal instead of the colloquial definition describing most aggressive music as heavy metal), but I think it is safe to say that this is the best heavy metal album I've listened to. I've sang the lyrics "Breaking the law, breaking the law," since I was a kid, after watching Beavis and Butt-Head sing it when Beavis chopped off Butt-Head's fingertip with a chainsaw. Anyway, one of the interesting things about this album being so good is that it is apparently the band's 6th release. In my experience the vast majority of bands are in decline at that point in their career, so it's cool to see such an iconic release at that stage of their career. My personal enjoyment: 4/5 Did it belong on this list: 4/5

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Thu Feb 25 2021
4

An absolute solid album with some great tracks. I think this album is a great representation of the genre, the sound, the messages, all of it. I will definitely be giving this album another run through to hear some of the lyrics again.

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Wed Mar 03 2021
4

British Power metal, can see how Ozzy/Black Sabbath influenced these guys. Also motor head vibes. Yeh dope, 4 stars (just about...)

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Wed Mar 02 2022
4

I like some heavy metal, always did. But I was always put off by NWOBHM, especially the dual guitar attack, wannabe Beethoven compositional approach of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. At first listen, this was no exception; I dismissed the first two tracks as totally insignificant, but acknowledged the classic status of Breaking The Law; Argentinean band Riff has a song from 1985, Dios Devorador, which features the exact same riff as Grinder; of course I am not saying that Judas Priest ripped off an Argentinean band, pretty much the opposite, but having known the Riff song for many years made Grinder sound more familiar to my ears. What with United? Isn't that a corny song? Were they attempting to re-write We Are The World for a metalheads crowd? Geez, that's horrible! On to You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise, great title but too long to re-type. Living After Midnight seems to give a template to a whole bunch of too-many-hair-metal-bands that were to come soon, especially out of LA. The Rage is really interesting! A reggae-like guitar, bass and drums intro that soon morphs into a classic metal, bluesy groove and comes back in the middle of the song; this one should have been huge, that's unfair. All along I can't help but think about some 80s movies with rebel teens in them or some kind of horror, and that's fun! And this is the whole point: British Steel comes up as a thing of its time. A second listen reveals some more details that make the experience more entertaining. Suddenly Rapid Fire seems to hint at the thrash that were still to come a few years later; Metal Gods is a headbanging anthem in the most irresistible way. Grinder still sounds great and even more so. I still don't like United though and I guess I never will, while the patriotic Red White And Blue could have been written by Ted Nugent were he British I guess. Let's face it: with its macho-ish, tough guy imagery of fire, steel, and epics, heavy metal hasn't aged well, but British Steel is still a lot of fun to listen to if only at an entertaining level; if you still listen to this with teenage conviction, that's ok honey, there's nothing wrong with you... but I would be worried. (*Hides underneath the table in order to call the psychiatric hospital*) 

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Mon Jan 18 2021
3

3/5 decent but didn't fully hold my interest. Definitely dated by now but can see where it would sit in general rock history

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Tue Jun 14 2022
3

This album is from a definite place and time. Not sure it holds up all that well even though there are a couple of great songs here. Don't think I'd listen to the album again though.

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Mon Oct 17 2022
3

I somewhat like this, but is sounds very dated. You listen to this and then Master of Puppets by Metallica (86) or Appetite for Destruction by GNR (87) and this feels 25 years older...

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Tue Nov 01 2022
3

Influential 80’s metal album, better metal albums would come off the back of this, and does sound a bit dated and cheesy now.

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Thu May 06 2021
1

I cannae really be that eloquent here, just shite.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
5

🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘. Best track: Breaking the Law

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Wed Apr 07 2021
5

The riffs, the metal. It had me

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Sat Jan 02 2021
5

Very nice, been a long time since I listened to that :)

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Quintessential heavy metal album. A must.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

A lot of great songs in this album. First time listening to this album admin couldn’t get enough of it

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Mon Jan 18 2021
5

Very metal, gets me going- third beer hits just right kinda energy

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

Brilliant from start to finish

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

🤟Labi gabali

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Mon Jan 25 2021
5

A great metal album that maintains musicality and a powerful lead voice. Get pumped

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Thu Jul 22 2021
5

Short, effective, energetic. A great rock album!

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Mon Mar 29 2021
5

Hard rock meets NWOBHM in an album that gets the best of both worlds. All-time classic!

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Tue Mar 09 2021
5

Cool metal album

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Sat May 22 2021
5

One of my top ten albums!

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Thu Mar 04 2021
5

A ton of fun. The hits were great, but a number of other tunes I'd never heard that frankly never got their due.

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Tue May 11 2021
5

Wow! I've never really been into metal but this was great!

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Wed Jun 09 2021
5

Can't go wrong with Judas Priest.

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Sat May 08 2021
5

Real banger. Great for traveling, west coast, and out in the wilderness. Good for on way to destination. High energy throughout.

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Tue May 18 2021
5

ah yeah (in metal voice)

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Tue May 25 2021
5

An absolute perfect encapsulation of 80s heavy metal. Every track is fierce, powerful, and surprisingly accessible. Rob Halford has the best range in metal and it shines through this whole album.

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Tue Jun 08 2021
5

Classic

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Fri Jul 23 2021
5

Wow, wasn't really into Judas back in the day but really appreciate this now!

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Sun Aug 08 2021
5

This album fucking rocks so hard.

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Wed Aug 18 2021
5

This is an awesome 80's heavy metal album. An album with some meat to it! Songs like Metal Gods, Grinder, United not to mention the two great singles Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight. Great from beginning to end. Easy 5 for me.

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Thu Sep 02 2021
5

Een van de meest belangrijke heavy metal albums, bijna perfect

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Tue Sep 14 2021
5

Fucknig Judas Priest

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Thu Sep 16 2021
5

-Just a strong album -Obviously "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" are great. Other tracks I liked were "Rapid Fire," "Metal Gods," "Grinder," and "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise"

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Thu Sep 16 2021
5

Best

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Fri Sep 17 2021
5

YES!

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Mon Sep 27 2021
5

Very good

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Thu Oct 07 2021
5

This is one of the greatest metal albums ever made, best among the best. It should be on anyone's short list who wants to get into this genre. It also has great mainstream appeal as metal albums go. Judas Priest adeptly straddles that line between metal and classic blues rock. I think that ultimately it gives a more timeless quality to the music. There's a reason you hear Judas Priest on classic rock radio more than you will hear most metal bands. But make no mistake, this music rocks hard, and how. Priest opened the door for metal that was actually metal, not just hard English blues. Music got harder, darker and faster after these guys showed up. Rob Halford is riveting as a vocalist. Piercing, growling, screaming, commanding, the man can do anything he wants with that voice. Oh and, lordy, those guitar solos are insane. That double barreled guitar assault by Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing defined their sound, and probably launched a hundred bands. Tight, powerful rhythm section manned by Dave Holland and Ian Hill. No bad songs, no filler, just an album full of beautifully crafted metal. So much fun to listen to, and it just freaking rocks. Fave Songs: Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight, The Rage, Steeler

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Fri Oct 22 2021
5

So metal

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Wed Oct 27 2021
5

Metal

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Tue Nov 02 2021
5

Great metal album; has some songs I love, and no songs I dislike. Definitely not my FAVORITE album by Judas Priest, but still great. I've been a fan of them for a little while and prefer some of their other work. I love their unique, sleek metal sound; they were pioneers of the genre for sure, and this album definitely deserves a listen imo. This album has great vocal performances and catchy riffs, and the percussion is quite fantastic. I definitely like them better than the other the pop hard rock/metal bands of their era, like ACDC. I loved "The Rage." This one could grow on me a bit more perhaps, but for now I think I'll give it a 4. Almost a 5. Its a 5!

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Fri Nov 05 2021
5

Heavy metal. Dos megahits. Vinilo.

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Fri Nov 05 2021
5

It's very gentle, I expected something heavier. +1 star for the album cover

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Mon Nov 15 2021
5

45 mins of pure headbanging heavy metal. Bonus point for British way of lyrics writing. Favourite tracks: Rapid Fire, Breaking the Law, You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise, The Rage.

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Mon Nov 22 2021
5

hell yeah

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Mon Nov 29 2021
5

INJECT THE METAL DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS GRRRRRRRRRRRR

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Mon Jan 24 2022
5

High school vibes 4 me!

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Tue Jan 25 2022
5

I loved it.

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Sat Jan 29 2022
5

J’adore, du bon metal dun des meilleur groupe. 5

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Sat Apr 02 2022
5

Classic album from one of the founding bands of NWOBHM

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Tue Apr 19 2022
5

One of the best examples of best heavy metal albums!

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Mon Apr 25 2022
5

A really lively enjoyable thrash/metal album that features some amazing guitar playing by Glenn Tipton. What really struck me is how polished and tight the arrangements are and they really know how to build a song up to a climax. Rob Halford on vocals has a great range, sings in a number of styles and knows how to use his voice as effective instrument. I would sooner listen to him over someone like Robert Plant! The production is crisp and bold, there's a few neat effects here and there and the guitar solos are tasteful (i.e. they don't ramble). There's not much to fault on this album, which was an unexpected pleasure and is going on my discovery list. Cool cover artwork as well. Great stuff.

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Tue May 10 2022
5

Metal clássico, raiz.

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Thu May 12 2022
5

Where heavy metal sometimes falters, in its inevitable sameness that overtakes most albums, Judas Priest I think shines. Every song on this album was a joy to listen to, some obviously more than others like 'Breaking the Law' and 'You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise.' Judas Priest just does something for me that other musicians don't. They're strangely calming in their intensity, and British Steel is perhaps the best showcase of what they offer. Fantastic album, fantastic band. 5/5.

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Tue May 24 2022
5

Metalklassieker! zalig headbangen, en af en toe wat kalmer nummer. Ik vind dit een fantastisch album

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Fri May 27 2022
5

Rob Halford has one of the greatest metal voices of all time and this album showcases it perfectly. He does such a good job at everything a rock vocalist could want. Powerful chest voice, legendary shrieking high register yell, incredible finesse with when to release his voice and also when to keep it tame and build the tension. He's also a pioneer for gay men in rock and I think he probably single handedly made the biggest difference in heavy metal fans' outlook on accepting gay people into the culture. He's flamboyant in his own way- he doesn't make it his whole personality or make it a point that sees him stand out from others / take the attention away from the music. And yet at the same time he wears a ton of stereotypical biker leather with spikes (the whole band does as well- and the rest of the band are straight men) and has a "I'm gay, you don't give a fuck, let's jam" attitude. I love it. I once went to an Ozzfest when I was like 14 and Ozzy was set to sing with Black Sabbath, with Priest being the act right before Sabbath. Ozzy was sick and couldn't perform. Rob Halford sang the Sabbath set. One of the most amazing moments for a fan of metal to witness. I simply love this album, this act, and the musicians. When I hear Priest I think nothing can stop me- nothing can fuck with what I'm doing.

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Mon Jun 13 2022
5

Great album!

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Sat Jul 30 2022
5

I’ve avoided this album for 42 years. Another one my older sister owned, but when I borrowed this I quickly returned it. I’ve avoided Judas Priest ever since. What the hell was wrong with me?! I LOVE THIS!! I loved every song! These guys know their way around those instruments. The guitars and drums are fantastic. And those vocals - hits the high notes with great harmonies! What a great album! Given my absolute love BRITISH STEEL maybe its time to reassess everything…

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Thu Sep 08 2022
5

Classic heavy metal album.

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Mon Sep 19 2022
5

🤘

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Sun Sep 25 2022
5

Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight are obviously great, but Rapid Fire and Steeler are great opening and closing tracks. United is slower and more accessible, but has really has a solid groove and is a nice showcase for Ian Hill and Dave Holland. I'm not a big metal guy, but this is a top shelf album, and is a really nice representation of the genre as a whole.

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Tue Oct 04 2022
5

Auténtico discazo de uno de los precursores del heavy metal británico. Canciones con ritmo y auténticos temazos

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Tue Oct 11 2022
5

Easy 5, but thankful to listen again. I'm very familiar with Judas Priest, but not this album as a whole. Groovy, poppy, heavy metal! There's some 3 star songs, but a lot more 5+ stars.

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Tue Oct 11 2022
5

What Tom Dyke said…

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Mon Oct 17 2022
5

Heavy metal. Dos megahits. Vinilo.

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

I mean it’s Priest, what needs to be said. It’s amazing music.

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Fri Dec 09 2022
5

Rock Album...Gives Energy While Listening...Added to fav.

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Tue Dec 13 2022
5

Well balanced berween metal and ballads. Would love more high tempo tracks though

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Wed Dec 14 2022
5

I absolutely love Priest and this album was what started it for me. When the first song you ever hear from a band is "Living After Midnight".....yeah....game OVER. I can't believe that "United" never became an anthem played at sports stadiums everywhere.

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Sat Dec 17 2022
5

cool

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Wed Dec 28 2022
5

Baita album

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Fri Jan 06 2023
5

The OG of heavy metal. At 42 years old, it's still a very listenable album. 11/10.

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Thu Feb 23 2023
5

Le mostre el album a mi viejo y m dijo que este album es PURO METAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL. me desgusto la noticia q era rock, pero este album encabezo la ola del heavy metal a principio de los ochentas y coloco al hevy metal en la escala mas epica, me encanto. 9/10

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Sun Mar 05 2023
5

JUDAS PRIEST!! ROB HALFORD!!!

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Wed Mar 08 2023
5

Judas Priest is a formative band for me, so of course I love this album. Still incredible

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Wed Apr 07 2021
4

You can’t kill the metal

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Tue Dec 22 2020
4

Wasn't exactly what I was expecting from Judas Priest. I'm more familiar with Painkiller and that "side" of Judas. And Christians were up in arms about this band? Did they even listen to the albums? I loved the drums and the vocals, two iconic sounds, on likely an iconic album.

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Mon Jan 18 2021
4

Dece

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Thu Jul 22 2021
4

Great mix of hard guitar riffs and still somewhat melodic

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Thu Jan 21 2021
4

Starts real strong. Good Record. Not my thing.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

Gnarly

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Fri Apr 16 2021
4

7

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

🤘🏻Al fin algo de Rock. Es increíble pensar que esto es casi casi contemporáneo a otras cosas soporíferas que hemos oído. Es divertido también darse cuenta que hace 40 años esto era llamado "pesado" y hay rolas muy poperas y hasta cursis como la de United.

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

Heavy Metal demasiado Heavy para su época a mi parecer, varias canciones repetitivas pero que banda no las tiene. Sus riffs me parecieron bastante movidos pues se comienza a escuchar el speed

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

De los álbumes que hemos escuchado hasta ahora este destaca, no sólo por el género, sino porque escucharlo me puso de buenas, con energía y ganas de hacer cosas. Es interesante pensar que en su época probablemente se consideraba música muy “ruda” o “pesada”, pero ahora hasta podrías ponerla de fondo para estudiar.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
4

Rick on

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

Fun, great metal guitar, give another go someday

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Thu Jan 14 2021
4

Not an album I ever would've sought out but yeah, there are some bangers on here. Rapid Fire is sick. I don't know if I liked anything else as much as it though. I know when it came out this was like METAL. But it feels kind of Dad-Rock in 2021. This isn't to say it wasn't great, it's just interesting how time changes perceptions.

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Fri Feb 26 2021
4

Great, classic metal !

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

Un disco para agitar la cabeza de inicio a fin. Pareciera estar organizado en 2 bloques, cada uno de 4 canciones más pesadas que la quinta, lenta y con tintes de himno (United, Red white & blue). No solo rockean duro sino que presenta momentos muy melódicos que contrastan perfecto con las partes más agresivas del disco. Muy balanceado y entretenido. Tracks: Living after midnight, The rage, Metal gods y la obvia Breaking the law

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Fri Feb 26 2021
4

This was fun - give me a trans am and see what happens - 8.2 - first time listening all the way thru

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Thu Jan 21 2021
4

Sehr geiler, sehr ursprünglicher Hard-Rock. Geht ab!

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Wed Jun 09 2021
4

Some classic tunes on here, love some 80's metal 🤘

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Wed Jul 14 2021
4

Nice, always liked Judas Priest. This is often regarded as their masterpiece, and I'm trying to figure out why. Don't get me wrong, there are genuine bangers on here, I just don't feel it hitting the same highs as Screaming for Vengeance does for me. Still, a great album and a very enjoyable listen, even if some of the tracks start to run together. Good old-fashioned heavy metal. Also "Breaking the Law" is a song I know very well thanks to Adventureland. Feel like I'm giving a lot of 4's lately, but that means the list is working like it should. Favorite tracks: Breaking the Law, United, Metal Gods, The Rage, Grinder. Album art: Definitely iconic. I prefer some of their more cartoony covers, like Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith (what a cover), but this one is bold and instantly recognizable for me. Sort of reminds me of the hand we saw on the SOAD self-titled. 4/5

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

Interesante disco. Hay canciones que podrían ser cercanas al pop, al hard rock ligero y los riffs que ya apuntan a algo más heavy. Rolas: grinder y steeler

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