British Steel

Somewhere around the intersection of Maiden, Sabbath, Purple, and Motorhead sit these. Side one in particular goes hard. It will engage your inner Beavis, if you have one 🤘

Great metal record, personally I rate Screaming for Vengeance and Painkiller a little bit higher. 4/5

Obvi

Classic late 70’s, early 80’s British Metal. Love it! Very much in the vein of early Maiden who I am sure must have been influenced by Judas Priest. Can’t compare to other Priest albums as I have never listened to any but I will after this.

fajnie sie sluchalo spoko rzecz ale to united jalby nie pasowalo

Rapid Fire - 72 Metal Gods - 67 Breaking The Law - 62 Grinder - 64 United - 61 You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise - 66 Living After Midnight - 68 The Rage - 64 Steeler - 63 British Steel - 63

Good album but it made me crave Screaming For Vengeance. 3.0

After releasing five albums in the 1970s, British Steel catapulted Judas Priest into the mainstream. It also became one of the defining records of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal along with bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, Diamond Head, and Motörhead. It's also notable for eschewing the band's previously technical approach for a more straightforward, arena ready formula. As such, British Steel is a smash mouth, riff heavy, double bass drum wrecking ball that became an instant fan favorite and still holds a place of respect to this day. Tracks like Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight are synonymous with the name Judas Priest and represent how iconic this 1980 release truly was. Red, White, and Blue stands as the one song on the otherwise great record that is just too much for me, leaning far too much into schmalzy overindulgence. Luckily it's at the end and easily skipped, so no real harm done 🤷‍♂️

It’s actually a 7

Pretty fun

2.4. Not really my style but Breaking the Law sticks with ya

Algunas canciones bien otras muy sin mas

Its just not my genre I guess. This wasnt BAD, it was just uninspired.

The songwriting in terms of progressions are pretty repetitive, and the whole album feels like one song. I know this album's influential, but Iron Maiden was rocking even heavier the same year way better. This whole listen is just kinda John Metal the whole time, and nothing is really blowing me away or perking my ears to any extent. The guitar riffs are pretty bland along with the drum grooves; it's just an incredibly elementary album musically. Breaking the Law is a pretty cool song, but other than that the singles blend in with the filler, which is very prominent and obvious due to the repetitive song structures. The last three tracks are absolutely incredible, shocking my bored ass awake. Good potential here, especially knowing what's coming soon for the band and the genre.

niet mijn muziek beetje repetitief maar wel echt enjoyable

It's a solid metal record from a legendary British Band. Rob Halford is undoubtedly one of the best metal vocalists of all time if not the number one best. There are also some cool guitar riffs. Living After Midnight is the standout track and, as soon as the familiar drum came in, I knew I was going to have to give it a good score just for that. Having said this, not every single song is memorable. I feel this album as a whole is not the most consistently great of Judas Priest's discography - that accolade goes to Painkiller in my opinion. So they would go on to make even better music later. Nonetheless, this is well worth a listen for fans of hard rock/metal.

Ha

Don't batter down my doors

Solid hard rock album

Wasn't sure what to make of this. Usually try and avoid JP. But was surprised it wasn't as mindnumbing as anticipated. Quite like it in parts.

7/10

Solid all-around metal album from one of the pioneers, but definitely lacks variety. A band that knows what they're good at and really sticks to it.

Not sure

It doesn’t matter how many Metal albums this list throws up it just isn’t gonna be a favourite of mine. This is passable though

Amazing 🤩

This band was dangerous back in the day. I avoided the people who wore their patches on denim jackets, because they liked to use their fists and they smelled bad. Today, it doesn't seem so threatening - more hard rock than metal. Some great riffs including Breaking The Law, but nothing really groundbreaking. They helped move the future sound of heavy metal, but only incrementally

Classic metal kicks butt.

Vaikka British Steel on ihan kelpo levykäinen, se ei edusta Judas Priestiä parhaimmillaan. Breaking the Law on levyn paras biisi, Living After Midnight, United ja Metal Gods ovat kivoja ja tarttuvia hard rock-veivauksia ja loput biisit ovat unohdettavia. Kymmenen vuotta myöhemmin julkaistu Painkiller-albumi olisi ollut nappivalinta tälle listalle sekä 80-luvun metalliklassikot Screaming for Vengeance ja Defenders of the Faith. British Steel on hiukan yliarvostettu.

A great band with a sound that works just as well almost 50 years on as it did when released. Although it isn't viewed as really tough metal music by todays standars the bad really paved the way for so many others to come.

I still have “Breaking the Law” in some playlist or another and listen to it every now and then. I don’t find the song particularly interesting, though—but it’s still more interesting than the rest of the album. Heavy metal isn’t my favorite genre anyway, and this album isn’t going to change my mind about that. You can give it a listen, but you don’t have to. 3/5

Ya this shit is fire

breaking the law is awesome, the rest is far from priest's best

The three hit singles were enough to make me think this was a new band when I was ten. I had no idea of the darker swords and sorcery imagery of earlier albums and this album (courtesy of some good exposure on Tiswas I recall!) helped to promote the NWOBHM era. The opening track clearly had significant influence on Bruce Dickenson but most of it is nice and streamlined for rock radio, I actually find 'United' a little clawing compared to the excellent living after midnight and breaking the law. An iconic album cover and a classic albums programme to boot.......

1980 heavy metal, shorter less complex, less dark- palatable Living after midnight Breaking the law

Que grande rompiendo la ley, si no fuera por aspen no la conocería.

I appreciate this has some good melodies which elevates it over a lot of the metal on this list. That said it is still not my cup of tea.

3.3

I totally thought "Breaking the Law" was not a real song. As a whole it was pretty good, a little samey though.

Amazing!

enjoyed it more than I thought I would. "Metal Gods" and "Breaking the Law" are highlights. "Red, White & Blue" would have been better left off as an outtake. ultimately don't see myself circling back to this, compared to Black Sabbath's Paranoid, which I put on repeat like 4 times the first time I listened to it.

Man, I woulda given this a 5. It’s got enough variety in the grooves and killer guitar and vocals with no lyrics that make you think too much about them. Hard rock that goes hard. And then you’ve got “United” and “Red, White, and Blue” which seem made to feature in a Chuck Norris movie, laughably out of sync with the rest. 4.5

Gosh this sure does feel like a cornball album. I thought these guys were heavy metal but there’s more blood in KISS’s dick-cock-graphy than this music. Party’s over, Judas Priest is on

Consulted my metal head friend before listening. He said: “Classic album, probably in their top 5 albums, though still head and shoulders above a lot of their contemporaries. You've already heard at least a few songs on that album and it's for a reason” He was right. I especially recognized Breaking the Law somewhere. All of the songs felt like well-produced metal and hard rock faire. I accidentally listened to a re-release that included an oddly patriotic anthem tacked to the end. All in all, great bangers but not achieving the top tier of truly great music that I feel like a 5 star would warrant.

I love that there are people who think that this is “bad ass.”

I used to go to church with this wonderful weirdo--a true original--named Pross who always wore a durag (he's a white ginger, in case you were wondering) and who often, between Sunday school and service, showed me unreleased metal songs that he recorded on his phone. He didn't really play any instruments (he could rip out some notes on the electric bass), so he pulled the instrumentals off YouTube. I know now his search terms: "Judas Priest-type beat." I hope he's well, wherever he is. This is way more..."God Save The Queen"...than I expected? I'm sure I'm missing the point.

Pretty good, but "United" & "Red, White, & Blue" are surprisingly regressive. I guess these guys were contrarians or something.

love

Quintessential heavy metal

It's funny to think this would have been considered dangerous back in the day as it is rather silly to take this seriously now. It is not as dumb or corny as some of the hair metal dross that would come out later in the decade though. The music for the most part is well played despite some of the more eye-rolling lyrics. Rob Halford commands your attention and is an excellent metal vocalist. Everyone knows "Breaking The Law", but songs such as "United", "Grinder" and "Living After Midnight" were other highlights.

Great heavy metal. I really like the guitar riffs and solos. The songs are very energetic, and—unlike many similar bands—it really doesn't feel like you're listening to the same song over and over again throughout the entire album.

Appreciated what was going on more often than not. Straight forward metal tracks very competently put together. Funny to learn about the creativity that went into their "Sampling" which endeared me to the way these guys were going about creating this album. Some of the songs didn't land for me but overall the hard drum, guitar & vocal rhythm they are laying down works. Discovered a few songs I hadn't heard of and liked them enough to add to highlights so worthwhile time.

Honestly WAY exceeded my expectations but to be fair, my expectations were horrible for this album. Not half bad for some 80s hair band / metal / rock / whatever you wanna call it. Not my cup of tea but honestly not unlistenable.

I don’t have much to say since they’ve never clicked with me despite being a lover of metal. I enjoy listening to them, I just never get that itch to keep listening after it’s over.

Listening session: october 1st, while doing the dishes Listened to before: no Thoughts: fine 80s metal but nothing stood out to me Favourite tracks: Rapid Fire & The Rage

Potente, pero sin fuerza significativa si lo pongo en contraste con otras contribuciones de metal de épocas similares Breaking The Law es un gran clásico, pero después de ahí nada memorable en este momento a mis oídos Merece la pena reescucharlo, puede que crezca en uno con el tiempo Quizás no es su mejor producto, quizás hay más que hayan entregado antes o después por descubrir, por eso me arriesgo a ponerles ese 2

Honestly pretty disappointed with this one. Kinda cheesy heavy metal, doesn't really show off Halford's chops at singing. Obviously there some good stuff on here like Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight, but the rest is just perfectly OK heavy metal. Honestly, the pick should have been Screaming for Vengeance, with Judas Priest getting a second album in Painkiller.

Yeah I mean it's fine. I think metal just isn't really my thing though. I do want to thank the band's Wikipedia page for introducing me to the acronym "NWOBHM" which is maybe the worst one of all time (in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way)

nothing to latch onto here really 6.5/10 best song - you dont have to be old to be wise

Ok so this is another one I already enjoy, so it'll be a good reminder of why I love this band. Overall, fantastic album. I love how Rapid Fire doesn't fuck around. It's just right to the dome, speed, force. It truely is rapid fire. Breaking the Law is not only just a kick-ass sing but poignant, especially now.

Hell yeah, man. Fantastic guitar, amazing vocals on a fun "metal" album. Really accessible for that genre, with that classic guitar riff sound and driving rhythms.

A very fun metal entry! Strong sounds all the way through, fun sound design in Metal Gods. Red, White, & Blue feels like an odd departure from the album's sound, though.

Not a heavy metal fan but this was ok

eh

A solid album. This doesn't blow me away, but it's a great example of 1970s-1980s heavy metal. There are some fun effects, like songs made with Ringo Starr's silverware, and some uses of sampling which feel fairly innovative for the time and genre. I think this album is a respectable inclusion and wouldn't look askance at someone who rated it among their favorites. Favorite track: Let's go with "Living After Midnight"

13.000 metal heads convening but I won’t be one of them! Nothing wrong with the album, solid guitar and great drums but plenty out there that do this do much better ro this was just ok nothing more nothing less! I did feel as though I should have had hand on heart during ‘red white and blue’ 🤣🤣 Hard to pick best and worst when let’s be honest it all sounds the same. But best track- ‘living after midnight’ Worst track- ‘red white and blue’ 5/10

Judas Priest - British Steel A Thrill ride from the first moment to the last. How many bands took from this album and influenced their own sound? Maiden, Metallica, Def Leppard, Pantera? The list must be massive. Every track tight to the extreme. No flabby excess. Verses that build tension and choruses that release it! Production is bang on. Every player crystal clear. And the guitar tones are a joy to listen to. Can make a case for every track to be the best (apart from Breaking the Law...). But the closer Steeler takes the plaudits. The relentless closing section as each guitar attacks in turn is gripping as fuck. Worst Track - Breaking the Law. Nothing really wrong with it but just not quite at the heights of the others but.... I just can't fault this album. Which is bloody weird as don't generally do metal. But bugger me, it's getting a strong 9! Almost a ten. Let me think a while 🤔

Sex Crime and Rock n‘Roll … Hard Rock or Metallic Music. The Video Living After Midnight is typical for this kind of music. I know only a little Judas Priest… I think it is also a music group which had success when I was a teenager… Then I was all above interested in Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Beatles and later Queen… I am not a great Fan of metallic music. It will be a 2* album

Favourite Songs: - Metal gods - Breaking the law - united - you don’t have to be old to be wise - steeler

Much better than all the t(h)rash metal I've had!

Powerful all the way through. My kind of music.

Great riffs. Quite straightforward but that works here.

Given this was '80s heavy metal, I was fearing the worst. Surprisingly decent, actual melodies, songs with purpose and some variety. Who knew?! I doff my cap to Judas Priest for the pleasant surprise.

En klassiker, men annars bara okej.

Album #202: Judas Priest – British Steel ⭐ ⭐ This is definitely an “It’s Not You, It’s Me” review. I think this album has had a disservice done to it because it’s come on the back of some seriously strong heavy metal and hard rock music for me, specifically Hawkwind’s Space Ritual, which I absolutely adored. This, I just did not feel it. I didn’t feel the intensity of it in the way that I think was intended. A couple of things surprised me about it. For a band with as evil-sounding a name as Judas Priest, (and I know it’s a Bob Dylan lyric), they’re actually very, very positive. Songs like United and Living After Midnight just strike me as really positive numbers, looking on the bright side of life and all getting together for the common good kind of songs. I didn’t see that coming. Breaking the Law, which is relatively nihilistic, is kind of an outlier on the whole album. That’s the only song I knew, so I was expecting something a little bit darker and grittier than what I got. What you actually kind of get is a lot of stereotypical metal. But I suppose it’s probably unfair to call it stereotypical because it’s Judas Priest, and they popularised the genre in a lot of ways. The guitar is great throughout, lots of great riffs. The Rage had a kind of reggae intro, which I thought was cool. Metal Gods has this really kind of uplifting, bright guitar outro to the verses, which I thought was great, and those moments surprised me. For everything else, it’s pretty stock metal. But they’re the guys who made the stock to begin with, so you can’t really criticise them for that. The dude’s got a great set of lungs on him, but his voice isn’t the most engaging for me. But this is all very personal and all very subjective. I can see why they’re popular, and I can see why people love this album and why it was influential. I just didn’t feel it. Sorry for the fairly lacklustre review here, but on to the next one.

Influential but alright nothing crazy

Déjà écouté avant. Total respect pour l'un des groupes fondateurs du heavy metal moderne, mais cette période de leur production a plutôt mal vieilli, en particulier comparée à l'incroyable (et nettement plus hard) Painkiller. La faute, sans doute, à une volonté de conformer leur son aux standards commerciaux des années 1980 naissantes, à coups de riffs pas toujours inspirés et de refrains sing-along daubesques ("United", au hasard...). C'est finalemenf la géniale et iconique "Breaking the Law" qui sauve l'album, avec un ou deux autres morceaux pas complètement noyés dans la soupe. Top : Breaking the Law Flop : United

That's a really good heavy metal album

I didn’t expect much of this album but this is pretty fun hard rock/metal. Definitely anthemic, and sometimes a bit corny, but fun nonetheless. I also didn’t know “Breaking the Law” was by Judas Priest, so that was a nice surprise. 3.5/5

Great vocalist, but aside from a couple tracks mostly not my bag.

Years later it’s the histrionics, rather than the metal, that shines throughout this album. It might feel a tad kitschy, but it also feels like winning.

that's rockin

Le pongo 3 estrellas y media. No se por qué, pero cada vez soy mas fan del "hard rock", por así decirlo. Me gustan sobre todo los temas o las bandas como esta que logran buscarle la vuelta para que no solo sean sonidos metálicos y repetitivos y exhaustivos los que suenan, sino que también se pueda llegar a escuchar una melodía y cierto orden dentro del "caos". Muy buenos temas en este album, un par son mega conocidos.

My favorite song is United 💙 and the last one was okay, but that's about it.. I had higher expectations, but this albums was pretty forgettable.. Thank you yay 💙

Just good fun. Driving beats and nice guitars

Cheesy and not particularly heavy - feels quite pop in places. Maybe you had to be there?

great

when I saw this, I thought: "well, I don't like metal at all, except for black sabbath." but I loved it. and I found out they're from birmingham too. and the lead singer is gay. anyway, really good.

6.5

meh

O puro suco do Heavy Metal. Uma das bandas que moldaram o gênero e uma das vozes mais potentes da música pesada. ‘Breaking The Law’ é um dos hinos mais fiéis da juventude rebelde que se sentia perdida em uma sociedade cheia de regras e ciclos repetitivos. Metal Gods, Living After Midnight, Grinder.. sons potentes e revolucionários que serviram de fonte pra várias outras bandas clássicas beberem. Ainda vejo o ápice da banda no Painkiller onde principalmente o vocal do Rob atingiu sua potência máxima e os riffs são mais melódicos, mas British Steel pode ser visto como o tradicional muito bem feito e talvez precise ser dado outra chance mais de uma vez. Uma das bandas mais impecáveis da história que, assim como Sabbath, tem seu trono intocável e indiscutível.

Whenever there was a surly teenager listening to music in a TV series it was always some ridiculous pastiche of metal that made the whole scene unbelievable. Now I realise they were probably just playing this shit

Fuck it.

Jesus Christ

Några bangers, några riktigt keffa fotbollsramsor

Några bangers och överlag coolt.

Ett par starka klassiker, i övrigt ganska intressant vibe som en tydlig tung version av brittisk rock n roll.

Breaking the Law är så cool! Bra sound annars också.

Banger!

dad rock but make it energetic

That was pretty cheesy but I really enjoyed it. It's funny with hindsight to know that people thought this was the end of the world and super-heavy. It's good, fun hard rock.