Sad Wings of Destiny

Day 20. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you mankind's greatest achievement. Better than the pyramids, better that the great wall, better than fucking tacos. Judas Priest is the greatest band of all time, and this is their greatest album.

The band that could be considered the first legitimate metal band is Black Sabbath. The other band is also of utmost important is Deep Purple. If you don't believe me, listen to "Highway Star", "Fireball", and "Hard Lovin Man". It's fair to say that those two bands influenced Priest the most. Judas Priest arrived at a time when both Black Sabbath and Deep Purple where past a peak and declined just a bit. Someone needed to come along and fill the void. Judas Priest did exactly that by essentially fusing the heaviness and darkness of Sabbath with the speed and melody of Purple. It was a match made in heaven. And these lads conducted this marriage in a way that transcends either of their influences.

There's been much controversy surrounding the track ordering. I think it flows much better starting with "Prelude" and closing with "Deceiver". There's also a box set which the band themselves oversaw and it has this tracklisting. So there.

Every single song is ambitious, experimental, and perfect. Even the freaking piano ballad, "Epitaph", is amazing. "Tyrant" is basically thrash metal. "Island of Domination" stays true to the blues roots of heavy metal and it rocks. "The Ripper" is a sinister song about the infamous London killer. Then there's the most famous track off this album: "Victim of Changes". This song pretty much captivates why Sad Wings of Destiny is best thing ever. There are experiments with mood, tempo, and texture changes that all succeed triumphantly. The same exact thing can be said about the Dreamer/Deceiver combo that closes the album.

Each musician is in top form. Glenn Tipton and KK Downing are once again exchanging riffs, leads, and harmonies like no other pair of guitarists can. They pretty much set the bar for what to expect from a tag team of guitar players. Iron Maiden, Slayer, Metallica, Morbid Angel... they all got their inspiration from these guys. Ian Hill is actually quite audible and he plays rather well. Poor guy is mostly unheard throughout his career. But his bass adds a certain thickness to the music that 's indispensable.

But the highlight of the record is none other than the Metal God himself: Rob Halford. It's almost like the album was composed specifically to highlight this man's phenomenal vocals. This man's range and ability is simply unparalleled. He can pull off the tender emotions on "Epitaph" as well as the muscular might on "Tyrant". He even adds a certain sexy vibe to a song about a serial killer. The best vocal performances are on the "Victim of Changes" and the "Dreamer/Deceiver" combo. And Holy fucking shit...... Rob Halford absolutely jacks up the intensity and delivers the most electrifying performance in the history of heavy music. He carries us through every variety of emotions and is able to hit those ridiculously high notes with ease and at the drop of a hat.

Put the songwriting, the musical talent, and Halford's vocals together and you receive the wide spectrum of human emotions. Heavy metal can be tender and vulnerable, wrathful and menacing, and downright powerful and inspiring. All manner of ethereal sorrows and mighty triumphs are explored in depth throughout the course of this album. That is why it is so god damned powerful.

BUY OR DIE!