Judas Priest

British Steel (Reviewed by Megaman X):

Judas Priest
British Steel
Columbia Records
Cat No. CK-85752
Track Listing
Rapid Fire
Metal Gods
Breaking The Law
Grinder
United
You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
Living After Midnight
The Rage
Steeler
Red White & Blue*
Grinder(Live)*

*Expanded Version Bonus Tracks

This album is a must have for any true metalhead. With classics such as Rapid Fire, Metal Gods & the hits Breaking the Law & living After Midnight. Plus Just Recently Sony Released An Expanded version With two Bonus Tracks, Red White & Blue & A Live Version Of Grinder

Response to this review by Bogie: A terrific album that sounds as good today as it ever did.

Response to this review by annual_mayhem: A breakthrough album that brought them to the forefront of the metal community. The hits 'Breakin The Law' and 'Livin After Midnight' became radio staples. It was an album that paved the way for future successes for JP and others. Personally, I really got into JP and quickly realized they had a back catalog of releases dating back about a decade. Overall, this was a kickass album.

Response to this review by Cartoon_Chris : The '80s kicked off with a solid year-long avalanche of great metal records! There were a couple of Priest albums both before and after this one that I would rank slightly higher, but "British Steel" (April 1980) is well-produced, has good lyrics for the most part, and does a good job of balancing commercial sheen with metallic punch - a balance that Priest would have trouble maintaining successfully on certain future releases.

There's a good mix of traditional metal subject matter from real-world youth issues (Breaking the Law, You Don't Have To Be Old...) to sci-fi fantasy and power (Rapid Fire, Metal Gods). "United" is a bit of a paint-by-numbers anthem, as that and hit single "Living After Midnight" move the band ever closer to mainstream '80s arena rock, but for now there are still some nice twists like the the metal/reggae opening to "The Rage", and all those modest but creative attempts at audio "special effects" (described in the remaster's liner notes) which could have hurt the record but just add to the good vibe instead. I give it a low 9 out of 10.

The previously unreleased bonus track on the remaster is a pretty forgettable anthem. The live "Grinder" is listed as being from the British Steel tour, but is actually from Long Beach '84.