@@Titant2 I presume you're talking about the 2001 remaster.. Well.. 'Bad Dreams' is not really that bad, but indeed, it's way way way out of place, considering the rest of the record. BTW I like the addition of live version of Leather Rebel, which is fuckin' awesome.
@@buffalodebill1976 Oh i love that Leather Rebel cover. Meh i don't like bad dreams myself, it's like you said it's out of place. It's honestly the only song i don't like on the album. The rest is perfection.
I remember very vividly when the album came out and I put it on expecting a drum beat of something like 'Living After Midnight' and then the title track kicked in. :D
Hehe, my high-school classmate (we were in the frist grade) was very fond of Metallica's 1991 record (that just came out) and kept on playing it over and over again (it's not a bad record, by any means). But when I said 'OK, now listen to this' and I put on the title Painkiller track.. I think he must have shitted his pants, out of pure amazement and astonishment on how fucking ruthless that opener was. Especially when compared to Metallica's 'family-friendly' sound and songwriting on the 'Black' album.
While you guys were listening to Metallica and Judas priest i was listening to horrorscope by overkill although painkiller is a motherfucker of an album 🤟
Hey man, I was AT THE SHOW in Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens 1991or2, when the stairs of the drum riser didn't elevate all the way up during the opening song, 'Hell Bent for Leather', and the Harley Davidson wobbled out on stage without Rob riding it and fell over. The band faltered to a stop and a few minutes later KK announced that Rob had been knocked out. Twenty minutes later they restarted the whole set, minus the motorcycle and played for 2 hours, Rob screaming his head off with a big bloody bandage on the side of his head. Fucking MAGIC!!! Megadeth supporting Rust in Peace plus Testament opening on Souls of Black, fuck, what a show!
Their reactions to the drum into alone are worth watching. I watch every painkiller reaction because of this. I KNOW what's coming so it amuses the hell out of me to see the shock on their faces.
Even if you listen only to first 10 seconds of each song, you can hear that this album is something special: drum intro, vocal intro, solo intro, main riff intro, power chords intro, synths intro, whole song as intro. Masterpiece
The drum intro on "Painkiller" was Scott Travis' way of saying, "Here I am mofos". I don't think Dave Holland would have played such an intro. Judas Priest drumming changed drastically with the addition of Scott Travis.
Dave was a perfect fit for the albums that he played on. When Scott joined, it was time for a new approach to their writing and the style of your drummer can directly influence the way you write.
i remember a magazine (metal maniacs?) that had a small update on Dave Holland years and years ago, that said "Dave Holland, former Judas Priest Drummer- Sleeping Aid, has >>." and i forget the rest of the story. he was ok for those albums but Scott took them to levels they probably even wanted with Dave.
Painkiller may be the most difficult song vocally in all of Metal. It's key and speed are unreal. Never slows down, never gives a break to the vocalist. Painkiller is an atom bomb of a Metal song.
I remeber hearing Painkiller for the first time in a record store. Did not have the money to buy it. I was like 12 years old. But i remember being blown away by music for the first time in my life. I went to that record store many times just to litsen to it. And then finally my dad gave me the money to buy it. Still love the album. Im 41 now. :-)
Songs from the painkiller album were some of the first metal songs I ever listened to. My dad was a really big fan of A Touch of Evil, Between the Hammer and the Anvil, and Nightcrawler and would play them all the time when I was in the car with him. Eventually I listened to the entire album on my own and equally loved One Shot at Glory, Leather Rebel, Metal Meltdown, Living Bad Dreams, and of course Painkiller. The album was the first record I ever bought and it really holds a special place in my heart
Oh man. You exactly told the story I have been telling and writing in Turkey. Yes, Painkiller saved the metal and Defenders of the Faith is the best, since 1984. Thanks for your videos. Just noticed your channel. I finally found a bigger Priest fan than me.
To me, what saved Metal as I love it in the mid-to-latre 90's was internet, which helped some new bands to rise from the void, by having a new media to be in touch with the fans, carrying in the underground the 80's Metal torch and taking it further, mostly symphonic/prog Metal bands such as Angra, Rhapsody, Symphony X etc... and those bands would often cites legendary 80's bands as their inspiration, at the point that some of those bands suddenly gained an new success and went bigger than they ever were, I think of bands in the likes of ManOwaR and Mercyful Fate, and of course, bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were in the mouth of pretty much every musicians from those new bands... by the end of the decade, the "Nirvana/Guns N' Roses" effect was pretty much over, and Metal became about music again, Bruce Dickinson came back into Maiden, and they went bigger than ever, new bands like Nightwish and Sonata Arctica were being successful across Europe and Japan, extrerme Metal genres became trendy, with the likes of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir... As much as I love "Painkiller", which I consider one of the greatest Heavy Metal album ever recorded, I can't really connect it with the resurrection of Metal in the mid-to-late 90's...
Along with DOTF, SWOD, and Stained Class, Painkiller ranks among one of the 4 albums in tier 1. Painkiller is arguably the top song on the album, but I believe Nightcrawler is the most underrated track on the album. Personally, I like to link the song "Nightcrawler" to The Sentinel as sort of a sequel.
Fantastic review!!! One of, if not, the best all rounds I've listened to. Any chance you could dig further why Chris Tsangarides didn't produce again? I was so dissapointed with both the sound and content on AOR, their comeback, Chris' production was Priests best ever👍💯💥Keep up the great work!!!
The one thing I've always admired about Priest was that, unlike most bands who tended to slow down the older they got, Priest did the opposite and just got faster & faster. The 2 albums that really did it for me was: Ram It Down, (not everyone's fave album I know) it was the title track and Heavy Metal that blew me away, this was the icing on the cake, then Painkiller which was defo the cherry on the icing.
I actually saw Judas Priest live for this album (Painkiller.) I won tickets from Tower Records and it was the first time hearing/seeing them and never regret going. Best concert ever!!!
For me Painkiller is the quintessential heavy metal song. By far my favorite Priest track and my personal favorite to play. That drum intro is phenominal.
Been a Priest and metal fan after buying "Take on the World" on 7inch vinyl in 1979, the first metal track I ever bought. Seen them live twice in '88 and 2005. By 1990 true metal was on the down turn after grunge appeared and other than Painkiller in 1990 and Metallica's Black album the following year it was only the top metal bands that survived. Most LA hair metal bands disappeared or split up by '92. Many have made comeback tours in the last 15 years but only the best metal bands have survived and sold albums. Priest made an appearance at an outdoor festival "Bloodstock" about 10 ten miles away from where I live, two weeks ago and still blew everyone away. The masters of metal no question.
My opinion is not original, but Painkiller is the best song on the album. The thing I like the most is how long it is (over 6 min), there are like 2 moments where you expect the song to end, but it goes on, which makes it even more intense. Also, the main guitar riff in Painkiller has a distinct sound, since it is played with pinched harmonics on almost every note (actually, Richie Faulkner has explained it in one tutorial video). Thanks for the great video.
One shot at glory or between the hammer and the anvil for me but its a bloody good album. Its aged the best out their back catalogue. Just my humble opinion 😌
For me Painkiller, the song and for extension the album, encapsulates everything I like of metal. It Is the distilled essence of good heavy metal. It is perfection! 😅😅
Really enjoying all these fabulously positive and well produced videos of the once mighty priest. Thank you so much for taking such time and effort they must require to share them. I will admit to being disillusioned by all the Priest periods without the trio (mentioned in previous comments on other videos of yours), but since this silly 4 piece announcement, I have decided to put this Rob Halford JP tribute band on hold. Hopefully with the help of your excellent videos, I will rekindle my love of this once almighty metal beast and brush away the stain of Priest Lite.
I saw this tour on the night the Persian Gulf War started. It was at the Toledo (Ohio) Sports Arena and Megadeth opened. Dave Mustaine came out and said, "We just fucking bombed Iraq!" Then they launched into Holy War. Don't think I'll ever see a better segue in my life. And Priest was killer!
Defender of the Faith is also my favourite album from them, it was released when i was 19 and on the portuguese air force pilots school, and imported the album from Germany.
I remember seeing the PK tour in 1991, in some half empty shed. JP were not in fashion, I tell you. But it was a kick ass show. What I do remember, is Halford and his outworthly voice.
Painkiller and rust in peace were the last metal punch before going into whatever crap genres were in the 90'. Cool info but you forgot the bouns track ( living bad dreams) which has amazing melodies. And Great video keep up the metal 🤘🤘🤘
@@ARG0T but what was popular on the tv and mainstream media was the nu and grunge and other stuff,( btw i ain't fan of the vocals of these type of genre but their riffs are cool)
One of my favorite albums! I got to see Judas Priest live for the first time last weekend. A good chunk of the songs were pulled from this album, and the crowed was just absolutely ecstatic over Painkiller. It was an awesome concert!
Yes it saved metal and it's combination of classic Priest speed with elements of thrash inspired the current and new generation of metal bands to keep playing through the grunge years. The heavier bands survived while hair metal basically died. Priest proved it could be modern with this violent eruption that no one ever expected from them. This is my favorite Priest album and the best songs for me are Painkiller, Hell Patrol, Nightcrawler, and Between The Hammer And The Anvil. Painkiller is a unique and classic album that I still listen to almost every week. A Top 5 metal album of the 90's and my top 5 of all time.
What I love about JP is that they always change their set list each tour, because of this, I have seen every song on Painkiller except for One Shot at Glory performed live, throughout the 7 or 8 times I have seen them live. in 2019 I saw them on my birthday with my mom, she asked what song I wanted to hear, I said Out in the Cold, thinking there is no way they are ever going to play that song. Halfway into the set, I heard the keyboards kicking in, and then came the tears.
PAINKILLER is the best Judas priest album ever! I've worned out 4 cassette tapes and two CDs. Long live heavy metal. Until now I never get tired of listening to it.
What a great video! Thank you! Painkiller was a nice shot in the arm for the band. Sorry about that joke haha. I don't think it made a tremendous difference in the overall metal scene. Because Painkiller (the song) was recorded as a response to thrash bands like Slayer, Exodus and Megadeth. All these "Bay area" thrash bands, with Testament and Megadeth opening on tour. Death metal was also peaking on the East coast of the states. Metal had begun to move in a more aggressive direction. With everyone trying to outdo the others in terms of heaviness. I still like the melodic content better. The second half with Hell Patrol, Leather Rebel, A Touch of Evil and One Shot at Glory. Those are great songs. Still the intro to Painkiller and most recently the isolated bass line. Amazing. It was great to get Scott in the band. His musicianship elevated all of the material. Not just the new stuff.
I remember getting into Judas Priest as a young teen and hearing the bigger songs and albums, buying British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance, and Sad Wings of Destiny, but I still remember hearing "Metal Meltdown" for the first time. It blew my mind, not only the intro solo but that silence after it and that riff, the drums, then it all coming together. I had to know what else was on that album and the rest was history. It's by far one of my favorite albums, not only metal but overall. There is no filler on it, it's nonstop, in-your-face the whole listen. For the track which I think is the best, that's probably one of the hardest questions I never thought I'd have to answer because while some may be a little lesser than others but by no means filler, there's just too many outstanding songs but if I had to choose my favorite, it's a three way tie between the title track, "All Guns Blazing," and "Between the Hammer and the Anvil."
I’ve never seen your videos before, so this was all brand new to me. I’m not the world’s biggest Priest fan, even though I’ve liked every album that I’ve heard. Painkiller was one of the ones I couldn’t stop listening to when I got it, I still think my personal favorite track is Between the Hammer and the Anvil. Everything you said about the album I agree with, and now you have me thinking I should revisit this album VERY soon! And even though I don’t know every single album, I’m with you in thinking Defenders of the Faith is my personal favorite album of theirs, it’s excellent! I subscribed, I’ve watched a few of your other videos now about Priest and Anthrax. Great videos!
Ah Painkiller - the reason I grabbed a guitar, and still try to learn the solo (now 43 years old). Speaking of: what you gotta give to Glenn Tipton, is that he always developed his style. For example sweep picking in the solo of Painkiller - damn, Glenn, you bastard, I got a daytime job, how am I supposed to learn this before I bite the dust?
Ian Hill is a metal God and the most underrated musician in heavy metal history. I stood in front of him in the 2nd row in my first ever concert at Reunion Arena in Dallas in '84. Defenders of the Faith is the best. But Painkiller was surprisingly kick ass for the times when everyone was going more commercial and they went heavier.
DOTF is my favorite album too, and the second one is Painkiller. The title song it’s a Heavy Metal hymn, got everything that describe HM, an epic intro, it’s fast and aggressive, Rob’s higher notes, an incredible solos and twin guitar, bass master class, the the drum thunder sound that Priest needed time ago. It’s amazing!!
saw them in toronto on the painkiller tour which was rob halfords last show before he left to form fight . it was also the night halford injured his head on the ramp driving out his harley during hell bent for leather .
Great video, awesome! just when i thought that i knew everything on Judas Priest, Did not know about Don Airey and his contribution to the album. Always loved Don so it's a really cool thing that he added his greatness to the album. As for my favorite song from Painkiller? I would say Painkiller has always been my favorite song but i agree with what you said earlier that there is no fillers on this album and all tracks are about just as good as the next with both Rob and the band pushing themselves more than ever which i thought was not possible lol!!!!
Yes do a Scott Travis special! I'm from the same city as him. Virginia Beach Norfolk VA USA and yes I have met him twice. He even worked part time at a music store back in 2002! A nice down to earth guy and one of metals BEST drummers! Going to see them next Thursday here in Virginia Beach with Ugly Kid Joe next week! JP is METAL!
The praise is well deserved! Between Ram it Down and Painkiller, Judas Priest underwent a total metamorphosis. While having landed many hits before, the song writing on Painkiller is on another level. As a guitarist, I admire the guitar solos which are both a perfect addition to the songs and a display of great technical skill.
I remember getting a copy of Death's Sound of Perseverance and hearing the song Pain Killer for the first time and it sent me on a fucking journey when I found out it was a cover. I knew it sounded like Priest, but didn't know Priest could sound like that after growing up on the "Living After Midnight" era of Monsters of Rock CDs
Rob sporting the MP 70 shirt is sweet! My personal favorite hairstyle is Rocka Rolla era - I’ll always love the long haired boys. But Not everyone can rock a smooth cranium like a beast so always major respect on that one 😎
@@sec2112 - Yea, you got DotF, SfV, Stained Class, Sin after Sin, and even Sad Wings of Destiny that id probably rate higher. But Painkiller still fucking slays. SfV is my favorite, but these guys are just on another level.
I believe that Painkiller was the last stand of the 80's metal, when the all giant bands started having an identity crisis and the grunge and groove ruined the mainstrem scene for over a decade. Painkiller marked an end of an era.
What definitely happened is that bands slowed down, started singing lower with far less falsetto yelps, and either got rid of melody or lost their ability to write good melodies. And I just have never got most death metal and black metal because of the inherently limited vocals. The loss of speed/energy and the flattened vocals are both 90's trends that I hated.
I am old enough to remember hearing Night Crawler on the radio before the album even came out. There was a decent rock show on Radio One in the UK back in those days. I was blown away by it. My brother bought the CD and it's still one of my top ten albums. Painkiller is the best song. It's the technique and skill which really stands out.
Painkiller was the first metal song I can remember, back at '97, when my brother got a CD player and listened to this all the time. And it got me when I was 10. Now I'm 34, and I've listened to tons of metal, all genres of rock, jazz, a good chunk of classical. Still, though its been nearly a quarter of a century (Wow! Time flies!) Painkiller for me is definitely the greatest, and the most metal album of all time.
I traded Tesla’s “Five Man Acoustical Jam” CD to my local music store for a used copy of Painkiller. Best decision I’ve ever made… I also saw them supporting this album on the “Operation: Rock and Roll” tour in the US. An all day show with Metal Church, Dangerous Toys, Motörhead, Alice Cooper, and Priest headlining. Amazing show
At the time, It was the most redemptive album in heavy metal's short history. After leaning too far to the cheesy side of metal during the 80's, Priest released their heaviest offering since Stained Class. But it's a stretch to say it saved metal. Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Alice In Chains, Tool, Marilyn Manson etc all played their role of helping metal transform through the 90's.
Painkiller is a monument of true metal. If in 1000 years we don't all blow up, that's the album that will give future humans "holly f*ck this is amazing". That being said, I really feel like it's missing at least one more song like 'A touch of evil' to cut those insane tracks a bit because it you listen to it start to finish in most cases you'll feel overwhelmed unless in special high-energy mood. Guitars are so raw, industrial, it's just monster sound from start to finish and is for sure not overrated.
The Painkiller song was what officially cinched me in as a JP fan to the point of going all-in and obtaining ALL their albums. Up to that point, I only had Screaming For Vengeance, Defenders Of The Faith, and Turbo strictly for their respective hits, You've Got Another Thing Coming, Love Bites, and Turbo Lover. Painkiller prompted me to buy the album and give my other 3 albums a closer listen - that opened the floodgates and my quest to find all the previous albums had begun. But when Rob left, I didn't bother to continue getting any new JP albums. I had a pretty persnickety thing about bands and the frontmen being a symbiotic union which you do not fuck with. I did the same thing when Dickinson quit Iron Maiden and Jon Oliva stepped back as vocalist in Savatage. Both of those jettisons were stupid decisions on my part, cos as I realized much later, I missed out on a lot of good stuff. I had also dropped Helloween just prior to the other 2 bands, but it was more due to the goofy and cartoony trajectory the band seemed to be taking with their sound and subject matter in the wake of the Keeper Of The 7 Keys albums (little did I know, had I just toughed it out for a couple more albums, Andi Deris would have joined and the restoration of real metal would have come to pass). But I eventually resumed my Helloween collection, around the same time I went back and picked up where I left off with Iron Maiden and Savatage, a decision made partly due to the return of Dickinson (and Adrian Smith, for that matter) to Iron Maiden, and upon my discovery of many Savatage members' involvement with Trans-Siberian Orchestra (which I dove into fully), thus prompting the return to Savatage (thereby discovering Oliva had been slowly returning to vocal duty with the band). I still have not yet had the opportunity to start investing in doing the same for my JP collection, but I plan to, especially now that Halford has returned... and despite KK leaving... :-(
For an old fart like me, it's strange to see the love this album gets. In 1990, JP were considered to be over and the uncoolest thing you could buy, was Painkiller. All the old giants were ridiculed by critics. Not even Iron Maiden were spared. But what do you know ... time heals most things and wisdom prevails in the end.
@@howieduwit2551 If you showed up in a JP shirt, you didn't get laid. Same with Dio Maiden and Accept. Either you burned those shirts or you were doomed to wank alone.
When you mentioned Sad Wings of Destiny, I thought you were also going to mention the lyrics "Sad wings that Heaven sent, wipes out in rage." On another note, the tapping solo in Between the Hammer and the Anvil is easily my favourite Tipton solo
For me Painkiller marked the end of the 80´s Metal era... I never got familiar with Grunge or Nu Metal... and as it seemed to be the last Judas Priest album after Rob Halford left the band it was a very intense album for me as a hardcore Judas Priest fan. In the late 80s and over the 90´s I got more into Goth Rock, but I always loved the 80´s METAL. And Defenders Of The Faith will forever be my favourite Priest album!
Painkiller is definitely a gem of Judas Priest. Love Scotts drumming on this album along with the intensity of all the songs. No disrespect to Dave Holland but I would LOVE to hear what kind of drum track Scott would have put to Ram It Down. When jam with it on drums, I like putting a double kick on it and it sounds great.
There is not one single weak track on this album.. so close to perfection.. simply EPIC!!
Uhm... Albeit not on the original... Living bad dreams is really bad though.
@@Titant2 I presume you're talking about the 2001 remaster.. Well.. 'Bad Dreams' is not really that bad, but indeed, it's way way way out of place, considering the rest of the record.
BTW I like the addition of live version of Leather Rebel, which is fuckin' awesome.
I agree but One Shot at Glory is closer to perfection than the other songs 😁😁😁
@@buffalodebill1976 Oh i love that Leather Rebel cover. Meh i don't like bad dreams myself, it's like you said it's out of place. It's honestly the only song i don't like on the album. The rest is perfection.
@@Titant2 I fucking love that song
I remember very vividly when the album came out and I put it on expecting a drum beat of something like 'Living After Midnight' and then the title track kicked in. :D
Hehe, my high-school classmate (we were in the frist grade) was very fond of Metallica's 1991 record (that just came out) and kept on playing it over and over again (it's not a bad record, by any means). But when I said 'OK, now listen to this' and I put on the title Painkiller track.. I think he must have shitted his pants, out of pure amazement and astonishment on how fucking ruthless that opener was. Especially when compared to Metallica's 'family-friendly' sound and songwriting on the 'Black' album.
While you guys were listening to Metallica and Judas priest i was listening to horrorscope by overkill although painkiller is a motherfucker of an album 🤟
Not with Scott Travis on drums! Lol
Halford has sustained his vox beyond all competitors
The build scream in Painkiller, the title track is his stamp for neverending life
Hey man, I was AT THE SHOW in Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens 1991or2, when the stairs of the drum riser didn't elevate all the way up during the opening song, 'Hell Bent for Leather', and the Harley Davidson wobbled out on stage without Rob riding it and fell over. The band faltered to a stop and a few minutes later KK announced that Rob had been knocked out. Twenty minutes later they restarted the whole set, minus the motorcycle and played for 2 hours, Rob screaming his head off with a big bloody bandage on the side of his head. Fucking MAGIC!!! Megadeth supporting Rust in Peace plus Testament opening on Souls of Black, fuck, what a show!
That was at the CNE Grandstand, part of Operation Rock n Roll tour.
I was there too. Unbelievable show.
There are hundreds of reaction videos of Painkiller on RUclips and everyone is blown away by the talent and energy. Truly a metal masterpiece.
you could say it's a. . . metal meltdown
Their reactions to the drum into alone are worth watching. I watch every painkiller reaction because of this. I KNOW what's coming so it amuses the hell out of me to see the shock on their faces.
Even if you listen only to first 10 seconds of each song, you can hear that this album is something special: drum intro, vocal intro, solo intro, main riff intro, power chords intro, synths intro, whole song as intro.
Masterpiece
Painkiller is my favourite metal album of all time.. Not a single weak song.. Absolute Bangers.. All of them..
The drum intro on "Painkiller" was Scott Travis' way of saying, "Here I am mofos". I don't think Dave Holland would have played such an intro. Judas Priest drumming changed drastically with the addition of Scott Travis.
Racer X
Dave Holland couldnt have played that song...period
Dave was a perfect fit for the albums that he played on. When Scott joined, it was time for a new approach to their writing and the style of your drummer can directly influence the way you write.
i remember a magazine (metal maniacs?) that had a small update on Dave Holland years and years ago, that said "Dave Holland, former Judas Priest Drummer- Sleeping Aid, has >>." and i forget the rest of the story. he was ok for those albums but Scott took them to levels they probably even wanted with Dave.
@@LadyFairChildVideo lol. Yeah. The less said about Dave Holland the better.
Painkiller may be the most difficult song vocally in all of Metal. It's key and speed are unreal. Never slows down, never gives a break to the vocalist. Painkiller is an atom bomb of a Metal song.
It's an absolute terror to nail on guitar as well.
I remeber hearing Painkiller for the first time in a record store. Did not have the money to buy it. I was like 12 years old. But i remember being blown away by music for the first time in my life. I went to that record store many times just to litsen to it. And then finally my dad gave me the money to buy it. Still love the album. Im 41 now. :-)
My vote is for Defenders of the Faith for best album of all time!
It's hard to overstate how much Scott Travis changed the sound of this band. He is a complete monster..maybe the very best in his genre.
Painkilker it's like victim of changes....it's a complete song,has everything inside
please do a interwiev with Glenn Tipton. No one ever talk to him since parkinson and I would love to see his thoughts
Would love to!
Wow, agree and how absolutely awesome that would be!
Songs from the painkiller album were some of the first metal songs I ever listened to. My dad was a really big fan of A Touch of Evil, Between the Hammer and the Anvil, and Nightcrawler and would play them all the time when I was in the car with him. Eventually I listened to the entire album on my own and equally loved One Shot at Glory, Leather Rebel, Metal Meltdown, Living Bad Dreams, and of course Painkiller. The album was the first record I ever bought and it really holds a special place in my heart
Oh man. You exactly told the story I have been telling and writing in Turkey. Yes, Painkiller saved the metal and Defenders of the Faith is the best, since 1984. Thanks for your videos. Just noticed your channel. I finally found a bigger Priest fan than me.
To me, what saved Metal as I love it in the mid-to-latre 90's was internet, which helped some new bands to rise from the void, by having a new media to be in touch with the fans, carrying in the underground the 80's Metal torch and taking it further, mostly symphonic/prog Metal bands such as Angra, Rhapsody, Symphony X etc... and those bands would often cites legendary 80's bands as their inspiration, at the point that some of those bands suddenly gained an new success and went bigger than they ever were, I think of bands in the likes of ManOwaR and Mercyful Fate, and of course, bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were in the mouth of pretty much every musicians from those new bands... by the end of the decade, the "Nirvana/Guns N' Roses" effect was pretty much over, and Metal became about music again, Bruce Dickinson came back into Maiden, and they went bigger than ever, new bands like Nightwish and Sonata Arctica were being successful across Europe and Japan, extrerme Metal genres became trendy, with the likes of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir...
As much as I love "Painkiller", which I consider one of the greatest Heavy Metal album ever recorded, I can't really connect it with the resurrection of Metal in the mid-to-late 90's...
Along with DOTF, SWOD, and Stained Class, Painkiller ranks among one of the 4 albums in tier 1. Painkiller is arguably the top song on the album, but I believe Nightcrawler is the most underrated track on the album. Personally, I like to link the song "Nightcrawler" to The Sentinel as sort of a sequel.
That album is the very definition of metal. No Wikipedia article needed. Simply play it, and everything will become crystal clear.
This is real good, thanks. I know the song Painkiller from the band's 1993 Metal Works complication album and guessed the song was slightly older.
"Painkiller" was the album that turned me to heavy metal when I was 15. Been a metalhead since then.
For starters the opening song you show live at 0:36 is listed as Painkiller its actually Hell Patrol. Love the videos keep it up!
Fantastic review!!! One of, if not, the best all rounds I've listened to. Any chance you could dig further why Chris Tsangarides didn't produce again? I was so dissapointed with both the sound and content on AOR, their comeback, Chris' production was Priests best ever👍💯💥Keep up the great work!!!
The one thing I've always admired about Priest was that, unlike most bands who tended to slow down the older they got, Priest did the opposite and just got faster & faster. The 2 albums that really did it for me was: Ram It Down, (not everyone's fave album I know) it was the title track and Heavy Metal that blew me away, this was the icing on the cake, then Painkiller which was defo the cherry on the icing.
Absolutely amazing information thank you for every post about metal
Great video! I Would love to se a video about how Scott Travis joined the band!
I actually saw Judas Priest live for this album (Painkiller.) I won tickets from Tower Records and it was the first time hearing/seeing them and never regret going. Best concert ever!!!
For me Painkiller is the quintessential heavy metal song. By far my favorite Priest track and my personal favorite to play. That drum intro is phenominal.
Been a Priest and metal fan after buying "Take on the World" on 7inch vinyl in 1979, the first metal track I ever bought. Seen them live twice in '88 and 2005. By 1990 true metal was on the down turn after grunge appeared and other than Painkiller in 1990 and Metallica's Black album the following year it was only the top metal bands that survived. Most LA hair metal bands disappeared or split up by '92. Many have made comeback tours in the last 15 years but only the best metal bands have survived and sold albums. Priest made an appearance at an outdoor festival "Bloodstock" about 10 ten miles away from where I live, two weeks ago and still blew everyone away. The masters of metal no question.
My opinion is not original, but Painkiller is the best song on the album. The thing I like the most is how long it is (over 6 min), there are like 2 moments where you expect the song to end, but it goes on, which makes it even more intense. Also, the main guitar riff in Painkiller has a distinct sound, since it is played with pinched harmonics on almost every note (actually, Richie Faulkner has explained it in one tutorial video). Thanks for the great video.
Best song on the album? Most overplayed imo. Metal Meltdown dude.
@@aaronmcbryer4362 Metal Meltdown is also the corniest.
All guns blazing>>
One shot at glory or between the hammer and the anvil for me but its a bloody good album. Its aged the best out their back catalogue. Just my humble opinion 😌
The whole album is a masterpiece and each of the songs are atomic. Not a single trace of filler on that album.
Love your videos you do great research Keep Rocking the Metal
For me Painkiller, the song and for extension the album, encapsulates everything I like of metal. It Is the distilled essence of good heavy metal.
It is perfection!
😅😅
Really enjoying all these fabulously positive and well produced videos of the once mighty priest. Thank you so much for taking such time and effort they must require to share them.
I will admit to being disillusioned by all the Priest periods without the trio (mentioned in previous comments on other videos of yours), but since this silly 4 piece announcement, I have decided to put this Rob Halford JP tribute band on hold.
Hopefully with the help of your excellent videos, I will rekindle my love of this once almighty metal beast and brush away the stain of Priest Lite.
I saw this tour on the night the Persian Gulf War started. It was at the Toledo (Ohio) Sports Arena and Megadeth opened. Dave Mustaine came out and said, "We just fucking bombed Iraq!" Then they launched into Holy War. Don't think I'll ever see a better segue in my life. And Priest was killer!
Glad I stumbled onto this channel
Very well documented!
I’m a new fan of the channel!
🤟🎸🔥
Defender of the Faith is also my favourite album from them, it was released when i was 19 and on the portuguese air force pilots school, and imported the album from Germany.
I remember seeing the PK tour in 1991, in some half empty shed.
JP were not in fashion, I tell you.
But it was a kick ass show.
What I do remember, is Halford and his outworthly voice.
Painkiller and rust in peace were the last metal punch before going into whatever crap genres were in the 90'. Cool info but you forgot the bouns track ( living bad dreams) which has amazing melodies. And Great video keep up the metal 🤘🤘🤘
Thank you! Yes, Living Bad Dreams is mind blowing, have no idea how the band decided not to include it on the album originally...
I guess Cowboys From Hell was more of a slap?
Seasons in the Abyss?
That is so wrong, dude. The 90's underground scenes honestly kick this album's ass as Death metal (and later Brutal Death metal) flourished
@@ARG0T but what was popular on the tv and mainstream media was the nu and grunge and other stuff,( btw i ain't fan of the vocals of these type of genre but their riffs are cool)
My favorite track on the album is A Touch of Evil, I really like the athmosphere that song has.
🤘🏻🇺🇦🤘🏻
Cheers from The Netherlands
As a kid, this album brought me into metal. Thanks for putting this together.
One of my favorite albums! I got to see Judas Priest live for the first time last weekend. A good chunk of the songs were pulled from this album, and the crowed was just absolutely ecstatic over Painkiller. It was an awesome concert!
Awesome video man... and you speak English very well! Good job.
Heavy Metal has never needed to be saved nor will it ever. The fans are the blood flow that keeps the heart of metal pumping.
My favorite album from Judas Priest
Yes it saved metal and it's combination of classic Priest speed with elements of thrash inspired the current and new generation of metal bands to keep playing through the grunge years. The heavier bands survived while hair metal basically died. Priest proved it could be modern with this violent eruption that no one ever expected from them. This is my favorite Priest album and the best songs for me are Painkiller, Hell Patrol, Nightcrawler, and Between The Hammer And The Anvil.
Painkiller is a unique and classic album that I still listen to almost every week. A Top 5 metal album of the 90's and my top 5 of all time.
What I love about JP is that they always change their set list each tour, because of this, I have seen every song on Painkiller except for One Shot at Glory performed live, throughout the 7 or 8 times I have seen them live. in 2019 I saw them on my birthday with my mom, she asked what song I wanted to hear, I said Out in the Cold, thinking there is no way they are ever going to play that song. Halfway into the set, I heard the keyboards kicking in, and then came the tears.
I always felt with Painkiller Priest said follow that to every metal band. If the 90's taught us anything it is that no one could.
PAINKILLER is the best Judas priest album ever! I've worned out 4 cassette tapes and two CDs. Long live heavy metal. Until now I never get tired of listening to it.
Painkiller is the quintessential Priest song. Loud, heavy, fast, screeching vocals; what more could we want? It is their perfect anthem!
Title track is beyond awesome. Tears your face off and sounds like it’s done and it just keeps on slaying. 🤘
What a great video! Thank you!
Painkiller was a nice shot in the arm for the band. Sorry about that joke haha.
I don't think it made a tremendous difference in the overall metal scene. Because Painkiller (the song) was recorded as a response to thrash bands like Slayer, Exodus and Megadeth. All these "Bay area" thrash bands, with Testament and Megadeth opening on tour.
Death metal was also peaking on the East coast of the states. Metal had begun to move in a more aggressive direction. With everyone trying to outdo the others in terms of heaviness.
I still like the melodic content better. The second half with Hell Patrol, Leather Rebel, A Touch of Evil and One Shot at Glory. Those are great songs. Still the intro to Painkiller and most recently the isolated bass line. Amazing.
It was great to get Scott in the band. His musicianship elevated all of the material. Not just the new stuff.
Painkiller and Firepower are great 💕
Firepower is a solid album, but for me has too little classic Priest in it's sound. Sounds more like a Halford side project to me.
@@kitoyobeni1 Well, I'm new to Priest, so for me it's just one of the greatest albums I've heard
@@Pokerfuel ...and it's a great album. The only Priest album I didn't really like was Nostradamus.
@@kitoyobeni1 I'm sure that's a good album too, but it's not a good Priest album
Jugulator and Redeemer Of Souls too
I remember getting into Judas Priest as a young teen and hearing the bigger songs and albums, buying British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance, and Sad Wings of Destiny, but I still remember hearing "Metal Meltdown" for the first time. It blew my mind, not only the intro solo but that silence after it and that riff, the drums, then it all coming together. I had to know what else was on that album and the rest was history. It's by far one of my favorite albums, not only metal but overall. There is no filler on it, it's nonstop, in-your-face the whole listen.
For the track which I think is the best, that's probably one of the hardest questions I never thought I'd have to answer because while some may be a little lesser than others but by no means filler, there's just too many outstanding songs but if I had to choose my favorite, it's a three way tie between the title track, "All Guns Blazing," and "Between the Hammer and the Anvil."
Painkiller is easily my favourite Judas priest album. Best song is one shot at glory. It's mind blowing how overlooked that song is.
You forgot to mention "Light Comes Out of Black" when you mentioned the relation to Pantera. Rob Halford recorded an awesome song with them.
Any video about anything Judas Priest will have my attention
I’ve never seen your videos before, so this was all brand new to me. I’m not the world’s biggest Priest fan, even though I’ve liked every album that I’ve heard. Painkiller was one of the ones I couldn’t stop listening to when I got it, I still think my personal favorite track is Between the Hammer and the Anvil. Everything you said about the album I agree with, and now you have me thinking I should revisit this album VERY soon!
And even though I don’t know every single album, I’m with you in thinking Defenders of the Faith is my personal favorite album of theirs, it’s excellent!
I subscribed, I’ve watched a few of your other videos now about Priest and Anthrax. Great videos!
Painkiller is the greatest HM album/combo in the last 30 years, stupendous in every sense.
Ah Painkiller - the reason I grabbed a guitar, and still try to learn the solo (now 43 years old). Speaking of: what you gotta give to Glenn Tipton, is that he always developed his style. For example sweep picking in the solo of Painkiller - damn, Glenn, you bastard, I got a daytime job, how am I supposed to learn this before I bite the dust?
I agree with you dude. Defenders of the Faith is my fave Priest album. Well, the first half of it at least.
Ian Hill is a metal God and the most underrated musician in heavy metal history. I stood in front of him in the 2nd row in my first ever concert at Reunion Arena in Dallas in '84. Defenders of the Faith is the best. But Painkiller was surprisingly kick ass for the times when everyone was going more commercial and they went heavier.
DOTF is my favorite album too, and the second one is Painkiller. The title song it’s a Heavy Metal hymn, got everything that describe HM, an epic intro, it’s fast and aggressive, Rob’s higher notes, an incredible solos and twin guitar, bass master class, the the drum thunder sound that Priest needed time ago. It’s amazing!!
saw them in toronto on the painkiller tour which was rob halfords last show before he left to form fight . it was also the night halford injured his head on the ramp driving out his harley during hell bent for leather .
One of my favorite albums to work out to. Great video.
Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller. Arguably my favorite Priest albums.
My favourite: Between the hammer and the anvil, because it is soooooo underrated!
DOTF is my favorite as well, but may be due to timing of when it came out (I was in Junior High). However, Painkiller is legendary.
Night Crawler was my favorite on Painkiller the first time I heard the Album. And it still is today 32 years later.
This album would definitely be in a group the 7 or 8 or so most essential metal albums.
would love to see a video about all the Priest drummers!
Great video, awesome! just when i thought that i knew everything on Judas Priest, Did not know about Don Airey and his contribution to the album. Always loved Don so it's a really cool thing that he added his greatness to the album. As for my favorite song from Painkiller? I would say Painkiller has always been my favorite song but i agree with what you said earlier that there is no fillers on this album and all tracks are about just as good as the next with both Rob and the band pushing themselves more than ever which i thought was not possible lol!!!!
Yes do a Scott Travis special! I'm from the same city as him. Virginia Beach Norfolk VA USA and yes I have met him twice. He even worked part time at a music store back in 2002! A nice down to earth guy and one of metals BEST drummers! Going to see them next Thursday here in Virginia Beach with Ugly Kid Joe next week! JP is METAL!
Great Video, I love this "Defenders of the Faith" series, thanks man, keep the metal faith
The praise is well deserved! Between Ram it Down and Painkiller, Judas Priest underwent a total metamorphosis. While having landed many hits before, the song writing on Painkiller is on another level.
As a guitarist, I admire the guitar solos which are both a perfect addition to the songs and a display of great technical skill.
I remember getting a copy of Death's Sound of Perseverance and hearing the song Pain Killer for the first time and it sent me on a fucking journey when I found out it was a cover. I knew it sounded like Priest, but didn't know Priest could sound like that after growing up on the "Living After Midnight" era of Monsters of Rock CDs
Rob sporting the MP 70 shirt is sweet!
My personal favorite hairstyle is Rocka Rolla era - I’ll always love the long haired boys. But Not everyone can rock a smooth cranium like a beast so always major respect on that one 😎
I still think Screaming for Vengeance was their greatest .
I love listening to SFV with quality headphones. The mix was amazing!! :)
Agreed. Painkiller is actually pretty far down the list of my favorite Priest albums.
@@sec2112 - Yea, you got DotF, SfV, Stained Class, Sin after Sin, and even Sad Wings of Destiny that id probably rate higher. But Painkiller still fucking slays. SfV is my favorite, but these guys are just on another level.
@@sec2112 Totally agree
I believe that Painkiller was the last stand of the 80's metal, when the all giant bands started having an identity crisis and the grunge and groove ruined the mainstrem scene for over a decade. Painkiller marked an end of an era.
Considering it was released in Sept of 1990....
What definitely happened is that bands slowed down, started singing lower with far less falsetto yelps, and either got rid of melody or lost their ability to write good melodies. And I just have never got most death metal and black metal because of the inherently limited vocals. The loss of speed/energy and the flattened vocals are both 90's trends that I hated.
I would argue Vulgar Display of Power or Korn’s debut album saved metal, considering that was the direction metal music went in the 90s/00s.
@@offspringfan1288 ruined metal*
I am old enough to remember hearing Night Crawler on the radio before the album even came out. There was a decent rock show on Radio One in the UK back in those days. I was blown away by it. My brother bought the CD and it's still one of my top ten albums. Painkiller is the best song. It's the technique and skill which really stands out.
Painkiller was the first metal song I can remember, back at '97, when my brother got a CD player and listened to this all the time. And it got me when I was 10. Now I'm 34, and I've listened to tons of metal, all genres of rock, jazz, a good chunk of classical. Still, though its been nearly a quarter of a century (Wow! Time flies!) Painkiller for me is definitely the greatest, and the most metal album of all time.
I traded Tesla’s “Five Man Acoustical Jam” CD to my local music store for a used copy of Painkiller. Best decision I’ve ever made…
I also saw them supporting this album on the “Operation: Rock and Roll” tour in the US. An all day show with Metal Church, Dangerous Toys, Motörhead, Alice Cooper, and Priest headlining. Amazing show
Great review, Blood.
At the time, It was the most redemptive album in heavy metal's short history. After leaning too far to the cheesy side of metal during the 80's, Priest released their heaviest offering since Stained Class. But it's a stretch to say it saved metal. Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Alice In Chains, Tool, Marilyn Manson etc all played their role of helping metal transform through the 90's.
Saxon, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Sepultura, Exodus, Nevermore, etc
Metal Meltdown is easily my favorite off of Painkiller. Rob’s vocals are absolutely insane!
Painkiller is a monument of true metal. If in 1000 years we don't all blow up, that's the album that will give future humans "holly f*ck this is amazing". That being said, I really feel like it's missing at least one more song like 'A touch of evil' to cut those insane tracks a bit because it you listen to it start to finish in most cases you'll feel overwhelmed unless in special high-energy mood. Guitars are so raw, industrial, it's just monster sound from start to finish and is for sure not overrated.
One Shot at Glory... Best Priest song ever, with Blood Red Skies being my close 2nd fave.
The Painkiller song was what officially cinched me in as a JP fan to the point of going all-in and obtaining ALL their albums. Up to that point, I only had Screaming For Vengeance, Defenders Of The Faith, and Turbo strictly for their respective hits, You've Got Another Thing Coming, Love Bites, and Turbo Lover. Painkiller prompted me to buy the album and give my other 3 albums a closer listen - that opened the floodgates and my quest to find all the previous albums had begun.
But when Rob left, I didn't bother to continue getting any new JP albums. I had a pretty persnickety thing about bands and the frontmen being a symbiotic union which you do not fuck with.
I did the same thing when Dickinson quit Iron Maiden and Jon Oliva stepped back as vocalist in Savatage. Both of those jettisons were stupid decisions on my part, cos as I realized much later, I missed out on a lot of good stuff.
I had also dropped Helloween just prior to the other 2 bands, but it was more due to the goofy and cartoony trajectory the band seemed to be taking with their sound and subject matter in the wake of the Keeper Of The 7 Keys albums (little did I know, had I just toughed it out for a couple more albums, Andi Deris would have joined and the restoration of real metal would have come to pass).
But I eventually resumed my Helloween collection, around the same time I went back and picked up where I left off with Iron Maiden and Savatage, a decision made partly due to the return of Dickinson (and Adrian Smith, for that matter) to Iron Maiden, and upon my discovery of many Savatage members' involvement with Trans-Siberian Orchestra (which I dove into fully), thus prompting the return to Savatage (thereby discovering Oliva had been slowly returning to vocal duty with the band).
I still have not yet had the opportunity to start investing in doing the same for my JP collection, but I plan to, especially now that Halford has returned... and despite KK leaving... :-(
For an old fart like me, it's strange to see the love this album gets.
In 1990, JP were considered to be over and the uncoolest thing you could buy, was Painkiller.
All the old giants were ridiculed by critics. Not even Iron Maiden were spared.
But what do you know ... time heals most things and wisdom prevails in the end.
Finally! Somebody that understands what it was really like back then.
@@howieduwit2551 If you showed up in a JP shirt, you didn't get laid. Same with Dio Maiden and Accept. Either you burned those shirts or you were doomed to wank alone.
@@jonnyblade46 🤣🤣🤣 This is absolutely true!
@@jonnyblade46 Wanking is so underrated. lol Also Balls to the Wall kicks ass!
@@Ssbad24 😂 lol true x 2
When you mentioned Sad Wings of Destiny, I thought you were also going to mention the lyrics "Sad wings that Heaven sent, wipes out in rage."
On another note, the tapping solo in Between the Hammer and the Anvil is easily my favourite Tipton solo
I was always a huge fan of leather rebel. But Halfords vocals on one shot at glory still give me chills, the final scream is fuckin amazing.
I would love to see your video about Scott Travis joining the band. I am really curious about it!
I got the album when I was 9 or 10. I’m 40 now, still one of my favorite albums!
I bought it the day it came out. I was stationed in Ca, in the Bay Area, we had a killer music shop.
Yes on a video about the life and history of Scott Travis!
The song Painkiller never gets old, no matter how many times I hear it it still fucking rocks
For me Painkiller marked the end of the 80´s Metal era... I never got familiar with Grunge or Nu Metal... and as it seemed to be the last Judas Priest album after Rob Halford left the band it was a very intense album for me as a hardcore Judas Priest fan. In the late 80s and over the 90´s I got more into Goth Rock, but I always loved the 80´s METAL. And Defenders Of The Faith will forever be my favourite Priest album!
My opinion is, *Yes*
Painkiller paved the way for metal's revival in the 2000s
Uh no.
Painkiller was is & always been a favorite & fascinating fantastic album. Rob is top notch & drawer on his game. 🇬🇧
Being 18 when it came out was a breath of fresh air for me!!!
Painkiller is definitely a gem of Judas Priest. Love Scotts drumming on this album along with the intensity of all the songs. No disrespect to Dave Holland but I would LOVE to hear what kind of drum track Scott would have put to Ram It Down. When jam with it on drums, I like putting a double kick on it and it sounds great.
Ram it Down was recorded with drum machine :( It would sound absolutely differnet with live drums