Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

If you only buy a couple of heavy-metal records this year, Defenders of the Faith should be one of them. On their latest album, British boomers Judas Priest have tampered as little as possible with the formula that blasted Screaming for Vengeance to the band's loftiest U.S. chart position ever: same producer (Tom Allom), same recording and mixing studios and the same gutbucket sound. Among their studs-and-leather brethren, Judas Priest are distinguished by their practically punkish fast tempos and their clean, fire-breathing arrangements. Even with vocalist Rob Halford squawking like a decapitated capon, "Jawbreaker" and "Freewheel Burning" bristle with the amps-on-ten ammo that any rock fan should be able to appreciate.

On side two, though, the band lapses into some generic heavy metal: plodding marches ("Heavy Duty"), idiotic story lines ("Defenders of the Faith") and piss-ant misogyny ("Love Bites"). In their defense, though, Judas Priest simply seem to be trying to give the heavy-metal audience what they want. And there is something here to please the headbanger in every listener.