British Steel (Remastered, Incl. 2 Bonus Tracks) (1980)

Album pick by Allmusic en maximale waardering van 5 sterren; een standaardplaat dus: "Predating Metallica's self-titled blockbuster by 11 years, "British Steel" was a similarly pitched landmark boasting many of the same accomplishments. It streamlined and simplified the progressive intricacies of a band fresh off of revolutionizing the entire heavy metal genre; it brought an aggressive, underground metal subgenre crashing into the mainstream (in Priest's case, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal; in Metallica's, thrash); and it greatly expanded the possibilities for heavy metal's commercial viability as a whole. In catapulting Judas Priest to the status of stadium headliners, it was the first salvo fired in heavy metal's ultimate takeover of the hard rock landscape during the 1980s. Packed with strong melodic hooks, "British Steel" is a deliberate commercial move, forsaking the complexity of the band's early work in favor of a robust, AC/DC-flavored groove". (Steve Huye; klik op link voor complete tekst)

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