Published on Mar 11, 2005
The third release from Judas Priest is a portrait of a band
finding its voice. At times they find it very well; at other times
they choke a little.
All the necessary elements of a satisfying JP album are here:
the leather-clad demonic imagery, the dueling guitars, and of
course, the glass-shattering voice of Rob Halford. On
Sin After Sin, JP starts to move away from the heavier Black
Sabbath inspired sound, and into a more groove-centered style
featuring the now-familiar chugging rhythm guitars and loping bass
lines. Also, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing stop noodling
with their guitars and stick with the powerful, synchronized style
we now know well, and that will form the foundation of sound from
here on in. Seemingly they have locked on to the formula for
success that would firmly mark them as godfathers of the New Wave
of British Heavy Metal.
JP’s music is best served when they stick to the common themes
of bad-boy bikers, pseudo-demonic mayhem and thinly-veiled s &
m references. Priest was (wisely) never a band to flog their
limited lyrical skills too hard. These guys aren’t poets or
philosophers. They do best when they keep it simple, and they do
that fairly well on this disc.
“Sinner” starts off the festivities in typical JP style. The
obligatory demon archetype sweeping down on the unsuspecting
masses, fueled by the negative energies of war. Now that’s some
tasty stuff! A good, gritty fist-pounder to start things off is
always a wise choice for these guys. The next track is a surprising
highlight of the album. You got to give JP some big style points
for reworking Joan Baez’ nostalgic ode to lost love, the melancholy
“Diamonds And Rust,” into a great heavy metal song. Essentially
it’s a revved-up ballad, but it’s strong enough to hold its own
with the heavier tracks on the album.
The lowest moments of this album sink very low. Throughout their
career at various times, JP throws a ballad into the mix and it’s
never worked well in my opinion. On
Sin After Sin these attempts are especially bad. The syrupy
“Last Rose of Summer” is just simply the wrong vehicle for these
guys. Down-tempo love ballads are not what JP does best, or even
well for that matter. This song just doesn’t have the grit to play
in the same arena as the heavy metal cock-rock that made a name for
JP, and has sustained their popularity for decades. “Here Come The
Tears” is another failure in the ballad department. This is not the
voice that this band should use. These songs just stink and they
drag the entire album down. They placed these tracks smack in
middle of both sides (back when albums had sides) so they
effectively bog down the flow and the mood of the album from
aggression to tedium. Thankfully these attempts mostly faded away
later in their career.
“Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest” and “Raw Deal” are typical
heavy metal fodder, but they sound generic and aren’t particularly
interesting. “Raw Deal” is a simplistic exercise in macho posturing
that goes on twice as long as it should at over six minutes. Cut in
half it would have made a much better track, as the ponderous
instrumental section goes on too long and basically goes
nowhere.
“Dissident Aggressor” is a blistering fistful of metal that
finishes off the album very nicely. JP’s best work come in short,
intense blasts, and “Dissident Aggressor” is a template for the
perfect Priest track. Had they whittled down a couple of the longer
pieces (and dropped the ballads), this album would shine as a high
point in their career. As it is, it’s a study in changes, and
despite a couple of outstanding songs, is not their best work by a
long shot.