Black Sabbath (and to a lesser extent, Led Zeppelin) may be
responsible for “inventing” heavy metal, but it was the mighty, leather-clad
Judas Priest who should be credited with defining what we commonly refer to as
metal today. Priest was the band responsible for gradually subtracting the
blues element out of heavy rock, and while there is certainly nothing negative
about blues-based rock, we most likely would never know what thrash metal is -
and in turn the various forms of extreme metal that came later – without this
crucial shift in style. While purging the blues from their equation during
their ‘70s years, Priest added a hefty dose of drama into their sound to
balance things out (most likely influenced by Queen more than any other) and
these kinds of dramatics can be seen all over the metal sphere today in bands
like Candlemass and Blind Guardian. So when presented with a new album from
such a monumentally important act in the pantheon of heavy metal, this late in
their career at that, one has to ask “What could they possibly have to prove in
2014? Can I expect anything new? Is Judas Priest still the band flying the flag
for metal?”
