Judas Priest – Firepower

I bought “Firepower” on a whim at the local record store. After “Redeemer Of Souls” and “Nostradamus”, I wasn’t really excited by the idea of a new Judas Priest album.

Still, on a lazy, rainy day off work I ended up at my local HMV doing some crate digging.
Alas, out of the “J” crate came the cover of “Firepower”, screaming attitude in its unashamed fire-and-cool robots, classic heavy metal fashion.

Not without hesitation, I added it to the basket. I was looking for some metal to add some variety to the latest prog and blues musical menu I was into, so I thought why not. In the early 2000s, I had the Judas Priest discography on heavy rotation and, despite the above noted couple of latest weak albums, I thought the gramps always deserved another chance.

Fast forward to that afternoon, I placed the CD into the stereo, pushed play, and the title song’s riff came out of the speakers hitting me like a locomotive, starting a very well written heavy metal song, powerful yet melodic, with the perfect balance between classic and more modern feel, gathering all the elements that make up the Priest trademark sound.

And that would continue for another 13 songs that showed no seams or weak points, putting together an impressively coherent and consistent album filled with solid riffs, great melodies, and an energy you would think impossible in a band this veteran. Even Rob Halford’s voice performance was up there, intelligently used, nuanced and perfectly fitting the songs.

After K.K. Downing left the band and with Glenn Tipton’s health issues, Richie Faulkner was completely integrated in the band. You can tell he had an important part in the songwriting process, and songs like “Lightning Strikes”, “Never The Heroes”, “Rising From Ruins”, “Flame Thrower” and “No Surrender” really benefited from his input, being some of the best songs Priest has recorded in the last 35 years.

To me, “Firepower” is Judas Priest’s best album since “Painkiller” and one of their best albums overall, which is quite something when you’re talking about a career that spans more than half a century.

If retracting 4 songs it becomes a REALLY great album. These 4 items spoil it :Evil Never Dies; Children Of the Sub, Spectre; Lone Wolf. without them it becomes fast and energetic So I recommend to listen to it like this 1-2-4-5-7-8-9-11-12-14, leaving 3,6,10,13