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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
After the critical flops of Turbo and (especially) Ram it Down, Priest really had something to prove to metal fans. This album, originally released in 1990, also came off the back of their infamous court case. This album takes all the pent up aggression and frustration the band must have felt, and unleashes them in a sonic display of fury. This album is like a metal fist to the face, it will leave you breathless in it's sheer relentless energy. Priest ditched kiddy-fiddler Dave Holland and appointed the awesome Scott Travis to the drum stool. His amazing double bass drum work really propells the Priest sound to dizzying heights, as Tipton, Halford, and Downing fully embraced the trash/power metal influences in to their writing style. The album can really be summed up in the first 2 minutes of the title track, in which the Priest effectively deploy all their sonic WMDs to maximum effect - Scott's drumming, Glenn and KK's riffing and Rob's scream. What follows is an utterly relentless metal onslaught - look up the definition of "heavy metal" in an encycopedia and there should be a picture of Painkiller! The only respite comes in the introductions to some of the songs, and the classy, menacing "Touch of Evil", which is the only slower track on the album (but no less powerful). In fact, the only criticism I could raise for the album is that it is so uncompromising - if you prefer the light and shade of, say, British Steel or Killing Machine, this may not be what you are looking for (try Angel of Retribition instead for a modern Priest album). As an exercise in demolishing their critics and their own self doubts, this stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Priest catalogue.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When I first heard `Painkiller` , I was totally blown away by the sheer heaviness . As a longtime fan of Priest , I expected extreme metal but this was pushing the envelope even further than before . This would be their most genre defining album since `British Steel` . It was the opening and title track of the album that set a pace that never lets up . Even today it sounds stunningly contemporary and fresh . Elsewhere songs like `Hell patrol` and `One shot at glory` send shivers up the spine such is the dramatic urgency of the delivery and production . Check out the atmospheric `Nightcrawler` and `Touch of evil` if you want to hear a band at the peak of their creative powers . Sadly , `Painkiller` would be the last album to feature vocalist Rob Halford , who left two years later . Rumours of a reunion still persist but this album will stand as a testimony to the power of the Priest . Behold!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Phew! What can you say that hasn't already been said? This album blew the cobwebs of hair metal straight out the door and good riddance to it.
Painkiller is serious Heavy Metal. A fast, frenzied, in your face, relentless charge through 10 slabs of pure, unadulterated metal. From the opening salvo of the title track things never let up. The drum intro to Painkiller from the newly appointed Scott Travis is breath taking. And while the tempo of the album never lets up until the slower (but none less heavy) Touch Of Evil, there is still enough melody and diversity in there. It isn't a thrash album, it's a classic old school metal album taken to the extreme.
There isn't a bad song on Painkiller and the highlights are obvious - Painkiller, All Guns Blazing, Leather Rebel, Night Crawler... oh heck, they're all good. But my personal favourite is One Shot At Glory. It's the kind of song that makes you believe you can take on the world and win.
The only down side? Well, at times you do perhaps wish they'ed put something a bit more ballady in there just so you could catch your breath. But that's a small point. There are other Priest albums that I would personally rank higher but that's probably because I got into them in the 70's and those albums mean a lot to me but Painkiller is a fantastic record and sadly would be the last with Rob Halford for 13 years.
If you love metal and don't own this album; please, please, please do yourself a favour and buy it.
Painkiller is serious Heavy Metal. A fast, frenzied, in your face, relentless charge through 10 slabs of pure, unadulterated metal. From the opening salvo of the title track things never let up. The drum intro to Painkiller from the newly appointed Scott Travis is breath taking. And while the tempo of the album never lets up until the slower (but none less heavy) Touch Of Evil, there is still enough melody and diversity in there. It isn't a thrash album, it's a classic old school metal album taken to the extreme.
There isn't a bad song on Painkiller and the highlights are obvious - Painkiller, All Guns Blazing, Leather Rebel, Night Crawler... oh heck, they're all good. But my personal favourite is One Shot At Glory. It's the kind of song that makes you believe you can take on the world and win.
The only down side? Well, at times you do perhaps wish they'ed put something a bit more ballady in there just so you could catch your breath. But that's a small point. There are other Priest albums that I would personally rank higher but that's probably because I got into them in the 70's and those albums mean a lot to me but Painkiller is a fantastic record and sadly would be the last with Rob Halford for 13 years.
If you love metal and don't own this album; please, please, please do yourself a favour and buy it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great return to form
Ram it Down was a terrible album. Tired and lacking in inspiration, it seemed to signal a band in terminal decline, unsure of their footing in a changed musical landscape. Read more
Published 6 months ago by I. A. McFarlane
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Judas Priest's Painkiller album was released in 1990 and has since went on to become a classic album, hugely respected and often included in lists of `best-ever-metal-albums. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Gentlegiantprog
The real Metal! \m/,
This almbum is piece of real and 100% clean metal. Must have for everyone who thinks they love metal. If you have good quality musical center (not that crappy 5. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by Suhov
It doesn't get any better than this
This is THE seminal heavy metal album. I bought it in 1990 at the tender age of 18 and it changed my life, I kid you not. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by Sa Brink
Easy Review: Classic Album
This is an easy review to write. If you're a JP fan, then you already know how good this album is, and you want to see what other fans have to say about it. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by F. Camilleri
Any masterpiece of an album usually takes some listening to love.
(this is a long edit from my old review). As a 17 year old, I have been a massive fan of heavy metal for a few years now, i like alot of other music to. Read more
Published on 14 July 2008 by MrMetalheadO'Hagan
Neck snapping
Just astonishing. Blistering riffs underpinned but Scott Travis' amazing drumming and Ian Hill's bludgeoning bass, Halford hitting notes that only dogs can hear, scorching solos... Read more
Published on 4 May 2008 by Mr. Robert Jones
Heavier Sound
Priest obviously thought the USofA had gotten bored with glam metal type bands by the early 90's and decided to move with the times (again! Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2007 by Nacluv
a fine album of metal !
1990,priest had sold out as many believed on their album turbo,released ram it down prior to this which didnt do much better,painkiller was their album where the word metal finally... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2007 by sean paul mccann
Speed metal classic
I use to think Judas Priest could be summarised with songs like "Breaking the law", "You got another thing coming" and "Living After Midnight", which are all good songs, but arn't... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2007 by Sonny
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