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Judas Priest - Firepower

Released - 9 March 2018
Track listing
  1. Firepower
  2. Lightning Strike
  3. Evil Never Dies
  4. Never the Heroes
  5. Necromancer
  6. Children of the Sun
  7. Guardians
  8. Rising from Ruins
  9. Flame Thrower
  10. Spectre
  11. Traitors Gate
  12. No Surrender
  13. Lone Wolf
  14. Sea of Red
Firepower is the second album to feature Richie Faulkner on guitar and it seems like he has done a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to riffs and solos. This is not a bad thing as he has given the band new life and renewed sense of energy. I can say straight away after one listen that this is the best album Judas Priest have released since 1990's Painkiller album. The cover is reminiscent of Screaming for Vengeance and and good sign that they have stuck to what makes Judas Priest the band they are. The production and particularly the guitar sound is an improvement on Redeemer of Souls. I believe this to be down to co producer Andy Sneap. He gets a consistent clean and tight sound that almost defines the modern metal tone. Now on to the music...

The first 2 released tracks Firepower and Lightning Strike set the tone for the album. Fast paced and wouldn't sound out of place on classic albums like painkiller. They are probably thebest songs on the album but don't let that stop you because the rest are not far behind. At 66 years old Rob Halford is still going strong and though he's not screaming like The Sentinel anymore it's still that vintage Halford sound. Evil Never Dies and Never the Heroes slow the place down slightly but the riffs continue to be heavy and the drums are still relentlessly pounding away. Necromancer Picks the tempo back up but with a heavy chugging chorus that get the head banging. Children of the sun sound like it could have been carried over from Redeemer of Souls. Not as a leftover because it's still a solid track. Rising form ruins with it's Guardians intro is a mini epic crammed into 6 min 29 seconds with its slow build into a chest beating anthem that would fit into the power metal genre no problems. Flame Thrower gets back to the power of the first 2 tracks. At this point in the album there has been no let up in quality and it continues to go on. The next song Spectre is a little bit different but in a way that harks back to the song The Ripper. A bit darker and more experimental. Traitors Gate and Never Surrender continue with the theme of the album which doesn't let up even at this point and there are only 2 songs to go. Lone Wolf changes a bit with a main riff that is more in line with Black Sabbath/Black Label Society but Halford's vocals keep it undeniably Priest. If any song lets the album down then for me it's Sea of Red. It's like its going for the epic feel but doesn't quite capture it. It's not an awful song by any means but considering the rest of the album I think it could have been left off. A disappointing end to what may actually be the best album of the year.

Rating - 9.5 out of 10

Best song - Firepower
Worst song - Sea of Red

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