CD Review: Judas Priest – Firepower

Judas Priest has is back with “Firepower”, their eighteenth album.  It’s easy to say that a band that has been around that long could just coast through another release, however, this is a great one.  It has an incredibly diverse sound, falling back on the classic Priest sound and at the same time, feeling modern.  The album is not one that would be out of place amongst others in 2018.

Tracks “Firepower” and “Lightning to Strike” have a classic Priest sound to them.  Both have dueling guitar solos, guitar solos that have not at all lost their touch over the years.  “Evil Never Dies” is a favorite track, with a bit of a different feel to it, while “Never the Heroes” pulls back to the ‘70’s Judas Priest sound.  With a lot of bass and heavy riffs, it’s a very strong, standout track.   The following tracks, “Necromancer”, “Flamethrower”, “Spectre”, “Children of the Sun” and “Traitor’s Gate” continue that classic sound.

“Guardians/Rising from the Ruins” has a different feel to it, beginning with the piano.  It’s a nice intro and sounds like it will play out well live.  It’s that kind of song that arena shows very much appreciate and the type that an audience will get into, whether they know it or not.  The same can be said for the final track of the album, “Lone Wolf”, although that one is far heavier.

An obvious theme throughout the near hour long album is the definitive Priest feel, something that we all love.  If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, as far as I’m concerned.  They’re able to blend nicely into modern metal without losing their signature sound.  Like I stated at the beginning of this, Judas Priest has been at this for nearly fifty years.  It’s wonderful  to see that they still have great albums they are adding to their legacy.