Judas Priest
– Screaming for Vengeance
This is where Judas Priest stopped flirting with mainstream appeal and ran it over with a Harley. Screaming for Vengeance doesn’t compromise—it detonates. After the colder reception of Point of Entry, Priest returned swinging with sharpened riffs, cleaner hooks, and a mission: bring heavy metal into the arena without sanding off its edges. The result is an album that balances brawn and melody so effortlessly it sounds like muscle memory.
Best of…
Rob Halford is in a league of his own here. He doesn’t just hit high notes—he weaponizes them. His vocals screech, soar, and snarl like a man chewing on lightning. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing unleash riffs like they’re pulling steel cables taut, with solos that shred but never meander. Dave Holland’s drumming is meat-and-potatoes solid—enough to drive the machine forward without muddying the gears.
And yes, it’s got that song. But Screaming for Vengeance is more than a vessel for “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.” It’s a full-blown declaration of purpose. Priest doesn’t just play heavy metal—they pour it, molten and glowing, into anthems that still sound like a boot in the teeth four decades later.
Choice Tracks
The Hellion / Electric Eye
Opening with a thunderous instrumental that bleeds into one of the band’s best riffs, this combo sets the tone: sci-fi paranoia, gleaming guitars, and Halford in predator mode. It’s metal’s version of a warning shot.
Riding on the Wind
Pure speed. Tipton and Downing are unchained here, and Halford sounds like he’s got fire in his lungs. If leather jackets had engines, this is what they’d run on.
Bloodstone
Mid-tempo, groovy, and a little sinister. There’s something almost seductive in its strut—Halford tempers his shriek for something colder, moodier, and damn effective.
(Take These) Chains
The sleeper hit. Written by outside contributor Bob Halligan Jr., it trades pure aggression for melodic ache. It’s proof that even a steel-plated war machine like Priest has a heart under the hood.
Screaming for Vengeance
The title track doesn’t so much begin as explode. Halford howls like he’s breaking through glass, and the guitars chase each other in a frenzy. It’s chaos, controlled with precision.
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
The hit single, sure. But it earns its keep. An underdog anthem with crunch, swagger, and a killer hook. It’s heavy metal made accessible without losing its teeth.
Screaming for Vengeance wasn’t just a comeback. It was a coronation. A band at full power, daring anyone to challenge them. And few ever could.