10 Bad Debut Albums From Great Bands
6. Rocka Rolla - Judas Priest
Out of all the bands to emerge as hard rock bands, Judas Priest were the first major group to fly the flag for heavy metal music. The band's insane headbangers from British Steel to Hell Bent For Leather gave them a congregation of metal fans that have stood by them through thick and thin.
Long before the band became known as the metal gods, their first album was much more psychedelic than metallic. With many of the songs being written by original singer Al Atkins, this first offering from Priest feels closer to a British band than one of the heaviest acts in the world. Just before Rocka Rolla was recorded, Atkins left the group, leaving screamer Rob Halford to take over. Halford's scream is definitely in full effect, but the songs just make Halford feel like a placeholder singer rather than a fully-fledged member of the group.
With the music being much more in line with the late 60's blues rock movement, the band were itching for a change once they delivered the roaring followup Sad Wings of Destiny, which was their first flirtation with the heavy metal sound. The Priest may have been born on this record, but they were a long way from preaching the Gospel of Metal.