10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Songs Of 2018
5. Judas Priest – “Lightning Strike”
Judas Priest have been pumping out heavy, genre-defining anthems since the 1970s, so it’s no surprise that the metal gods are in the upper echelon of 2018’s best songs. Their latest album Firepower, which saw the light of the day back in March, boasts a whole slew of candidates for this list, but it is “Lightning Strike” that ultimately sticks out best.
Quite simply, the single is quintessential Priest. It honours its creators’ near-fifty-year history of glorious belters, from “The Ripper” to “Grinder” to “Painkiller”, by taking everything that makes the band great and cranking them up to 11.
The rhythms are wholeheartedly rooted in the NWOBHM, creating a bombastic and heroic framework for classic, chord-based riffs and as many high-flying solos as humanly possible. Frontman Rob Halford is unabashed in showing off his enviable vocal prowess, mixing gritty verses with operatic refrains and, of course, a handful of high-pitched wails for good measure.
“Lightning Strike” is three minutes of pure, adrenaline-inciting Priest taken to the absolute max. It’s a time capsule to metal’s heyday, sure, but its constant speed and excitement also gives it the same energy as anthems from younger, contemporary names.