10 Hard Rock Live Albums You Need To Hear
8. Unleashed in the East - Judas Priest
By the beginning of the '80s, Judas Priest had cemented themselves as the dominating force in heavy metal. After the success of British Steel, the band went on a run for the ages with almost every single album being a healthy dose of unadulterated metallic aggression. It may have been born with British Steel, but the band's sound was already there on Unleashed in the East.
As the band moved in to cut their live record in Tokyo, songs that were already paving the way for heavy music got their fangs once they hit the stage. For as epic as some of the production on Priest's albums are, it's jaw-dropping to see them able to pull it off in a concert setting, with Glenn Tipton and KK Downing trading off some of their greatest licks.
On the other hand, this is the record where Rob Halford really became known as the Metal God, as he spends nearly an hour shredding his vocal cords like a hard rock version of Pavarotti.
This album also has the definitive version of the track "Victim of Changes," with Halford's final scream having the capacity to rattle your brain. Judas Priest have certainly had peaks and valleys in their studio catalog, but this live record could make a believer out of anyone.