Every Judas Priest Albums Ranked Worst To Best
1. Screaming For Vengeance
Released in 1982, Screaming For Vengeance was more of a continuation of British Steel than the interim effort of Point Of Entry. Despite this narrative throughline, the record still managed to innovate on the established Priest ‘Sound’, and what an innovation that was.
As the title would imply, Screaming For Vengeance was the band’s exoneration from unpopularity and the complete, raucous joy they felt for it. Managing to sound hedonistic and gleeful, as much as it was dark and heavy, here the band perfected their habit of twisting the power ballad into something beautifully heinous. Famously, Corey Taylor - heavy metal royalty in his own right - maintains it is his favourite Priest album.
Featuring complete classics like You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Electric Eye and namesake track Screaming For Vengeance, it’s difficult to pinpoint exact high points on this record as it is such an excellent and consistent piece of work. Here Judas Priest raised the bar of Heavy Metal to something close to high art, without compromising on what makes the genre so viscerally enjoyable.
A towering work many consider to be the greatest of all time, it feels like a tragedy the band’s best ever work was - and always will be - from all the way back in 1982.
While you’re here, here’s a painting of Rob Halford robbing Halford’s.
