Judas Priest
Redeemer of Souls

I guess this is the kind of things you read in other reviews of this album:
- It's the seventeenth album by Judas Priest
- It's their 40th anniversary since the debut
- The known guitarrist K.K. Downing who had been in Judas Priest since 1970 and quit 2011 is no longer in the band and no replacement is worthy his legacy
- Judas Priest was better in the good old days...
- …but it's still nice to see the band keep playing together.

Some will probably say that Judas Priest, however they sound, are always Judas Priest and that the original will always be better than any of the thousands of bands that's been inspired by them - even if the hole after K.K. is very big (just like it was after Halford left in the 90's). Personally, though, I can't say I feel anything special for a new Judas Priest album despite their acknowledgement within the metal community. I like 'Sad Wings Of Destiny', 'British Steel' and 'Painkiller' to mention a few of their 17 albums produced in these 40 years but I'm too young to have experienced their golden days - their first 20 years when 12 of their 17 albums were released. The latter 20 years has not been as productive with only 5 new albums, which feels pretty typical for bands getting too big for their own best - it starts of intensive with albums on a yearly basis and then when the tours are getting bigger and budgets increase to a level where they can stay in the studio as long as they choose instead of how long they can afford, then the release schedule is getting less crowded and often more filled with compilations than new material. The worst example is probably 'Chinese Democracy' by Guns 'N' Roses… I don't even remember how long that one took to complete.

Judas Priest hasn't taken 15 years to complete any album before, though, and neither 'Redeemer Of Souls' but on average it's taken them 4 years for every new album and that's longer than any of the albums has been worth waiting for in my opinion. 'Redeemer Of Souls' is no exception. I guess you all sigh a bit and thinks "another jerk that complains about things not being like they were" but it's actually the complete opposite - I think it sounds way too alike their old albums.

As I said earlier - I'm too young to have experienced their golden days (nice to see I can still be too young for things, that's happening less and less these days) and my parents weren't that much in to the priests so I haven't got any real relationship with them. I can understand the people who did get such a thing and most of you probably made triple somersaults after hearing Rob Halford had returned to the band after ten years with Tim Owens a decade ago but on their second half of the 40 year old career I still feel these were the years when they accomplished most. 'Redeemer Of Souls' sounds pretty much like 'Angel Of Retribution' and 'Nostradamus' sort of how they sounded in the 80's, only more tired, less flamboyant and older. But that should probably not surprice anyone considering that the band has become older and hence less flamboyant… and probably more tired as well. The sad thing is that they waste all that experience, knowledge and competence they've gained during these 40 years to make something that sounds like it did back when they were on the charge and not something that suit their current… shall we say situation?

So what is it that we hear on this 17th album by the "metal gods"? Roaring guitars, heavy riffs, high pitched shouting and pure fucking heavy metal, of course. Songs made in "good ol' fashion", all between three and six minutes long and in all honesty pretty much the same from beginning to the end. The new guitarist is called Richard Faulkner and comes from a background of jumping in pretty much everywhere he's needed. At the moment he's needed in Judas Priest and in my opinion he's not messing up the guitars but plays it pretty much the same as Downing did - which you can take as either positive or negative depending on your liking but my standpoint has never been of Downing as a particularly great guitarist in Judas Priest so neither do I think so of Faulkner. It sounds like it usually does, it's as simple as that, and maybe he can do better but to show off something like that in one of the greatest heavy metal acts in the world would probably be blashpemy.

In a way this should be exactly what the fans of Judas Priest want since it's more or less the same album as their most popular releases from the 80's from a group of musicians where most are old enough to be grandparents… to parents. Honestly, though, I don't think it's particularly exciting with an album that sounds so alike their old releases. Now and then they do something that makes you feel they still have something but overall I feel it's better to return to their classics if I want to hear Judas Priest being the good old Judas Priest. Or I can always play one of the numerous bands they've inspired. Either way, I think the thing Judas Priest proves with this album is that you don't have to be wise when you're old.

HHHHHHH