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My thoughts on K.K. Downing “retiring” from Judas Priest
The world of metal was rocked (no pun intended) on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 when Judas Priest issued this statement:
It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. DOWNING has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming EPITAPH Tour.
The band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well.
There’s a more fleshed-out (and rather upbeat & casual) press release linked with that statement that basically states the band plans to continue on with the Epitaph world tour (for those that don’t know, it is being hyped as the band’s final major world tour) and also still has plans to record and release a new album next year. Oh yeah, and the replacement is 31-year-old Richie Faulkner from England. I had never heard of him before but his most noticeable credit is playing in Lauren Harris’ (the daughter of Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris) band.
The whole thing with Priest has been weird for a while. First, there was the vague announcement that they were retiring and that the 2011 Epitaph tour would be their farewell tour. Weeks later, they backtracked and said “No, this is just our last MAJOR world tour and we’re still going to make new music”.
Which is fine. I think most people realize these guys are 60-ish and deserve the break from the rigors of the road. They are legends and deserve to sit back and relax for the rest of their lives if that’s what they want.
But who exactly in the band wants that? Here is the press release issued by K.K. on April 21, 2011:
Dear friends,
It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am O.K.
There has been an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band’s management for some time.
Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans.
However I would urge you to please support the Priest as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed.
All my love and respect,
K.K. Downing
For a while, it seemed like K.K. was the only one issuing updates on the Epitaph/recording plans, so you would think he was all for it. Perhaps Downing, and Downing alone, was the one pushing for a slower pace for Priest? Obviously, when K.K. mentions the band’s management there are some money factors at play. I’m guessing management (and perhaps the rest of Priest) have decided they want to continue full-steam ahead while K.K. is still wanting to operate at a slower pace. I think at some point all members were on board with some type of reduced schedule but money talks so it appears some members are more willing to keep up the pace than others. Perhaps this is similar situation to what Dream Theater recently went through.
Not that either side is wrong. No matter who wants to continue, who wants a reduced schedule or who wants it to all just be done — no one is really wrong. All of those options have their positive and negatives and while we certainly don’t know the full story (yet), I don’t begrudge Downing, Halford, Tipton or Hill for their choices in this matter.
I will continue to support Priest. Will it be the same band? Of course not. It’s going to be a different beast (especially when it comes to the new album) but I am not going to write them off. Who is to say the music still can’t be good? Priest isn’t just going to bring in any ol’ guy. The fact that they announced K.K.’s “retirement” from Priest and Richie’s joining in the same press release just means this is NOT something out of the blue and I know Richie had to have been carefully picked by Rob & Glenn. So in that regards, I think in a live setting the band will do just fine.
What I’m actually quite anxious to see is how the new album will turn out. The Halford/Tipton/Downing songwriting team has been responsible for some all-metal classics. Are we down to Halford/Tipton? Is Faulkner a hired gun like drummer Scott Travis or will Rob & Glenn let Richie flex some creative muscles? It will be very interesting either way and I hope K.K. will not wash his hands of music at this point. I would love to hear what he would offer up on a solo album.
Certainly, any way you slice it, this is very sad news. I’m hoping even if they have decided they cannot be business partners that the guys are still going to remain friends. You’d think even if Downing and the band had a difference of opinion on the future they could at least work through this final major tour but apparently not.
My feeling is that at some point Downing will be back. My fear is that it will be too late to really make a difference. These guys are not getting any younger and at this point in their lives they should be cherishing every moment they can have together as a band. For a veteran band, losing such a vital member this late in the game this can really set them back a ways. At least I was able to see the group in 2009.
Thank you, K.K., for all the decades of great music. I wish you the best.
Stryper – The Covering
Stryper – The Covering (2011, Big3 Records)
1. “Set Me Free” … 3:45
2. “Blackout” … 3:58
3. “Heaven and Hell” … 6:11
4. “Lights Out” … 3:44
5. “Carry On Wayward Son” … 5:16
6. “Highway Star” … 5:45
7. “Shout It Out Loud” … 3:15
8. “Over the Mountain” … 4:21
9. “The Trooper” … 3:53
10. “Breaking the Law” … 3:02
11. “On Fire” … 3:08
12. “Immigrant Song” … 2:18
13. “God” … 4:55
Band:
Michael Sweet – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Oz Fox – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Timothy Gaines – Bass, Backing Vocals
Robert Sweet – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Charles Foley – Keyboards, Organ, Piano
Producer: Michael Sweet
And Stryper continues their trend for having AWFUL album covers. =P
Luckily, the album art is not a good indicator of the music itself because this is seriously one great album of covers! When I first heard it was going to be a cover album, I kind of rolled my eyes. That’s usually a sign that a band is slowing down and/or giving up on new material but then they started releasing all these samples and they sounded amazing. I guess the band has caught some flack from their Christian fanbase for having the gall to cover secular music and evil bands such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and KISS but whatever. Get over yourselves! Christian acts don’t need to be singing about God & Jesus in every single song. Just because you want to cover Van Halen and Scorpions it doesn’t mean you’ve turned your back on the Lord.
Anyway, what a great line-up of bands to cover! In order, they are: Sweet, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, UFO, Kansas, Deep Purple, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin. The only original song of the bunch is “God” which is a fantastic hard rocker that just doesn’t let up and gives me hope that maybe the band will put out an entirely new and original album later this year.
It was Murder By Pride that pulled me onto the Stryper bandwagon. That was a very good album. Sometimes a veteran act seems to be going through the motions even when they release new material but that wasn’t the case then and even though the band is covering songs here, they still sound energetic and on fire. ”God” gives me hope that maybe the band will put out an entirely new and original album later this year because they are on a roll.
The band stays pretty faithful to the source material only making slight alterations here and there but these are some killer covers. “Blackout” and “Lights Out” are pure fire and it’s interesting to hear Michael Sweet vocals on these songs. I think he’s got a unique singing style and it’s interesting hearing him find some middle ground between his own style and the styles in which these songs were originally sung.
One of the better cover albums I’ve heard. Essential pickup for 2011.
Highlights: “Set Me Free”, “Blackout”, “Lights Out”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “On Fire”, “God”
Halford – Made of Metal
Halford – Made of Metal (2010, Metal God Records)
1. “Undisputed” … 5:17
2. “Fire and Ice” … 2:52
3. “Made of Metal” … 4:01
4. “Speed of Sound” … 4:32
5. “Like There’s No Tomorrow” … 4:20
6. “Till the Day I Die” … 3:50
7. “We Own the Night” … 3:54
8. “Heartless” … 3:38
9. “Hell Razor” … 3:44
10. “Thunder and Lightning” … 5:28
11. “Twenty Five Years” … 7:01
12. “Matador” … 5:39
13. “I Know We Stand a Chance” … 3:51
14. “The Mower” … 4:40
Band:
Rob Halford – Vocals
Roy Z – Guitar
Mike Chlasciak – Guitar
Mike Davis – Bass
Bobby Jarzombek – Drums
Producer: Roy Z
Ah, this is more like it! The Halford band was one of the best bands to come out of the last decade but a reunited Judas Priest put the group on hold for a long time (even though that didn’t stop Rob from remastering and reissuing the band’s three albums previous ad nauseum). A comeback was made last year in the form of the odd, yet enjoyable Winter Songs but now Halford is back with an album that sounds much more like Resurrection than Crucible and that’s okay by me. Crucible was a bit too angry and heavy to me and lacked hooks. Resurrection on the other hand was one of the my favorite albums from the last decade and Made of Metal (sometimes referred to as Halford IV: Made of Metal) is easily one of the top albums of 2010 in the very least.
I was really looking forward to this album but the album’s first single “The Mower” didn’t thrill me (though I didn’t hate it). Luckily, “Made of Metal” was put online, accompanied by a very cheesy NASCAR-inspired CGI video, and gave me much more optimism for this album. By the way, what’s up with the NASCAR stuff? Even in press releases for the album they would mention the unofficial NASCAR connection with the “Made of Metal” video. There’s no licensing deal that I’m aware of but it seems like like maybe Rob was fishing for one.
As I said earlier, the album isn’t as heavy as Crucible, much of it sounds like the commercial metal that you might’ve heard from Priest during the mid-’80s. “Speed Of Sound” and “We Own The Night” have an obvious commercial flair, “Undisputed” is a lyrically cheesy but still very catchy anthem and “Hell Razor” sounds like late ’70s/early ’80s Judas Priest. On the flip side, “The Mower” is an absolutely brutal metal number in which Halford’s vocals get downright nasty.
Then there’s “Till The Die I Day” which is a surprisingly bluesy outlaw of a rocker that reminds me of something Whitesnake would do and “Thunder and Lightning” has a bit of boogie I didn’t expect from Halford either while “Matador” appropriately has a south of the border feel to it. I really like the variety on this album. The album is similar in sound to Priest, Fight and previous Halford efforts while a song like “I Know We Stand A Chance” brings to mind H.I.M. and other similar sounding goth rock bands.
I knew this album had potential to be good but I also thought it could’ve been a train wreck. Luckily Rob and Roy Z have turned in one of the best albums of the year and Rob’s voice shows no signs of slowing down. A lot of reviews have bashed the lyrics but who cares? It’s good MUSIC! Great album.
Highlights: “Fire And Ice”, “Made Of Metal”, “Like There’s No Tomorrow”, “Till The Day I Die”, “We Own The Night”, “Twenty Five Years”, “I Know We Stand A Chance”
http://www.robhalford.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rob-Halford/136458273486
http://www.myspace.com/robhalford
JUDAS PRIEST – Rocka Rolla
Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla (2000, Koch Records)
Original Release: 1974, Gull Records
1. “One for the Road” … 4:35
2. “Rocka Rolla” … 3:03
3. “Winter”/”Deep Freeze”/”Winter Retreat”/”Cheater” … 9:30
4. “Never Satisfied” … 4:50
5. “Run of the Mill” (8:34)
6. “Dying to Meet You” (6:19)
7. “Caviar and Meths” (2:03)
BONUS TRACK
8. “Diamonds and Rust” (3:14)
Band:
Rob Halford – Vocals, Harmonica
K.K. Downing – Guitar
Glenn Tipton – Guitar, Synthesizers, Backing Vocals
Ian Hill – Bass
John Hinch – Drums
Producer: Rodger Bain
Very interesting debut album from Judas Priest that is predominantly a blues-based “heavy rock” release (I’ve grown to love that term when talking about ’70s hard rock/metal bands). I’ve read a lot of reviews stating this album is nothing special but I have to disagree. Is it essential Priest? No, I don’t think so but it is still enjoyable ’70s hard rock that at times come across like early Black Sabbath (Rodger Bain produced the first three Sabbath albums after all). Admittedly, it was a bit of a shock listening to this album for the first time because it’s just not what you expect from Priest, it’s just not as fast or heavy as their later stuff, but it has grown on me.
There’s more than enough here to make this worth a listen. “Rocka Rolla” is a great, fun, loose hard rock track, something I can’t imagine Judas Priest doing ever again. “Run of the Mill” is an epic progressive song, just an amazing performance by Rob, and “Dying to Meet You” is an enjoyable doomy track before picking up at the end.
“Rocka Rolla”, “Winter”, “Never Satisfied” and “Caviar and Meths” were all written or co-written by original singer At Atkins before he left the group. This version of “Caviar and Meths” is very much shortened from the original version the band had worked on.
My version of this album features the alternate cover that debuted on the mid-80s pressings of this album. The story goes that Coca-Cola and Priest were none too please with the original bottle cap cover and so reissues of this album got the much more heavy metal-looking cover above. I’ve always liked the original cover, even if it feels out of place for a band such as Judas Priest, and would have preferred to have found that version. Oh well. Priest apparently isn’t happy with the production either, that which I can agree with. Some of the songs have a bit of a hiss to them but it’s not too distracting.
Also, on original pressings of this album, I believe “Winter”, “Deep Freeze”, “Winter Retreat” and “Cheater” all had their own tracks. Not sure why they were thrown together on the same track for this edition. As a bonus track for this reissue, the band’s original recording of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” (taken from the Sad Wings of Destiny sessions) included.
For people wanting a Priest recommendation, I wouldn’t name this album first but it’s definitely worth picking up if you’re a hardcore Priest fan and I probably like much more than most people do. It’s different but you can still hear the sound that would fully develop on later albums.
Highlights: “Rocka Rolla”, “Winter”/”Deep Freeze”/”Winter Retreat”/”Cheater”, “Never Satisfied”, “Run of the Mill”, “Diamonds and Rust”
JUDAS PRIEST – Sin After Sin
Judas Priest – Sin After Sin [Remastered] (2001, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings)
Original Release: 1977, Columbia Records
1. “Sinner” … 6:45
2. “Diamonds and Rust” … 3:27
3. “Starbreaker” … 4:49
4. “Last Rose of Summer” … 5:38
5. “Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest” … 6:12
6. “Raw Deal” … 6:00
7. “Here Come the Tears” … 4:37
8. “Dissident Aggressor” … 3:06
BONUS TRACKS
9. “Race With The Devil” … 3:06
10. “Jawbreaker” (Live) … 4:02
Band:
Rob Halford – Vocals
K.K. Downing – Guitar
Glenn Tipton – Guitar, Piano
Ian Hill - Bass
Simon Phillips – Drums
Producer: Roger Glover and Judas Priest
Sin After Sin is Priest’s first major-label album. It is also one of the first Priest albums I had in my collection so I’ve always had a soft spot for it. I remember listening to this one a lot while I was on my own in Virginia attending a community college. Heck, I remember “Last Rose of Summer” playing in my car during that winter while I pulled into a Wendy’s drive-thru. Funny how the most random stuff sticks with you through the years, isn’t it?
By this point, the band was already starting to perfect their sound. “Sinner” and “Starbreaker” (what a cool title) are early Priest classics and I’ve always loved their cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust”. It wasn’t until many years later that I heard the original and I think it’s a pretty awful song. It’s amazing that Priest was able to work their magic with it. They totally made it their own.
The rest of the album is very good featuring Priest straddling the line between the early stages of heavy metal and what we would now call classic rock. The only stinker is “Last Rose of Summer”. Looking back at all the things the band has done since then, it just seems like a really weird song for them to record. They are no strangers to tossing a ballad or two our way even to this day, but this one is a very strange ’70s trippy number. “Here Come the Tears” is much more in line with the standard Priest ballad format but also features some great sorrowful wailing from Halford. I love his performance on this song. Then you’ve got fan favorite and early metal classic “Dissident Aggressor” which is pretty heavy even in this day and age, so I cannot even begin to imagine what this song must have sounded like to virgin ears!
All told, this is a classic release and essential for any fan of Priest and heavy metal in general. The seeds were being sown for the future and this album doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
Highlights: “Sinner”, “Diamonds and Rust”, “Starbreaker”, “Here Come the Tears”, “Dissident Aggressor”
JUDAS PRIEST – Screaming for Vengeance
Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance (1982, Columbia Records)
1. “The Hellion” … 0:41
2. “Electric Eye” … 3:39
3. “Riding on the Wind” … 3:07
4. “Bloodstone” … 3:51
5. “(Take These) Chains” … 3:07
6. “Pain and Pleasure” … 4:17
7. “Screaming for Vengeance” … 4:43
8. “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” … 5:09
9. “Fever” … 5:20
10. “Devil’s Child” … 4:48
Band:
Rob Halford – Vocals
K.K. Downing – Guitar
Glenn Tipton – Guitar
Ian Hill – Bass
Dave Holland – Drums
Producer: Tom Allom
This album was a great way to start my Judas Priest obsession. I bought it back in 1998 and I remember going up to Virginia to visit friends during winter break and making one of them play this in his car as we drove around town. Good times!
There were a number of tracks that I instantly fell in love with. The killer 1-2 combo of “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye” is legendary. “(Take These) Chains” I always thought was really good and pretty underrated. Priest is really good at writing haunting ballads. “Bloodstone” I think is another Priest gem. Of course, even years before this album I was familiar with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” (freakin’ Burger King feature it in a commercial at one point!).
The album is a great return to classic material after the unimpressive Point of Entry, but it sees the band caught in the middle of transition from ’70s heavy metal act to ’80s commercial metal act. With their next few releases, the band streamlined and glossed up their sound and kept looking for a mainstream hit.
As good as this album is and as popular as it is (going double platinum, Priest’s best-selling album), it jump-started an era of the band that some people do not like. Personally, I love their slick synthesizer-heavy albums of the ’80s.
Highlights: “The Hellion”, “Electric Eye”, “Riding on the Wind”, “Bloodstone”, “(Take These) Chains”, “Screaming for Vengeance”, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”
