British Steel

A landmark in metal history, no doubt — but not quite my thing. Rob Halford’s dynamic voice is impressive, but can feel a bit over-the-top after a second listen. The riffs are tight and the songs punchy, but as someone not deeply into heavy metal, I found it more interesting as a genre milestone than something I’d return to often.

A+, very good.

Despite only having one big hit on the album, it was overall great. It had a cohesive sound and it is distinct sound.

Dit is weer een album waar ik op hoopte toen ik aan de 1001 begon. Een overbekende band, waar ik nooit iets van heb geluisterd. (Of wel, maar dan was het een vergeetbare 3.) De band is groot wat betreft de vermeende kwaliteit en expressie en wat betreft de kwantiteit (wiki toont mij zo'n 20 albums).

Het internet spreekt vooral over Heavy Metal. Het geeft de richting wel aardig weer. Maar het is niet overdreven Heavy (vanuit mijn perspectief vanaf het jaar 2025). Het is wat rauw, maar tegelijk best toegankelijk. Wellicht ook omdat het allemaal prima is elkaar zit. Ik moet wel moeite doen om de instrumenten te beluisteren. De zanger trekt mijn aandacht naar zich toe. En dan heb ik het over het geluid. Want het internet roemt vooral de visuele presentatie van de zanger.

De stem pakt mijn aandacht dus, maar dat bieden andere zangers uit het genre ook. En Judas Priest is niet de enige die kwalitatief goede Heavy Metal brengt. Vandaar waarschijnlijk dat ik het nooit gehoord heb of het niet meer weet. Het onderscheidt zich niet zo goed. In die zin klopt de vergeetbare 3 wel. Tegelijk tikt Wiki me op de vingers. Deze band was er vroeg bij en de inspiratie voor velen.

Verrattuna viime viikon Metallicaan niin tämä se taas toimii! Vaikeaa toki suhtautua vakavasti kys. bändiin kulttistatuksen vuoksi, mutta hyvä levy. 4/5

I really do like Judas Priest and I am glad they made the HOF

Didn't go as hard as i expected

Quaint but charming.

Perhaps the most iconic album from a band that was releasing an iconic album every year at this point.

5.0/5.0: Iconic

All hair metal bands sound the same, this one brought nothing new to the table 2*.

I’m at a 10, and I think I’m learning that I’m actually really into metal.

I’ve heard of Judas Priest – I sort of knew their place in the heavy metal canon, but I’ve never *heard* Judas Priest. We’re 10 years after Black Sabbath dropped their debut, so heavy metal was already well established by this point. This is also 6 albums deep into their own discography, so while I was expecting this to be really refined and really good, I still wasn’t really prepared for just how much this feels like *the* precursor to 1980s heavy metal, and specifically, the sound Metallica would refine even further. This feels a lot like a Metallica album, but with just enough of the late 70s present to keep it sort of unique. Didn’t stop me from comparing it to a lot of 90s bands, though.

The album just kicks ass, dude. I don’t even want to be super flowery about it – from the opening riffs of the guitar, and the power in Rob Halford’s voice, the album immediately shoots out of a cannon and never looks back. Honestly, though, what struck me the most about the first track, and really set the tone for the rest of the album, is just how fucking good the percussion is. It’s deeply crucial to making each track work, and every single time a fill cuts through the power of the guitar and his vocals, it’s immediately striking & powerful. I could go on an aside about Dave Holland being convicted of sexual abuse in 2002, but that’s the sort of thing that doesn’t drag down the quality of the music, just my opinion on the asshole.

I’m just kinda stunned, really – I thought of several bands & artists while listening to this: Metallica, Crush 40, AC/DC, Chicago, Boston, Men Without Hats (somehow), Capcom’s sound team (You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise is just Storm Eagle’s theme), the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police, Phil Collins (the percussion on Steeler has that same effect from In The Air Tonight), and more. All of it is there, and it’s baked right into 36 minutes of some of the slickest heavy metal I’ve heard yet. It just fucking ruled, and I was encapsulated into every second. Eventually, some of the allure will wear off, and I’ll pick apart some of the more repetitive parts of the album, or how the lyricism isn’t as tight as it could be on some of the songs… but right now, I could fucking care less. It’s a kick-ass album, and it just clicked perfectly for me. Definitely worth a 10.

Oh, oh, I do have one thing – I would’ve flipped “Steeler” & “The Rage”. “The Rage” is a way better closer; imagine if the ending of Steeler just kept going and transitioned. That shit would’ve been sick. That’s the only thing I got. Still a 10.

RAWK. Verges towards metal cheese (including the lyrics), but manages not to go too far over that edge. Great musicianship, Halford has pipes, and every track just rocks. Good stuff. Favorite tracks: Rapid Fire, Metal Gods, Living After Midnight.

Classic metal album. Rob Halford's voice is just commanding. I like Painkiller more but this is undeniably a great record for metal music.

I’m not a metal fan generally. But this wasn’t bad at all! No frills. Straightforward rock without the painful screaming, both vocally and on the guitar, that metal sometimes has.

yeah. I'll give this a 5. I mean how else does heavy metal and leather meet? Plus the album wails.

God damn, I wish I could give this album a 5 just because METAL. But I can't in good conscience. While there is undeniable catchiness to the songs that gets you going, the lyrics seem like a very watered down rebellion (TM). There's just a general anger that seemed to try to cater to as many different people as possible instead of just focusing on bringing a message.

But it is still headbanging good metal.

The Iron Maiden and ACDC 1980 albums were both better, but this is still good Metal

Fun heavy metal album that is a classic.

bland, even breaking the law

I would actually call it Rock/Hard-rock, but apparently it's metal. Not a bad album.