Judas Priest – Angel Of Retribution (2005)

March 23, 2024

Finally, Halford returns to his rightful place at the front of Priest. No shade to Ripper, who had a 50/50 track record with Priest albums, but Halford belongs as the group’s front man and from the off this actually sounds like a Judas Priest album, despite the modern production (which is not a problem, just a little jarring if you think the last time we heard Halford-fronted Priest was the legendary Painkiller, an album that is absolutely fantastic but also dated in its sound and production).

I do think however that Priest played it safe with this one. There are no daring choices both musically and during the production of the record. This results in a consistent reunion piece but also one that is a little one dimensional, despite the various song ideas attempted. Some of the songs are great, some are not so great, but they all sound more or less the same, with the uniformity of a single product. Yknow, it’s an album, so fair enough, but still, there’s just something about this record that just isn’t sitting right with me, even after a few listens.