For all their glory, outlasting the careers of so many bands and with a legacy that endures to this day, Judas Priest delivers one of their most solid albums in their career. Even if you look past the whole reunion deal, Angel of Retribution is a record with ten completely solid tracks and absolutely no bullshit what so ever; and as unbelievable as it may sound, Priest have produced a record that was produced in the vein of all their classics, producing new anthems ala Screaming for Vengeance while incorporating the intensity of Painkiller.

So with expectations high and so on, what does this album have to offer to the metal masses? Opening up with what could be the band's new anthem "Judas is Rising," then leading on to more anthems such as "Wheels of Fire," and the first single "Revolution," Angel of Retribution not only brings the band back to their heyday, but puts them at the forefront of a heyday in today's world; these songs recreate the original flame that burned brightly back then for writing catchy hooks and riffs that make you want to throw your fist in the air.

But in typical Priest fashion, they bring all their elements of metal endurance to the table. Straight ahead driving tracks such as "Deal with the Devil," "Demonizer," and "Hellrider" offer the bombastic thrust of energetic ear candy while the counterpoint to that is brought forth is the more eased back, emotionally laden "Worth Fighting For" and the ballad "Angel," which casts the same vibe as "Diamonds & Rust" did; with no squandering present on the record. They even offer a thirteen-minute opus titled "Lochness," which plays out a dark grind ala late period Sabbath meets Evergrey, where it's not exactly an homage, it's just the standard that Priest have set.

For a Priest record, its all there, Halford's vocals are pitch perfect, the dueling leads of Dowling and Tipton are a force that remains to be reckoned with, and the rhythmic punch of Travis and Hill still provide the thrusting backbone. A very discretely produced record, with the mix being very sonically correct, so if you get the Dual Disc version, you can hear the album in high definition enhanced audio (in stereo only) playable on your DVD player, which makes this album highly worthy of being an audiophile recording. The documentary and live performances on the DVD are excellent, with Priest being able to still bring metal to the masses the way it needs to be, where the concert itself is well worth it. There is a reason why the album debuted within the top 20 on the Billboard charts; people want their metal.

Written by Hashman
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Show all reviews by Hashman

Ratings

Hashman: 9/10

Members: 6.75/10 - Average of 2 ratings.



Member ratings

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Steen (Staff) Rating: 7/10 A solid Priest album which I would rate around 7. Personal highlights include Hellrider, J... · Read more ·

Tommy Rating: 6.5/10 Any Priest album is awaited with huge excitement, especially this reunion disc. I'm someh... · Read more ·

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Comment by metalman (Anonymous) - Thursday, April 7, 2005

BULLSHIT i'm a priest fan,this cd does not deserve a 9 , for priest standards more like a 7 mate get it right next time

Comment by Dugu (Anonymous) - Thursday, April 7, 2005

There's way too much hype on this cd. Its a solid piece of work but by far below the excellence reached in their earlier days. 7 is a fair mark - 9 is just the hype kicking in !

Comment by Christopher (Anonymous) - Thursday, April 7, 2005

I'm a huge Priest fan from way back. I'd give this album about an 8. My favorite songs are the heavier ones - Judas Rising, Demonizer, and Hellrider. I wish the entire album had that same vibe to it. The one song I don't really care for at all is Wheels of Fire. To me this is a filler song they could have written in their sleep and is not up to usual Priest standards. However, it is great to have the four core members of the band back together again. I'm glad the production is not as toned down as Jugulator or as muddy as Crucible. And it's great they spent more time focusing on guitar solos this time around.

Comment by Alec James (Anonymous) - Friday, April 8, 2005

A solid comeback for Priest 8/10, but not up to the classics, Lochness is the biggest disapointment for me a real weak track by their standards!

Comment by TyleX (Anonymous) - Saturday, April 9, 2005

I think this album is a solid 8 , I like this album more than there previous efforts with Tim Owens at the helm!....Although I think Owens vocals are better than Halford's!....But getting back to this album it's probally the best album I've heard this year so far!

Comment by Maverick (Anonymous) - Wednesday, April 13, 2005

I would have given it a 6 out of 10... not bad at all, but not an album you will listen to in a couple of years unlike many of the fantastic earlier albums...

Comment by nihilist (Anonymous) - Friday, April 15, 2005

9/10 is too much for this album, it has only few very good songs(Judas Rising, Wheels of fire,Demonizer) and few not so good ones (Hellrider,Deal with the devil). Halford is not screaming enough to deserve 9/10...

Comment by Morten (Anonymous) - Saturday, April 16, 2005

This album just screams money maker... why invent the wheel one more time??? Oh yeah to rip off nostalgic metal heads...

Comment by E. G. (Anonymous) - Saturday, April 16, 2005

Good efort, but it doesn't deserve more than 7/10.

Comment by Chris (Anonymous) - Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Too bad review.... ´´still a good record´´ - 6,5 Sorry but Of Heavy Metal music I guess U ar just a stranger... Stop make reviews, try another things... to me this Record is not one of the best not one of the worst! But in the future u all will remember JUDAS RISING, HELLRIDER, DEMONIZER, REVELOTION, DEAL WITH THE DEVIL... 6.5 raking? hahaahah

Comment by willfer (Anonymous) - Wednesday, April 20, 2005

I´m from colombia and I enjoy this fuck country do you know why? because I like heavy metal drugs and sex this is the best coutry to be free

Comment by nj23nut (Anonymous) - Monday, May 9, 2005

I think this is a solid Priest album, although I think "What were they thinking?" every time I hear Loch Ness. As a matter of fact, I think the album has 2 too many slow songs on it. Angel is horrible. Judas Rising, Deal with the Devil, Worth Fighting For, Hellrider and Wheels of Fire are the strongest songs on the album. 7/10 is an appropriate score.

Comment by Master Of Puppets (Anonymous) - Friday, July 15, 2005

Great album, 9 out of the 10 tracks kick major ass.

Comment by Priestman (Anonymous) - Friday, August 5, 2005

A solid 10! no need to say more. The CD speaks for itself.

Comment by Alex13 (Anonymous) - Thursday, August 18, 2005

Good album. I cant see how ppl can give lower than a 7.5 here. Its JP and u are trying to compare to the classics. How can you? Let 10 years pass and lets see if this one has any future classics in it. I got the limited edition with the extra DVD that has the "reunited documentary" and some JP classics live from Valencia. 8.0 from me. I cant see any flaws. Appart maybe from the thing they are not exactly like the 80s priest and the last song :P. But how much you think any of the "reviewers" would like that(be old style totaly)? They'd still come up with something like... "time to move on dudes".

Comment by 20-ott year fan (Anonymous) - Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Being a fan for 20+ years, loyal and true, I'd like to think I have some insight on Priest. I do however feel this album tends to follow Halfords solo albums in way of style and variety almost a-typical of "Resurection". Needless to say, that isn't a bad thing. Halfords voice is again at a prime. Glenn and KK have gone back to the riffing of the earlier days as appossed to the shredding that is so getting old, making for the release of Revolution taking me back to the days of Victim of Changes. As for the backbone of Ian Hill and Scott Travis well... they put the "pain" in Painkiller. Without being an obnoxious fan, I would have to rate it 7/10. With Sad Wing, Screamin', & Painkiller (to name a couple), they have their own tough act to follow.

Comment by Master Of Puppets (Anonymous) - Thursday, May 4, 2006

Judas Rising-9/10 Deal With The Devil-9/10 Revolution-8/10 Worth Fighting For-9/10 Demonizer-9/10 Wheels Of Fire-9/10 Angel-9/10 Hellrider-7/10 Eulogy-9/10 Lochness-6/10

Comment by phil (Anonymous) - Friday, July 14, 2006

man, dono why your all dissing hellrider, that song owns! the solo kicks some fucking ass right there.

Comment by Luvers666 (Anonymous) - Saturday, March 24, 2007

What a great return for Priest, spectacular album. Hellrider is by far the best song here followed closely by Deal With The Devil and Wheels Of Fire. Angel is one of the best ballads the band has EVER done, however I feel "Night Comes Down", "Before The Dawn" and "Last Rose Of Summer" to all be better. Judas Rising-9/10 Deal With The Devil-10/10 Revolution-6/10 Worth Fighting For-10/10 Demonizer-10/10 Wheels Of Fire-10/10 Angel-9/10 Hellrider-10000/10 Eulogy-7/10 Lochness-7/10

Comment by Cid (Anonymous) - Friday, April 6, 2007

From Spain, my rating: Judas Rising-9/10 Deal With The Devil-10/10 Revolution-5/10 Worth Fighting For-9.5/10 Demonizer-9/10 Wheels Of Fire-6.5/10 Angel-8/10 Hellrider-7.5/10 Eulogy-6/10 Lochness-7/10 Total: 7.5 Is a good album, with some excellente songs (new classics of course), some regular, and a really bullshit : revolutions... What they think¿¿?¿? Halford is not the same beast but stills being a great singer¡¡ Saludos a todos los hispanohablantes que lean esta pagina¡¡¡ por ahi ya he visto alguno, cosa que me alegra¡¡¡ Bye¡¡

Comment by notrap (Member) - Friday, September 19, 2008

View Profile Comments: 55 Ratings: 66 Rob Halford returning to Priest is always huge. However in my opinion "Angel of Retribution" don't deserve 9.5. Don't get me wrong "Angel" is a good Album but don't deserve to be in Priest's top 5. Painkiller, Screaming for Vengence, Turbo, Defenders of the Faith, Sad Wings of Destiny and even Ram it Dawn are better. When Painkiller came alive, back in the 90's was a huge metal release, like Maiden's debut album in 1980 or Metallica's Master of Puppets. An album to deserve 9.5/10 or 10/10 must be a Masterpiece. And "Angel of Retribution" it's definitely not. Painkiller-10/10 Angel of Retribution-6/10 Posted by notrap Friday, September 19, 2008

Review by Steen (Staff) - Monday, April 10, 2006

View Profile Comments: 518 A solid Priest album which I would rate around 7. Personal highlights include Hellrider, Judas Rising, Angel, Deal With The Devil and Eulogy/Lochness. The album grows on repeated listens, but in my opinion it does not quite reach the level of the classics. Rating: 7/10 Posted by Steen (Staff) Monday, April 10, 2006

Review by Tommy (Member) - Monday, April 10, 2006

View Profile Comments: 74 Ratings: 31 Any Priest album is awaited with huge excitement, especially this reunion disc. I'm somehow divided about Angel Of Retribution, finding many enjoyable and classic Priest moments but also little material that really impresses. Judas Rising is a great Metal hymn, showing that Tipton and K.K. still got the magic while Halford throws in some thrilling vocal twists. Deal With The Devil is another favourite, having a cool rocking drive and massive bass foundation. I was very disappointed when I prior to the release heard Revolution, and I'm only feeling slightly more positive towards it now. Simple is a good way to describe its path and the dull chorus doesn't exactly enhance it, the irregular drumming is cool though. The two ballads Angel and Eulogy are nice and quite compelling without coming near past glories like Epitaph, Nigh Comes Down, Blood Red Skies or Lost And Found. They seem a bit too ordinary in structure and they never really developed the way I hoped they would. You can't take away from Lochness that it at its best moments is gloomy in a fascinating way, on the other hand it's too long and what's up with those noisy and twisted guitar sounds. Performance-wise things are looking very good and ultra solid, as goes for the crisp sound. The dark shrouded and nostalgic vibe found on the lyrically front works out well too. Overall I'm just missing a bit more madness, melody, aggressiveness and speed. A far cry from their best works but still a good record. Rating: 6.5/10 Posted by Tommy Monday, April 10, 2006

Comment by gizmo (Member) - Monday, September 28, 2009

View Profile Comments: 140 Ratings: 4 Only Painkiller is better than this one. Almost the ultimate Priest album I agree a solid 9 Posted by gizmo Monday, September 28, 2009

Comment by endofus (Member) - Monday, February 15, 2010

View Profile Comments: 4 Ratings: 0 Hellrider, the best song on the album Posted by endofus Monday, February 15, 2010