Lets set the scene, the Heavy Metal landscape is changing drastically, Thrash and Death Metal are on the rise with Grunge and Alternative set to grip the mainstream in the coming years. Metallica are the genres new juggernaut and Pantera have brought forth a new identity for Metal. Surely a band like Judas Priest are on the way out? Well no, the intensity of Painkiller arrives as the apex of their "heavier than heavy" sound priest always embodied. It goes toe to toe with any contestant and holds it own. Quite a remarkable bow out after twenty one years as it would be Rob Halford's last for now.
The album will always be overcast by its lead and title track, Painkiller, a thrilling frenzy of adrenaline inducing metallic might thats hellbent on thrusting the listener through a seemingly never ending amping up of intensity. Molten hot guitar solos ooze, Rob's screams pull down the heavens and its string of riveting riffs and battering drums seem to keep turning up the heat. And then there is the end of the song... just as you think things are starting to wind down, somehow they go at it again with another eruption, a raging inferno of guitar blazing madness. Tipton and Downing have somehow outdone themselves yet again, as does everyone in all reality.
Its an exceptional song, an unforgettable track, but the shadow it casts can't deter the rest of the record. Although that devilish intensity isn't reached again, you couldn't expect every song to pursue the same goals. What follows is Priest exploring wonderfully brutish themes as the Heavy Metal universe takes a turn down a dark nightly alleyway. In a ways It feels like everything has been leading to this point, Priest at their hardest, leanest, fastest and on A Touch Of Evil, they go epic and anthemic when the tempo shifts. Every track is a celebration of their attitude, style and personal, all embellished through this stunning mastery of intensity as they push on.
Much credit is owed to Producer Chris Tsangarides who finds a powerful aesthetic for the band to plow through. Most notable is the drumming of Scott Travis, his bass kick is given a lot of deep tone and shape, the snare has a thunderous snap. It takes up a lot of attention but never drowns out the guitars. The two tandem wonderfully when double pedal rhythms pound alongside razor sharp riffs. In general, its all immaculate, a crowded mix of intense instruments somehow not overpowering one another. Rob's chords are fiery as ever, the lead guitars blazing wild and cutting like a knife.
As good records do, the shifting song writing approaches Priest inhabit are wonderfully performed. A keen detail that grabs me is the subtle use of cheesy synths or drab organs. Bold and brash, whenever they drop in, its always enhances the spectacle of the song itself. It should also be emphasized that Downing and Tipton's lead guitar work is not just exceptional on the title track but throughout the record. That exhilarating rise of dexterous notation, luminous and unhinged returns often. They sail so many extremes of fret-board manipulation, its a gift that keeps giving.
Having reacquainted myself with this classic, It should not be understated, the "heaviness" in aesthetic is not its sole trick. This really is Priest at their best when it comes to song writing too. The themes ditch the fun and cheese of Ram It Down and the result is a serious flag wave for Rob's fantasy Heavy Metal lifestyle. There isn't a dud here and you'll be hard pressed to figure out your favorite tracks bar the title track itself, a never ending sequences of adrenaline shots. For the decades I've experienced it, still blows my mind till this day! He... Is... The... PAINKILLER!
Rating: 9.5/10