Judas Priest
Firepower
Review by Mike Korn
In this day and age when it seems like honest rock and heavy metal is withering before our eyes, every new release from a “legacy” band such as Judas Priest becomes more important. Will Firepower be their last? I don’t know, but even if it isn’t, the clock is ticking. The way the music industry is headed, we are highly unlikely to see new bands reaching the same heights as Judas Priest.
If Firepower is to be their last, at least they are going out on a high point. Last album Redeemer of Souls was solid heavy metal, but the production was very mediocre and there could have been more thrust and energy to the album. On Firepower the excellent Tom Allom has returned to helm the production job for the first time since Ram It Down, and he is ably assisted by Andy Sneap, who has a long and illustrious history behind the boards. The addition of these two gentlemen is electric, and from the first note of the title track to the last chords of “Sea of Red," there is a richness and vitality to Priest’s sound that has been missing for a while.
Firepower has touches of Screaming for Vengeance, Painkiller, Redeemer of Souls and even as far back as Sin After Sin, but it also has its own energy and style that helps it to stand on its own. Richie Faulkner comes even more into his own as a guitarist here, while this record may be the last to feature Glenn Tipton. Tipton is now dealing with Parkinson’s and will no longer be touring with Priest. I’m hoping he will fight successfully against Parkinson’s and continue to be a part of the Judas Priest legacy. Firepower is an album that really deserves a top spot in Priest’s list of accomplishments.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 2 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.
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