162 - Judas Priest Judas Rising 2005

The wicked cover art of the titular "Angel of Retribution" leaps out at you. Done in high class sci-fi style, the metallic angel looks absolutely wicked, and sets the stage, as the cover for "Painkiller" did, for a metal onslaught to follow. "Judas Rising" confirms the initial impressions: The track smokes. With the trademark Judas Priest riffs blazing away Halford dive bombs his vocal chords onto a sea of roiling anger and fury. When he screams the title words "Judas is rising", time travel becomes a reality, and we're taken back to 1992, as if the band never stopped after releasing the heavy metal monster Painkiller the previous year. This record sounds like the logical next step from that one, as it is huge, heavy, and really, really pissed off. The intricate guitar work of the Tipton/Downing duo remains as much a part of Priest's sound today as it ever did in the past.