597 - Judas Priest Rocka Rolla 1974

Judas Priest's debut is a raw unpolished classic heavy metal album, a mere proto-incarnation of their true sound. Looking at it that way, as a traditional metal album, it actually comes off quite nicer than if you view it as a Judas Priest album, since it bears only a passing resemblence to the Priest that most are familiar with. Be sure to give this more than just a listen or two, it really has to grow on you. "Rocka Rolla" starts the trend of Priest style story-telling, poetic and very evasive, yet it's very direct here. The music here is also very upbeat and happy sounding.