Helm & kit- very nice posts!
My list, best to worst, w/ some quick thoughts.
Sad Wings of Destiny. It's held up the best over time for me, contains numerous great tracks, and has a killer atmosphere/resonance to it
Painkiller- It may be full of metal cliches, but it's an atypical album in the 'Priest catalog in being so over the top. I actually don't mind the production; it may not be great technically, but it reflects and amplifies the frantic, pummelling energy of the tunes.
Defenders of the Faith- the definitive 'prime era' 'Priest album IMO
Hell bent for Leather- While I rarely play it any more, it's the album that marks their transition from the atmospheric hard rock albums of the 70s to the chain's and leather sound of the 80s. and it contains some absolute killers like the title track and 'Green Manalishi'.
Next few are hard to sort out:
SfV is still 'Priest at the 80s-best, but whenever I'm in the mood for this era I play Defenders otF instead.
'Turbo' may have been a misguided attempt at capturing the MTV market, but it still has some good moments such as the building, anthemic title track, the great rocking 'Out in the Cold', etc. Far from perfect, but better than many people give it credit for.
Rocka Rolla- while I like it, I rarely play it. Does have very cool 'moods' to it.
Brittish Steel- other than the big hits, I never got into this album a lot.
Sin After Sin- Has some classics, but the album doesn't flow very well and has some filler.
Stained Class- I never really got into this album. After the opening classic of 'Exciter' I just don't like the songs, except of course the brilliant 'Beyond the Walls of Death'.
Ram It Down- still manages to have 3-4 good tracks, but the rest is Painkiller sans all the power and energy.
Point of Entry- A couple of good tunes; not one I ever heard much.
Jugulator- Other than 'Cathederal Spires' the songwriiting just isn't there. Some blame Owens, but I think the band was slipping into a songwriting funk. I saw 'em twice (back to back nights in west Texas) on this tour and they completely kicked my ass- Owens OWNED the stage. The Lubbock show was probably the 2nd best concert I've ever been to- great performance and the crowd was wild, from the 7-ft, 350 lb behemoth lumbering through the crowd to the hot metal chicks teasing Owens from the edge of the stage all night to the 2 drunk dykes that kept elbowing people until we picked them up and dumped them over the security railing
Demolition- 1 good song, 'Hell is Here', and the rest is pretty bad. Again, the songwriting is just bad, so the poor rating is not due to Owens' performance (and kudos to whoever remembered to mentioned the great 'Heart of a Killer' album).
Angel of Retribution- Proof positive that the band just couldn't write good songs anymore. An awful album IMO. I haven't heard Nostradamus, but I'm pretty much convinced that 'Priest ran out of steam in the mid 80s and, with the big exception of Painkiller, has been churning out substandard albums for the last 20 years.
"I'm sorry Sam, we had real chemistry. But like a monkey on the sun, our love was too hot to live"
-Becky
I mean, that's a fantastic album as well with only strong songs and a great general sound. In all, Priest's 70s albums are amazing, apart from Rockarolla which is too uneven.
