Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

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Maxim
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Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

I honestly think that Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin and Stained Class are the best albums ever made in heavy metal history (well, could be arguable about Sin After Sin since it got few weak numbers). They manage to sound 100% metal still having 70s prog rock influences, and at some points even darker than whole early Sabbath backcatalogue, thus making them utterly unique and outstanding. Combine it with excellent musicianship of all the members and you've got the very gold of heavy metal! So I wonder, can be there any other records which got the same feeling and could satisfy hunger of someone who can spin those three masterpieces infinite amount of times? During late 70s - early 80s there were tons of obscure HM recordings, but nothing I've found could stand close by. But considering I haven't dag much into, can there still be a chance to? Hopefully some of you can give me any tips.
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rumblefist
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by rumblefist »

For me their best is still the Killing Machine album. Even better than the ones you refered as there's not that 70's feeling anymore.
It's 100% made of Steel and 1 of the biggest references for the 80's.

Closest you can get is this early texas metal 7'' (1979) :
[youtube]DW5zpBQ3Rus[/youtube]
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Maxim
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

rumblefist wrote:For me their best is still the Killing Machine album. Even better than the ones you refered as there's not that 70's feeling anymore.
It's 100% made of Steel and 1 of the biggest references for the 80's.

Closest you can get is this early texas metal 7'' (1979) :
[youtube]DW5zpBQ3Rus[/youtube]
Well, starting from Killing Machine they started to write more radio-friendly songs IMO. I can recall only 3 good songs for me there: Hell Bent for Leather, Running Wild and maybe Delivering the Goods. But still not as good as earlier stuff, more simplimistic. Overall album got that 'cheesy' feeling which I don't like. Thanks for the Lazer link nevertheless, I'll check it soon.
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rumblefist
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by rumblefist »

Deeply disagree.

Nowadays is trendy to like that 70's thing and to dig all those obscurities of Psych/Prog/Hard.
But i have to tell you - TRUE METAL is enemy of that 70's feeling.

I was there in 1980 when everything started, and all those 70's Hard Rockers fans of Zep, Purple, Mountain, Amboy Dukes, Yes, Jethro Tull, Camel, Hendrix, etc hated us. They thought that to be a musician you should go to learn how to play a instrument in a Jazz School or to play by the book. They were doomed by that way of thinking and totally against the new borning DIY atittude.
As a matter of fact they thought we were more close of Punk than of the Rock Spirit.

If it wasn't guys doing it by themselves without all those rules - we wouldn't had neither NWOBHM neither the bay area Thrash neither Heavy Metal music would have spreaded for the whole world back then.

About Priest - no problems with writing anthems. it fits well on Judas Priest as a big band they were. Same goes to Motorhead, UFO Thin Lizzy and all the others that came after.

Mostly what differs between Killing Machine and the others you said - it's the heavyness and double bass drumming (a trademark for 80's Metal).
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Priamos
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Priamos »

[youtube]E0aEAhPQDBc[/youtube]
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Maxim
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

rumblefist wrote:Deeply disagree.

Nowadays is trendy to like that 70's thing and to dig all those obscurities of Psych/Prog/Hard.
Well, I never really liked bands which certainly fall into these categories, so that what I love about early Priest albums - there is certainly clear prog/hard influence, but at the same time it feels 100% metal for me, thus making them totally unique sounding. It's easy to copy early Sabbath or Purple, but I never heard anyone copying early Priest.
rumblefist wrote:They were doomed by that way of thinking and totally against the new borning DIY atittude.
Yep, but Priest never were part of this DIY attitude :wink:
Mostly what differs between Killing Machine and the others you said - it's the heavyness and double bass drumming (a trademark for 80's Metal).[/quote]

I do not really find this album heavier than Stained Class. Maybe Running Wild and Hell Bent for Leather were slightly heavier than Exciter and Stained Class, but it's also full of stuff like Take on the World which I never could stand, Burning Up or sluggish title track. Before the Dawn is a definitely weaker ballad than Beyond the Realms of Death. I think between 1978 - 1982 they were aiming to become kinda stadium rock band (they still got great 2-3 HM numbers on each of these albums though), somehow rehabilitating in the sense of "metalness" on Defenders of the Faith. But that's just as I hear it. Maybe I just was born in different times since I've been a Priest fan only for like 12 years.
Priamos wrote:[youtube]E0aEAhPQDBc[/youtube]
That's good, thanks, maybe closer to Budgie than to early Priest but still made me want to check full album
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rumblefist
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by rumblefist »

Nothing wrong in having a big arena status and being enough metal at same time.
Priest did it because they had the talent to write good songs (until Defenders) and to play it live delivering a great show.
And before that status they climbed all necessary steps from smaller venues to almost 20000 US fans in every night.
Same story for Ozzy, Scorps, Halen or Black Sabbath on the really early 80's.

Priest is surely a band for many discussions about their best songs or albuns.
I guess with your disliking on Bay Area Thrash or NWOBHM we just have distinct musical tastes.
And difference must be respected.
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Maxim
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

rumblefist wrote: I guess with your disliking on Bay Area Thrash or NWOBHM we just have distinct musical tastes.
And difference must be respected.
Agree, but I've never said that I dislike Bay Area thrash or NWOBHM :D
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Pavlos
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Pavlos »

[youtube]xjQe6Qx0E0g[/youtube]

This here should be stuff, Maxim is looking for.

Most of the songs on the album sound like stuff from the "Sad Wings" Era.

METAL!!!!
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Maxim
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

Pavlos wrote:[youtube]xjQe6Qx0E0g[/youtube]

This here should be stuff, Maxim is looking for.

Most of the songs on the album sound like stuff from the "Sad Wings" Era.

METAL!!!!
Wow, that's pretty great. Sounds to me closer to Mercyful Fate however, but still closest of all three bands which were posted here (Lazer sounded more like Killing Machine mixed with UFO/early Maiden), and totally metal! Thanks a lot.
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by DaN »

Maxim wrote:I honestly think that Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin and Stained Class are the best albums ever made in heavy metal history
Quoted for truth!
Maxim wrote:(well, could be arguable about Sin After Sin since it got few weak numbers)
"few" would indicate more than one, so quoted for untruth since only "Last Rose Of The Summer" could be considered weak (...though personally I still love it for the ambiance and giving the album some light & shade)

...and cheers to Rumblefist for the quote of the year and new sig. I'd wear it on a t-shirt any day of the week!

I'll champion olde forgotten comp-trax any chance I get, good or bad, so here's 2 on-topic tunes by obscure Swedes SBF from the Från Pop Till Ny Våg LP on Pang Records from '82:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/xctx6 ... xa/SBF.rar
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Maxim
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Maxim »

DaN wrote: "few" would indicate more than one, so quoted for untruth since only "Last Rose Of The Summer" could be considered weak (...though personally I still love it for the ambiance and giving the album some light & shade)
Well, I'd say Raw Deal also weaker than the rest of the LP- The ending part is great, but main part somehow lacks of Priest's energy. Also I might be wrong but I suspect that the band later reworked the main riff to make Hell Bent for Leather song of it.
DaN wrote: I'll champion olde forgotten comp-trax any chance I get, good or bad, so here's 2 on-topic tunes by obscure Swedes SBF from the Från Pop Till Ny Våg LP on Pang Records from '82:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/xctx6 ... xa/SBF.rar
Thanks, those songs sound good, but I'd say you can hear distinct punkish feeling and I think it sounds totally 80s, heh
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rumblefist
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by rumblefist »

Weird stuff these SBF. New Wavish vocals almost like Hazel O'Connor or Lene Lovich mixed with a bit of Hard-Rock in several parts of both songs.
Typical uncharacteristic early 80's stuff with a feet in more than 1 genre at same time.
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Northwinds
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by Northwinds »

I liked the old Priest stuff a lot and still do. Back in the early days, they were more of a hard rock progressive band then Metal. To me, British Steel was the first "heavy metal" album. All Priest is great, even the lame tunes have something to offer if you give them a chance. I appreciate their music from a guitarists standpoint, I never really paid attention to lyrics but they sort of get stuck in your head over time and you learn them anyway

I have a ridiculous JP collection, nearly fills an entire record crate by itself :lol:

Good thread
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whiteravenmetal
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Re: Closest to '76-'78 Priest you may get???

Post by whiteravenmetal »

Well Judas Priest is untouchable and I completely share your statement since Sad Wings of Destiny is probably my favorite Heavy Metal record ever (and that's a hard choice when you have Defenders of the Faith on the other side of the spectrum) but the thing is that they manage to assemble the best of all worlds on that record, the proggy elements of Rocka Rolla and a breakthrough of what their more "metallic" sound on their next records will be. Most said that the begining is British Steel but then you have to ignore seminal anthems like Tyrant ot The Reaper, that's the breaking point in Heavy Metal for me, not even talking about the moster masterpiece that is Victim of Changes! The only weak song in there is Epitaph but all is forgotten when Island of Domination hits you without mercy (another example of that darker feeling they manage to capture so well) so yeah we could go on and on discussing about the highlights of such magnificent sound but the music speaks for itself...

Stained Class and Sin After Sin are a different chapter but my opinion is almost the same that with SWOD, Dissident Aggressor is the birth of Thrash Metal and you have to be deaf to don't notice it, and Stained well there's not one single bad moment about it so pretty much the perfect record.

[youtube]8qxHT478EcI[/youtube]
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