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I said I'd do it, so here it is...

I think that the diversity of metal tastes on this board should make the results interesting.

I only included the albums that are studio recordings and that run up until "Painkiller".

STATE WHY YOU LAZY BASTARDS!

For my vote I chose "Defenders Of The Faith" because when I think of Priest, I think of this album. All the classic tunes from this album are undeniable and I feel that this was the epitome of the band both sound/image wise and that they were at the top of their career at this point in time. The album was also released in 1984, which I feel was an outstanding and defining time for Heavy Metal and where the genre really solidified. There is no filler on the entire album and I can easily listen to it from beginning to end, regardless, of the day, time or how I am feeling. The songs are timeless and simply everything about the album screams "MASTERPIECE".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xprghDrq6Q

I voted "Painkiller" as it has only hits. Second choice would be "Defenders Of The Faith"....

Don't even have to think about it twice. STAINED CLASS!

Along with Sad Wings it's their most HEAVY (in terms of thematical and lyrical approach and emotional resonance) and complete album. It feels like a classic and it plays like a classic. Painkiller feels to me just a collection of great songs, even classic songs. But it doesn't feel so MONUMENTAL as stained class does to me. I so miss the subtly dark and lyrical JP of the 70s. But don't get me wrong I still love defenders and painkiller!

Exciter could quite possibly be my favourite metal song.

Painkiller is the best album in the world, ever, in my opinion so for me it's an easy call to make. It's simply the perfect heavy metal album and I don't think I will ever come across an album that can really challenge it.

That, being said, of course Priest have done other albums that are amazing. Behind Painkiller, my favourite period is the 70's. Their 1980's is pretty much hit and miss in my opinion. Most albums from that period have downsides and are to uneven to be really great. The sole exception would be Defenders of the Faith, which is nearly flawless. Even Screaming for Vengeance I feel has some shit songs on it and I think it is over rated as an album.

I must mention the recent Nostradamus too. I truly think that Judas Priest has, against all odds, forged another classic. This album is of a quality I never would have thought that they could ever reach again.

The suckiest Priest album would have to be Demolition I think. I like about half the songs on Jugulator though.

So, roughly, this is my liking of Priest:

1. Painkiller (undisputed)
2. 1976-1978: Sad Wings of Destiny through Killing Machine
3. Defenders of the Faith
4. Nostradamus

I agree almost 100% with Mordred BUT my favourite would be sad wings of destiny and after that Painkiller and on third place defenders of the faith. I totally agree about the 80's albums, there are some great songs to be found there but there are to many fillers.

If I'd put up a top 5 it would probably be like this:
1. Sad wings of destiny
2. Painkiller
3. Defenders of the faith
4. Stained Class (aaargh all four of these albums are almost as good!)
5. Sin after sin

Painkiller!

Although their influence at the time was pretty much thrash bands they redefined Speed Metal and made a milestone classic that has since never been matched (Even though Running Wild may have come fairly close). The perfect mix of traditional influences mixed with a dose of youthful speed and aggression and you have Speed Metal at it's best. All musicians are at the best of their game and Scott Travis adds drumming far better to anything done previous to that point and adds a template of beats that would become used more in the decades to follow.

Screaming For Vengeance would have to be my second favourite, I actually think this and Defenders come quite close but this comes out a little on top. Has a better flow and direction and no "Night Comes Down". Which is a pretty average Priest ballad in my opinion.

Out of the 70's stuff I adore "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Unleashed in the East" (I've always seen this as a "best of" for the whole 70's era Priest sound with generally better recordings of the song). Maybe it should be added here? I've heard it has enough overdubs to be considered more of a studio album . "Stained Class" I've always found overrated to be honest, almost to the point of it being the worst 70's era Priest album (only rivaled my "Rocka Rolla"). Neither are bad albums (PRIEST RULE!!!) but both aren't as good as say "Sin After Sin" which I think rules and is underrated as hell.

Order best to worst (Something like this I'm not really sure):

Painkiller
Screaming For Vengeance
Defenders of the Faith
Sad Wings of Destiny
Unleashed in the East
Sin After Sin
Ram It Down
Point of Entry
Hell Bent For Leather
Stained Class
British Steel
Turbo
Priest ...Live!!!
Angel of Retribution
Nostradamus

.

.

.

Ripper stuff...

kinda hard to choose.. by now, I like most Priest albums equally, only some less then the rest, which would be: Point of Entry, Ram it Down (where are those who considered this the best Priest album?? I am quite sure I read that here somewhere.. ) and maybe Angel of Retribution (plus of course the Ripper albums) - about Nostradamus I am not sure yet. I think it's at least better then AoR ( ) but quite ambitious and not easy to get into for me until now.

If I really should choose some outstanders those would be Sad Wings of Destiny, Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller. Sad Wings maybe musically their best, but I am ashamed to say I really discovered it only about 5 years ago and therefore it hadn't a chance to reach the same personal historical value as esp Defenders. Painkiller blows you away for sure, but my vote goes to Defenders of the Faith, my first Priest album and one of the first metal LPs I got!

1. PAINKILLER
2. Stained Class
3. Defenders of the Faith
4. Sin After Sin
5. Screaming For Vengeance

Defenders of the faith. Killer riffs, amazing guitar duels and a Rob Halford who sings his ass off. Also 5 of the best 100 metal songs are in there: The Sentinel, Freewheel Burning, Rock Hard Ride Free, Jawbreaker and Heavy Duty.

Screaming for vengeance follows, then Painkiller and Sad Wings.

Sin after Sin would have been much better with a sharper and more metallic production, but the guy whose name i won't mention and whose main band i despise took care of it. Not that i don't like it, Dissident aggressor, Starbreaker etc are killer tunes, but....

I liked Jugulator a lot, but that was not Judas Priest i heard there, just an aggressive pantera influenced album with skullcrushing vocals.

Demolition is probably their worst effort.

Angel and Nostradamus had very few good moments, but they are very far from great or even good as a whole. I don't even have them in my collection and for the time being i don't intend to add them either.

About the Ripper era albums, it's a shame those didn't sound more like classic Priest and that the songs didn't quite cut it (except for some great ones on Jugulator) because that would really have allowed Ripper to shine. Let's face it, Ripper Owens is simply the best there is as of today. No one is a match for him.

His performance on the Iced Earth album "The Glorious Burden" (2004) is the best metal vocals I have heard this decade. That album itself is great too, check it out if you haven't already.

Painkiller.

Oh boy we listened to it when we were teenagers. Drinking homemade booze and listening to Painkiller. Oh my what memories come to my mind.

From eighties albums my favorite would be Screaming For Vengeance and Defenders Of The Faith. Perfect metal albums. Seventies nro one for me is Killing Machine followed closely by Sin After Sin (second JP album I bought) & every else album they recorded in 70's.

Ripper is God. I think he is not only the best there is today, but quite possibly one the greatest ever. The dude can do whatever he wants with his voice.

Man, i just remember his performance at the monumental Hear of a killer and a slight shiver went down my spine...

I've checked Stained Class because that some of my favorite songs are there but I really can't help to make a real choice. Any album up from Sad Wings of Destiny up to British Steel are masterpieces to me.
I don't care much for Rocka Rolla, and Point of Entry shows some lame songs and after it goes worse and worse, until Painkiller that is a killer album, maybe a perfect album in a way -an album with no superfluous note- but it lacks the charm of the 70's albums IMO.

Sad Wings...for me.

Island Of Domination is superb!