Judas Preist's 1974 debut album.


This is simpley weird, i could see why the band hates this album so much...simpley becuase it is so uneven and utterly sloppy and the production sounds like they recorded it in BFI dumpster. When i first got this, i was like "What the Hell?", granted, debut albums are far from perfect, but this was just downright miserable. This sounds like a combination of Pink Floyd,Rush,Black Sabbath and Cream on an acid trip. The song ROCKA ROLLA was OK and so was ONE FOR THE ROAD, but the rest of the material was abismal. SAD WINGS OF DESTINY was such an improvment from this mess! The coolest thing about this album is the weird scrapping guitar effects Tipton makes on one of the songs! I'm surprised that this was even issued on a CD, the band doesn't even acknowlege the existance of this album and i can see why! Fortuanatly they prooved to be so much more then what this platter of stange noises provided us with. I know that there are some that like this, but not me! It is very blues based in some songs, and the most annoying thing is that some of these numbers will put you to sleep. Any one expecting a rocking metal album from the Preist will be let down by this.

If you went out and bought this album along with Sad Wings of Destiny and Sin After Sin, it would probably be your least favourite among the three. Certainly, its not as tight as the later works in the seventies. Yet it still stands in contrast to their slick, polished 80's metal sound that, while suberbly done, may be a little TOO polished sometimes. Rocka Rolla reminds me of the Scorpions first album, Lonesome Crow. Its a long convoluted journey through endless jams and improvisation that MUST be taken as a whole to be appreciated. Buy this album and forget for a moment that the name "Judas Priest" is across the front (with all the assumptions and pretentions that may bring to mind) and give a listen IN ITS ENTIRETY with an open mind. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Let me get this out right now. I love Judas Priest and have been a fan for over twenty years, but some of the other reviews for this album leave me shaking my head. I love the seventies era most of all. But I do not love this album. If Priest hadn't produced one of the all-time greatest metal records in "Sad Wings of Destiny" as their follow up to this debut, they would have disappeared. It is hard to beleive this is the same band. I rate this really at a two and half. The opener, "One for the Road" is terribly lame for an opening song on a metal record period, never mind it being the opening song on the 1st album by one of the greatest hard rock bands ever. The title track is kind of goofy and "Run of the Mill"'s middle section is too long and slow. "Cheater" is a kind of song they could do in their sleep. Only "Never Satisfied" and the second part of "Dying to Meet You" reveal the real Priest and are worthwhile ("Satisfied" being the only track worthy to appear on the recent box set). This record is the very best example of a band that hadn't found its sound yet. Hard to believe that tracks like "Victim of Changes" and "Dreamer Deceiver" were in Priest catalog at the time they recorded this album, it is inexplicable why they weren't included on "Rocka Rolla", but myself and thousands of other metal maniacs are probably glad these songs appeared when they did. This is Priest worst Halford-era album next to "Turbo" and "Ram It Down". Things could only get better and remarkably so because during the rest of the decade, Judas Priest could do no wrong.

This particular album isn't typical of later Priest albums, but was more my cup of tea than the later albums of the '80s. I think Rock a Rolla is a terrific track and it's a shame that Priest doesn't play this song in concert anymore.
The reason I think this album is like Black Sabbath's first album is because Black Sabbath's first album has one single on it (Black Sabbath) and the rest of the songs are typically representative of the Blues wave that was coming out of England at the time. Same thing here. Except it is much more enjoyable than Black Sabbath's first release. Winter is kind of cool, although the sounds in the song sound like Rob or maybe other members of the band were trying to get a car started during a -80 degree windchill and snowstorm. I kind of like Run of the Mill, although it is arguably too long. Cavier and Meths was interesting, but too short and underdeveloped. All in all, this album was a direction the band chose not to elaborate on, but I guess we can listen to it and dream what might have been...

Judas Priest are the greatest band ever, here's a fine example why!!