Judas preist was never really a favorite of mine. I tended to write them off as one of those clished metal groups from the 80s, because mainly i thought albums like BRITISH STEEL, POINT OF ENTERY, SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE and DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH were all generic metal and uttly pedestrian. Then i discovered some of their older 70's albums later on and was impressed, STAINED CLASS and SIN AFTER SIN were great listens and it changed my mind about Preist a littel...but not much, because they are really a band that emphasises on thier 80's material with such intelligent rants like "Breaking the Law" "Living after Midnight" or the ever annoying "You got Another thing Coming". That on top of certain choices of the lead singers lifestyle have killed my interest in them.

On to the album...

Sad Wings of Destiny was a very influential album. After the wave of Led Zepplin,Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with IV,Paranoid and Machine head as those groups most influential efforts, in comes Sad Wings of Destiny. I was surprised because this sounds nothing like the leather and spikes Judas Preist which i hate so much, it is solid 70's metal in the vain of the old Scorpions and Black Sabbath in some respects. The production is particularly muddy, even for 1976 production values. The songs themselves are well done to exellent, you have the epic title track which IMHO is the best song this group ever wrote. You have the songs the TYRANT and GENOCIDE that are heavy and fast, which is a blue print for future metal, as this album influenced people like Dave Mustaine and Hank Shermann. I find this a pretty good listen, Rob Halford is at his most diverse here, he goes from ultra low octaves to pirceing high flasetto screams. It is a good document of the birth of more modern metal, for Judas Preist was probably more directly influential to heavy metal then Black Sabbath was because Judas Preist was the first band to really drop the blues influence and speed things up which 80's metal bands like Slayer,Megadeth,MercyfulFate,Metallica and a million others fully embraced. As it turns out, this album sold horribley, the band almost quit after this because they were questioning themselves if they could contiue with such a lack of album sales. Fortuantley, they singed on to Columbia after this and put out SIN AFTER SIN, which i thought was a bit better the WINGS. This is worth getting if you are interested in early metal, i find that this is historicaly important for heavy metal, it was the closest thing at the time to the sound of what future metal would be like.

I recommend it, i find this much better then the insipid 80's Judas Preist, the songs here actually have feeling and power and are not some macho metal shout out to the masses.

While it's true that "Sad Wings of Destiny" is no "British Steel" or "Screaming For Vengeance," it still resides within the utmost upper ranks of Judas Priest's efforts. The sound quality of this album may not be that great, but that just adds to its appeal as a raw, no-nonsense metal landmark and proves that you don't need the best production in the world to create powerful music. "Victim of Changes" is a classic in every sense of the word, and is arguably the song that popularized the band in the first place. "The Ripper" is another great track and even though some call it cheesy, I believe that it's fine just the way it is. "Dreamer Deceiver" is one of my favorite ballads by the band, and it features intricate acoustic work from both Downing and Tipton. "Deceiver" is pretty much the faster second half to "Dreamer Deceiver" and it too has garnered much popularity over the years. "Prelude" (the intro to "Tyrant") is brief but it serves its purpose of setting the stage extremely well. "Tyrant" is another gem, and perhaps my favorite song off of the album. The opening riff is perhaps one of the catchiest ever composed by Priest, and it is bound to get stuck in your head (in a good way). "Genocide" is a fairly well-done song, but in my opinion it's not as good as "Tyrant" or "The Ripper". "Epitaph" is a shorter, more depressing song than most (although this does not mean that it's bad), and it flow right into "Island of Domination," my least favorite song off of the CD. Overall, though, "Sad Wings of Destiny" is a fantastic recording that I believe outshines "Rocka Rolla" and perhaps even "Sin After Sin". Buy it if you want to get into Priest, or even if you just want to listen to some good classic metal.

No voy a adentrarme mucho en los detalles de esta original pieza de colección de JP, pero dices que eres fan del Metal (70's, 80's, 90's y de actualidad) sin embrgo, no tienes todavía en tu colección melómana este CD ? parece que necesitas un poco + de cultura musical y además salir a comprarlo inmediatamente, de hecho hubo un tiempo en que por la poca promoción y el pobre éxito comercial, salió del mercado (out of print) el cual hacía difícil el conseguirlo. Es considerado un disco de CULTO. Asi que...qué esperas? ALTAMENTE RECOMENDABLE para tus membranas auditivas. Mork from Zapopan, Mex.

This was their first of two albums to be released in 1977, and it was the last album with Gull Records (the band jumped to CBS records after recording this album). "Sad Wings Of Destiny" is a perfect heavymetal album. If you don't have it you can't be considered a music lover! Here are my reviews of the songs based out of 5 *****:
"Victim Of Changes" - Hypnotic sounding guitar intro plunges into a thumping bass and chugging guitar. Very Sabbath sounding. Some fantastic guitar work from Glenn and KK with heavy distortion and wah-wah/whammy bar use. Rob begins his trademark wails here. Some of Rob's highest pitches are heard here. This is a great heavymetal song. Still in the live set. Some great tempo changes that were copied by Mercyful Fate and others. A landmark tune. Rating - *****
"The Ripper" - Chugging guitar and some very high-pitched screaming from Rob. Heavy thumping bass from Ian. A short song. Haunting guitar solo. Very moody piece well suited for "The Ripper". A classic metal song. Rating - ****
"Dreamer Deceiver" - A beautiful ballad with a message, with great singing from Rob. Very colorful lyrics which are enhanced by Rob's mournful sound. Some fine acoustic guitar and solo. Rob's hits lows and highs on this song that show what a tremendous voice he has. Journey wishes they could have done a ballad like this! I love this song! It should be in their live set if it isn't! Rating - *****
"Deceiver" - The "Dreamer" wakes up to a nightmare! This is no ballad here. The tempo is fast and mean. A barren wastland is what the "Dreamer" awakes to and Rob tells the story with conviction! Great guitar solo. A great heavymetal song! Rob has never sounded better! This song SCREAMS to be in the live set! Rating - *****
"Prelude" - A piano and drum roll (reminds me of "Funeral For A Friend" by Elton John) which announces the arrival of.....
"Tyrant" - Man this song RULES! One the best heavymetal songs ever written! A fast, aggresive song well suited for a tyrant. Intelligent and descriptive lyrics help paint a violent picture brought to life by Rob's howls! A gem of a song. Fine fret work from KK and Glenn. Nice, heavy bass from Ian. "War Pigs" on speed! Rating - ******
"Genocide" - The speed doesn't let up as this is another cardiac-arrest producing tune. A violent and ominous sounding guitar intro leads into heavy bass and highpitched singing from Rob. Rob is exhilerating on this song. Some heavily distorted guitars add menacing flavour. Another song with numerous tempo changes. Another song with great lyrics (OH, please bring back these types of songs!) A thick and chunky tune that prepares you for the slaughter. A CLASSIC! Hear this live and turn into a sack of jelly. Rating - *****
"Epitaph" - A piano song accompanied with some fantastic singing from Rob. Very mournful and emotional. A very mood piece as an epitaph usually is. I love this song! Thought provoking lyrics set the stage. Rating - *****
"Island Of Domination" - The metal sludge renews, as this is a very heavy heavymetal sounding tune. Strong S&M overtones. Rob goes from gutteral lows to piercing highs on this one. Some tremendous guitar work from Glenn. Fine bass playing by Ian accompanied by multiple tempo changes in the song structure. An excellent metal song. Rating - *****
This sophmore album is lightyears ahead of its predecessor. The sound here would be emulated on their next album "Sin After Sin". See my review for that album.

This is the album where Priest introduced a heavier sound. But they are far away from their trademark riffing and their legendary musical style. The only real classic which is typically Judas Priest is "The Ripper"(a song that is still played at live shows). This does not mean that the other songs are bad, but they are not great hits and you hear that Halford and his bandmates haven't found their own sound yet. For the Die-Hard Priest fan it is a must have, but definitely "Sad Wings..." isn't Priest's masterpiece. 3 points mostly for the great "Ripper" and the good vocals from Rob "Metal God" Halford.