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Trollheart · 10-08-2015, 05:13 AM

Stained class (1978)

Though reasonably well established in the UK by now, and certainly no longer having to hold down day jobs since the success (finally) of their fourth album, Stained class marks the point where Judas Priest solidify their sound and ditch much of the longer, more progresive material that had characterised their first two, and certainly part of their third albums. Embracing the now-dominant subgenre of heavy metal, which was being fuelled by the rise of new bands as the NWOBHM broke, Judas Priest would emerge as one of the premier bands in Metal, and would also survive longer than a lot of their contemporaries.

There's a rolling, crashing drumbeat, marking the appearance of new drummer Les Brinks to open “Exciter” before the twin guitars of Downing and Tipton snarl in, taking the tune, and Halford's voice is beginning to develop its own, um, voice now. It's a fast, screaming metal tune, short and snappy, as most of the album here is: the days of the eight or nine-minute song and the multi-part suites is gone now as Priest tighten up their music and their songwriting, much of which is due to new producer Dennis MacKay. There's something of a nod to classical music in Tipton's solo, something that would be repeated in later years by Brian Tatler on Diamond Head's “Am I evil?”

The pace doesn't slacken then for “White heat, red hot”, with something more of a boogie beat driving it; kind of see Raven doing this a year or so later, then “Better by you, better than me” is the only cover on the album, the original having been by sixties legends Spooky Tooth. The song was the subject of a ridiculous lawsuit over a decade later when it was claimed Priest had inserted subliminal messages into the recording that resulted in two guys committing suicide. Not for the first time (remember Paranoid?) and certainly not for the last, Heavy Metal was given the rap and blamed for stupid decisions by people who happened to listen to it. The lawsuit was eventually thrown out, as it should have been. It's a decent song, but considering what has gone before it's a little limp I feel. I don't know the original but this is apparently seen as a good cover. The title track is up next, bringing back in the rip-roaring metal as Downing and Tipton go wild on the frets, the chorus betraying a little of the AOR I feel, but just a little. That sound typified by Thin Lizzy at their height is in evidence here, then “Invader” uses a riff I've heard later on the first or second Iron Maiden album, not sure which. Not only that, the opening track on The Number of the Beast is called “Invaders”. Coincidence? There's even a case for saying that the chorus here sounds a little like Maiden just borrowed it and sped it up on their song.

“Saints in Hell” is slower but has a great punch and lots of aggression: the dark, doomy themes are still at the moment evident here, though at this point you get the feeling it's a case of preference rather than influence. In other words, they're now writing dark songs because they want to, not because of how their situation is affecting them and making them feel. It's dark, man, but it's our dark! A real marching, thumping guitar bites and snaps at the tune, Halford screaming out the lyrics and setting the bar for many later vocalists. “Savage” has a more boogie feel to it, a swaggering, marauding beast full of its own confidence, but by contrast “Beyond the realms of death” (which sounds like something Slayer might write!) is a laidback acoustic ballad; I guess this time they restricted it to just the one, and it's a good one.

Ah, but no it isn't. Tipton kicks in the door as his guitar leaps to life for the chorus, and Halford spits out the vocal before they return to the gentler tone for the verse. I guess you'd call it a Jeckyl and Hyde sort of song, jumping from one to the other and constantly keeping you off-balance. It's also the longest song on the album, just short of seven minutes, and the penultimate one too. Really cool solo about halfway through which manages to marry elements of both the slower ballad and the harder rocker, and if any song on this album retains the progressive styles from previous albums, this is it. We close then on “Heroes end”, with a stop/start guitar opening before it strides along with enthusiasm and power, a fist-clenching, air-punching anthem destined to go down very well live I would think.

TRACKLISTING

1. Exciter
2. White heat, red hot
3. Better by you, better than me
4. Stained class
5. Invader
6. Saints in Hell
7. Savage
8. Beyond the realm of death
9. Heroes end

Although emblematic of the kind of metal that would make its voice heard over the next few years as the NWOBHM took firm hold over England, and bands like Raven, Maiden, Saxon and Tank rose to the fore, Judas Priest's dark, aggressive sound was not something the delicate ears of America were used to, having been weaned on the likes of REO and Boston, Foreigner and Kiss, and consequently they continued to be mostly ignored in the States. That, of course, would change, but it would take time.

10-08-2015, 05:13 AM	#2843 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Stained class (1978) Though reasonably well established in the UK by now, and certainly no longer having to hold down day jobs since the success (finally) of their fourth album, Stained class marks the point where Judas Priest solidify their sound and ditch much of the longer, more progresive material that had characterised their first two, and certainly part of their third albums. Embracing the now-dominant subgenre of heavy metal, which was being fuelled by the rise of new bands as the NWOBHM broke, Judas Priest would emerge as one of the premier bands in Metal, and would also survive longer than a lot of their contemporaries. There's a rolling, crashing drumbeat, marking the appearance of new drummer Les Brinks to open “Exciter” before the twin guitars of Downing and Tipton snarl in, taking the tune, and Halford's voice is beginning to develop its own, um, voice now. It's a fast, screaming metal tune, short and snappy, as most of the album here is: the days of the eight or nine-minute song and the multi-part suites is gone now as Priest tighten up their music and their songwriting, much of which is due to new producer Dennis MacKay. There's something of a nod to classical music in Tipton's solo, something that would be repeated in later years by Brian Tatler on Diamond Head's “Am I evil?” The pace doesn't slacken then for “White heat, red hot”, with something more of a boogie beat driving it; kind of see Raven doing this a year or so later, then “Better by you, better than me” is the only cover on the album, the original having been by sixties legends Spooky Tooth. The song was the subject of a ridiculous lawsuit over a decade later when it was claimed Priest had inserted subliminal messages into the recording that resulted in two guys committing suicide. Not for the first time (remember Paranoid?) and certainly not for the last, Heavy Metal was given the rap and blamed for stupid decisions by people who happened to listen to it. The lawsuit was eventually thrown out, as it should have been. It's a decent song, but considering what has gone before it's a little limp I feel. I don't know the original but this is apparently seen as a good cover. The title track is up next, bringing back in the rip-roaring metal as Downing and Tipton go wild on the frets, the chorus betraying a little of the AOR I feel, but just a little. That sound typified by Thin Lizzy at their height is in evidence here, then “Invader” uses a riff I've heard later on the first or second Iron Maiden album, not sure which. Not only that, the opening track on The Number of the Beast is called “Invaders”. Coincidence? There's even a case for saying that the chorus here sounds a little like Maiden just borrowed it and sped it up on their song. “Saints in Hell” is slower but has a great punch and lots of aggression: the dark, doomy themes are still at the moment evident here, though at this point you get the feeling it's a case of preference rather than influence. In other words, they're now writing dark songs because they want to, not because of how their situation is affecting them and making them feel. It's dark, man, but it's our dark! A real marching, thumping guitar bites and snaps at the tune, Halford screaming out the lyrics and setting the bar for many later vocalists. “Savage” has a more boogie feel to it, a swaggering, marauding beast full of its own confidence, but by contrast “Beyond the realms of death” (which sounds like something Slayer might write!) is a laidback acoustic ballad; I guess this time they restricted it to just the one, and it's a good one. Ah, but no it isn't. Tipton kicks in the door as his guitar leaps to life for the chorus, and Halford spits out the vocal before they return to the gentler tone for the verse. I guess you'd call it a Jeckyl and Hyde sort of song, jumping from one to the other and constantly keeping you off-balance. It's also the longest song on the album, just short of seven minutes, and the penultimate one too. Really cool solo about halfway through which manages to marry elements of both the slower ballad and the harder rocker, and if any song on this album retains the progressive styles from previous albums, this is it. We close then on “Heroes end”, with a stop/start guitar opening before it strides along with enthusiasm and power, a fist-clenching, air-punching anthem destined to go down very well live I would think. TRACKLISTING 1. Exciter 2. White heat, red hot 3. Better by you, better than me 4. Stained class 5. Invader 6. Saints in Hell 7. Savage 8. Beyond the realm of death 9. Heroes end Although emblematic of the kind of metal that would make its voice heard over the next few years as the NWOBHM took firm hold over England, and bands like Raven, Maiden, Saxon and Tank rose to the fore, Judas Priest's dark, aggressive sound was not something the delicate ears of America were used to, having been weaned on the likes of REO and Boston, Foreigner and Kiss, and consequently they continued to be mostly ignored in the States. That, of course, would change, but it would take time. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-10-2015 at 11:12 AM.