“The fastest album they’d made, chock full of hard-headed riffs and squealing solos”: Every song on Judas Priest’s Painkiller ranked from worst to best
Momentum wasn't on Judas Priest 's side as they readied their 12th studio album. Though the Brummies had spent the first half of the 80s revered as the metal gods that they were, the decade's latter years were damaging. Turbo got lambasted for its experiments with radio-friendly glam metal. Then, when follow-up Ram It Down tried to course-correct, reviews dismissed the effort as "tired", sounding like the band on autopilot.
Big moves needed to be made for Judas Priest to survive the 90s, and against all likelihood they were. Rather than fade into obscurity or sappy balladry like many of their contemporaries, the band saw the rising tide of thrash metal and, with the help of debuting drummer Scott Travis, hopped on. The resulting album was the fastest they'd ever made, chock full of hard-headed riffs and squealing solos, while Rob Halford shredded his throat with blasts of falsetto.
Painkiller reaped fan and critical acclaim but the good times wouldn't last. Halford shed his post following the subsequent tour and the band had a controversial few years with Tim "Ripper" Owens up front, before their classic singer returned to the fold. Nonetheless, as Judas Priest prepare for a 2025 European tour celebrating 35 years of their middle-era masterpiece , join us as we revisit and reappraise each of its 10 tracks.
Unranked: Battle HymnNot really a song, is it? Despite having possibly the most badass title in Judas Priest's back-catalogue, Battle Hymn is a brisk 56-second intro, using cracking thunder and rumbling guitar noise to set the stage for album finale One Shot At Glory. It's a great mood-builder, but given its length and purpose it can't in good faith be compared with the title track, Hell Patrol and the rest. Moving on...
All Guns Blazing is not a bad song. It's a sharp jolt of adrenaline, with a middle section that lets guitar duo K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton solo until their fingers fall off. Where the track falls just short of everything else, though, is in its rhythm guitars and melodies. Befitting of its title, it's a basic, machine gun-like chug-a-thon, while Halford doesn't get to show the full extent of his talents on that repeating meat-and-potatoes chorus. Are we being overly harsh here? Yes. But, on an album where every note is perfect, something needed to come last.
Metal Meltdown is a formidable display of Judas Priest's guitar fulcrum. The skull-shattering shred at the start, the hammering thrash riff that follows, the rapidfire solos – these should all take pride of place on Downing and Tipton's CVs. Halford even turns in an impressive performance – at times at least. The letdown comes from that chorus, which doesn't carry the same pizazz as everything else. The way "Here come the metal meltdown, run for your lives" is sung doesn't hit as hard as the falsetto during the verses. Again, it's a nitpick, but the devil's in the details with an album this good.
From this point on, you could say any song on this list is your favourite and we'd get it. Leather Rebel sprints to life with a tapping riff, swiftly joined by a Travis drum performance that goes on to steal the show. He and bassist Ian Hill stampede forward in sync, before Halford explodes from a decent verse performance to a powerhouse cry of "Leather rebel! Lightning in the daaaaark!" for the chorus. The blazing guitar harmonies during the bridge affirm this as a killer Judas Priest song, equally flamboyant and lethal – and we still have six entries to go!
Fans speculate that Hammer... references that time Judas Priest were put on trial for being complicit in two fans' deaths, allegedly due to hidden messaging in one of their songs. Of course, the whole case was a farce, and Halford seemingly shares those sentiments as he howls, "The sinner will testify! They'll suffer, sacrificed on high!" That venom seeps into the music as well: Travis and Hall march along with furious purpose while Downing and Tipton go ape over that simplistic stomp, squealing, shredding and laying down heavy chords with abandon. After the sprinting Night Crawler, it's a welcome change of pace.
Night Crawler's lyrics speaks of a "beast in black" who hunts victims in an isolated town. It's another "monster" song in the vein of The Sentinel and even this album's opening title track. Not the most original territory for Judas Priest by this point, but that familiarity is veiled by the exhilarating musicianship and the consistently catchy lines Halford unfurls. Like on many top-shelf Painkiller tracks, he makes the verses as infectious as the chorus, especially on the fast-paced flick behind "Whispered prayers a last resort!" When the lead guitar pick up that same melody later, it's glorious.
After Painkiller opened the album with the hardest jolt of adrenaline Judas Priest fans had ever received, the band didn't lift the pedal off the metal. Hell Patrol is another white-knuckle thrillride with a tight-as-fuck runtime and a dyanmic turn from Halford. The singer rises from his regular, majestic voice to falsetto rambunctiousness at will, while the rest of the band refuse to dilly-dally whatsoever. The badassery is only furthered by lyrics about demons who've risen from Hell with the goals of getting into fistfights and riding motorcycles stupidly fast. Long story short: this shit's as metal as metal can get.
A Touch Of Evil is Painkiller's ugly duckling. At first glance, it doesn't belong whatsoever. What's a mid-paced glam metal number with synthesisers doing on an otherwise ferocious speed metal disc? However, the song strikes at the perfect time: just when it looks like all this album has to offer is hellfire maximalism, you're suddenly faced with a slow, hypnotic and fiercely melodic detour. It still screams triumph though, the keys lifting Judas Priest to near-symphonic proportions as Halford implores, "In the night! Come to me!" How can you not feel seduced by such bombast and elegance?
Feeling down in the dumps? Not ready to face today and the drudgery it's going to bring? Stick One Shot At Glory on and you'll feel able to crush that shit! In a career of empowering metal anthems, Painkiller's finale is arguably the most empowering, ending the album on a note that makes you feel ready to benchpress a tectonic plate. "Destiny calls me!" cries Halford. "One night of fire! One shot at glory!" With Downing and Tipton wailing behind him and Travis and Hill driving with unbroken power, it's pure motivation in sonic form. A guaranteed pick-me-up instantly.
It had to be number one, didn't it? Judas Priest were in the creative doldrums and still reeling from that nonsense subliminal messaging trial – then, the second this scorcher's drum fill shattered televisions via MTV, none of that mattered anymore. British metal's greatest champions were abruptly revived, then continued with aplomb through six minutes of unfettered adrenaline. Halford had never been better; Downing, Tipton and Hill were unchained; and Travis emerged to dropped jaws and wide eyes from the fanbase. Faster than a laser bullet, Judas Priest felt relevant again for a new generation of metalheads. No longer influences who'd lost their sheen, but a force with vitality to rival the young guns who'd risen in their wake. Stunningly hard-hitting stuff.
