While I find Sad Wings to be overrated(musically, not in influence) this album deserves all the cock sucking it gets. Exciter remains aggressive and powerful to this day, the title track has one of metals best opening riffs, and Beyond the Realms of Death is better than any song you could ever write.

Beyond The Realms of Death is my all time favorite song. Such deep lyrics and the music and solos don't get any better in 1978. Priest is a great inspiration to all bands...

A totally classic album in every sense of the word, and one of the most influential metal albums of all time, as well as one of the best! "Exciter" must have sounded extremely fast back in 1978, and was definitely a pre-cursor for speed metal. "Beyond The Realms Of Death" is probably the greatest ever metal ballad, and songs like "Savage" and "Heroes End" are so immense it's amazing that they've remained so underrated and unknown except to the real Priest fans. Brilliant album. xD

Agree with all the comments above. This album must have been incredible to listen to in 1978 when compared to what else was being released. It really all comes together on this album for Judas Priest. Surely this album must have inspired so much of the great music that has followed in the many years since it was released.

Have to add that I think "Saints in Hell" is an absolute killer of a song. It TAKES NAMES!

The best of their 70s material, by far.

Interesting how i heard the strapping young lad version of 'Exciter' before this, the original one. I now believe the original to be the better of the two, though devin townsend always manages to make it sound even more insane. Aside from that little note, i thought this album was pretty neat-A lot of heavy hooks and some truly inspirational riffs. The longer songs are in my opinion better written than the shorter ones, but even they have a metal attitude within.

Not only their best 70s album but its in my opinion even their best studio album in general. Its also very influential.

Written by [user id=136417] on 12.01.2013 at 00:25

Not only their best 70s album but its in my opinion even their best studio album in general. Its also very influential.

I often think of this as the first pure "metal" album to be released. I'm sure others might have differing views on that but your statement about it being "infuential" cannot be denied.

Stained Glass ? For me is the best Heavy Metal Recording ever.... absolutely carnage....The vocals always high...the best guitar duo....K.K Downing and Glenn Tipton harvest the souls of them who call themselfs metal like BVB etc ... It makes you to grab the axe and behead every random idiot who believe metal is rubbish/crap and rap is the absolute music bang that head that doesn bang

Does anyone know who the 1st verse of Hero's End is about? I assume the 2nd is about Hendrix.

Written by M C Vice on 27.08.2013 at 12:39

Does anyone know who the 1st verse of Hero's End is about? I assume the 2nd is about Hendrix.

It's about Janis Joplin.

This album is very much ahead of its time, the music sounds like it could have been released 6-7 years later and be able to fit right in, and the album cover itself looks really awesome for its time in the 70s (even for today really). One of my absolute favorite Priest records (though Screaming for Vengeance is my fave, this is still awesome). \m/

No question, one of the best, if not the best of all time. Love Tipton's guitar work in the title track, under rated track.
The solos in Beyond the Realms of Death are just legendary. I agree, this album is a good distance better than the slightly over rated Sad Wings (also a classic).

For me the best of the 70s priest era cheers

Great, maybe most heaviest album from 70's era, same time every single song can be best there. Amazing

Very influental album, you can hear they were ahead of their time on this one. Some really good tracks in Beyond the Realms of Death, Stained Class, Saints in Hell and Heroes End.

Written by majormalfunction on 13.09.2020 at 19:47

Some really good tracks in Beyond the Realms of Death, Stained Class, Saints in Hell and Heroes End.

+Savage
+Exciter
So many great tracks here. Yes, a classic.
Do I even prefer this to Sad Wings? On some days I do, on some I dont.

Classic heavy metal music that lacks memorability of their best albums, however. I'm having a good time listening to it again, but frankly, I'm afraid that I will be very much forgetting most of the songs after being finished listening to them. Exciter and Beyond The Realms Of Death are the winner songs. Doesn't compare with Sad Wings IMO.

Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 20.07.2021 at 22:34

Classic heavy metal music that lacks memorability of their best albums, however. I'm having a good time listening to it again, but frankly, I'm afraid that I will be very much forgetting most of the songs after being finished listening to them. Exciter and Beyond The Realms Of Death are the winner songs. Doesn't compare with Sad Wings IMO.

Wow, I am really surprised that you say that.
I find most of these tracks extremely memorable.
Next to the ones you mentioned, there are Saints in Hell, Savage, the title track, and of course Better By You Better Than Me.
Everyone alive in the 1980s has heard the latter song basically everyday on the radio.

Written by Redel on 22.07.2021 at 00:38

Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 20.07.2021 at 22:34

Classic heavy metal music that lacks memorability of their best albums, however. I'm having a good time listening to it again, but frankly, I'm afraid that I will be very much forgetting most of the songs after being finished listening to them. Exciter and Beyond The Realms Of Death are the winner songs. Doesn't compare with Sad Wings IMO.

Wow, I am really surprised that you say that.
I find most of these tracks extremely memorable.
Next to the ones you mentioned, there are Saints in Hell, Savage, the title track, and of course Better By You Better Than Me.
Everyone alive in the 1980s has heard the latter song basically everyday on the radio.

I think I rated it 7 earlier so I'm being generous when I raised it. I know other people generally regard the album higher than me. I agree the songs are good but they don't have the same effect on me as most songs on Sad Wings and Painkiller do, I never listened to this album as much as those two. It's one of the better JP albums for sure, but how it's rated always felt a bit too high to me.

While Black Sabbath invented "heavy" music, Judas Priest initiated "metal" with this monumental album!

Unbelievable vocal performance by Rob, masterful guitar-work by Glenn and KK, and intricate drumming make this release at times furious, at times melodic, and all the time damn catchy and fun!

What also makes this album special, especially making it stand out from other Judas Priest albums, are the lyrics!
The lyrics of all of these songs here are intriguing and amazingly well-written: the damning critique of colonialism (Savage); mentally leaving the world behind (Beyond the Realms of Death); mortality (Heroes End); gladiators (White Heat, Red Hot); aliens invading (Invader); returning light to mankind (Exciter), which had fallen to sin (Stained Class); and an epic account of a Crusade in Hell (Saints in Hell).

Overall, there are many themes of fighting against injustice and despair - with a brief lighter moment of the catchy "Better By You Better Than Me".

It's incredible what these guys were writing and performing in '78 - so innovative and influential for the entire metal genre!

This album is definitely (after Painkiller and Defenders of the Faith) a contender for my 3rd favorite Judas Priest album (other candidates are Screaming For Vengeance and Sad Wings of Destiny)

Been randomly listening to "Beyond The Realms Of Death" alot recently. It's one of the best songs ever! That main riff, those lyrics, the vocal performance, and that phenomenal guitar solo