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Judas Priest - British Steel



8.4 | 1266 votes |
Release date: 19 April 1980
Style: Hard rock, Heavy metal

Owners:

1367 have it
69 want it
2 trade it


Disc I
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. Red, White & Blue [2001 re-release bonus]
11. Grinder [Live at Long Beach Arena, 5 May 1984] [2001 re-release bonus]

Disc II [CD] [Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena][30th Anniversary Edition bonus]
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. The Ripper
11. Hell Patrol
12. Victim Of Changes
13. Freewheel Burning
14. Diamonds & Rust [Joan Baez cover]
15. You've Got Another Thing Coming

Disc III [DVD] [Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena][30th Anniversary Edition bonus]
01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Breaking The Law
04. Grinder
05. United
06. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
07. Living After Midnight
08. The Rage
09. Steeler
10. The Ripper
11. The Prophecy
12. Hell Patrol
13. Victim Of Changes
14. Freewheel Burning
15. Diamonds & Rust [Joan Baez cover]
16. You've Got Another Thing Coming
+ Interview: The Making Of British Steel [bonus]

Top 20 albums of 1980: 9
Featured in "Getting Into: Judas Priest"

Line-up
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford - vocals
Kenneth "K.K." Downing - guitar
Glenn Raymond Tipton - guitar
Dave Holland - drums
Ian Frank Hill - bass

Additional info
Produced by Tom Allom.

Staff review by
Pierre Tombale
Rating:
5.0
Obviously not the best start into the 80's is this Judas Priest album, although it contains some of the bands classics such as 'Metal Gods', 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight', but even these songs have seen better times especially as on stage performances.

Nearly all songs on 'British Steel' fail to bring up the metal feeling that the 70's stuff did. The faster the songs the poorer they are, maybe Priest were still tired of their world tour when they recorded this album saying: hey let's make something slower.You can consider it better looking at it as a rock album (with slight american influences regarding the style, which is really irony of fate when you look at the title) than as a metal album. As a rock album it is fun listening, but not at all times, you should at least be in the mood!

Read more ››
published 16.11.2003 | Comments (63)

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Comments

Comments: 38   Visited by: 1092 users
25.09.2012 - 06:52
Nightfall
I can't judge a whole album by one song, but I remember listening to "Breaking The Law" a bit after I got into metal and I just found it so lame...
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17.11.2012 - 13:08
megadeath13
Account deleted
Breaking the law and Metal Gods are classics, but the rest doesnt impress me at all. Its their most popular but by far not their best
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03.02.2013 - 19:25
Cream
Account deleted
Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.
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04.02.2013 - 04:01
Rating: 6
Ace Frawley
The Spaceman
Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

I think you might be on to something here. I reckon it could be the most overrated album in history. There are some good solos here and there but overall, this is a real disappointment compared to their earlier brilliant albums and even compared to what came later.
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The sun shines over The Fool...
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04.02.2013 - 20:07
Cream
Account deleted
Written by Ace Frawley on 04.02.2013 at 04:01

Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

I think you might be on to something here. I reckon it could be the most overrated album in history. There are some good solos here and there but overall, this is a real disappointment compared to their earlier brilliant albums and even compared to what came later.

All their trademarks that made Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, Stained Class agelesss classics are missing here, most notably Hadfords high pitched vocals which are just flat on this album or the dueling guitars which are scare and when found are so watered down and uninteresting that they just aren't worth listening to. The albums is just a collection of annoying anthems and filler material. Even the average Killing Mashine is a timeless classic compared to this testament of generecism. Agree on the most overrated album in history.
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26.01.2014 - 01:28
Rating: 10
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11.02.2014 - 16:44
Rating: 9
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

This album is what rock'n'roll is all about.
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18.03.2014 - 15:33
Pennywise
Account deleted
Written by Hex_Omega on 11.02.2014 at 16:44

Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

This album is what rock'n'roll is all about.

So rock'n'roll is about being uninspired and flat?
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18.03.2014 - 15:35
Rating: 9
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
Written by [user id=144168] on 18.03.2014 at 15:33

Written by Hex_Omega on 11.02.2014 at 16:44

Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

This album is what rock'n'roll is all about.

So rock'n'roll is about being uninspired and flat?

Is about being simple, catchy and ass kicking.
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19.03.2014 - 04:10
Rating: 6
Ace Frawley
The Spaceman
Written by Hex_Omega on 18.03.2014 at 15:35

Is about being simple, catchy and ass kicking.

hahaha, this album is lame but at least you like it. Certainly some simple songs on here - especially "United", and also some catchy stuff. But ass kicking - nope, can't agree with that.
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The sun shines over The Fool...
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30.03.2014 - 17:55
Rating: 1
Nihil Aeternum
The anthems on this album are really stupid and annoying. The right stuff for football hooligans and a painfulness for the metal genre.
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16.06.2014 - 21:39
Dr. Strawberry
Written by Hex_Omega on 11.02.2014 at 16:44

Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

This album is what rock'n'roll is all about.

Exactly !
- I didn't like it for more than two decades until recently I listened to it very carefully then I started to realise this album infused a lot of blues rock with metal.
- If listeners expect this album to be aggressive as Painkiller then they're on the wrong path.
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17.06.2014 - 02:19
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Elite
Listened to it today again because I was going through their entire discography because on Wednesday I've got a listening session where we will get to hear their entire new album and damn British Steel is a very mediocre to bad album. Painkiller is quite average as well to be honest but this one is way worse.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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17.06.2014 - 02:20
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Elite
Written by Hex_Omega on 11.02.2014 at 16:44

Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

Most overrated piece of boredom shit in rock\metal history. Flat, stupid and generic in all possible ways.

This album is what rock'n'roll is all about.

NO it is not. This is just uninspired middle of the road averageness. An album containing a terrible football anthem such as United CAN NEVER BE CONSIDERED AS SOMETHING WHAT ROCK AND ROLL IS ABOUT
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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17.06.2014 - 13:36
Rating: 9
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.06.2014 at 02:20

NO it is not. This is just uninspired middle of the road averageness. An album containing a terrible football anthem such as United CAN NEVER BE CONSIDERED AS SOMETHING WHAT ROCK AND ROLL IS ABOUT

Honestly? I think it depends on what you expect from the album and what is your actual mood. This album is awesome for a party when you are drunk with your friends (then even Limp Bizkit is good but whatever lol). Anyway songwriting may be poor and generally this album may look a bit silly but I just like it the way it is. Sometimes I just want listen to this kind of albums and I stand by what I said before -> this is what rock'n'roll is for me -> maybe mindless but fun and enjoyable.
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12.07.2014 - 06:27
Lord_Regnier
Written by [user id=137482] on 03.02.2013 at 19:25

generic in all possible ways.

That's the perfect way to describe this album. When I think of generic , it's exactly this kind of album that comes to mind.
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"Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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26.02.2015 - 23:23
Rating: 9
Dalleo
Rapid Fire, Grinder, The Rage, Steeler some really great songs
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02.11.2015 - 19:17
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
Lol what a horrible review. It isnt Priets best album but it certainly deserves a better reviewer
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30.05.2016 - 16:51
BlackMetalDay
"United, united, united we stand..." This song is quite incredible. At least you can get a good laugh when you listen to it for the first time.
I guess this album gets an average rating of 8.5 due to the fact that it is really mainstream. Like the black album from Metallica. Same thing according to me: many people like them because the music is simple and catchy. Personally it bores me when the music is too simple, which is the case here in most of the songs. Especially when the band released much more complex and IMO better albums before -> definition of a let-down.
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28.10.2016 - 16:28
Rating: 7
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Not bad, not great either. I can pick a couple of strong tracks here ("Rapid Fire" and "The Rage") and some minor classics like "Metal Gods" and "Breaking the Law".
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My vision is augmented
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06.09.2017 - 16:43
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Some say this is bets JP, well maybe beginning of new era in some way, but not best. 2 decent hits, rest is album, even in those days somehow bands wrote proper albums, yes its good, but not bets. Previous 2 JP albums are best, maybe even in whole discography , to judge I need re listen all and judge. That's what I am doing now.
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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10.09.2017 - 17:38
Rating: 4
Antares8001
Stuff like Breaking the Law or Living after Midnight are a somewhat fun listen and can be great to get a crowd into a good mood. But at the end of the day I bet most people couldn't name any other songs on this album except maybe Metal Gods. And I can't imagine to enjoy listening to anything from this album on my own.
I also can't for the live of me imagine why this was their breakthrough album and is even quite regularly cited as not only one of their best but also as one of the best metal albums period. It's one of Halford's worst vocal performances and what Tipton and Downing do can best be described as generic, simplistic and uninspired. Same goes for the songwriting and don't even get me started on the lyrics. It has absolutely nothing on their 70s records or their later stuff and I might even go as far as to call it their worst album alongside Turbo, although I think I actually enjoy listening to Turbo more simply because it is not so massively overrated.
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13.04.2018 - 22:51
This album received the same hatred as a "Black Album" by MetallicA
very similar destinies in terms of dislike for them
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28.12.2018 - 07:49
Rating: 10
DeathMetal
I like it. I like it a lot.
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29.12.2018 - 11:24
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by christmas.inHell on 13.04.2018 at 22:51

This album received the same hatred as a "Black Album" by MetallicA
very similar destinies in terms of dislike for them

disagree, black had much more hare. That album had dome songs, hete are heavier songs, and bad songs are stronger. That hate came from fan Boys, mot folk what can apriciate That metall has many genres.
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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25.02.2020 - 00:35
Rating: 5
Metal Diogenes
Overrated. Priest have made many timeless classic albums, but British Steel and Point of Entry have always felt to me like some sort of watered down weaker minor works sandwiched between their 70's and 80's masterpieces. Later they somehow managed to find the sweet spot between being intense badass metal and having more simplified and commercial sound, but this is not it. No yet. This here feels phony, like they can't let Rob sing too high or let the guitars sound too ballsy and aggressive because reasons. What fun is that?

Frankly, British Steel is mostly just boring. A band like Judas Priest can do much better than this.
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You've got a lot of guts. Let's see what they look like!
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22.03.2020 - 09:46
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Overrated. Forgettable. Worthless.

Not even close to the wonders they did back in the 70's.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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22.03.2020 - 10:14
JoHn Doe
Written by Maco on 22.03.2020 at 09:46

Overrated. Forgettable. Worthless.

Not even close to the wonders they did back in the 70's.

Overrated, I agree. Forgettable? No, still fun to listen after all these years. Worthless? Again, no.
"Not even close to the wonders they did back in the 70's." I agree.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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22.03.2020 - 10:45
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Maco on 22.03.2020 at 09:46

Overrated. Forgettable. Worthless.

Not even close to the wonders they did back in the 70's.

I agree 70 was better but 4his is good but overated, all idea about Steel piss me off, this is maybe first metal album after paranoid, i like This btw
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
22.03.2020 - 11:18
JoHn Doe
Written by Bad English on 22.03.2020 at 10:45

Written by Maco on 22.03.2020 at 09:46

Overrated. Forgettable. Worthless.

Not even close to the wonders they did back in the 70's.

I agree 70 was better but 4his is good but overated, all idea about Steel piss me off, this is maybe first metal album after paranoid, i like This btw

one of the dumbest things i've read that you posted...
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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